Author: Michael Khan

Tesla’s much-anticipated entry into India appears to be off to a slow start, with the electric vehicle maker delivering only 60 units of its Model Y in the first month of sales, according to government registration data. The figures suggest a subdued reception compared with both mass-market and premium EV competitors. Data from India’s Vahan portal, cited by Autocar Professional, shows that Tesla’s September deliveries were significantly lower than those of BYD, which sold 541 EVs, and BMW and Mercedes-Benz, which registered 307 and 95 electric cars respectively. Unlike its rivals, Tesla currently offers only the imported Model Y—subject to…

Tesla has officially launched sales of its Cybertruck in Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Qatar, as the electric vehicle maker seeks to offset weaker demand in its core U.S. market by expanding into new regions. Initially restricted to North America during its first year of production, the Cybertruck has fallen short of expectations. Tesla once touted more than 1 million reservations and aimed for annual output of up to 250,000 units, with potential to double that capacity. See also: Tesla Files Patent for Inflatable Deflector to Boost Cybertruck Towing Efficiency https://twitter.com/teslaeurope/status/1974023844168970455 However, higher-than-expected prices and shorter driving ranges…

Indian electric vehicle charging solutions provider ThunderPlus has inaugurated a mega charging hub near Kempegowda International Airport in Bengaluru, designed to cater to both private EV users and commercial operators. The new facility, located in Mutthugadahalli on the city’s outskirts, spans 28,000 square feet and is equipped with one megawatt of installed capacity. It offers charging options ranging from 7.4 kW AC to 240 kW DC, making it suitable for entry-level and premium cars as well as light- and heavy-duty commercial vehicles. ThunderPlus said the hub can simultaneously charge more than 100 cars and over 10 buses. See also: ChargeZone…

India has commissioned its first fleet of battery-swappable heavy-duty electric trucks at the Nhava Sheva Distribution Terminal in Jawaharlal Nehru Port Authority (JNPA), creating the country’s largest electric truck fleet at any port. JNPA has deployed 50 trucks and plans to expand the fleet to 80 by year-end, before replacing 90% of its roughly 900 heavy-duty trucks with electric models by 2026. The port authority will also create dedicated EV lanes across all terminals. “We are taking a major step towards sustainability by deploying these trucks and ensuring smooth movement with a dedicated lane for EVs,” said Unmesh Sharad Wagh,…

Kia Corporation and Saudi developer Red Sea Global (RSG) have launched a pilot program to test next-generation electric vehicles at luxury tourism destinations on the Red Sea coast, the companies said on Monday. The trial involves Kia’s Platform Beyond Vehicle (PBV) line, starting with the PV5 Passenger model, which will be used for transfers between airports and resorts as well as inter-resort transport. The companies said they plan to study the use of larger PBV models, including the PV7 expected in 2027, and explore cargo variants for resort logistics. The pilot is part of Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 strategy, which…

Tesla Inc. has delivered its first electric car in India, launching the Model Y in two variants as the company begins operations in the country after years of postponements. The move comes as Tesla expands into a market with high import tariffs that have made vehicles significantly more expensive than in neighboring regions. The rear-wheel drive Model Y is priced at 5.989 million rupees ($69,000), while the long-range rear-wheel drive version is listed at 6.789 million rupees ($79,000). All vehicles in the initial delivery batch were manufactured at Tesla’s Shanghai Gigafactory. Tesla’s Global Vice President, Grace Tao, announced the deliveries…

Researchers at the Indian Institute of Science (IISc) are exploring the use of amorphous materials in magnesium batteries, a development that could improve energy storage beyond the limits of conventional lithium-ion systems. Lithium-ion batteries, which power most consumer electronics, are limited by their energy density, meaning they can store only a fixed amount of energy per unit of mass or volume. “In order to store even more energy with the same mass or volume, you will have to explore alternative energy storage technologies,” said Sai Gautam Gopalakrishnan, Assistant Professor at the Department of Materials Engineering at IISc. Magnesium batteries theoretically…

The government of India has issued new operational guidelines for its PM E-DRIVE scheme, which targets the deployment of more than 72,000 public electric vehicle (EV) chargers and battery-swap stations across the country. Authorities have allocated roughly €220 million (2,000 crore rupees) in subsidies to support the installations. The subsidies will vary depending on the type of site and may cover both the EV supply equipment (EVSE) and upstream infrastructure, such as cabling, fencing, or transformers. The program is designed to support 22,100 fast chargers for four-wheeled EVs, 1,800 bus chargers, and 48,400 chargers for two- and three-wheelers, which are…

General Motors said it has introduced its Super Cruise hands-free driving system in the Middle East, becoming the first automaker to roll out a road-ready advanced driver-assistance system (ADAS) in the region. The technology will be offered across Cadillac, GMC and Chevrolet vehicles. The company’s Middle East subsidiary said the launch is part of GM’s wider strategy to advance personal autonomous vehicle technologies and reduce driving-related errors. The move follows approval from Saudi Arabia’s General Authority for Survey and Geospatial Information, which cleared the system in line with the country’s Vision 2030 development plan. GM recently completed a proof-of-concept project…

Tata Motors  on Friday named Shailesh Chandra as chief executive officer and managing director, effective April 2026, and appointed Dhiman Gupta as chief financial officer, as India’s largest automaker by revenue prepares to spin off its commercial and passenger vehicle businesses into separate listed entities. The leadership reshuffle follows the National Company Law Tribunal’s approval of Tata Motors’ composite scheme of arrangement, under which the company will demerge its commercial vehicle operations into Tata Motors Commercial Vehicles Ltd (TMLCV) and merge TML Business Analytics Services Ltd (TMLBASL) into Tata Motors. Chandra, who currently heads the automaker’s passenger vehicle and electric…

Bengaluru-based electric two-wheeler startup Ultraviolette Automotive said it is open to licensing its battery technology as it seeks to diversify revenue beyond vehicle sales. The move comes as the Qualcomm- and TVS Motor-backed company aims to build a higher-margin income stream to support expansion in India and Europe. “A little down the line, we should probably look at other revenue streams from offshoots from the technology side,” CEO Narayan Subramaniam told Reuters. “We have gotten interest from EV manufacturers, companies that make space tech equipment to even performance hydroplanes. But for us currently, with the bandwidth that we have, our…

India has lowered taxes on fuel cell vehicles (FCEVs) to align them with battery electric vehicles (BEVs), as part of its biggest tax reform in eight years. The move underscores the country’s view of hydrogen technology as a complement to battery-powered transport in its decarbonisation strategy. The Goods and Services Tax (GST) on FCEVs has been reduced from 12% to 5%, bringing them on par with BEVs. By contrast, internal combustion engine (ICE) and hybrid vehicles now face rates of 18% to 40%. Previously, ICE vehicles attracted up to 28% GST plus a compensation cess of as high as 22%.…