By Kamlesh Mallick

I just felt like taking a day off my crazy schedule.  I decided to take my Mahindra e2o electric car for a spin to the mountains near Pune city. I decided to go to Lavasa, around 58 km from home. My plan was to just walk in the rain, do nothing, stare at the mist covered mountains, enjoy good food and also check out the Segway rides, launched recently. The concern at the back of my mind was this - I needed to cover 120 km (2 way) on an electric car that goes 100 km.  And that too the route involved climbing steep hills - a big battery drainer.  I did the same trip one year back, i barely made it back! (The magic of Regen!)  This year, i wanted to plug in the car to ensure i was comfortable getting back.
But this time, what i found out was that, businesses and people, generally go out of their way to ensure EVs are plugged in and you return safely home. All you need to do is ask!

By Justin Guay and Vrinda Manglik 

Solar power is the key to ending energy poverty.
No, this isn't some out-of-touch Silicon Valley pipe dream. Innovative companies like Simpa Networks and OMC power are pioneering new energy models for rural populations that deliver everything from LED lightbulbs and Skinny Grids to Off-Grid Wi-Fi to pay-as-you-go solar home systems.

by Johnson

The Mahindra e2o lands on the Bermuda triangle!  Ok! Ok! not exactly in the center of the triangle but on the island of Bermuda which makes up the northern most tip of the Bermuda triangle and for which it is quite famous all over the world. It was also supposed to have the highest GDP per capita in the world.

By Kamlesh Mallick

I just had the pleasure of visiting Europe for three weeks, recently. To be specific south France and Italy. The car scene is dominated by companies like Peugot, Renault, Citroen and Fiat. And like the rest of the world ICE based engines rule here, guzzling huge amounts of oil and spewing out tons of bad stuff in the atmosphere. Even the little scooters you see in Italian cities are petrol based.
I hardly see an EV here.  Although I did spot few DC quick charging stations in roads and few electric cars plugged in. The overriding feeling i got is that electric vehicles still are driven mostly by enthusiasts, just like in India.

by Johnson

To buy or not to buy the Mahindra E2O electric car? That is the question.

Now that even the government has acknowledged that there will be a multi-million electric vehicle market within the next few years. But the fact is that the Government themselves do not know how this will come about. The government knows one thing, that is is to increase the petrol price slightly, around 5-6 times a year. So much so that in 5 years the price of petrol could be around Rs 138 per liter. It will also indirectly affect the value of our Rupee. Thus if the addiction to oil continues when the price of Petrol is around Rs 138 then the Dollar will be around Rs 100 to 110 although the real price of the Dollar would be less than Rs 20 as they keep printing more Dollars! This will seriously erode any financial stability or improvement as a country. Thus for becoming a stronger economy we have to move away from dependence on Oil and Electric  cars can help any country wean away from the Oil addiction!

After the price crosses Rs 100 the rise will multiple quickly and every increase will be painful to the people with a petrol car. Inflation will easily skyrocket, any business depending upon transportation especially food and tourism sectors will experience steep  price hikes every year.

So the question is to buy an electric vehicle or not?

By Alysha Webb

I was in Chongqing, China recently to participate in the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade’s Auto Summit as a panel member on electric vehicles.  China has a policy that calls for the country to have 500,000 “new energy vehicles” – which refers to battery electric, plug-in hybrid electric, and hydrogen fuel-cell vehicles – on the road by 2015.  By 2020, that number should hit 1 million.   
It is falling far short of that goal.  In 2013, only 17,642 new-energy vehicles were sold in China, and most of those were likely fleet vehicles.  The barriers to EV adoption in China are similar to those in many other countries:  High cost, lack of infrastructure, and a technology that many still consider untested.

by Johnson

In a major announcement Aston Martin Racing, famous for the James Bond car, has signed a partnership agreement with solar technologies experts Hanergy Global Solar Power & Applications Group, in a project exploring how the sun’s energy can be used to improve race car performance at the pinnacle of sportscar racing, the FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC).