The Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur (IITK) and Zynetic Electric Vehicles Charging Private Limited, a key player in the development, operation and management of electric vehicle (EV) charging stations, have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to drive forward the innovation and deployment of advanced AC and DC fast chargers for EVs.

This collaboration marks a significant step towards the growth of EV infrastructure in India and falls in line with the commitment of both the parties to shaping India’s vision of a sustainable, EV-ready future.

As per the MoU, Zynetic and IIT Kanpur will pool their resources in research, academic collaboration and consulting to address urgent issues in EV charging technology. They will concentrate on important fields such embedded systems, power electronics and the combination of machine learning (ML) and artificial intelligence (AI) for predictive maintenance. The goal of this partnership is to create next-generation EV chargers that satisfy the needs of India's quickly expanding electric vehicle market with unparalleled dependability and efficiency by utilising Zynetic's commercial experience and IIT Kanpur's cutting-edge research capabilities.

Prof Manindra Agrawal, Director, IIT Kanpur, said, “The partnership with Zynetic is an example of how academia and industry can work together to develop EV infrastructure and help India achieve its green goals. The government’s ambitious goal of achieving 30 percent of new private vehicle registrations being EVs by 2030 will require a massive charging ecosystem to cater to 80 million EVs. This collaboration will enable IIT Kanpur to contribute to fulfilling India’s energy goals and support the global movement towards a cleaner, more sustainable future for all.”

Prof Tarun Gupta, Dean, R&D, IIT Kanpur, said, “Our partnership with Zynetic presents a unique opportunity to push the boundaries of innovation in EV charging technology. By leveraging IIT Kanpur’s research expertise and Zynetic’s industry insights, we look forward to developing advanced solutions in power electronics, predictive maintenance and AI integration that will shape the future of electric mobility.”

Harshvardhan Tiwari, Founder & CEO, Zynetic Electric Vehicles Charging, said, "We are excited to partner with IIT Kanpur to advance EV charging technology and infrastructure. This collaboration aligns perfectly with our mission to drive sustainable transportation in India and enables us to push forward innovative solutions for the EV ecosystem.”

Mercedes-Ben India has announced the launch of Mercedes-AMG C 63 S E Performance sportscar that features a hybrid powertrain in the form of an ICE at the front and an electric motor at the rear. The two-litre four-cylinder engine is claimed to be the most powerful production unit, which contributes to the vehicle’s overall power output of 680 hp and a torque of 1080 Nm. 
Capable of accelerating from zero to 100 km in 3.4 seconds, the Mercedes-AMG C 63 S E Performance is aimed at pure racing enthusiasts with a passion for driving. 
It is equipped with a ‘4MATIC+Drift Mode’ all-wheel drive mechanism (available on the respective model line for the first time), an active rear-axle steering, eight drive modes (Electric, Comfort, Battery Hold, Sport, Sport+, RACE, Slippery and Individual) tailored precisely to the new drive technology and boosting power of the electric motor, track pace (which intelligently distributes the use of electric energy over a racetrack lap, optimising lap timing with the targeted use of the electric motor’s power), AMG Rude Control suspension (with Adaptive Damping System and three adjustment levels—Comfort, Sport and Sport+), Burmester surround sound system with 15 speakers and AMG driver’s package. 
Laced with 20-inch forged AMG alloys wheels, sports seats in ‘nappa’ leather, carbon fibre interior trim, head-up display, exclusive paint options, AMG ceramic high-performance composite braking system and MBUX infotainment system with dual 12.3-inch screen and head-up display, the sportscar is priced upwards of INR 19.5 million ex-showroom India. 
 

United States-based advanced battery technology solutions provider Solidion Technology has signed a strategic Memorandum of Understanding with Bluestar Materials Company of Taiwan. 

This move will enable Solidion to accelerate the development and commercialisation of its patent portfolio of its anode technology, which includes its recently claimed technology that allow lithium batteries to be charged in five minutes.

Furthermore, the strategic partnership will enable Solidon to explore and establish synergies in U.S. based manufacturing, commercialisation strategies, and market opportunities related to Silicon (Si) and Silicon Oxide (SiOx) advanced battery solutions. The company claims that there is an increasing acceptance for Silicon and Silicon Oxide as a more favoured solution for battery technology over solid-state technology.

Jaymes Winters, CEO, Solidon Technology, said, "This agreement positions Solidion to capture new market share in the U.S. while showcasing our Silicon-based solutions, which offer improved battery efficiency and energy density compared to conventional solid-state options on a worldwide basis."

Interestingly, Solidon Technology claims to have over 500 patents.

How does it work?

Solidon Tech uses a graphene-based heat spreader to quickly move heat from a battery to warm it up before or during fast charging. A cooling system kicks in when the battery is in use, like when powering a device or electric vehicle. The heat spreader moves the heat to the cooling system for efficient cooling. The system switches between heating when charging and cooling when discharging. The company claims that Graphene, with its super high thermal conductivity (5,300 W/m-K), is much more effective than copper, which has a lower conductivity (410 W/m-K) and is four times heavier.

Solidion aims to fully commercialise the technology in the next 2-3 years.

Mahindra Last Mile Mobility Limited (MLMML), a subsidiary of Mahindra & Mahindra Limited (M&M), has achieved a milestone with 200,000 electric vehicles (EV) sold till date. Setting the benchmark in sustainable transportation and innovation within the commercial EV space with its technologically advanced products, the company has sold 100,000 EVs in the last 17 months alone, riding on the success of its product offerings such as Treo Plus, e-Alfa Plus and Mahindra ZEO.

In honour of this significant milestone, MLMML has launched UDAY NXT, a brand-new loyalty programme, for its clients. As part of the loyalty programme, customers who purchase a new MLMML automobile (effective from 15 November 2024) will receive INR 2 million in driver accident insurance, as well as business/finance guidance, career coaching for their children and more. Customer demands and feedback have been carefully considered in the curation of this programme.

Suman Mishra, Managing Director and CEO, Mahindra Last Mile Mobility, said, “At Mahindra Last Mile Mobility, sustainability is not a choice but a promise to our future generations. Our collaborative, agile and bold efforts have helped reimagine the last mile ecosystem with reliable products and integrated solutions. Reaching the milestone of 200,000 electric vehicles reflects our dedication to innovation and addressing the evolving needs of urban logistics.”

Czech company VelorXtrike is working to launch a battery electric VXT 902 van in the European market with a range of up to 300 km on a single charge. Aimed at applications like municipal services, the van will be manufactured in China. The superstructures in line with the application types will be made in the Czech Republic.

The initiative follows the supply of electric vehicles of different types by the company in Europe until now. The company has been in the business of electric vehicles for more than ten years now and known for its over two dozen offerings. These include motorcycles, tricycles and utility vehicles. Vehicles such as the Trilobbit electric tricycle whose parts are produced by Chinese company TMEC and was designed and developed by a Czech firm Motoscoot in cooperation with VelorXtrike.

Delivering hundreds of L7e category electric vehicles to German trades people, distribution agencies, technical services agencies/people and municipalities in recent times through its local partner company, VelorXtrike has based the VXT 902 e-van on the ‘901’ type e-vehicle that it offered in the German market successfully.

The 901-type vehicle belonging to the N1 category (trucks), it is no secret that the VXT 902 – which is based on the 901 – will also position itself in the respective category.

The Ostrava company participated in the creation of its design. What is distinctive about the e-van that arrives on the Czech market is its new powertrain. It is stronger and will provide a range of around 300 km for a charge.

As a standard equipment, the e-van will have air conditioning, an on-board computer, a range indicator and parking sensors. It will charge from a 220-volt outlet and from a high speed or fast charging outlet as well.

Making it beneficial for urban delivery or services application, the e-van will be priced upwards of EUR 34,600.

Maintaining operational flexibility to deliver vehicles as per the needs of the customers, VelorXtrike is claiming that its vehicles have interesting driving characteristics.

The VXT 902 is undergoing final trials and validation in the Moravian-Silesian region. The Opava Technical Services has had one for a few days now and is trying it out.

With the superstructure of the e-van to be built by several Czech companies, offering the advantage of variability in-turn, the proliferation of VXT 902 e-van will be hinged on the charging infrastructure to an extent. Photovoltaic power plant is being built to address this challenge as building charging stations is being counted on.

Leveraging its experience from selling the 901-vehicle type in Germany, the Czech company is keen to ensure scalability of battery range. With the battery being the most expensive thing, it is also judiciously analysing if those who will acquire the VXT 902 will use it for 300 km or less. It is only then that it will make sense to scale up its battery range, mentioned a source close to the company.

Any tweaking to the battery is likely to affect the vehicle’s payload capacity or the need to adapt to application areas.