The Delhi Transport Corporation has contracted Tata Motors to supply 1,500 electric buses for use in India’s capital, New Delhi. The agreement covers the supply of 1,500 Tata Starbus EV 12-metre electric buses over a period of twelve years.
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The Indian energy company IndianOil is inviting bids to procure 15 fuel cell buses. This marks the first project in the subcontinent to fully address all the aspects surrounding hydrogen-based mobility.
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Panasonic, in cooperation with SmartE and qQuick, has launched a new EV charging network for India named Nymbus. In the first phase, Panasonic will deploy the service on 150 SmartE electric three-wheelers and on 25 qQuick two-wheelers in the Delhi-NCR region.
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Free EV parking: The English town of Milton Keynes has created 15,000 free parking spaces for electric vehicles with a Green Parking Permit. Funded by the “Go Ultra Low Cities” initiative, the spaces are only the first step in a multi-stage plan, which will includes the addition of charging hubs, residential chargers, and bus lanes access.
fleetnews.co.uk, autocar.co.uk
World’s biggest carsharing: Chinese Chongqing Lifan Group hopes to roll out the world’s largest carsharing scheme from next year, reaching a 300,000 electric car fleet by 2020. The company will use Lifan 300EV2 cars, which the manufacturer claims can be recharged in three minutes.
chinadaily.com
Scottish Borders fleet: The Scottish Borders Council used 87,000 pounds worth of government funding to purchase six electric vehicles. Two of the cars will be for social care staff and three for the council’s waste, neighbourhood services, and contracts staff.
holyrood.com
Brazil receives bus: The Brazilian city of Curitiba has received its first Volvo electric hybrid bus as part of Volvo’s electro-mobility project in Latin America. The vehicle comes with Zone Management, which allows areas where the bus can drive 100 percent electric to be defined and for the operator to limit the bus’ maximum speed in regions with high pedestrian traffic.
automotiveworld.com
New Delhi to hire fleet: The Union Transport Ministry in New Delhi has invited bids for hybrid and electric cars to be used by officials. They plan to hire at least 20 cars in each category for one year, with the possibility of extending the contract another year. Some criticise that the move may discourage taxi companies for investing in greener fleets.
livemint.com
DriveNow expands: London car-sharers can get their hands on 20 additional BMW i3. The DriveNow fleet now counts 50 electric cars in the British capital. In Stockholm, the joint service of BMW and Sixt will start on October 20 with 260 conventional cars and Minis. The i3 is to be added at a later date.
evfleetworld.co.uk (London), digital.di.se (Stockholm in Swedish)
Second life: The E-Stor concept is an energy buffer system using second-life EV batteries for charging stations. Jointly developed by Future Transport Systems and Ricardo, E-Stor can absorb surplus energy and distribute it at peak times thus relaxing the grid.
greencarcongress.com
Park & Charge: The first EV charging station in Moscow has been installed at a parking space. Another 50 are to follow within this year, while the Russian capital plans to erect a total of 150 by the end of 2016.
themoscowtimes.com
Women e-trikes: 30 three-wheeled electric vehicles with female drivers only can be hired at hot spots in New Delhi. With the Smart-E service, the Indian city hopes to make the last mile more sustainable and safer as the EVs come with CCTV, GPS and SOS. An app is in the making.
indiatimes.com
Solar demo: In an attempt to test the power of solar in Wisconsin’s climate, Alliant Energy is launching a solar demonstration project. Part of the programme is the installation of 13 EV charging stations by Telefonix at Alliant’s headquarters. However, the stations are powered by the building.
prnewswire.com
Postal e-trike: La Poste has ordered 100 ‘Staby’ be French Ligier. The electric three-wheeled scooters have been customised for the French mail service and will join the organisations extensive electric fleet. If demand allows, Ligier is prepared to deliver up to a 1,000 e-trikes by 2015.
postandparcel.info
EV drive simulation: A newly developed app by Dutch Gent University estimates EV range for different models based on the user’s driving behaviour in a regular car. This way, the ‘e.CODRIVER’ app is said to help find the right electric car for ones needs.
e-mobility-nsr.eu, play.google.com (app)
Italy’s bicycle market was overall declining in 2013, only e-bikes saw an increase of 11.8%. That are 51,405 electric bicycles sold despite harsh economic conditions. Pedelec exports almost doubled to 2,859 units. City and e-bikes now hold almost 50% of the Italian market, which shifts away from its sport-only orientation.
bike-eu.com
Battery-electric buses will eventually replace electric rickshaws on New Delhi’s streets. The electric mini cabs on three wheels have just been banned, hence this is why the Indian government is looking into alternatives. An e-bus trial in Bangalore however, is now facing financial difficulties as initial operational costs are high.
timesofindia.indiatimes.com
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Iran to be electrified: Apparently, the government in Tehran plans to replace most of the country’s motorbikes with 400,000 electric ones. Manufacturer will get subsidies of 300 dollars for every e-bike built. The plan also includes a ban of petrol-powered motorcycles in the capital’s centre.
tehrantimes.com, dailytimes.com.pk
New Delhi to be electrified, too: The New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC) has issued a proposal to set up 65 charging stations across the city. Once the EV chargers are approved by the Delhi government, constructions of the stations, which are financed with the help of public private partnerships (PPP) can begin.
thehindu.com
Electric car club: The city of Dundee, Scotland, is looking at expanding and electrifying its car sharing with money from TACTRAN and Transport Scotland. The money for maintenance of the cars and operation of the scheme would come from an annual charge for the members. A business plan has yet to be agreed upon.
thecourier.co.uk
A ride around town: Electragirl travelled all the way to York to try the city’s new electric bus. While she does not travel too well on public transport – electric or not – the bus runs smoothly and silently and is charged via cable at a CHAdeMO DC fast charger.
transportevolved.com
Campus charging: By 2015, Cal Poly’s campus will feature twelve EV charging stations, paid for with a 150,000-dollar grant from the California Energy Commission. Apart from students, also travellers from the near Highway 101 and Highway 1 will be welcome to use the stations.
sanluisobispo.com
