Ather Energy launched its new family-oriented scooter, the Rizta, alongside its first smart helmet, the Halo, at a ‘Meet Rizta’ event in Kolkata. The event offered attendees a firsthand look at the Rizta and a chance to explore Ather's experience zones, showcasing the brand's technological advancements and design philosophy.

“Our 450 series scooters, known for their performance, have been well-received by Kolkata customers," said Chief Business Officer Ravneet Singh Phokela. “With the Rizta, we're catering to the family scooter segment as it boasts a comfortable and spacious seat, ample storage and safety features, making it ideal for families. It offers a smooth ride experience and easy navigation through Kolkata's busy streets and narrow lanes,” he added.

Ather established itself in the local market with high-performance models like the 450X and 450S. Rizta marks the company's foray into the family two-wheeler market. It comes in two models namely, Rizta S and Rizta Z, with three variants. Both models feature a 2.9 kWh battery, while the top-tier Rizta Z model is equipped with a 3.7 kWh battery.

The 2.9 kWh variants offer a predicted IDC range of 123 km, while the 3.7 kWh variant provides an impressive 159 km range. The Rizta S is available in three monotone colours, while the Rizta Z is offered in seven colours including three monotone and four dual-tone options.

All variants share a top speed of 80 kmph and offer two riding modes namely, Zip and SmartEco. Rizta inherits several ride-assist features from the 450 series including MagicTwist (throttle-controlled acceleration and deceleration), AutoHold (scooter hold on slopes) and reverse mode.

The electric scooter boasts one of the largest and most comfortable seats in the market and offers 56 litres of storage space, including a 34-litre underseat capacity and an optional 22-litre frunk accessory. The large floorboard provides ample leg space for the rider.

Taking cognisance of safety, Rizta has been equipped with SkidControl, a proprietary traction control system that optimises motor torque to prevent slippage on low-grip surfaces. Additional safety features include fallsafe, an emergency stop signal, theft and tow detection and a ‘Ping My Scooter’ function.

Ather has a strong presence in India with over 200 experience centres nationwide including four in West Bengal. Additionally, they boast over 1900 fast-charging stations (Ather Grids) across the country with 27 currently operational in West Bengal.

Ather also showcased the Halo, a technologically advanced smart helmet featuring Harman Kardon audio. It boasts a seamless user experience with features like proprietary auto-wear detection technology, wireless charging and handlebar controls for music and calls. The Halo helmet also features Ather ChitChat, enabling helmet-to-helmet communication between rider and pillion. It comes in two colours and sports a sleek, futuristic design.

All Rizta variants are eligible for Ather's optional five-year warranty programme called the Ather Battery Protect, which extends the battery warranty to five years or 60,000 km. This programme covers battery failures and guarantees a minimum of 70 percent battery health after five years.

For home charging, the Rizta S and Z with a 2.9 kWh battery come with a 350W Ather portable charger. The top-end Rizta Z with a 3.7 kWh battery gets the new 700W Ather Duo charger.

Rizta S with a 2.9 kWh battery starts at INR 111,469 (ex-showroom Kolkata), while Rizta Z with 2.9 kWh and 3.7 kWh batteries are priced at INR 126,469 and INR 146,469 (ex-showroom Kolkata), respectively. 

Bengaluru Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC) has placed an extra order for 148 electric buses from Tata Motors, the biggest commercial vehicle manufacturer in India. This purchase comes after BMTC placed an earlier order for 921 electric buses, the majority of which have been delivered and are operating effectively with an uptime of more than 95 percent.

The Tata Starbus EV 12-metre low-floor electric buses will be supplied, operated and maintained for a term of 12 years by TML Smart City Mobility Solutions Ltd, a completely owned subsidiary of Tata Motors. With its best-in-class features and outstanding design, the Tata Starbus EV offers a pleasant and environmentally friendly commute. These zero-emission electric buses are built on cutting-edge battery technologies and next-generation design to provide a convenient, safe and comfortable intra-city journey around Bengaluru.

Ramachandran R, IAS, MD, BMTC, said, "We are happy to further strengthen our partnership with Tata Motors with these additional 148 electric buses for our fleet modernisation. The performance of the existing Tata electric buses has been exceptional, aligning perfectly with our commitment to sustainable and efficient public transportation. The larger e-bus fleet will significantly enhance our capacity to provide eco-friendly, comfortable and reliable services to the citizens of Bengaluru."

Asim Kumar Mukhopadhyay, CEO and MD, TML Smart City Mobility Solutions Limited, said, "We are honoured by BMTC's continued trust in our e-mobility solutions. This additional order of 148 buses is a testament to the proven success of our Starbus EVs and the operational excellence delivered in Bengaluru's urban environment. We remain committed to delivering innovative solutions that benefit both the community and the environment."

Maruti Suzuki India (MSIL), the country's largest passenger vehicle manufacturer, has shared the teaser image for its first electric vehicle product - the e Vitara.

Set to be unveiled at the Bharat Mobility Global Expo 2025, the e Vitara will be made in India for the world. It was recently unveiled by Suzuki Motor Corporation at Milan, Italy.

Partho Banerjee, Senior Executive Officer, Marketing & Sales, Maruti Suzuki India, said, “The e Vitara is a testament of our unwavering commitment to sustainable mobility and technological innovation. With decades of automotive expertise, we have combined advanced electric technology with a customer-first approach to deliver something truly transformative. At Maruti Suzuki, we have always believed that to promote EV adoption, we need to create a holistic ecosystem that simplifies customers' battery electric vehicle ownership journey.”

“A critical barrier to the adoption of EVs is the lack of accessible charging. To tackle this issue, we are committed to introduce a reliable and comprehensive EV ecosystem alongside the e Vitara. This will include home charging solutions as well as a nationwide network of fast chargers available at Maruti Suzuki dealerships and service touchpoints. Our goal is to make EVs accessible, convenient, and appealing to a broader set of customers, and this is exactly what we have set out to achieve with the e Vitara,” he added.

​​Vadodara-headquartered electric vehicle company WardWizard Innovations & Mobility recently launched its new range of EV offerings, which it expects to give a new charge to its retail sales.

It was on 13 December 2024 the Joy e-rik V1 (L5) and Joy Bandhu (L3) electric three-wheelers in the passenger category and Joy Sahayak + Cargo (L5) and Joy Eco Loader (L3) in the electric three-wheeler cargo space were launched by the EV maker, thus marking its entry into the fast-growing electric three-wheeler space.

The Joy e-rik V1, priced at INR 385,000 (ex-showroom), comes with 10.24 kW li-ion battery, 50 kmph max speed and 140 km claimed range on a full charge. It can be charged in 4.5-5 hours using the 50 Amp charger.

The Joy Bandhu priced at INR 134,000, uses a 7.2 kW lead-acid battery, has a claimed range of 120 km and top speed limited to 25 kmph.

On the other hand, the Joy Sahayak + Cargo, priced at INR 424,000, is targeted for payload capacity of 650 kg + driver, max speed of 50 kmph, up to 130 km range on a single charge. It uses a 10.2 kW LFP li-ion battery and can be charged in four hours using 50 Amp charger. The Joy Eco Loader, on the other hand, comes with a payload capacity of 310 kg + driver and is priced at INR 130,000.

At present, electric three-wheeler sales in India are averaging 56,674 units a month (CY 2024) as compared to 47,204 units last year. What’s also driving the sales is the government incentives like the Centre’s PM E-Drive scheme that provides demand incentives to support purchase of 316,000 e-three-wheelers including e-rickshaws. They are entitled to a subsidy of INR 25,000 in the first year and INR 12,500 in the second year. For the L5 category (cargo e-three-wheelers), the incentive is INR 50,000 per unit in the first year and INR 25,000 the next.

For the Vadodara-based EV maker, the idea to enter the electric three-wheeler space is on the back of the growing demand for greener last-mile delivery as well as last-mile mobility connectivity options.

Interestingly, it has already onboarded 27 dealerships that will focus on selling electric three-wheelers. Furthermore, it will also provide preference for its around 900 existing dealer and network partners to sell its new offerings.

For FY2025, WardWizard Innovations & Mobility estimates to sell around 50,000 units of electric vehicles across electric two-wheelers (low speed and high speed) and three-wheelers (L3 & L5) in India. It estimates that the sales will grow by 22-24 percent YoY in FY2026.

While it has recently entered the e-three-wheeler space, the company expects the new products to have around 30-35 percent share in its overall sales starting from FY2026.

On the other hand, reducing its reliance on low-speed electric two-wheeler category, the company also introduced a new high-speed e-scooter ‘Nemo’. Priced at INR 99,000 (ex-showroom), it comes with a 40 Ah NMC li-ion battery and a 1,500W DC brushless hub motor that gives it a max speed of 65 kmph. It has a claimed range of 130 km on a single charge in Eco mode. The e-scooter uses a digital speedometer, 5-inch full-colour TF display and projector LED headlight. The company has targeted a modest 2,000 units sales for Nemo in the next three months.

The EV maker currently has an installed capacity to produce 73,000 electric two-wheelers, 7,300 L5 electric three-wheelers and 18,250 L3 electric three-wheelers per annum. The company claims that apart from some plastic components and cells being imported, everything has been localised.

It further aims to start manufacturing its own batteries in the next one year in Vadodara, for which the pilots are underway.

Ahmedabad-based electric mobility start-up Matter was recently awarded the 10th CII Industrial IP Award 2024 at the CII Annual Summit on Technology, Intellectual Property, and Industry-Academia Partnership, held on 12th and 13th December in New Delhi.

The recognition was on the back of the company’s robust portfolio of over 300 patent applications and 58 granted patents in areas such as powertrain cooling, gearbox technologies, charging infrastructure, and manufacturing automation.

The EV maker is the first to launch a geared e-motorcycle called ‘Aera’, which it expects will play a key role in driving higher adoption of green vehicles in the motorcycle space.

Kumar Prasad, Founder and CTO, Matter, said, "Innovation has always been at the heart of Matter’s vision. This award reaffirms our commitment to redefining the electric mobility sector with pioneering research and development. We are proud to contribute to India’s vibrant IP ecosystem and continue driving technological advancements for a sustainable future."