Motion plastics manufacturer, Igus India expanded its footprint in the country by inaugurating a new manufacturing plant spanning 92,000 square feet in Bengaluru Thursday. 

The state-of-the-art plant in Mandur near Budigere in Bengaluru comes at a point when the company prepares to focus on new divisions dedicated to the semi-conductor and renewable energy sectors, areas poised for substantial growth. The expansion is part of Igus’s long-term strategy to enhance its operational capabilities and support its extensive customer base in India.

The newly inaugurated facility is a testament to the company’s long-term commitment to India, involving an investment of over INR 1 billion. This financial outlay reflects the company’s dedication to maintaining its competitive edge through innovation and cutting-edge technology. 

Of the total investment, INR 200 million have been allocated for setting up the factory, INR 400 million for advanced injection moulding machines and INR 200 million for enhancing the manufacturing process. The plant’s infrastructure is designed to meet the high standards of motion plastics production, ensuring that Igus India continues to deliver world-class products tailored to the unique demands of the Indian market.

Since its establishment as a wholly-owned subsidiary in 2000, Igus India has become a prominent player in the motion plastics industry, catering to over 19,000 customers across the country. The company’s extensive product catalogue boasts 125,000 parts, which are used in a variety of customer-driven assemblies, many of which are customized and assembled locally. This vast array of products underscores Igus’s commitment to innovation and customer satisfaction, with over 200 new products introduced annually. The company’s ability to adapt to the evolving needs of its customers has been a key driver of its success in the competitive Indian market.

Looking ahead, Igus India has ambitious plans to further strengthen its operational capabilities and market presence. The company is eyeing significant revenue growth, with expectations of reaching INR 3.4 billion in revenue this year. To support this growth and enhance its logistical efficiency, Igus India plans to establish new logistics and assembly centres in Pune, Gurugram and Noida. These new facilities will enable Igus to better serve its customers across India, reducing lead times and improving overall service delivery.

The focus on emerging industries like semi-conductors and renewable energy is a strategic move by Igus India to align itself with sectors that are poised for substantial growth in the coming years. As India continues to invest in its semi-conductor manufacturing capabilities and renewable energy infrastructure, the demand for high-quality motion plastics is expected to rise. Igus India’s expansion positions the company to capitalise on these opportunities, offering innovative solutions that meet the specific needs of these rapidly growing industries.

The opening of the new manufacturing facility in Bengaluru marks a significant milestone for Igus India, reinforcing its position as a leader in the motion plastics industry. With a strong commitment to innovation, customer satisfaction and market expansion, Igus India is well-positioned to achieve its growth objectives and continue delivering value to its customers across the country. 

Emphasising the strategic importance of this expansion, Igus India Managing Director Deepak Paul stated, “The Indian market presents tremendous potential for Igus as demonstrated by our continued growth and investment here. Our objective is to deliver cutting-edge products and solutions not only to our customers in India but also on a global scale. Igus’s global focus on cost-sensitive and sustainable solutions, encapsulated in our motto ‘Tech up, cost down,’ is perfectly aligned with the Indian approach to technology and innovation. This alignment has been a key driver of our significant growth in the country. As we look forward, our plans include expanding beyond Bengaluru, with logistics and assembly centres set to be established in Pune, Gurugram, and Noida.”

 Igus India is currently the 6th largest subsidiary among Igus’s 38 global subsidiaries, a position that reflects its strong performance and growth potential. Over the past two years, Igus India has doubled its market growth, with revenue figures climbing from INR 1.99 billion to INR 3.13 billion. The company expects this upward trajectory to continue. Additionally, Igus India has invested in a clean room testing facility in Germany and plans to establish a similar setup in India, further enhancing its product development and quality assurance capabilities.

Commenting on the occasion, Country Manager and Director Santhosh Jacob said, “Technology and innovation are at the core of everything we do at Igus. With a catalogue of 125,000 parts and 247 new products introduced this year, we are constantly inspired by our customers’ needs to push the boundaries of what is possible. Our ongoing expansion of the motion plastics product world, coupled with the integration of digitalization and AI, is a testament to our long-term corporate strategy. We are making significant progress in embedding digitalization as a key technology at Igus, which will play a crucial role in our future growth and success.”

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Battery and Energy Storage Europe has announced a programme focused on the EU Battery Passport, a regulatory milestone that becomes mandatory in February 2027. The Barcelona-based event will address the compliance gap for applications beyond the electric vehicle (EV) sector, which have dominated the conversation to date.

The event, taking place on 8th and 9th September 2026 at Fira de Barcelona's Gran Via venue, will focus on solutions and talks for applications that fall within the regulation's scope: stationary energy storage, industrial batteries, grid-scale systems, long-duration energy storage and emerging applications in aerospace, maritime and rail electrification.

With the February 2027 legal requirement date approaching, the programme will bring together industry leaders, technology providers, and policy experts to address the compliance challenges facing these diverse sectors.

The Battery Passport is a digital record documenting a battery's entire lifecycle, from raw material sourcing to production, performance and eventual recycling. From February 2027, it becomes mandatory for all rechargeable EV, industrial and LMT batteries over 2 kWh sold in the EU.

Linked via QR code, the passport will track each battery's complete lifecycle, including composition, carbon footprint and recycled content, fundamentally transforming supply chain transparency and sustainability practices across Europe.

The programme will explore implementation topics including digital infrastructure requirements, data management systems, supply chain integration, verification processes and recycling traceability.

Ken Davies, Conference Programme Director at Battery and Energy Storage Europe, said, "The Battery Passport represents one of the most significant regulatory shifts our industry has faced, yet many companies are still grappling with what implementation actually means for their operations. While the EV sector has dominated the conversation, there's a critical need to address how this regulation applies to stationary storage, industrial applications and the innovative battery technologies powering Europe's energy transition. With the clock ticking toward February 2027, Battery and Energy Storage Europe will shine a light on the practical implementation requirements for these often-overlooked sectors, connecting stakeholders with actionable solutions and bringing together the expertise, technology providers, and collaborative spirit needed to turn compliance into competitive advantage across the full spectrum of battery applications."

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Horse Powertrain has been selected by Scania to provide its range-extender system for a pilot vehicle, currently operating as a heavy-duty timber truck in Sweden. The collaboration is a step in testing hybrid powertrain solutions for demanding transport applications such as forestry logistics.

The pilot is part of the Scania Pilot Partner program and is currently operating in Sweden under SCA, one of Europe’s forestry companies.

The vehicle is built to handle Sweden’s timber routes, transporting heavy loads through remote terrain where access to charging infrastructure remains scarce. By combining a battery-electric drivetrain with the generator designed in Sweden by Horse Powertrain’s division Aurobay Technologies, the truck achieves both long-distance capability and reduced CO2 emissions.

The test route covers approximately 16 km, with an operational target of completing 7–8 rounds per day, comparable to a diesel truck.

The configuration supports the truck’s battery packs with a 120 kW range-extender unit based on Horse Powertrain’s 2.0 litre multi-fuel engine. Acting purely as an onboard charger, the unit supplies electric energy when required during long hauls, temperature extremes, or delays.

Matias Giannini, CEO, Horse Powertrain, said, "Forestry logistics represents one of the toughest challenges for electrification. The forest roads of northern Sweden demand strength, range and reliability. Charging stations are few, but the timber never waits. You can think of our range-extender as a powerbank for a heavy-duty truck: silent, efficient, and always there when you need it. By partnering with Scania and drawing on our engineering excellence, we’re proving how a compact, high-efficiency range-extender enables electric trucks to operate reliably in the most demanding environments. It’s a technology that cuts CO2 now.”

Tony Sandberg, Vice-President at Scania Pilot Partner, added, "What we’re doing in Sweden with Horse Powertrain and SCA builds directly on the 100-day trial we ran together with a logistics partner in Germany earlier this year. That vehicle logged almost 22,000 kilometres and drove more than 90 percent of the time on pure electric power, only using the range-extender when no charging was available. The result was a CO2 reduction of over 90 percent compared with a diesel truck. Those learnings give us a strong foundation as we tailor the system for demanding Nordic timber operations."

Ingo Scholten, Chief Technology Officer, Horse Powertrain and Managing Director Sweden, Aurobay Technologies division, said, “Electrifying heavy-duty routes means understanding what drivers and operators face hour by hour. Long stretches without charging, variable loads and rapidly changing weather. This pilot lets us study those realities directly in day-to-day timber operations. The range-extender’s role is simple. Provide a stable, efficient energy supply so drivers can complete their full shift without interruption and with far lower greenhouse-gas emissions than a traditional diesel truck. The data we gather here will guide how we refine the technology and scale it for wider use across demanding transport applications.”

Horse Powertrain’s modular range-extender architecture builds on the core technology used in its passenger-car and light-commercial hybrid systems, adapted for the higher power output and durability demands of heavy-duty applications. Unlike conventional fixed-speed generator sets, the engine can operate across its full power band, allowing the system to deliver the required output efficiently while keeping fuel consumption, noise and vibration low.

The pilot truck is now undergoing testing in regular operations, carrying full timber loads to gather performance and efficiency data in real-world conditions. The results will guide future deployments of electrified powertrains in the forestry sector and other heavy-duty applications.

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Maruti Suzuki India, the country’s largest passenger vehicle maker, is gearing up to mark its entry into the electric vehicle segment with the soon-to-be-introduced e Vitara has announced an EV ecosystem with a comprehensive end-to-end digital platform for charging needs, including home and public charging, with an integrated payment journey.

The company has signed collaboration agreements with 13 Charge Point Operators (CPOs) and aggregators to provide seamless charging experiences on a single platform.

Maruti Suzuki has established a network of over 2,000 exclusive charging points across its nationwide dealer network, spanning more than 1,100 cities. Customers’ charging needs are further supported by the extensive partner-operated all-India charging network.

Aligned with its global vision, Maruti Suzuki will work with its partners to enable more than 100,000 Public Charging Points by 2030.

Hisashi Takeuchi, Managing Director & CEO, Maruti Suzuki India, said, “At Maruti Suzuki, we strive to extend a delightful ownership experience to our customers to build lasting trust. Today, we are taking a historic step, as we enter the domain of electric mobility with full readiness to address the EV charging concerns and boost customer confidence. We have established a robust network of over 2,000 Maruti Suzuki exclusive charging points across our sales and service network, spanning more than 1,100 cities. Further, we have collaborated with 13 Charge Point Operators to offer access to a vast charging infrastructure across the country. Aligned with Suzuki’s global vision, we plan to introduce multiple EVs and to support this, our aim is to enable a network of over 1 lakh charging points across India by 2030, along with our Dealer and CPO partners.”

'E for Me' Digital Platform

The Maruti Suzuki ‘e for me’ EV charging mobile app enables end-to-end usage of EV charging points from partner-operated charging points and Maruti Suzuki’s own network on a single platform.

The app offers a uniform customer journey for EV charging and payment through UPI or exclusive ‘Maruti Suzuki Money’, powered by Razorpay.

The platform's functions include:

• Locate, Pay & Use EV charging points available on the app.
• Use Public and Smart Home Charger from the same app.
• One card for ‘Tap N Charge’ functionality at Maruti Suzuki dealer outlets and home charger.
• Mirror e for me app on the infotainment system for seamless in-car EV charging experience.
• Remotely start/stop and manage the power output of the smart home charger.

Partho Banerjee, Senior Executive Officer, Marketing & Sales, Maruti Suzuki India, said, “Today is the dawn of a new era for electric mobility in India. It gives me immense pleasure to say that Maruti Suzuki is EV ready and will be ‘By Your Side’ with our comprehensive new platform that addresses key concerns around EV charging infrastructure. Leveraging India’s largest dealer network and our charging partners’ network, we are ensuring there are EV charging points at an average distance of 5-10 kilometres at key locations in the top 100 cities of India. DC fast chargers are also located at regular intervals along key highways to enable nationwide driving freedom for our prospective EV customers. To further enhance peace of mind, we have deployed a 1.5 lakh-strong specially-trained EV workforce to cater to every need of our customers. We have also activated 1500+ EV-ready service workshops across 1100 cities for meeting after-sales requirements to support EV ownership in every part of the country.”

To showcase the network readiness, four e VITARAs were flagged off from Gurugram in all four directions – Srinagar (North), Kanyakumari (South), Bhuj (West) and Dibrugarh (East) – as a part of the ‘e drive’.

The e Vitara Born EV, which is ‘Made-in-India and exported around the world,’ has been rigorously tested over 10 million test kilometres. Tested from ‘Sand to Snow’ over a temperature spectrum of 60deg Celsius to -30deg Celsius, the e Vitara has delivered a driving range of 543 km.

Banerjee added: “Words aside, we are showcasing the prowess of this platform by flagging off a radical ‘e drive’ that will demonstrate the real-world efficacy of Maruti Suzuki’s comprehensive EV charging network. With the ‘e drive’, we aim to boost user confidence and execute faster EV adoption, working alongside the nation’s sustainability goals for net zero.”

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Bengaluru-based ride-hailing company Ola Consumer has launched its non-AC ride category across India, becoming the only player in the country to offer this option at scale.

The company stated that the goal is to offer customers maximum choice across various price points to meet their travel needs. The new category will also enable cab drivers to have lower fuel consumption and improve their earnings.  

Ola Consumer spokesperson said: “With the non-AC category, we’re pushing the boundaries of how affordable and accessible urban mobility can be in India. Millions of people rely on daily, value-driven transport, and this offering is built entirely around their needs. The early response has been incredible and shows how strongly India wants more transparent, flexible, and fairly priced mobility. This move marks a step ahead in our mission to rethink mobility in India, and make it truly inclusive for every consumer.”

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