India: PM says IC-engined vehicle sales can grow alongside EVs

India’s prime minister has assured the country’s beleaguered IC engine automakers that there was space for both traditional and electric vehicles to post stronger sales volumes. The surprise remark comes when India’s sales for traditional cars has fallen for nine straight months, and could raise questions about the government’s 2030 target of 100% EV sales, allowing for which will necessitate a steady scale down in the sales of petrol and diesel vehicles.

The government had also recently said that it would ban the sales of IC-engined three-wheelers by 2023 and two-wheelers by 2025 in a bid to make their manufacturers switch to EVs.

China’s EV sales drop 4.7% over subsidy withdrawals

EV sales in China have dropped 4.7% last month (over July 2018) — the first such contraction in two years — after the withdrawal of subsidies for EVs. The country sold 80,000 units in July and the falling numbers have even forced French automaker Peugeot to shut a plant and trim its workforce. Nevertheless, China still remains the key market for global EV sales and Beijing plans to convert 90% of its light trucks to “new energy vehicles” by 2020. Its installed charging facilities have also jumped 71.9% year-on-year.

GM, VW to shun hybrids & focus solely on EVs, Toyota & Ford non-committal

General Motors and Volkswagen AG will both move away from hybrids and focus solely on all-electric cars for their US lineups. The two giant automakers together sold around 3.2 million cars in the US in 2018 and their decision highlights the growing recognition of EVs as the future of transportation.

However, Ford and Toyota are yet to abandon hybrids, despite also developing all-electric cars. Instead, they will continue to offer the option to customers that are reluctant to switch to EVs due to concerns over driving range and charging facilities.

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