India’s electric two-wheelers get costlier over FAME-II’s revised guidelines

Electric two-wheelers in India, which used to sell at around Rs70,000, are now selling at Rs80,000–90,000 as FAME-II’s revised guidelines have reduced the subsidies available to the segment. As per the revisions, subsidies have been reduced for li-ion batteries — from Rs22,000/kWh to Rs10,000/kWh — and for vehicles that run below a minimum top speed.

Unfortunately, this affects a large majority of the vehicles as they are designed to operate at top speeds of only 35-40 km/hr. Naveen Munjal, managing director of Hero Electric, has said the revisions would effectively destroy India’s electric two-wheeler industry.

EVs outsell conventional vehicles in Norway, Saudi Arabia downplays impact on oil demand

Electric vehicles outsold petrol and diesel-powered vehicles in Norway for the first time in March 2019, accounting for 58.4% of all vehicles sold in the country. Tesla’s Model 3 has been leading the sales, while hybrid vehicles registered a 10% drop in numbers over March 2018.

Saudi Arabia’s energy minister Khalid al-Falih, has, however, reiterated that EVs would only be an economical alternative for light transport (such as cars) and therefore will not disrupt global oil demand. He said that the expanding sectors of shipping, air and freight trucks would necessitate a growth in oil supplies.

50% of Australians support all-electric cars by 2025

A nationwide survey of 1,536 residents by the Australia Institute has revealed that 50% of them support the sale of only fully-electric cars in the country by 2025. There was also strong support for a nationwide, electrified transport system, with Western Australia and Queensland topping the figures at 68% and 62%, respectively.

The results come at a time when the Australian prime minister Scott Morrison has been severely critical of the opposition’s target of 50% EV sales by 2030. The country is also heading into elections with action on climate change as a key point of contention.

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