[vinaydas]

rather than people focussing on the top speed/0-100 timings they need to focus on the range of the vehicle and maximum time from a 0- full charge.
this is what matters in real world conditions.
no body is going to buy an EV to do a drag unless its a Tesla
IMO rather than going in for pure EV more emphasis should be given to Hybrids as they are way more practical.
next in line is Hydrogen based vehicles.
India has a lot of time to go since we see hydrogen based vehicles and hybrids in masses on our roads.
It will be fun to watch the Autorikshaw's in bangalore to switch to Cycle Rikshaw's when fuel becomes really unaffordable.

[samabhi]

Does all EV cars come with an auto gear? I am assuming yes, but want to confirm it once.

[dockap]

i think spark electric should be added to the list ,i feel spark ev has the best chance to win the ev race followed by indica.the i10 ev is going to cost a bomb

[navan49]

MY personal View is that the EVs will be seen on roads. But the chosen ones are i10 Electra ans the Spark EV. So let us wait and see the future of EVs in 2011.

[gshanky]

I agree, Chevy Spark should definitely be added to the list. I am figuring out how to add it. In the mean time if anyone knows how to add additional items to the poll, share the info or any link.

[raghavanrv]

Currently EV market in India is restricted to house wives living in tier 1 cities. This might be because the only EV car today the Reva, this is very small car priced quite high and it lacks space and load carrying capacity. The range and maxspeed limit of the car is only comparable to mopeds and offers no real threat to petrol and diesel cars of today.

The biggest advantage an IC based automobile offers today is the fact that it can be taken anywhere with ease. It can easily be switched between short and long commutes. All these little things which seem so normal today are huge hurdles the EV is yet to overcome. This is probably the main reason why the EV lost the race to IC engines in the early part of last century.

Thanks to a century of research and engineering, the IC engine has top speeds and range incomparable to any other alternate technology. Many might argue all other alternate technologies are in their infancy, but the fact is that they are in infancy for a reason.

Throughout human evolution all major changes and innovation are born out of dire necessity. So it very likely we the apex predator and the most opportunistic species in the planet till date will continue to run Petroleum based engines till the last drop of oil is left in the world.

The next generation EV’s in India are offering some hope, but it’s still a long way to go before we see any real and substantial competition from EV vehicles to the current gen automobiles. One big hurdle for this is lack of political will. With complete lack of govt. subsidies, long term infrastructure road maps it will be a minimum of a decade before we really start seeing EVs at least side by side with automobiles. Remember both political will and infrastructure changes in India happen in snails place.

God forbid some of leaders take initiative and correct this mess, even then EV becoming a stable mode of transportation is very questionable considering the fact that alternate other technologies like air car, fuel cells are starting show more promise.
May be hybrids will rule the future. Remember Hybrid doesn’t necessarily mean Electric- Petrol. It can just be any combination even solar-EV who knows!!!

[gshanky]

Tata Motors will launch its electric Indica and Ace EV in Europe this fiscal. Mr Ravi Kant, Vice-Chairman, told Business Line that the company would begin retailing electric vehicles in the UK and Scandinavian nations. Indications are that the Indica Vista is likely to be launched in the UK this September-October.

Here is the source from Hindu Business Line - The Hindu Business Line : Tata Motors set to launch electric Indica, Ace in Europe

[atrisarkar]

I agree to what raghavanrv has said.
To add a bit more on a different line I feel that in our 'kitna deti hain' obsessed country although bringing out the EV for mass production seems to be a logical proposition, when they actually come out we won't find much takers initially.

The major portion of the indian car market is captured by people who are obsessed with mileage and for whom shifting to EV makes more sense. But among this group there is a significant percentage of population who detest change and any 'new' technology. They want to go for the tried and tested cars more than anything else. They'll put their money on the cheapest and the highest fuel efficient car than paying just a bit more for a more efficient EV.
It'll be a challenging marketing job for anyone who hopes to break this mentality with the EV. Just my opinion though.

[Digital Vampire]

There is another bottleneck which got me thinking...

Charging provisions. To be more clear, a huge %age of the city population lives in multi-dwelling apartments which may not have a dedicated electric connection in the parking bay which is connected to the individual's electricity metering equipment. It may sound silly but retrofitting a power outlet in your apartment parking slot may not be an easy task in big apartment complexes and could slow down adoption.

Luckily most MNC's (at least mine) has dedicated Charging bays and preferential parking for electric vehicles. I guess the apartment builders need to pay attention to this feature if they have not provisioned already. I haven't seen even the new upcoming ones which offers this facility.

[avishar]

We need to have a basic charging infrastructure in place for EVs to be a success.

That includes a number of charging stations across the city with capability to charge up a medium size EV to atleast 80% charge in less than 10 mins.
Also we require a "smart grid" for home charging where electricity is distributed automatically depending on demand.For example in a housing locality if a 100 evs suddenly start charging from 10 pm onwards after office hours then it might cause a distribution problem and cause a higher than anticipated load on the network.

The next generation of Evs to be launched in India will incude the Indica EV,REVA-mahindra EV and the Nissan Leaf.

But the classic problem with EVs is who will foot the bill for the infrastructure?Its a classic chicken and egg problem.Should companies/governments get the infrastructure ready and then wait for the consumers or create demand and then create the infrastructure.

[gshanky]

Here is the info from Hindu Business line

Tata Motors will launch its electric Indica and Ace EV in Europe this fiscal. Mr Ravi Kant, Vice-Chairman, told Business Line that the company would begin retailing electric vehicles in the UK and Scandinavian nations. Indications are that the Indica Vista is likely to be launched in the UK this September-October.
The electric versions of this car and the Ace pick-up are at advanced stage of development. Tata Motors had displayed the Vista EV at the Geneva Motor Show in 2009 and the Ace EV at Zaragosa in 2008.
The company is keen on an UK launch as the Government is promoting electric vehicles under the Alternative Fuels Infrastructure Grant Programme.
Electric vehicle projects
Tata Motors European Technical Centre had received a £10-million loan to develop the Indica Vista EV in the UK. The company has invested £25 million (Rs 180 crore) in the project.
The electric vehicle projects have key inputs from the Norway-based Miljo Grenland in which Tata Motors has a 72 per cent stake. Norway, Denmark and Sweden are inclined towards electric vehicles where infrastructure is already in place.
Though the electric Nano was on display this year at Geneva, no plans have been firmed up yet for a launch which could happen in the next three years.
The company is also watching the domestic market though no decision has been taken. “Infrastructure support, primarily the network of charging stations, is practically absent in India. We cannot have electric vehicles without Government support, especially for setting up stations,” said Mr Ravi Pisharody, President, Commercial Vehicles.
Tata Motors has chalked out a hybrid programme for its luxury brands, Jaguar and Land Rover. Jaguar has developed the Limo Green concept, a hybrid XJ, a gasoline-electric hybrid equipped with a 145 kW, 295 full-load motor torque electric motor, and a 1.2-litre petrol engine.
Another research project, Range-e has developed a plug-in parallel diesel hybrid system that will help a premium SUV run as a pure electric vehicle minimising emissions.

The Hindu Business Line : Tata Motors set to launch electric Indica, Ace in Europe

[gshanky]

Indica EV is participating in Future Car Challenge 2010 on Nov. 6 2010.

View all the entrants here - Brighton to London Future Car Challenge 2010 - Gallery

There is also a youtube feed set up here - YouTube - TheBLFCC's Channel

Hope Indica EV does better this time than in the previous competition - X Prize

[gshanky]

Indica EV wins 2 trophies at Future Car challenge

A1 – Most Economic Small Passenger EV – TATA Motors Ltd, TATA Indica Vista Electric (Simon Clarke)
A2 – Most Economical & Environment Friendly Small Passenger EV – TATA Motors Ltd, TATA Indica Vista Electric (Simon Clarke) – Award sponsored by The Daily Telegraph

News excecrpt:

The Tata Indica Vista EVX completed the journey from Brighton to London at a highly economical energy cost of £1.35. This compares very favourably to journey costs of £6.17 and £4.80 for a similar sized vehicle running either a petrol or diesel engine at standard energy prices. The 58 mile route was completed with only a 36% depletion of the lithium ion phosphate batteries. This would give a vehicle range, in typical real-world driving conditions, of approximately 160 miles, producing an efficiency equivalent mileage of 176 mpg plug to wheel.

Links:
http://www.futurecarchallenge.com/docs/BLFCC - Press Release 08 November 2010.pdf
http://www.theautochannel.com/news/2...12/506264.html

[Fraz33r]

With lot of EV things happening and many cars trying to get their " green" models in pipeline , I still have one big question in my mind . Are we infrastructurely up in providing the 'E' to these vehicles. It would be a joke to charge a EV vehicle on a Inverter when there is no electricity at home.
Is the government trying ( providing is way too far ) to even provide basic necessity to all over india. Leave alone metropolitian areas like mumbai,bangy.

I have seen villages with as much as 12 hrs no electricity and 2 days compulsory off in maharshtra itself. I hope these big car manufacturer's are even consulting the government before they even start such a venture here in India.

As far as i feel; all the auto car makers of indian origin, if they have to make an impact in the auto industry with the EV technolgy (this is directed speicfically for TATA and Maruti) hit to these developed countries where there is electricity 24/7/365 days a year even in the remotest village . If these auto giants can serve a country with a billion people , I am sure they have the tech to serve these developed countries as well.

GE has already taken up this challenge and will be rolling out some advanced chargers for EV vehicles. Are our Power grids up for it is a big question mark.

[gshanky]

Originally Posted by Fraz33r

With lot of EV things happening and many cars trying to get their " green" models in pipeline , I still have one big question in my mind . Are we infrastructurely up in providing the 'E' to these vehicles. It would be a joke to charge a EV vehicle on a Inverter when there is no electricity at home.
Is the government trying ( providing is way too far ) to even provide basic necessity to all over india. Leave alone metropolitian areas like mumbai,bangy.

I have seen villages with as much as 12 hrs no electricity and 2 days compulsory off in maharshtra itself. I hope these big car manufacturer's are even consulting the government before they even start such a venture here in India.

As far as i feel; all the auto car makers of indian origin, if they have to make an impact in the auto industry with the EV technolgy (this is directed speicfically for TATA and Maruti) hit to these developed countries where there is electricity 24/7/365 days a year even in the remotest village . If these auto giants can serve a country with a billion people , I am sure they have the tech to serve these developed countries as well.

GE has already taken up this challenge and will be rolling out some advanced chargers for EV vehicles. Are our Power grids up for it is a big question mark.

Attachment 452384

It will be a long time before EVs come to India. If you remember, in USA california has been supporting electric vehicles for a while now and soon EVs would go mainstream in USA. Likewise in india also we may see this happen slowly. Nah, make it very slowly