Mahindra To Offer Discounts Up To 4 Lakhs On Selected Model
As 2019 draws a closure, leading carmakers Mahindra is offering benefits on a range of four-wheelers till December 31 M&M’s flagship SUV, Alturas G4, is offered with a maximum discount of Rs 4 lakh. The benefits, however, will vary region and dealership-wise. Alturas G4 rivals against Toyota Fortuner and Ford Endeavour. The seven-seater MPV, Marazzo, comes with benefits up to Rs 1.71 lakh. Segment leader Maruti Suzuki Ertiga and outgoing Renault Lodgy fall in the same MPV category as Marazzo. TThe Mahindra TUV300, which received a facelift earlier this year, comes with benefits up to Rs 75,000. The company’s hot-selling subcompact SUV, XUV300, can be availed at discounts up to Rs 70,000. XUV300 finds itself in the hotly-contested space with the likes of Maruti Suzuki Vitara Brezza, Renault Duster and Hyundai Grand i20 giving it a neck-and-neck competition. The aging Scorpio and Bolero are provided with benefits of up to Rs 60,000 and Rs 47,000 respectively.
Nagpur Set To Procure 40 Electric Buses Under FAME Program
The Nagpur Municipal Corporation has issued a Request for Proposal (RfP) to select a bus operator for the procurement, operation, and maintenance of 40 midi electric buses on gross cost contract services. The tender is floated under the Faster Adoption and Manufacturing of Electric Vehicles II (FAME II) program. The selected operator will also be responsible for the establishment of charging infrastructure, including the electrical and civil infrastructure, at the depots for ten years. The scope of work includes the manufacture and supply of electric buses, as well as the operation and maintenance of buses on the routes specified by the authority. The operator will bear the electricity charges for activities other than the charging of the buses, and the operator will provide two separate electric meters for the purpose. After the completion of the contract period, the infrastructure developed at various depots will become the property of the authority and the operator will have no right on the infrastructure, both electrical and civil. The last date for the submission of bids is January 13, 2020, and a pre-bidding meeting will be held on December 24, 2019. The prospective bidders will have to submit an amount of Rs. 2.98 million (~$41,935) as the earnest money deposit (EMD). Foreign bus manufacturers not having a registered office and manufacturing facility in India will not be considered for the bidding process. According to the tender document, the original equipment manufacturer (OEM) should be a registered electric bus manufacturer with bus manufacturing facilities in India and should have delivered at least 32 electricity buses over the last three financial years in a single order or at least 20 buses over the previous three financial years in two orders or at least 16 electric buses over the last three financial years in three orders. The OEM should have a minimum average annual sales turnover of Rs. 420 million (~$5.89 million) for the last three financial years. The bus operator should have a minimum average annual turnover of Rs. 105 million (~$1.47 million) for the past three financial years, and the net worth of the operator should be more than Rs. 50 million (~$701,735) as on March 31, 2019.
Delhi Cabinet Approves Electric Vehicle Policy
As a send-off to the year 2019, the Delhi government has approved a policy for electric vehicles (EVs) with an intent to make the city “the EV capital of India.” The policy mainly focuses on electric two-wheelers, shared transport vehicles such as three-wheelers and buses, and goods carriers or freight vehicles. These vehicles contribute to most of the vehicular pollution in the capital. The policy will be valid for three years from the date of the notification. Within a year, the Delhi government is targeting 35,000 electric vehicles (2/3/4 wheelers and buses), 1,000 EVs, and 250 public charging or swapping stations in Delhi. According to the policy, the government is targeting 500,000 new EV registrations in Delhi. These EVs are estimated to cut down approximately Rs. 60 billion (~$842.08 million) in oil and liquid gas imports and 4.8 million tons of carbon dioxide emissions. As per the policy, all new residential and workplace parking will need to be ‘EV ready’ with 20% of all vehicle parking required to be EV ready.
SIAM, SMEV Welcome Electric Vehicle Policy Of Delhi Government
Auto industry body SIAM on Tuesday said the electric vehicle policy announced by the Delhi government would help encourage consumers to adopt electric vehicles. Some of the welcome announcements in the policy include measures which would make electric vehicles affordable and acceptable, Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers (SIAM) Director General Rajesh Menon said in a statement. Similarly, Society of Manufacturers of Electric Vehicles (SMEV) also lauded the policy unveiled by the Delhi government. The purchase subsidy of four-wheelers is Rs 10,000 per kWh of battery capacity for the first 1,000 cars subject to a cap of Rs 1,50,000 per vehicle. The Delhi government also aims to transition 50 per cent of the newly-purchased buses into electric buses by 2024 and 100 per cent by 2030. There will be no road tax on registration fees on electric vehicles. The purchase subsidy of four-wheelers is Rs 10,000 per kWh of battery capacity for the first 1,000 cars subject to a cap of Rs 1,50,000 per vehicle. The Delhi government also aims to transition 50 per cent of the newly-purchased buses into electric buses by 2024 and 100 per cent by 2030. There will be no road tax on registration fees on electric vehicles. All two-wheelers engaged in last-mile deliveries, such as food delivery vehicles, courier services, and e-commerce logistics, will be expected to transition 50 per cent of their fleet to electric by March 2023, and 100 per cent of their fleet to electric by March 2025, stipulates the policy.
Kia Seltos EV In The Works, Likely To Launch In 2020
After the success of Kia Seltos SUV, the company is in plans of launching an electrified version of this vehicle. The automaker will launch a battery-electric version of the Kia Seltos, possibly in 2020, further claims the report. Kia Seltos EV is currently under development and the car is internally codenamed as SP2 EV. It could receive the electric powertrain from Soul EV and Hyundai Kona EV. The latter model is already available in the Indian market. With the arrival of the Kia Seltos EV, the automaker will have a total of three electric cars in its portfolio, as it already sells Soul EV and Niro EV. Expect the Kia Seltos EV to come with a 206 PS generating electric motor combined with a 64 kWh battery pack. While the automaker is yet to reveal details of the upcoming EV, expect it to offer around 400 km range on a single charge.The media report claims that this electric SUV will be focused on Asian markets only, with South Korea being the first. China will also be an important market for the EV and it could arrive in the Indian market as well. With the Kia Seltos positioned in the top 10 passenger vehicle list for consecutively two months in October and November this year, the EV will have a good chance to attract the new age customers.
Cashless Toll Mop-Up Via FASTags Nears 50% Mark
Electronic toll collection across national highways is nearing the 50% mark, as the government steps up efforts towards cashless tolling. In July, the ministry of road transport and highways had directed the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) to equip all toll lanes barring one across national highways with electronic toll collection (ETC) infrastructure from December 1 onwards, which was later extended by two weeks. Since December 15, while all toll lanes have been converted to FASTag lanes, NHAI has allowed a leeway for commuters to accept toll through cash and FASTags in around 25% of lanes at every toll plaza. This was done as per a directive from the transport ministry to ease the transition phase. But from January 15, only one hybrid lane for both cash and electronic transactions will be allowed.
Tender Issued For 250 Electric Buses In Thiruvananthapuram, Kozhikode, And Ernakulam
The Kerala State Road TInterested bidders will have to submit an amount of ₹4 million (~$56,273) as the earnest money deposit (EMD) for the Thiruvananthapuram and Ernakulam zones and the Kozhikode zone bidders will have to submit an amount of ₹2 million (~$28,136) as the EMD.ransport Corporation (KSRTC) has floated a tender to procure 250 non-AC electric buses under wet-lease on the OPEX model for the zones of Thiruvananthapuram, Kozhikode, and Ernakulam. A wet lease generally means that the lessor will provide the lessee, the equipment (in this case, the electric buses) along with crew members, adequate maintenance, and insurance necessary to operate. The tender calls for 12-meter non-AC electric buses for the three zones. The tender has been issued for 100 buses for the Thiruvananthapuram zone, 50 buses for the Kozhikode zone, and 100 buses for the Ernakulam zone. The last date for the submission of bids is January 2, 2020. The buses under this contract will be operated for a minimum distance of 91,000 km per year during the entire contract period of ten years. The scope of work includes the procurement, supply, and operation of the contracted buses in line with the fleet deployment requirements of KSRTC. It also includes the operation and maintenance (O&M) of the buses in compliance with the terms set by the KSRTC. The KSRTC will provide the land for installing the charging infrastructure for the contracted buses. According to KSRTC, 50% of the awarded quantity should be delivered within nine months from the date of issue of the letter of award (LoA).
Delhi Rolls Out Electric Vehicle Policy; Targets 5 Lakh EV Registrations By 2024
Delhi government aims to register at least 5 lakh electric vehicles by 2024 in order to reduce air pollution in the national capital region, announced Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal. In its bid to promote electric vehicles, the Delhi Government has passed the EV policy. These electric vehicles will mostly include two-wheelers and commercial vehicles, said Delhi CM. According to the report, Kejriwal also said that the Delhi government’s aim is to register at least 25 per cent electric vehicles by 2024. According to the EV policy passed by Delhi cabinet on Monday, the government will provide subsidies to promote e-vehicles, said Kejriwal. The Delhi government is targeting induction of 35,000 electric two, three, four wheelers and buses along with 1,000 electric vehicles for last mile deliveries and 250 public charging and battery swapping stations. Also, it has waived road tax and registration fees for all battery electric vehicles for the next three years. Under this policy, the Delhi government will offer purchase incentive of Rs 5,000 per kWh of battery capacity compared to Rs 5,500 currently offered by Delhi Pollution Control Committee. Besides that, there will be a scrapping incentive of up to Rs 5,000, subject to evidence of matching contribution from the manufacturer or dealer. E-rickshaws and carriers will get an incentive of Rs 30,000 per vehicle and interest subvention of 5 per cent on loans, reveals the policy. Open permit system will apply for individuals who will be given permits on a first-come-first basis, subject to the cap of maximum number of autos permissible in Delhi, the statement further said.
