Technology

Union Minister HD Kumaraswamy and Nitin Gadkari inaugurated India’s first heavy duty e-truck with swappable batteries and a swap cum charging stations, reported ET Auto. The swappable batteries technology will allow electric truck batteries in about seven minutes, compared to conventional two hours for charging.

In the first part of this series, CarbonCopy explored why India’s weather forecasts so often fall short. Despite major investments in satellites, radars, and data networks, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) has struggled to predict the intensity of extreme rainfall, flash floods, and cloudbursts,  especially in regions with complex terrain

EV giants BYD and Tesla are competing to crack the Indian car market — the world’s third largest, reported Business Insider. But both face steep import duties, and competition from local manufacturers like Mahindra and Tata Motors. India’s EV market will expand in the coming years, and electric car sales could possibly hit the mark of 2-3 million a year by 2030. Tesla has opened

According to H D Kumaraswamy, the Union Minister for Heavy Industries and Steel, India sold more than one million electric vehicles in FY2024-25, reported PTI. Kumaraswamy said this through a video message during the Auto Retail Conclave organised by the Federation of Automobile Dealers Association (FADA)

In the draft report submitted to the 56th GST Council, the Group of Ministers on rate rationalisation has suggested to hike the GST rate on EVs from 5% to 18%, according to a report by Business Today. This will be applicable only for four-wheeled EVs priced between ₹20 lakh and ₹40 lakh.

In a bid to decarbonise the auto industry, the UK government has made thirteen more electric car models eligible for new government grants. Some models of Nissan, Renault and Vauxhall are eligible for grants up to £1,500, and the discount is applied during the actual sale of the car.

The electric vehicle manufacturing industry in India is teetering on the edge, as crucial rare earth magnet inventories are set to run dry by July 31, reported Hindu Business Line. This can lead to the shutdown of manufacturing plants, as some manufacturers only have a few days’ worth of inventory left.

In China, the rise in electric truck sales have led to a slump in diesel use, reported Reuters. Electric and LNG-fuelled trucks comprise a fourth of all new truck sales in the first half of the year. Diesel consumption will most likely fall by 6.3% in 2025, according to a consultancy.

Data centres that power critical infrastructure—are facing sharply rising risks from climate change-driven extreme weather. A report by Cross Dependency Initiative (XDI), specialist in physical climate risk and adaptation analytics stated that without urgent investment in emissions reduction and physical adaptation

The Ministry of Heavy Industries (MHI) launched the portal for the ‘Scheme to Promote Manufacturing of Electric Passenger Cars in India (SPMEPCI),’ inviting global and domestic manufacturers to establish electric vehicle (EV) production facilities in the country, with a minimum investment of ₹41.5 billion, Mercom Reported.

India announced a ₹54 billion ($631 million) viability gap funding scheme to build 30 gigawatt-hours (GWh) of new battery energy storage systems (BESS) to “ensure round-the-clock renewable energy capacities”. This will be in addition to the already existing incentive worth ₹3,700 crore under which 13.2 GWh of BESS is currently under implementation

Southeast Asia can become a global hub for data centres, but that would mean a sizable increase in power demand in the region. There are also concerns over environmental impacts of data centres. However, a new report by the London-based think tank Ember found that a third of Southeast Asia’s data centres could be powered by solar and wind in 2030, without the need for battery storage.

The Maharashtra government notified its EV Policy 2025, setting an ambitious target to convert 30% of all new vehicle sales to electric by 2030. The policy is in effect from April 1, 2025 to March 31, 2030, reported ET Energy World. All EVs registered within the policy period will be exempt from motor vehicle

BYD, China’s top automaker, plans to sell half of its cars outside China by 2030, reported Reuters. The growth will primarily be fuelled by expansion in Latin America and Europe, as the US is still restricted to Chinese automakers due to trade restrictions. On the other hand, BYD’s chief rival Tesla saw shipments from its Shanghai plant decline for the seventh consecutive month

Sodium-ion batteries, a cheaper and less combustible alternative to lithium-ion ones, are becoming more attractive in the US, thanks to growing concerns about trade war with China, reported Bloomberg. China controls the majority of the supply chain for lithium-ion batteries.