Volkswagen Group Components has announced its commencement of production of electric drives at its Tianjin factory in China. The facility will be producing the APP 310 drive on the modular electric drive matrix (MEB). This component will be used in the Volkswagen ID.41 variants produced by the joint venture partners FAW (ID.4 CROZZ2) and SAIC (ID.4 X2). The Group’s future MEB models for China will also be supplied locally. The main factory for electric drives at Volkswagen Group Components in Kassel produces the APP 310 motor for current and future MEB models in Europe and North America.
Thomas Schmall, CEO of Volkswagen Group Components, said, “With the start of production on the APP 310 at our components site in Tianjin, we are accelerating the electric mobility movement not only in the regional market but also for the Group as a whole. Our presence in the key markets enables us to react flexibly and efficiently to the needs of our customers. In this way, Volkswagen Group Components is making a major contribution to the Group’s electrification campaign.”

Automatic gearboxes have been produced at the Tianjin component plant since 2012. Following the ramp-up of the DQ400e hybrid engine and the APP 290 electric drive, the APP 310 represents the next milestone in the transformation to electric mobility. The permanent magnet synchronous machine with the drive and gearbox parallel to the axles has an output of up to 150 kW (204 PS) with a maximum torque of 310 Nm. The two component plants at Kassel and Tianjin are working closely together on the industrialisation process for the new product. At present, the technical capacity installed at both sites corresponds to up to 880,000 electric drives per year. Production is to be expanded by up to 1.4 million electric drives as early as 2023. It will make the company one of the largest producers of electric drives in the world. (MT) 

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Beijing-based electric technology company U Power focussing on battery-swapping solutions, has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Beijing Foton International Trade (Beijing Foton), a wholly-owned subsidiary of Beijing Foton Motor Co (Foton Motor), a leading commercial vehicle manufacturer in China.

The partners will come together to jointly promote battery-swapping compatible electric heavy trucks, buses and vans in Southeast Asia, South America, Hong Kong SAR and Macau SAR markets.

As per the understanding, U Power will provide technological support to enable the incorporation of battery-swapping capabilities on Beijing Foton vehicles, development and testing of battery-swapping stations to serve electric vehicle models, as well as connection of vehicles with its battery-bank ecosystem.

On the other hand, Beijing Foton will gather and share performance data on battery charging, health and capacity records.

The partners have also agreed to explore expanding the cooperation in the future.

Johnny Lee, CEO and Chairman, U Power, said, "This partnership marks another significant step forward in our strategy of expanding OEM partner base. Through joint promotional and sales efforts, U Power expects to accelerate the establishment of a comprehensive battery-swapping and battery-bank ecosystem in several of its existing key markets. We look forward to a strong collaboration with Beijing Foton to strategically expand our global footprint and increase our market share."

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Delhi-NCR-based smart parking and mobility solutions provider ParkMate has rebranded itself as Blyp, which it stated is part of its vision to become a tech-driven urban mobility ecosystem that goes far beyond parking.

Dhananjaya Bharadwaj, Co-Founder & CEO, Blyp, said, “The name Blyp represents speed, precision and simplicity – exactly what we want to deliver to every urban commuter. This rebrand is more than just a new look. It’s a reflection of our expanded mission – to reimagine urban movement through data, design and deep tech. We’re excited to introduce Blyp as the mobility companion of tomorrow’s India.”

With a new identity, Blyp aims to become an enabler of intelligent urban navigation, offering users real-time parking discovery, smart routing, EV compatibility and partner integration across both public and private sectors.

Abhimanyu Singh, Co-Founder & COO, Blyp, said, “ParkMate was our beginning – a product born out of a real problem. Blyp is our evolution. Over the years, we’ve grown from a parking solution into a full-fledged mobility tech platform. This rebrand allows us to think bigger, move faster and build deeper value for individuals, businesses and governments alike.”

Going forward, the company will roll out new features, expand into new cities and aims to build new infrastructure collaborations.

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Dover India, part of USD 7 billion Dover Corporation, has joined with RV College of Engineering (RVCE), Bengaluru, to set up a laboratory in Materials and Component Reliability Testing under the Centre for Hydrogen and Green Technology, a Centre of Excellence at RVCE.

The facility will focus on research in the area of hydrogen technologies and advanced material reliability under extreme environments. The idea is to explore emerging areas in hydrogen technology such as sustainable materials, Internet of Things (IoT) and Industry 4.0 solutions. The lab will be housed within the RVCE campus.

The partners state such facilities, designed according to global standards, are first-of-their-kind in India and are available only in a handful of countries globally. It will bring over 20 technologists from Dover and RVCE to work on next-generation research focusing on generation, storage, transportation, handling, safety and end-applications for hydrogen.

Established in 2021, Dover India’s R&D arm in Bengaluru, is claimed to have emerged as a leading Innovation Centre focusing on prognostics, tribology, corrosion and coatings, polymer synthesis and material characterisation.

Vivek Srivastava, R&D Head, Dover India, said, “Collaborating with RVCE enables us to foster a strong academia-industry partnership that will fuel the next wave of clean energy innovation and cover the entire spectrum of basic and applied research in this area.”

The Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) formally signed between the two organisations saw participation from Dover India’s Tushar Banerjee, Vice President & Managing Director and Prashanth Santhanam, Senior Director – Finance. Dr M P Shyam, President – Rashtreeya Sikshana Samithi Trust (RSST), Dr K N Subramanya, Principal – RV College of Engineering and Dr Geetha K S, Vice Principal – Strategic Higher Education Leader, Expert in STEM Curriculum Development, Research & Innovation and Dr Ujwal Shreenag Meda, Coordinator, Centre for Hydrogen and Green Technology represented RVCE. 

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The Ministry of Road Transport & Highways (MoRTH) has introduced the Motor Vehicles Aggregator Guidelines, 2025, a revamped policy aimed at modernising the ride-hailing sector with a focus on safety, driver welfare and transparent operations. Under the new guidelines, a structured fare system and clear cancellation penalties are now in place.

The policy states that the State Government's notified fare will serve as the base fare, wherein aggregators can charge a minimum of 50 percent below during non-peak hours and a maximum of two times the base fare during peak demand (as compared to 1.5x). A base fare for a minimum of 3km is chargeable to compensate for dead mileage.

Drivers are guaranteed at least 80 percent of the fare, with daily, weekly or fortnightly settlements. For aggregator-owned vehicles, drivers receive at least 60 percent of the fare.

A penalty of 10 percent of the fare (up to INR 100) may be imposed for unvalidated cancellations by either the driver or the passenger. No charge for dead mileage will apply unless the ride distance is less than 3km, the fare will only be charged from origin to destination.

The new policy introduces important provisions for aggregators:

Passenger Insurance: A minimum insurance cover of INR 500,000 for passengers is now mandatory.

Aggregators cannot prevent drivers from working with multiple platforms. A mandatory in-app rating system for both drivers and passengers is required to ensure quality service.

Furthermore, a comprehensive mandatory 40-hour Induction Training Programme is now compulsory for drivers, covering app usage, legal provisions, first responder training, safe driving and sensitivity towards gender and Divyangjans.

Drivers must undergo mandatory medical examinations, psychological analyses and police verification. Aggregators will also need to provide a Health insurance (minimum INR 500,000) and term insurance (minimum INR 1 million) for each driver, with annual increases.

Annual refresher training is now mandated, with quarterly training for drivers with low ratings. Aggregators are not allowed to onboard vehicles older than 8 years from their initial registration. The app and website (aggregator) must disclose the proportion of fare and incentives provided to drivers.

To ensure accessibility, the aggregator apps must now include special features for Divyangjans, which also provides for divyangjan-friendly vehicles mandated by State governments.

Aggregators must maintain a 24x7 control room and call centre with the vehicles requiring functional tracking devices linked to government control centres, with in-app mechanisms to detect route deviations and alert authorities.

The aggregators are responsible for the safety of all passengers, particularly children, women and Divyangjans.

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