Volvo delivered three of the world’s first heavy-duty line haul electric trucks to Danfoss. Of the three e-trucks, two will operate in fixed routes between Danfoss sites in Denmark whereas one will operate 24 hours a day and five days per week without significant charging downtime.

Over and above the three electric heavy-duty trucks, another six such vehicles are planned to be operational before 2024. So far, Danfoss will be the first company in Denmark to have a 24-hour truck in operation of this kind. 

When all nine trucks enter operation, they will reduce Danfoss’ scope 1 and 2 emissions in Denmark by 10-15 percent and enable next to zero noise and air pollution, drastically improving working climate for drivers.

Danfoss is pushing for a similar arrangement in India with its subsidiary in the country. It announced its intention to collaborate under a national task force on the sidelines of the G20 meet in Goa recently to stimulate the development of the e-freight market in India under the Zero Emission Vehicles Emerging Markets Initiative (ZEV-EMI) initiative and the Indian Government’s Electric Freight Accelerator for Sustainable Transport (E-FAST) platform– led by NITI Aayog and supported by World Resources Institute (WRI) India.

 Currently in India, Danfoss’s less-container loads are moved through alternate fuel freight. The organisation has e-vehicles for in-campus goods movement, for goods movement on select route freight and for employee commutation.

While Volvo Trucks is closely watching the shift to alternative fuels taking place in the form of LNG, CNG and other fuels in India, it is currently pushing for electric heavy-truck in Europe where it would make a viable business case. 

The Swedish commercial vehicle major has set a global target of selling 50 percent electric trucks or fuel-cell electric trucks by 2030 with Europe as the prime market. 

The three Danfoss electric heavy-duty trucks will be supported by customized superchargers rapidly charge the truck’s battery during offloading and onloading at each stop. This would usually take roughly 15 minutes. The trucks will be charged by charging infrastructure from the Danish company GodEnergi.

Interestingly, Danfoss Editron is supplying the On-Board Charger and Electric Power Supply (OCEPS) to all Volvo electric trucks, which enables fast overnight AC charging and is a key enabler to electrifying on-highway trucks and buses as well as off-highway vehicles. The OCEPS’ dual functionality provides 43 kW of power to charge a truck overnight (8-9 hours) while using readily available AC power outlets. This enables the quick deployment of EV trucks while minimising the charging infrastructure costs for the end-users.

This unique product also acts as a 43kW electric Power Take-Off (ePTO) to power work functions on off-highway vehicles such as excavators and wheel loaders.

Semikron Danfoss, the newly merged SEMIKRON and Danfoss Silicon Power, is delivering SKAI2HV traction inverters designed for bus, construction, marine and truck applications to Volvo Trucks.

Danfoss joined the Climate Group’s EV100 initiative in 2019 and is committed to transitioning the entire company car fleet to electric vehicles by 2030 at the latest. The transition from diesel-powered vehicles to fully electric vehicles is an important step to becoming carbon neutral in scope 1 and 2 emissions by 2030.

Greenway Mobility, an Indian EV manufacturing company, has launched two electric three-wheelers, Chhota Otto and Chhota Bull, under its flagship E-Vi brand.

The Chhota Otto has folding seats to free up passenger room for freight transportation and separate suspensions on all three wheels for improved comfort and stability. The Chhota Bull, on the other hand, is built for last-mile delivery in difficult terrain. It has a huge 400-kilogramme payload capacity, hydraulic brakes and IoT-enabled fleet management for efficiency and real-time tracking. Both the Chhota Otto and Chhota Bull are priced at INR 200,000 and will be available in the market by the 4th quarter of FY24.

In keeping with its core objective of dominating the electric three-wheeler market by December 2025, Greenway Mobility has embarked on an ambitious expansion project with the launch of E-Vi, aiming to open more than 100 dealerships in key Indian markets by the end of this year. Additionally, the company is getting ready to introduce Rydan, a fast passenger electric rickshaw designed to offer affordable green mobility options in both urban and rural regions of the nation. In addition to making considerable R&D efforts to add electric bikes, trikes and tiny electric automobiles to its lineup, the firm is open to forming strategic alliances with distributors and partners.

Siddharth Patel, Founder, Greenway Mobility and an IIT Bombay and Cornell Johnson Graduate School of Management alumnus, said, “India needs mobility solutions that are not only sustainable but also robust and reliable enough to meet the demands of both bustling cities and rural landscapes. Through E-Vi, our aim extends beyond electrifying India’s three-wheeler mobility, creating a robust distribution channel with strategic partners to ensure unprecedented growth, driven by quality and excellence. We are establishing strategic industry collaboration to supplement this entire ecosystem to benefit the end use – addressing concerns like accessibility, nationwide service network, affordable financing options, swappable batteries and charging networks.”

Asserting that the E-Vi will transform how three-wheeler mobility is perceived in India, Harsh Raval, Founder, Greenway Mobility, said, “At Greenway Mobility, we have engineered every aspect of E-Vi vehicles to ensure they excel where others falter. Our goal is to provide vehicles that drivers can trust – vehicles that empower them to do more, go farther and achieve greater success. Maintaining quality is of utmost importance to us and we are sourcing components from only the top Indian suppliers. With our growing portfolio of electric vehicles, we are shaping the future of mobility.”

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.