At the Geneva motor show, Tata Motors unveiled their new EV version of the economic car, the Nano. Although it's not a Porsche, this car accelerates from 0 to 60 kms per hour in under 10 seconds. The batteries are super-polymer lithium ion, and give a range of about 160 kms per charge.
"Electrification will be an integral part of our initiative to launch environment-friendly vehicles," said Ravi Kent, vice chairman of Tata.
This could be the first step towards a more green future, and although there is no launch date set, it gives hope that this could be a viable means of transportation.

We have decided to open up a blog on blogspot for all of you wishing to follow the progress of things at EVFuture, Auroville.  This blog contains personal views and will have useful tips as well. 

You can view it here:  http://evfuture.blogspot.com

New Delhi: At least 1,000 solar rickshaws will be deployed to ferry over 7,000 athletes and their delegates during the Commonwealth Games later this year.
A joint project between Delhi government and the central government-run Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), these zero carbon vehicles will help players commute inside the Games villages and reach sporting venues from Metro stations.

Bangalore based Eko Vehicles launched two revolutionary 2-wheelers, which will create an upheaval in the two-wheeler automobile auto industry. Two new variants of EKO, namely the 'Strike' and 'ET-120' Hybrid version will storm the market shortly. Eko Vehicles has announced the development of the world's first production hybrid motorcycle, called the ET-120. In a short time this motorcycle will run on the Indian streets, offering about 280 miles per gallon with a top speed of 40 miles per hour." / It will return about 280 miles per gallon with a top speed of 40 miles per hour. If that top speed seems a bit on the slow side, well, that's what you get for the low, low price of $855. Eko Vehicles, a manufacturer based in Bangalore, developed the vehicle with assistance from U.S.-based Emerging Technologies. The ET-120 uses a 70cc gasoline-powered engine mated up with a small electric motor, and the company claims the machine will offer performance on par with a typical 120cc powerplant.

EVFuture has launched it's online shop.  You can now order batteries for any EV online.  In the coming weeks we will be adding spares to the site.  We will ship them to you anywhere in India.
If there are spares that you require that you don't find on our site, please let us know and we will try and get them for you. 
To access the shop, click Buy Spares Online in the left column.

If you believed all the talk from Chrysler about how our tax dollars would help finance its fast-track electric-vehicle future, you're in for a big disappointment.

Chrysler has disbanded the engineering team that was trying to bring three electric models to market as a rush job, Automotive News reports. Chrysler cited its devotion to electric vehicles as one of the key reasons why the Obama administration and Congress needed to give it $12.5 billion in bailout money, the News points out.

The problem with grid-powered electric cars, bikes, and scooters is that you never know what’s supplying their energy. Is it coal, solar, nuclear, or some combination of the three? Enter the E-Move Charging Station, a  solar-powered filling station in Bozen, Denmark that can charge up to eight vehicles at the same time. With the E-Move station, you’ll always know where your vehicles power is coming from – the sun!

A German auto engineering company is working on a project that just might solve the world's oil problems. IAV Automotive Engineering has secured a patent for their electric vehicle (EV) wireless road-charging system.
Conceptually, roads would be fitted with electrical conductors that create magnetic fields, which charge your battery powered vehicle as you drive. Radio chips would identify your vehicle and bill you appropriately. The conductors are resistant to both weather and mechanical wear.
This system eliminates many of the common difficulties and headaches associated with EVs. It extends the range of an EV to virtually limitless, and there is no need for long charging times or battery exchanges. The IAV system is completely cordless and can even charge an EV while it's parked.

General Motors’ Indian subsidiary signed an agreement today with Bangalore-based Reva Electric Car Company (RECC) to jointly develop and produce electric vehicles for the Indian market. They hope to be able to produce one for sale by next year.
The two companies said the plan is to make India a hub for environment-friendly vehicles.

Battery and Recycling Foundation International, specialists in Battery Technology and Recycling of used batteries at New Delhi, India is pleased to announce the 3rd International Battery Expo and Recycling Conference in the historic city of Hyderabad, 3-5 March, 2010.

What would happen to our power grid, when tens of thousands, even millions, of electric cars users begin charging their vehicles every day, throughout the day, at work, at home or office?

The dual-powered Soleckshaw is the CSIR’s solution for the dual problem of decent employment generation for the masses and mitigation of global warming.
The Mark I version of Soleckshaw has been designed, developed and prototyped by the CSIR’s national laboratory, the Central Mechanical Engineering Research Institute (CMERI) at Durgapur, in a record time of eight months. The accompanying solar charging station for swapping the batteries has been set up by the Central Electronics Limited (CEL), a Govt. of India undertaking. The specifically designed robust low power high torque brushless DC motor has been developed for the first time in India by the Crompton Greaves based on the specifications provided by CMERI.

EVFuture has started it's B2B services which include helping manufacturers find dealers and dealers find the right products and manufacturers.  We are working on an online shop for ebike spares, which can be shipped to anywhere in India.  If you require additional services please write us through the contact form to give us ideas of what you'd like to see.

Four final year engineering students of P.S.N.A. College of Engineering and Technology have designed pilot model of a car that can be operated with hydrogen in the water, an alternative energy to fossil fuel. Water and solar energy are the basic source. First, photovoltaic cells convert sunlight directly into electricity to separate hydrogen from water. Separated hydrogen is used to generate electricity using electrolysis technology, to operate motors to move the vehicle.

Check out this prototype two wheeler from GM and Segway. It has a range of 35 miles on a charge and a top speed of 35mph.

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India has the maximum market potential for EVs owing to an established auto component infrastructure, low manufacturing and R&D costs, mechanical hardware availability, high urban congestion and the presence of a large domestic market. The industry could significantly gain from rising exports by 2010 and with appropriate government support, could transform the landscape of urban India by reducing pollution, improving public health, creating employment opportunities and impacting society.

A Chinese company called BYD (Build Your Dreams) premiered its new line of EV cars at the Detroit Auto Show this week.  They have developed a revolutionary new battery technology which they call 'ferrous oxide' batteries.  This seems to be similar to LifePo4 which has been around for a while.  They claim rapid charging (50% in 10 minutes) and a range of upto 400 km on one of their versions.

The Indian electric vehicle industry seems to be going through a transitional phase.  There is not much news about new releases since a while and the first wave of the EV boom is over.  Now, companies are consolidating and planning a proper strategy.  During the first wave, you saw a hoarde of cheap EVs imported directly from China and assembled here.  This approach has not been a success and a real Indian product is required, designed for Indians.  Let's hope that this happens over the coming months so that we can see more EVs on the road!

Tube Investments of India (TI), a Rs.17.82-billion multi-product company, entered the nascent electric scooter market with its subsidiary BSA Motors launching five models here Monday. “BSA Motors will invest around Rs.200 million into this business, and we hope to sell around 10,000 units this fiscal and 60,000 units the next year,” Arun Alagappan, senior vice-president, told reporters at the launch function. The two-wheeler plant has the capacity to roll out 150 units a day, which can be ramped up to 300 units, Alagappan said. Focussed initially on the four southern states, Puducherry and Goa, Alagappan said the bikes would be marketed nationally by March 2010. BSA Motors will retail the electric bikes through 45 dealers in the south by December and later increase the dealership network to 75 by the end of this fiscal. Priced in the range of Rs.29,000 to Rs.37,000, the five models are targeted at school and college students and women. Each variant will have four colour options.

Source: http://www.thaindian.com/

Hero Electric plansto set up around 2000 recharging stations during the fiscal year in 2009, which will be expanded to 10000 in the next three years. “We hope the move will help accelerate the adoption of electric vehicles, while providing current owners with more convenient charging options around town.” said Mr. Gill.
The charging stations are designed in-house at Hero Electric R&D design Centers and are capable of charging the battery in the shortest possible time.
The charging station at Hero Electric PGO’s will have electronic timers along with DC regulated power supply which will allow the electric 2-wheeler to charge in the multiples of 1,2 hours and the consumer will be charged Rs. 5 for an hours charge, Rs.10 for 2 hours and so on. The user can run the vehicle for approximately 10-20 km in an hour of charge depending on the condition of the battery.

The website was down due to technical reasons on 16 and 17 September.  We hope connectivity is fully restored.

Ultra Motor India plans to invest Rs. 150 crore over the next three years for product development, marketing and distribution in the country. They will be be launching five new e-scooters soon - three in low speed and two in high speed categories.
Ultra Motors has also slashed the cost of its electric scooters by 24 per cent in Delhi on back of tax benefits offered by the state government for environment friendly electronic vehicles. Moreover, the company has also announced a reduction of Rs. 9,000 on its high speed bike Velocity and Rs 8,000 on its low speed bike Marathon.