Electric Vehicles

The electric vehicle conversation is dominated by all-electric options, and sales figures back up the shift from the age of the Prius to the age of Tesla. However, the timeline for the Global South is very different and hybrid EVs are better than ever. Hybrid EVs shouldn’t be considered a legacy technology, and may be greatly significant for their role in the path to decarbonization, explains Gautham Ram, assistant professor at TU Delft.

Eight key developments are accelerating the advancement of electric vehicles. These range from the improvements in cost and performance of electric vehicle (EV) batteries to hydrogen-powered vehicles.

Shouldn’t we all be driving in affordable electric cars with 800-plus kilometers of driving range by now? Surely yes, according to many of the announcements coming from battery scientists over the past decade. Yet for all the scientific breakthroughs, few in fact “break through” into commercial applications. Christian Kuss of the University of Manitoba makes the case for a holistic approach to battery materials development, and reminds us to look beyond the stars of the show and consider their interactions with the auxiliary materials that hold the whole thing together.

With the latest award, Hyderabad-based Olectra Greentech’s electric bus fleet size in Gujarat will grow to 250. 

The company will initially launch 750 electric buses across key intercity and inter-state transit routes in Southern and Western India. To support the e-bus rollout, it is also building a captive charging infrastructure network across highways with 600 DC chargers of 180/240 kW capacity rating.

Gautham Ram completed an electrical engineering degree in his home city of Chennai, India, and won a scholarship to complete a master’s at TU Delft in the Netherlands. He subsequently completed a PhD on the topic of charging EVs with solar. Speaking with pv magazine, Ram gave insights on his life, ongoing research, and his thoughts on EVs and charging.

The second phase of the Faster Adoption and Manufacturing of (Hybrid) and Electric Vehicles (FAME) subsidy scheme to promote electric mobility in India will now run until March 31, 2024. 

Graphite’s pivotal role in electric-vehicle battery technology is coming under increasing scrutiny. Graphite is almost exclusively produced in China, and while the processing of the mineral poses serious environmental issues, the alternatives appear costly. Ian Morse looks at what’s next for critical graphite supplies.

As of 2020, only 13 cities in India had renewable energy targets and/or policies in place. These cities, however, are home to a significant 67.6 million people.

The Department of Science & Technology, Government of India, and the Swedish Agency for Innovation Systems (Vinnova) have issued a call for joint R&D proposals in renewable energy, electric vehicles and energy storage. The deadline for the submission of proposals is May 6.