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Ola Electric on Friday said it has secured the Bureau of Indian Standards certification and licence for Ola Shakti in a 6kW/9.1 kWh battery pack powered by 4680 Bharat Cell. Ola Shakti is the country's first residential BESS (Battery Energy Storage System) solution, which is designed, engineered, and manufactured in India. As part of this certification, Shakti underwent a comprehensive set of electrical and mechanical safety-critical tests, including short-circuit and overload protection, safeguards against fire and thermal hazards and protection from electric shock, the Bengaluru-based company said in a statement. It also underwent environmental stress testing, sonic pressure hazard evaluation, mechanical hazard assessment, and other applicable tests in accordance with BIS standards, it added. "With the BIS certification of Shakti 9.1kWh, we are ready to deliver our first residential BESS units. This is an important step in our journey as we reimagine how India will store and cons
Electric two-wheeler riders in Kolkata honk the most, averaging 131 honks per hour, while their counterparts in Bengaluru panic-brake four times more than those in Mumbai, according to Ather Energy's 2025 year-end riding insights. The electric two-wheeler maker's insights on aggregated data from over five lakh of its electric scooters connected with a wireless network across India found that riders were increasingly relying on connected technology during daily commutes, with city-level riding behaviour revealing how software is shaping real-world mobility. The data showed honking patterns varied sharply across cities. Kolkata recorded the highest honking levels in the country, averaging 131 honks per hour, reflecting dense traffic and aggressive auditory signalling. Bengaluru riders engaged in panic braking nearly four times more often than riders in Mumbai, highlighting higher traffic unpredictability and frequent stop-start conditions in the city, as per the year-end riding insigh
Electric vehicle (EV) penetration in the luxury car segment has seen a drop by nearly 3 percentage points in the GST 2.0 era with the internal combustion engine versions offering better total cost of ownership, according to industry players. While the trend is also visible in the mass market segment, it is the entry luxury segment that is witnessing a more marked shift towards internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicles as price difference between EV and ICE widened under the new GST rates. "If I look at October and November (2025), it came down by 2 to 3 percentage points across mass market as well as luxury, because of ICE having much better TCO (total cost of ownership) compared to EV. So, the moment the equation changes, we can see a change in (EV) penetration," Mercedes-Benz India Managing Director and CEO Santosh Iyer told PTI. The major "fluctuation" is in the entry luxury EV segment, he said, adding that for Mercedes-Benz India, its EVs are mostly in the top-end luxury ...
Four new bus depots are set to be inaugurated in Delhi as part of the government's plan to transition the entire public transport fleet to electric buses by the end of this year, officials said. A Transport Department official said construction work at the depots in Nangloi, Dwarka, Kohat Enclave and Rithala has been completed, and they are ready to be handed over. The depots are being prepared to park the new electric buses expected to arrive in the coming months and to support the charging infrastructure. The Delhi government has inducted over 3,500 electric buses in recent months, and the fleet is expected to expand to about 8,000 buses by the end of the year, the official said. The expansion will require additional parking space and charging facilities to support the growing electric bus fleet, officials added. At present, the city has more than 10 dedicated electric bus depots, including facilities at Rohini Sector 37, Rajghat, Nehru Place, Wazirpur, Burari, Mundela Kalan, ..
Chinese electric vehicle maker BYD on Friday announced an increase in price of the premium variant of its SUV, SEALION 7, in India by Rs 50,000, citing evolving cost dynamics. The price hike is effective from January 1, 2026, and all new bookings will be made at the revised prices henceforth, BYD India said in a statement. The BYD SEALION 7 Premium variant will now cost Rs 49.4 lakh, up from Rs 48.9 lakh (ex-showroom) previously, it added. The company, however, said the price of the BYD SEALION 7 Performance variant will remain unchanged at Rs 54.9 lakh. "The updated pricing reflects the evolving cost dynamics while continuing to offer customers a compelling premium electric SUV proposition," BYD India Head of Electric Passenger Vehicles (EPV) Business, Rajeev Chauhan, said. Since its launch, the BYD SEALION 7 has sold over 2,300 units across India, reinforcing the growing acceptance and demand for premium electric SUVs in the market, he added.
Ola Electric on Sunday said it has scaled up deliveries of its 4680 Bharat Cell powered S1 Pro+ (5.2 kWh) across Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Telangana, and Karnataka. The company has commenced deliveries across Coimbatore, Kochi, and Hyderabad, along with continued ramp-up in Bengaluru, Ola Electric said in a statement. The S1 Pro+ (5.2 kWh) is the first product powered by the company's indigenously manufactured 4680 Bharat Cell battery pack, delivering more range, higher performance and enhanced safety, it added. "Customers are now taking deliveries of the scooters powered by our own 4680 Bharat Cell, and the rollout is picking up strong momentum. With deliveries scaling across multiple states, we are now gearing up to take the 4680 Bharat Cell powered vehicles nationwide, reaching every corner of the country," an Ola Electric spokesperson said. With its own 4680 Bharat Cell battery packs in the vehicles, Ola Electric is now India's first company to fully own the cell and battery pack ..
Tata Motors Passenger Vehicles (TMPV) on Tuesday said it will roll out five new electric vehicle models, including the premium product range Avinya by FY30 as it looks to retain a dominant market share of 45-50 per cent in the segment which continues to expand in the country. The company said it plans to invest Rs 16,000-18,000 crore in the EV business by FY30 including products and taking charging infrastructure to over 10 lakh points across the country. "As EV adoption accelerates, our commitment remains clear: to mainstream electric mobility by making it accessible across segments, strengthening the ecosystem, and investing in India-first technology and localization. This is how we will continue to lead India's growing EV market," TMPV MD & CEO Shailesh Chandra said. TMPV commands a dominant share, accounting for nearly two-thirds (66 per cent) of all electric passenger vehicles sold in India. The company has the country's largest EV portfolio for personal mobility - Tiago.ev,
Maruti Suzuki India plans to localise battery production and other critical components over the next few years as part of strengthening the overall EV ecosystem in the country. The company, which plans to launch its first electric vehicle - e VITARA in the domestic market next year, is looking to instill confidence in the buyers as it looks to strengthen the overall EV ecosystem. "Right now we are importing the batteries but yes we have a plan for localisation. It is very much on the cards in a phased manner over the next few years," Maruti Suzuki India Senior Executive Officer (Marketing & Sales) Partho Banerjee told reporters here. He noted that the electric vehicle penetration in India will grow only when the consumer has the confidence to buy it as a primary car in the household. "We believe that the customer is not confident (about EVs). The initial products that were launched, and the experiences from those, has created a huge amount of negativity in the minds of people ...