ElectricPe has announced the appointment of Rohit Agarwal as its Chief Technology Officer (CTO). The company said in a statement that Rohit will lead the product tech strategy and development and lead the team to provide seamless full stack solutions across all EV stakeholders and help bring mass adoption to clean mobility in India.
Avinash Sharma, Co-Founder & CEO ElectricPe, said, “We are delighted to have Rohit on board as we continue to build the largest consumer focussed EV public charging and demand generation App in India. Rohit’s deep technology expertise will bring in the right thought-leadership to enable us to create the best-in-class user experience for our customers. In addition to helping accelerate the adoption of the latest technologies, Rohit will play a critical role in strengthening our development verticals and growing our offerings.”
Rohit will help expand the development team and be responsible for scaling the network by focusing on industry-required safety & security standards for EV charging, technology development, customer experience, added service offerings, and seamless accessibility, the release said.
Rohit Agarwal said, “I’m thrilled to be working with Avinash and Raghav and solve the technology needs the EV ecosystem requires. The company has successfully aggregated 2,500 public charging points in less than three months & has raced to become the market leader in Bengaluru. As an industry in the making, I look forward to integrating new innovations and product features to raise the bar and make ElectricPe India’s largest and most trusted e-mobility platform that will transform the way people choose to commute.”
Rohit joins the ElectricPe team with 11 years of prior experience in technology and product development. Having worked with early-stage startups, his expertise lies in deep tech, machine learning, and software building. He is also a hands-on programmer and enjoys building solid teams. (MT)
Ola Electric’s Rare-Earth-Free Ferrite Motor Gets Government Certification
- By MT Bureau
- October 06, 2025
Ola Electric, one of India’s largest electric vehicle manufacturers, has announced that it became the first two-wheeler EV maker to get government certification for its in-house developed rare-earth-free ferrite motor.
The company claims that the ferrite motor eliminates its need to import rare-earth motors with permanent magnets.
The certification has been granted by Global Automotive Research Centre, Tamil Nadu, after undergoing rigorous performance verification and mandatory motor power tests as per AIS 041 that is notified by the Ministry of Road Transport & Highways (MoRTH), Government of India.
As per the company, the in-house developed ferrite motor’s performance matched that of the motors with rare-earth permanent magnet motors in terms of net power for 7kW and 11 kW variants.
Ola Electric claimed that the ferrite motor delivers efficiency, performance and durability on par with rare-earth permanent magnet motors, while dramatically lowering costs and de-risking supply chain fluctuations. The company first introduced its ferrite motor at its annual ‘Sankalp 2025’ event in August this year.
With this, Ola Electric is set to integrate the ferrite motor across its product lineup, further enhancing performance, affordability and sustainability.
- BASF
- ZF Group
- Mercedes-Benz
- Martin Scheuble
- Dr. Michael Lohrmann
- Jana Kragenbring-Noor
- Dr. Martin Jung
BASF To Showcase Polyamide Recycling From End-of-Life Vehicles At K 2025
- By MT Bureau
- October 06, 2025
BASF and its partners are set to present two technologies at K 2025 that allow for the recycling of polyamides from end-of-life vehicles. While metal recovery from decommissioned vehicles has been standard for decades, about 200 kilograms of plastic per vehicle are often incinerated. The new technologies aim to change this, especially with upcoming requirements from the End-of-Life Vehicle Regulation (ELVR). Pilot projects show how automotive waste can be used as material and returned to a closed cycle for the car industry.
BASF developed a chemical recycling process that recycles used and contaminated plastic parts – including used oil pans from ZF Group vehicles. The core of the process is depolymerisation, where the long polyamide chains break down into their original monomers. The caprolactam monomer obtained from PA6 is then purified. This removes impurities that would have remained with mechanical recycling and potentially reduced the material's quality and safety.
The material is then repolymerised into high-quality polyamide, which is processed into a compound suitable for demanding car industry components, closing the automotive-to-automotive loop.
"What used to be considered non-recyclable is now the starting point for high-quality new products," said Martin Scheuble, Team Leader Circularity Engineering Plastics at BASF.
ZF Group processed the recycled material into a chassis component for Mercedes-Benz. Tests show that depolymerisation allows for polyamide compounds that can be used without compromising performance or other chemical and physical properties.
"This project highlights the potential of recycled plastic - even for technically demanding applications - and underlines ZF's innovative strength in establishing sustainable material cycles," said Dr. Michael Lohrmann, Director Materials Technology at ZF.
Solvent-based recycling of shredder residue
A second pilot project focuses on recycling automotive shredder residue (ASR) – a mixture of materials left after the removal of mostly metals and glass. Close cooperation with a recycling company, using new sorting and processing technology, has allowed the polyamides to be extracted from this mixture in a largely pure form.
This polyamide fraction was the starting material for a solvent-based recycling process. In this process, the polymer chain is selectively dissolved with a solvent, purified and then reprocessed into PA6 compounds.
Poppelmann manufactured and tested a chain guide rail in series production at Mercedes-Benz using this technology.
"The project impressively demonstrates that solvent-based recycling is a practical alternative for plastics that are difficult to recycle mechanically. It makes an important contribution to the holistic circular economy - from the car back into the car," emphasised Steffen Meyer, Team Leader Production Technology at Poppelmann.
Life cycle analyses (LCA) confirm that both the solvent-based and depolymerisation technologies offer substantial CO2 emission savings compared to both conventional polyamide production and traditional plastic recycling methods like thermal recovery.
BASF offers a range of recycling solutions, stating that targets are achieved only if technologies are used in a complementary manner, depending on the type and availability of waste.
Jana Kragenbring-Noor, Head of Sustainability & Environmental Protection at Mercedes-Benz, explained, "Mercedes-Benz is committed to the use of secondary raw materials in its vehicles today and in the future as part of resource conservation and circularity. To continuously increase the availability of such sought-after secondary materials, the expansion of existing and new recycling technologies is essential."
"We are continuously improving the efficiency of physical methods such as mechanical and solvent-based recycling. In addition, we are convinced that complementary technologies such as chemical recycling, which includes depolymerization, pyrolysis and gasification, are necessary to further promote the circular economy and reduce the plastic waste that still ends up in landfills or is incinerated today, as well as the potential to obtain high-quality recycled plastics," explained, Dr. Martin Jung, President of BASF Performance Materials.
ARAPL's Subsidiary Wins First US Order For Autonomous Forklift
- By MT Bureau
- October 01, 2025
Affordable Robotic and Automation (ARAPL), India’s first listed robotics company, has announced a significant global expansion milestone: its subsidiary, ARAPL RaaS (Humro), has secured its first international order for the newly developed Atlas AC2000 autonomous forklift – a mobile truck loading and unloading robot.
The order, the company shared, was placed by a large US-based logistics player following comprehensive and successful prototype trials over the last three months at the client’s facilities. The initial order comprises two Atlas AC2000 robots, valued at INR 36 million, and leased for a period of three years.
This initial win is strategically crucial, as it offers Humro a unique opportunity to scale deployment substantially. The client owns 15 warehouses across the US, with a potential to deploy around 15–16 mobile robots in each warehouse over the next two years.
Milind Padole, Founder & Managing Director, ARAPL, said, “Considering the scale and competition in the US market, we are thrilled to announce the success of our product with an established logistics player. This order, following stringent approvals and successful prototype performance, not only opens new doors for us but also is a step towards positioning Make In India mobile robots prominently in the global warehouse robotics sector – otherwise dominated by large US and Chinese players.”
The Atlas AC2000 forklift is a sophisticated machine equipped with LiDAR-based navigation, real-time obstacle detection and precision control algorithms, allowing for safe, 24x7 autonomous truck loading and unloading operations. Humro, which specialises in Autonomous Mobile Robots (AMRs), leverages ARAPL’s proprietary i-ware controller and employs AI, navigation and swarm robotics to deliver its solutions.
To fuel its global vision and growth, ARAPL has proposed a USD 8–10 million investment into Humro, including USD 3 million personally committed by Padole, alongside preferential allotments and debt financing. Despite announcing a 10 percent price adjustment from December 2025 to reflect new US tariffs, Humro emphasised that its products will remain 15–20 percent more cost-effective than competitors.
LTTS Bags $100 Million Agreement From US-based Industrial Equipment Manufacturer
- By MT Bureau
- October 01, 2025
L&T Technology Services (LTTS), a leading player in AI, Digital & ER&D Consulting Services, has bagged a multi-year agreement valued at USD 100 million from a US-based industrial equipment manufacturer catering to the semiconductor value chain.
As per the understanding, LTTS will support the clients’ initiatives across new product development, sustenance engineering, value engineering and platform automation by leveraging its expertise in AI, computer vision and next-gen automation technologies. Furthermore, LTTS will also set-up a Centre of Excellence (CoE) to support the client in accelerating innovation, simplifying platforms, application engineering and transitioning towards a more digital and AI-enabled future.
Amit Chadha, CEO & Managing Director, L&T Technology Services, said, “We deeply value the trust and confidence our client has placed in us and are committed to further strengthening this relationship as we move ahead with this transformational program. This engagement underscores LTTS’ expertise in leveraging AI-driven innovation to address complex engineering challenges in high-growth industries. By harnessing our capabilities in AI, automation and product engineering, we are empowering our client to further expand their market share and stay ahead of the curve.”
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