India’s electric car sales share tops US for six straight months from April: Ember
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India has outpaced the United States (US) in the share of fully electric new car sales for six consecutive months starting in April, according to a new report by energy think-tank Ember, reported the Economic Times.
Out of the 56 nations monitored by the think tank, 49 showed higher share of electric car sales than the US, where the BEV market share dropped to 6% during the first eight months of 2026 after Trump rolled back federal electric vehicle incentives.
Tata and Mahindra together captured over 60% the country's electric vehicle sales in the first half of 2026, supported by an ongoing ramp-up in local production capacity, the newspaper said. Brazil is strengthening its position as a regional auto production hub, while Vietnamese automaker VinFast is expanding its manufacturing footprint in international markets, the report pointed out.
Minister eyes ‘hyper scale data centres’ , vows to have policy to keep power prices in check
India will announce a policy for data centres, to keep consumers from paying more for electricity as the sector's power use has become a global issue. junior IT Minister Jitin Prasada said, reported Reuters. The move follows protests by residents in Mumbai, Vizag against data centres of Amazonand Google over concerns including water and electricity use. India does not have a dedicated policy for data centres which are approved under existing environmental and building rules, the outlet said adding that data centres are central to the investment pitch of Prime Minister Modi, who has invited "the whole world's data to reside in India". The government sells it as a $200 billion opportunity. Residents near Amazon's site outside Mumbai have protested over strain on power and water and over noise, and environmentalists say Google's $15 billion Visakhapatnam project threatens wildlife and improperly uses temple land, the newswire said.
NITI Aayog wants stricter power, water checks before approving data centres
NITI Aayogjas proposed to link data centre incentives to power and water availability, environmental safeguards and measurable economic benefits. The framework calls for grid readiness checks and stricter resource-efficiency standards as India expands AI infrastructure, IE reported.
The framework has proposed that states assess projects based on electricity and water availability, environmental safeguards and measurable economic benefits, rather than investment commitments alone.
The framework calls for data-centre developers to demonstrate that electricity grids can support their proposed capacity before receiving approvals, with additional electricity loads sanctioned only after necessary infrastructure upgrades have been completed. It also recommends linking state government incentives to actual economic benefits, including employment, local procurement and investments in renewable energy, the newspaper report said.
Starlink vs Reliance Jio: scramble for a billion internet users
Elon Musk said he would price Starlink's satellite internet service affordably in India to take on Mukesh Ambani's low-cost Reliance Jio, days before Jio's parent launches India's largest-ever IPO, Reuters reported. The outlet pointed out that Jio and Musk used cheap data playbook markets in India and Kenya respectively to unsettle rivals. SpaceX now plans to enter the mobile carrier market itself, starting in the US. Musk owned Starlink's four-year wait to launch in India came to a head when last week he accused the government and Ambani of stalling its entry to favour Jio.
"The reality is that competition would greatly benefit the average citizen in India by giving them more choices, as it always does. Ambani's profits will be lower, but he is not going out of business," Musk wrote. The billionaire's remarks were the latest in a series of X posts, the outlet said.
China to lower VAT export rebate on new energy vehicles
China will cut VAT export rebates for new-energy vehicles (NEVs) to 9% from 13% from next April, Reuters reported. In September Arab car sales fell 12% year-on-year to 1.1m units said Bloomberg, citing China Passenger Car Association (CPCA) data. It adds that NEVs nevertheless accounted for 67.1% of all passenger-vehicle retail sales. The China Association of Automobile Manufacturers (CAAM) also released data for NEV market share, placing it at 61.6% for september reported Xinhua.
Caixin noted that China has introduced “stricter testing rules” for NEVs, such as environmental adaptability tests. People’s Daily said the proposed rules target “rushed-to-market cars”, following public outrage over a recent safety issue involving a Huawei-linked NEV.
Bloomberg reported that China’s commerce ministry said its deal with the EU on hybrid-car imports will ensure “export space and steady growth”. Caixin said whether the agreement with EU will be implemented through “tariffs or quantitative restrictions” remains unclear.
The South China Morning Post(SCMP) quoted China’s commerce ministry saying that the two sides have “huge cooperation potential” in new energy and “green low-carbon fields”, while People’s Daily wrote tha China is an “indispensable pillar” for Europe in “advancing green transition”.