Tata Motors, one of the leading electric vehicle manufacturers in the country, has announced an ambitious plan to support sthe caling up of electric vehicle charging infrastructure in the country under Open Collaboration 2.0.

The EV maker today announced that together with Charge Point Operators (CPOs) it will support scaling up fast public charging network from 18,000 to 30,000 along with 400,000 charging points nationwide by 2027.

Balaje Rajan, Chief Strategy Officer, Tata Motors Passenger Vehicles and Tata Passenger Electric Mobility, said, “When it comes to the investment in these chargers, what we intend to do is to support the installation of these chargers in a commercial structure. The intent of that investment is to pass on certain benefit to our users directly.”

He added that the automaker was looking to partner with as many CPOs who can meet the stringent standards laid out by the company. “Our focus is on ensuring that these mega chargers serve the need of all EV owners in terms of reliability and speed.”

To put into perspective, between 2019 to 2023, the number of registered electric four-wheelers in India was around 75,000, which was supported by 70,000 total charging points and about 5,500 public charging points.

By 2025, the number has grown to around 240,000 electric passenger vehicles, 200,000 charging points and about 18,000 public charging points.

Tata.ev is leveraging its insights of over 5 billion green kilometers driven nationwide by its EV users to understand where charging infrastructure is precisely needed.

In the first phase, the company has tied up with Tata Power, Charge Zone, Statiq and Zeon, through which around 500 new fast chargers will be installed across key locations in the next 12 months. The fast chargers while being accessible by everyone, will see Tata Motors’ EV customers get priority as well as upto 25 percent preferential tariff.

The company also has announced that it will soon introduce Tata.ev verified chargers that will be rated on the basis of – environment & amenities, accessibility, operability and compatibility score with Tata.ev cars. Each charger will be rated on a five-point scale with 4-star and above to get an ‘.ev Verified’ status to stand out as an attractive EV charging location.

Shailesh Chandra, Managing Director, Tata Motors Passenger Vehicles (TMPV) and Tata Passenger Electric Mobility (TPEM), explained that the investments from the OEM is in a sense to provide confidence to CPOs to take a ‘leap of faith’ in expanding the charging infrastructure.

Furthermore, the company also launched a dedicated helpline number for its existing as well as potential new customers to get their queries about EVs and the associated charging infrastructure resolved.

Scania and DHL Group have collaborated for the development of the EREV, an electric truck with a fuel-powered generator, allowing for the transition to battery-electric road transport without the need for a comprehensive charging network. The vehicle helps to overcome challenges such as a shortage of charging ports, the high costs of providing enough charging capacity at depots, the load on the grid and high spot prices for power on calm winter days while also allowing DHL to run on 80 - 90 percent renewable electricity.

In order to assess the new e-truck's performance in daily operations before further vehicles are added to DHL's fleet, the Post & Parcel Germany division will use it to deliver packages between Berlin and Hamburg in February. In a fully electric truck that is not required for most of the transport routes, the fuel-powered generator takes the place of one of the battery packs, lowering the range of the batteries but still supplying backup power. If necessary, the car may be refuelled at any traditional petrol station, and its potential range is between 650 and 800 miles.

The EREV is a 10.5-metre-long truck with a maximum weight of 40 metric tonnes. It is propelled by an electric motor that produces 230 kW (295 kW peak). A 120-kW fuel-powered generator and a 416-kWh battery provide the energy. The truck can go up to 800 km thanks to the onboard generator, which is first fuelled by petrol and then diesel fuel or HVO. Software that limits the use of the fuel-powered generator can be installed in EREVs, lowering and restricting CO2 emissions to a predetermined amount. It can carry about 1,000 packages and has a top speed of 89 km/h. With an extra swap body, the vehicle can tow a trailer as well.

Tobias Meyer, Group CEO, DHL, said, “It is going to take some time before renewable electricity, the grid and charging infrastructure are available and robust enough to rely fully on battery-electric trucks, especially for a large-scale system like the German parcel network of DHL. Instead of waiting for this day to come, DHL and Scania are collaborating on a pragmatic solution for making logistics more sustainable and reduce CO2 emissions by more than 80 percent. This vehicle is a sensible, practical solution that can make an immediate contribution to reducing greenhouse gas emissions in freight transport short-term. Such reductions should be proportionally reflected in the road toll pricing and EU fleet emission scheme. We see this collaboration as a successful innovation project of two companies committed to battle climate change.”

Christian Levin, CEO, Scania, said, “The future is electric, but perfect must not be the enemy of good as we are getting there. The vehicle we have developed together with DHL is an example of interim solutions that can enhance the scaling of decarbonised heavy transport before the transport system eventually becomes 100 percent electrified. An effective climate transition requires that policymakers accept such solutions while ramping up their investments in public infrastructure and other enabling conditions.”

South Korean automotive major Kia Corporation has unveiled the exterior design of its PV5 Passenger and Cargo models ahead of the second Kia EV Day, scheduled to be held in Tarragona, Spain, later this month.

The PV5 is based on Kia’s new ‘Platform Beyond Vehicle’ global business strategy and was first showcased as a concept at CES 2024. The EV is designed to meet broad customer base by having flexible and customisable modularity.

The Korean automaker aims to introduce PV5 in various configurations to meet the diverse customer needs in both passenger and cargo offerings.

Karim Habib, Head of Kia Global Design, said, “While the PV5 is offered in three different body styles to provide innovative solutions for a diverse range of customer needs, they all embody the same consistent design values inspired by Kia’s design philosophy, ‘Opposites United’. Each model confidently expresses a solid, bold, futuristic character and a highly capable attitude.”

American electric truck manufacturer Nikola has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection.

The EV maker will sell its assets, which is estimated to be around USD 500 million and USD 1 billion, while its liabilities on the other hand were between USD 1 billion and USD 10 billion. As per the bankruptcy filing, the company had USD 47 million in cash on hand.

Nikola now joins the list of alternative energy-focused automotive and allied companies globally, who aimed at disrupting the market with their potential solutions, but ended up burning millions of dollars in investor money.

A statement issued by the company said, “Like other companies in the electric vehicle industry, we have faced various market and macroeconomic factors that have impacted our ability to operate. We have taken numerous actions in recent months to raise capital, reduce liabilities, strengthen our balance sheet and preserve cash to sustain operations. Unfortunately, these efforts were not sufficient to overcome the current challenges. Nikola’s Board of Directors has determined that Chapter 11 is the best possible path forward for the company and its stakeholders. This will enable the company to restructure its debt and implement an orderly wind down of the business, while conducting a structured process to solicit interest in the sale of all, substantially all, or a portion of its operations.”

Steve Girsky, CEO & President, Nikola, said, “With the dedication of our employees and support from our partners, Nikola has taken significant steps to move zero-emissions transportation forward, including bringing the first commercially available Class 8 hydrogen fuel cell electric trucks to market in North America and developing the HYLA hydrogen refuelling highway, connecting Northern California to Southern California. Our customers have accumulated approximately 3.3 million fleet miles across both our FCEV and BEV truck platforms and our HYLA fuelling network has dispensed well over 330 metric tons of hydrogen.”

Headquartered in Phoenix, Arizona Nikola has a manufacturing facility in Coolidge, Arizona.

Bengaluru-headquartered Yuma Energy has announced the acquisition of Grinntech Motors & Services, a Chennai-based start-up specialising in the design and development of affordable and high-quality energy storage solutions.

As per the understanding, Yuma Energy will integrate Grinntech’s expertise in battery technologies, R&D and manufacturing to build a vertically integrated BaaS ecosystem. This will further strengthen battery design and production, intelligent charging units, a multi-city swapping network, technology-driven operations and a seamless customer app.

Muthu Subramanian, Managing Director & General Manager, Yuma Energy, said, “This acquisition is a strategic step towards bolstering our in-house expertise in battery management systems, advanced R&D and manufacturing. By assimilating Grinntech’s technology and manufacturing capability, we will continue to surpass industry and customer service benchmarks in performance, reliability and safety.”

It was in January 2025, Yuma Energy unveiled its next-generation battery, developed in collaboration with Grinntech, at the Bharat Mobility Global Expo’s Bharat Battery Show in New Delhi.  The acquisition builds upon the successful partnership between the two companies over the past 18 months. 

Puneet Jain, Co-Founder, Grinntech, said, “We are excited to become a part of Yuma Energy’s journey and contribute our expertise to revolutionising battery technology.”

Nikhilesh Mishra, Co-Founder, Grinntech, added, “Together, we will continue to push the boundaries of innovation and accelerate India’s transition to a cleaner, more sustainable future.”