India, Hyundai, Lexus, Nepal, Tesla, BMW.
EVs to be strengthened in India: The Indian Ministry for Heavy Industries has forwarded a proposal for EV subsidies that could see the government spending 140 billion rupees (2.34bn USD) until 2020. If the cabinet agrees, Indian buyers could get up to 35% of the price difference between a conventional and an electric car, hybrids would get 25%. At the same time, Nissan has announced to offer the Leaf in India soon and is looking for partnerships with local infrastructure providers.
timesofindia.com (subsidies), hindustantimes.com (Nissan)
Hybrid Hyundai delayed: While the new Sonata model has already been launched, an updated hybrid version will have to wait until 2015. Until then, the current Hyundai Sonata Hybrid will stay on the market.
hybridcars.com, caranddriver.com
Lexus NX 300h now in the USA: Toyota’s luxury brand has just introduced their latest compact SUV to the States where it will be offered in two versions, the NX 200t conventional and the NX 300h. The latter is a hybrid with a split battery pack for better weight distribution.
greencarcongress.com
Himalayan EV uptake: The Nepalese Ministry for Transport (MoPIT) considers to lower the customs duties for the import of electric vehicles to zero. The policy, which is designed to promote electric mobility especially in public transport, is already at the Cabinet for approval.
thehimalayantimes.com
Tesla bests again: For the Total Quality Index (TQI), Strategic Vision asked 38,361 drivers about their experiences and matched them with reliability data. The title of ‘Best Model in Total Quality’ went to the Model S while Kia was honoured for its ‘Strategic Vision’ embodied in the Soul EV and Optima.
autoblog.com
BMW i3 in real-life test: Michael Specht, reporter at German Spiegel, actually bought the electric BMW and has been “testing” it in his daily life for months. He found fault with “impractical” back doors, a reflecting dashboard that makes the windscreen look “dirty” as well as the high price that pits the risk on the EV buying pioneers alone. Specht praises however, the silent and torque-full drive.
greencarreports.com, spiegel.de (German original)
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