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Rajiv Bajaj's EV deflection strategy, "Journalists" alarmed at EV revolution, Mahindra's empty statements

November 8th | Electric Vehicles

Sometimes Bad. Mostly Hilarious! ​
But seriously, we expose the anti EV propaganda and FUD (Fear, Uncertainty, and Doubt) spewed by the traditional vehicle OEM manufacturers and pollution vehicle media. ​
What do champions eat for breakfast? For Rajiv Bajaj, it's EV Startups. Classic deflection strategy by Bajaj 🔗
  • Rajiv Bajaj has done it again! The self proclaimed champion of two wheelers claimed that his company, Bajaj, will gobble up EV startups like Ather, Ola Electric and Tork Motorcycles. The real issue for Mr Bajaj is that his company has lost business worth hundreds of crores to Ola Electric, who racked up EV sales worth Rs 1,100 CR in September. And this is only the beginning, as EV startups will chip away at the two wheeler market share enjoyed by the likes of Bajaj in the coming years. Regarding the BET vs OATS nonsense, this was again a premeditated distraction tactic from Mr Bajaj to deflect criticism aimed at him for not having a single electric motorcycle option in Bajaj's portfolio. Dinosaurs like Bajaj, TVS are in for a rude awakening as disruption wont care about big names.

Are we rushing into electric vehicles headlong without thinking? Twitter Spaces discussion and fear mongering by Petrol heads 🔗
  • All these years, petrol heads and auto journalists laughed at EV's and made fun of the EV owner community by dismissing them as freaks. Now with the EV revolution visible and imminent, they are feeling insecure and hence are raising alarmist tweets. So are we rushing into EV's? The fact that this guy is even asking such a question shows the absolute disregard for air pollution issues India is facing. India cannot keep manufacturing millions of pollution scooters and cars. It is just not sustainable. Regarding fire safety battery tech is getting better as we speak. We just saw BYD LFP blade cells, they wont even catch fire. Let these auto journalists keep having low quality discussions among themsleves, while India moves ahead and leaves these dinosaurs behind.

Mahindra Group expects 50% of vehicles sold by 2030 to be electric. More empty rhetoric by Mahindra suits 🔗
  • So the managing director and CEO of Mahindra group Mr Anish Shah says 50% of their vehicle sales will be EV's by 2030. How did this guy arrive at this number? Mahindra has not announced any sort of major investments in EV's not have they layed out a vision for EV's. They have no clue on battery cell manufacturing, EV powertrain systems and have not even shown us a future proof EV platform. EV startups like Omega Seiki, Euler Motors, Ola Electric have far superior EV ambition than Mahindra. If Mahindra does not get its act together, they could be finished by 2030 as more and more EV focussed startups and MNC's will eat into their commercial and passenger vehicle business.

Prem Shankar Jha, Maruti's RC Bhargava, Mahindra newest oil guzzler - XUV700 

​Why switching to electric vehicles is fiscally imprudent. Read more factually wrong anti EV opinions in mainstream media 🔗
  • This seems like another paid, unverified anti EV article. We seem to find many such articles these days in mainstream media. 
    There are so many factual errors in the article where do we even start?
    • The Ex-Showroom price of the Nexon EV starts at 13.99 lakh and not 14.3 lakhs
    • Comparing the Nexon EV with the cheapest Nexon ICE variant seems to be a favorite pass time for EV cynics. Compare the Nexon EV with the Petrol or Diesel automatic which costs Rs 8.99 and 10.13 lakhs respectively.
    • FAME 2 does not provide a subsidy for personal cars and states like Delhi will provide a subsidy of Rs 1.5 lakhs for only 1000 cars. Mr Jha assumes that everyone who buys the Nexon EV will get a subsidy in perpetuity.
    • Mr Jha assumes that cheaper smaller electric cars wont arrive in the Indian market. 
    • Experts like Mr Jha say that ethanol and methanol are better for India. But they don't talk about the infrastructure that is needed to setup pumps. Electric vehicles need no major infrastructure. Every business and home has an electrical connection to charge EV's.
    • Gasification of transport still wont solve the the air and noise pollution in cities. Electric vehicles will solve both the issues immediately.
The ICE vehicle and OIL industry have hit a new low. Getting a 83 year old "journalist" like Prem Shankar Jha to write factually wrong articles against electric vehicles is a new low for the fossil industry. Shame on Indian express to publish such anti EV articles.

RC Bhargava says Maruti Suzuki is bullish on CNG as EV penetration in India very small 🔗
  • RC Bhargava goes on saying that CNG based small cars are good for India. Then why does Maruti continue to sell large petrol and diesel cars? How many small pure CNG cars has Maruti launched in recent years? The fact is Maruti has launched more SUV's and large cars than small cars. 
    India sources substantial amounts of its natural gas imports from Qatar. Generating CNG from imported natural gas is not a solution for India. While electricity can be made in India, Mr Bhargava continues to have an anti India stance by not launching electric cars.
    Ultimately all this CNG business is just diversion from Maruti's continued interest in selling large petrol and diesel guzzlers. As usual, AutocarIndia continues to be the PR of the ICE car industry and publishes whatever is told to them.
 
Mahindra XUV700 will put all in trouble, says Times of India 🔗
  • So the times of India says that Mahindra XUV700 will put everyone in trouble! But the reality is more and more large oil guzzling SUV's like the XUV700 will get India into trouble with more air pollution and huge drain on India's oil reserves. Mahindra should be ashamed of themselves for continuing to launch large oil guzzlers in Indian market. While there is zero news on launch of the eKUV or XUV electric car. The acquisition of the Reva electric car company in 2010 was completed only to kill any sort of Electric car momentum in India. The tweets by Anand Mahindra, the glowing "reviews" by pollution vehicle media are frankly nauseating. 

Bajaj Freerider, Maruti WagonR EV again!, Yamaha's no EV stance!

Bajaj Freerider name trademarked. It has to be an electric vehicle! Read more EV speculation by pollution vehicle media 🔗
  • So, the pollution vehicle media seems to be tracking every move made by the auto industry and turning them into speculative EV gossip!
    In this case a trademark registered by Bajaj is now being tied to an EV launch.
    What next? ​The pollution vehicle media will start tracking production of steel or screws and will generate EV launches out of thin air!     - PluginIndia​​

Yamaha still studying market for EV's. More corporate talk from BIG ICE 🔗
  • Apparently Yamaha is still studying the EV 2-wheeler market and they HAVE TO sell pollution scooters in India, ad infinitum in order to recoup on their BS-6 investment. 
    On one hand Yamaha says they have the technology to launch an EV in India, yet they are complaining about government policies, charging stations. Let's just say it is more corporate BS talking. Most states are launching EV policies with generous subsidies and that is not good enough for Yamaha. Companies like OLA, Bajaj are investing huge money in electric two wheelers. Hey Yamaha, if you don't act soon, and launch EV's, you will end up only selling keyboards and pianos in India, forget about the vehicle market - PluginIndia

Photos of failed electric car-sharing service is fake news in US. Read this excellent fake news debunking article  🔗
  • Many small electric cars called 'BlueCars' and were used for the car-sharing service operating in Paris, France from 2011 to 2018. The service ran out of money so the cars are found in a parking lot. Ofcourse knuckleheads from USA jumped on these photos and made comments like - "Batteries are dead!", "Joe Biden electric cars are bad!" and so on. Little bit of investigation revealed that these cars are functional and batteries are not dead. They are waiting for a second owner. This article debunks irresponsible anti EV comments and really shows how electric cars are hated by petrol heads and conservatives in the USA and many other countries. Good job France24 - PluginIndia
​
Wagon R EV spotted on test with Suzuki logo, Launch In The Pipeline?. More nonsense wild speculation by these auto sites 🔗
  • Lastly, how can we forget our friends at GaadiWaadi
    GaadiWaadi Editor in Chief - We need to publish an EV article, any article, as long as they generate views and money. Fast!
    Intern - How about recycling the same WagonR EV article that we have been publishing since 2018?
    GaadiWaadi Editor in Chief - What an idea! Do it!
    Intern - On it!     ​

Tesla Model I for India!, Chetak's price hike, KTM and Husqvarna electrics!, Maruti conning people with Hybrid tech

Bajaj Chetak EV price hiked by up to Rs 28,000. Read 🔗
  • Regarding pricing, Bajaj has been shamelessly copying whatever Ather does. Remember the Ather 450 was launched at a price of Rs 1.2 lakhs in 2018. Bajaj ensured that the Chetak had a similar price during it's launch. Now Ather bumped the price of the 450X to around Rs 1.5 lakhs and Bajaj thinks that it needs to match Ather's price point?
    What gives Bajaj the right to bump the price of the Chetak? The Chetak does not offer a 6kW performance experience nor does Chetak have a software driven drivetrain with active OTA updates. And there is no touch screen LCD display with Google maps integrations and other cool features that the Ather offers. Ultimately Bajaj are behaving like a typical ICE vehicle OEM. This is what they do - bump prices of EV's, sell less EV's so there is less awareness and milk existing paying customers by inflating prices of EVs. Ultimately these ICE vehicle manufacturers have no desire to sell EV's in large numbers and would prefer to delay the EV movement as much as possible.
    That is why we support Ather or Ola Electric over legacy auto makers.     - PluginIndia

KTM and Husqvarna electric scooters will help strengthen Bajaj’s EV portfolio. More nonsense wild speculation by these auto sites 🔗
  • LOL Rushlane's non stop gossip when it comes to EV's is now frankly embarrassing. There was not even a single authoritative source from Bajaj. Heck, we asked the people at Bajaj about this and they confirmed that this is nonsense. Again. More embarrassing content from the pollution vehicle media. - PluginIndia

Maruti gets notice for ₹71CR duty evasion for their dubious "hybrid" technology. Read 🔗
  • The Directorate of revenue intelligence (DRI), Lucknow sent a show-cause notice to Maruti for evading duty worth Rs 70CR. DRI Lucknow started an investigation on Maruti's 'Smart Hybrid Vehicle' technology and found that the technology was a dubious one. According to the government agencies, it was not a complete hybrid technology at all! The second investigation is going on and Maruti will be in trouble once it is completed.
    In our recent video, we showcased how Maruti is fooling people with its hybrid technology and this report proves we are right. Not even a single pollution vehicle media website, raised a question on this cheating 'hybrid' technology in their car reviews.
    ​Essentially, there is no investigative journalism happening in the     pollution vehicle media - making them PR agencies for the pollution vehicle manufacturers. Sad state of affairs indeed. - PluginIndia

Tesla Model I bookings open in India. Read this April Fools joke. 🔗 
  • So Gaadiwaadi makes fun of Tesla and EV's by creating and April fools joke. We wonder why GaadiWaadi wont make fun of ICE cars on April fools day. ​Oh, that's right! Gaadiwaadi.com's existence is a long-running April fool's joke - PluginIndia

March & Feb 2021 Gossip : ​Hero Motocorp's Electric Car, Consumer acceptability do not exist for EV's - ​Maruti Chairman, AutocarIndia  continues to bash EV's

  • Hero Motocorp Electric Car To Likely Launch In The Near Future. Read more nonsensical speculation. 🔗 
    • We are in 2021 and ​Hero Motocorp does not even offer a single electric motorcycle in their portfolio and continue to sell lakhs of pollution motorcycles that cause more harm that good. And yet, GaadiWaadi thinks they will launch an electric car soon! The pollution vehicle media is at it again. Creating nonsensical speculation when it comes to EV's - PluginIndia​
  • Upcoming Maruti Rs 7 Lakh Electric Car.  More Wagon R Electric gossip 🔗 
    • There were speculation of Maruti recently scrapping the Wagon R electric but still the senseless 'Maruti Electric Car' speculation continues. This time from motor octane. At the point, we we are numb with the absolute drivel being churned out by pollution vehicle media when it comes to EV's. Let's leave it at that. - PluginIndia
  • Consumer acceptability do not exist : Maruti Chairman​ continues his anti EV propaganda. 🔗 
    • ​So RC Bhargava chairman of Maruti is at it again! He continues to show his anti EV agenda by spewing a lot of dinosaur propaganda. First he says that Lithium cells only are from China, when many companies we know use cells from Japan, Korea, US etc. Then he says there is no Lithium cell manufacturing for next five years. But that is just more BS, as Toshiba, Denzo and Suzuki are setting up a cell manufacturing plant in his own Maruti complex in Gujarat. Then he says Lithium is got only from one country - China. He conveniently ignores the MOU signed by Indian government with Argentina for procurement of Lithium. 
      Essentially, the man is crying like a baby by lying to face of the so called 'journalists'.
      Finally he says small electric cars cannot be built as they are expensive. Oh! Hello, Strom-R3 electric car!
      ​Let's be honest companies like Maruti wont launch small electric cars as no one will buy their pollution cars and that will result in less money earned via service by dealers. It's all one giant SCAM being fed to the mainstream media who happily pushes this nonsense as even they seem complicit. A giant investigation is needed. - PluginIndia
  • AutocarIndia says even a 350 km range Electric Car is not practical. More EV Bashing from pollution vehicle media
    • ​So let's get this straight, AutocarIndia have been bashing EV's ever since the launch of the indigenously developed e2o electric car back in 2013. When there were 100-150 km electric cars, AutocarIndia laughed at EV's citing the low range. Now when we have electric cars that offer 350+ km range, the same AutocarIndia is saying less range is better. Make up your mind Autocar. Your anti EV propaganda for the ICE OEM Mafia is exposed. - PluginIndia ​

January 2021 Gossip : Maruti Electric WagonR, Money Control's EV advise

  • Maruti WagonR Electric Car Launch Plans Cancelled. Read this fake news! 🔗 ​
    • Fake news! You can't cancel WHAT DOESN'T EXIST! 
      Maruti has taken the entire mainstream media and gullible Indian public for a ride with this electric Wagon R talk. Maruti's only objective was to get PR from media to keep selling their dirty pollution cars in India. Maruti will become utterly irrelevant this decade, if they don't change their anti EV stance within the company - PluginIndia
  • Can Tesla jumpstart India's electric vehicle revolution? Read this poorly research article 🔗 
    • So even finance oriented websites have started preaching people about electric vehicles? In this abysmally poor article, the author claims that cost for acquisition, running, and maintenance of an electric vehicle are high and thus buyers still aren’t willing to purchase an electric car. While this is totally false. We have clearly shown in our 'What does it cost to charge Tata Nexon EV? (HUGE SAVINGS!)' video and article, that the ownership cost of a Tata Nexon EV is way lesser than a Nexon AMT. 
      Next the author says that due to limited range, EV's don't sell. The reality is that an average Indian commuter drives 40 km everyday in every major city. So EV's are acceptable for 90% of our city car owners.
      Then there is the usual electric car is a coal car argument.       It's hard to believe at this stage of the game that anyone still believes that old red herring - about coal and electric vehicles. 
      There is no talk about how many car manufacturers don't offer even a single EV in their portfolio. Thus there are mot many options for consumers. 
      This article is another example of a 'journalist' who writes articles by 'googling' and 'copy pasting' 
      Money control should stick to finance and stay the #$#@ away from EV's       - PluginIndia

December 2020 Gossip : Renault Zoe, Skoda says India is not ready, Toyota chief is angry at EV's!

  • Renault's electric bestseller Zoe spotted in India, triggers launch speculations.  More Gossip? 🔗 ​
    • Well we have been seeing the Nissan Leaf in India for the past 5 years in various auto expos and events. Where is the Leaf in India? Renault's focus is to sell their dirty, oil guzzling SUVs like Duster and Triber. Let them make an official announcement. 
      Until then more speculation articles will continue in Indian mainstream media - PluginIndia
  • Zac Hollis from Skoda, India Is Not Ready for Electric Vehicles Yet, Need At Least 5 Yrs.  More 'La La La' towards EV's by BIG ICE 🔗 ​
    • The Skoda Citigo electric car is being sold in the UK for 20,000 pounds. This would be a perfect car to get to India, get a foothold in the EV market here and show that you care about the environment. But why would Skoda want to change? When Skoda is minting money selling their oil guzzling, pollution causing Skoda Superb's, why bother launching EV's in India? This is exactly the kind of reactive thinking that will see the likes of Skoda going the way of the dodo. - PluginIndia
  • Akio Toyoda Makes It Clear He's Not Happy About The EV Revolution. Why the glum face, Toyota? 🔗
    • Hahahaha! When some people feel they are losing and feel threatened, they retort to shouting and screaming. This shows how the BIG ICE Mafia is losing it. As the article hints, this is just a political game being played by Toyota to ensure the Japanese government does not ban combustion-engined vehicles by 2035.
      OEMs like Toyota have been highly successful in slowing up the transition to electric vehicles, especially through press propaganda. But, the door is swinging the other way now and Toyota wants to  continue to sell pollution cars as long as possible.
      If Toyota does not change soon and adopt battery EV's in all their lineups, they will be fossilized by the end of this decade.
      Has anyone forgotten - Kodak? 
      Toyota can end up like them - defunct, bankrupt, utterly eliminated & forgotten.       - PluginIndia

November 2020 Gossip : Kia Sonnet EV, Yezdi Electric Motorcycle imagined!, Tata Altroz EV and TVS electric scooter games

  • Kia Sonet EV Rendered, Looks Like a Worthy Tata Nexon EV Rival. More EV Gossip 🔗 
    • Yawn! First it was the Kia Seltos EV and now its Kia Sonnet EV? So every pollution car released in India will have an Electric car equivalent in the Indian market?  Oh how we wish the imaginations of our pollution vehicle media would be a reality!
      Ultimately all of them the ICE car OEMs and the pollution vehicle media seems to be taking all of us for a ride.       - PluginIndia​​
  • Yezdi Brand Could Be Revived As Early As Next Year In India. More imagination shown as news 🔗 
    • First, Gaadiwaadi imagined the Java Electric motorcycle and now their imagination has gone to higher levels. They are imagining an electric motorcycle from a brand that does not even exist! Publish anything with the word 'electric' and it will generate views and moolah. That continues to be the mantra these days. - PluginIndia​​
  • Tata Altroz EV Can Offer A 300 km Travel Range! Read this wild speculation 🔗 
    • ​So IndianAuto.com has some inside information on the exact range number of an electric car that is not even been unveiled or launched. As usual pollution vehicle auto websites continue the wild speculation on electric vehicles! - PluginIndia​​
  • Creon To Likely Be The Next Electric Scooter From TVS! More wild EV Gossip 🔗 
    • ​TVS has not made any announcement on an any electric scooter launch. While they milked as much PR as they could during the iQube electric scooter launch by inviting Mr Gadkari to show the world that they care about EVs. The reality is they are selling only limited iQubes in only one city. Their main priority is to dump lakhs of Jupiter and NTorq pollution scooters to the hapless Indian public. And as usual GaadiWaadi continues to create EV articles with wild speculation. - PluginIndia​​

​​October 2020 Gossip : Pollution vehicle sales excites Indian auto media,
​MG Gloster vs MG ZS EV - Double standards by car buyers

  • The Maruti S-Presso has sold over 75,000 units in a year!! 🔗
  • Kia Seltos, Sonet Sales Cross 18k In Sep 2020 – Highest Ever Sales Record!! 🔗
  • 2020 Mahindra Thar bookings cross 9,000 in 5 days! 🔗
    • Wow! What cheerful news! The pollution vehicle media is lapping it up as the Internal Combustion Engine (ICE) Vehicle OEMs are raking in the moolah. Be it Indian OEMS or MNCs, the only target is to sell as many oil guzzling pollution SUVs as possible. Forget about any investment in cleaner electric vehicles. 
      The Indian consumers are ditching small energy efficient cars and are moving to these monstrosities. The ICE and OIL industry are slapping all of us and are laughing all the way to the bank, while people in Indian cities continue to choke with in ever increasing toxic air pollution - PluginIndia
  • MG Gloster SUV price was unveiled recently. Read the comments of this video 🔗
    • So another MNC launches a humongous Diesel car for India. It's becoming a common theme now, no car maker wants to launch small cars. It's only SUVs that give them a large margin and we see one SUV launch over another.
      India's air quality and oil imports be damned. 
      Look at the comments on this video. ​Almost everyone are loving the Glosterr and are praising the OEM - MG Motors India. Some are also saying that Rs 35 lakhs is a great price for the Gloster pollution SUV!
      Compare that to our Real Life EV Story video of a customer who purchased an MG ZS EV. He got universally panned for buying a Chinese car and supporting Chinese companies. There are hardly any China comments in the Gloster video.
      The double standard by Indian car buyers is truly shocking.
      When you buy an ICE car from MG, you are giving your money to China. Also, for next 6-7 years, you are giving your money to the Middle East by consuming thousands of liters of imported oil. All the time you keep polluting our cities with harmful PM 2.5.
      When you buy an Electric Car from MG, you are giving your money to China. Sure. But you will be using Made In India electricity to drive your electric car. And you drive your car with zero emissions and help to improve the air quality of your city.
      Now you tell me which is a better car for India?
      ​Sigh... If only Indian car buyers got their heads out of the sand and saw the reality.        - PluginIndia

​​September 2020 Gossip : Jawa Electric Motorcycle, Vespa Elettrica, Maruti as usual ignoring EV's

​
  • Upcoming Jawa Electric Motorcycle Imagined Digitally. Read more imagination served up as news  🔗
    • So GaadiWaadi is imagining a hypothetical electric motorcycle from a company that has never even made any statement on offering any electric variant to the Indian market. Publish anything with the word 'electric' and it will generate views and moolah. That seems the mantra these days. - PluginIndia​​
  • Piaggio Not To Launch Vespa Elettrica In India Any Time Soon. Read this expected ICE OEM move 🔗
    • ​Piaggio the classic Italian scooter maker are known for the Vespa brand. Over the years, they have showcased the Vespa Elettrica Electric Scooter in multiple Auto Expos in India. But never to launch them in India. That was a known fact anyway.
      This is what Piaggio does 
      • Parade electric scooters in every auto expo and other events.
      • Get massive PR 
      • Show the world that they are 'green' and they 'care' for the environment
      • But the reality is that they only have one ambition - to sell as many pollution scooters in India.
  • Maruti AD says to choose Petrol vehicles over Diesel vehicles. Watch this AD where they don't even bother about a third cleaner option.
    • In this AD one guy is ​a petrol head and he says petrol vehicles delivers amazing acceleration. Yeah! Right. We have all seen how sluggish a petrol automatic compared to even our e2o electric car. Petrol cars and acceleration. Yuck. 
      The other guy says Diesel cars generate more torque. Do these people even know what torque is? Once they drive an electric they will understand what instant torque is. Diesel and Torque. Ewww.
      And then you have a lady who is lapping up what these guys are saying just like lakhs of sheeple who blindly buy Maruti pollution cars. 
      ​And yes even in the year 2020, Maruti continues to behave as if EV's are non existent and all of us are still in the 90s.
      ​What can you say about this dinosaur company who is hell bent on keeping the oil wells pumping.

​​August 2020 Gossip : Indian Mainstream Media's anti Electric Vehicle agenda

  • The Dirty Secrets Of ‘Clean’ Electric Vehicles. Read this propaganda piece for the fossil fuel industry ​🔗
    • So let's all hail this "pièce de résistance", from an author, Mr Tilak Doshi, who who has worked for the oil and gas industry for majority of his career. We thought we will let you know. Now that we have that out of the way, let's move on. 
      This poorly researched opinion piece contains all the classic anti EV propaganda, which we have heard from the fossil fuel industry before and have been debunked by independent scientists and researchers.
      The author paints the picture of children mining cobalt in Africa which contradicts the clean image of Electric Vehicles.
      And then goes on to quote from one professor "Kelly", who says we would need huge amounts of Lithium, Cobalt, Copper etc, if the world is to transition to electric mobility. And mining all this minerals would cause huge environmental issues for the world.
      While we totally abhor the use of child labor, Mr Tilak Doshi, has no clue and does not understand the reality of the Indian electric vehicle scene. Most electric vehicles sold in India use the Lithium Iron Phosphate Battery, which does not use Cobalt at all. Tesla has contracted LG Chem and CATL to make the lithium iron phosphate (LFP) batteries.
      Another fact that these anti EV articles won't even bother to mention is that an Electric vehicles use few kgs of Lithium and other minerals, over a 12-13 year period. Remember batteries have second, third lives and minerals can be recycled. 
      Compare that to thousands of litres of oil that internal combustion vehicles burn over their lifetime. Not to mention the pollution caused in our cities and 0 recyclability of oil. The environmental impact of oil is way more than minerals used in a battery.
      Oh, then there is innovation happening with mining firms open to more sustainable raw-material extraction with focus on water management, emissions reduction and recycling. Also the world has enough lithium and other minerals to last many decades. 
      Also, if the author is criticising lithium mining operations in Chile, Africa, how about also discussing the terrible environmental impact of extracting shale gas in the USA or crude oil in Nigeria or talk about the huge environmental issues with the oil industry.
      Of course, Mr Tilak who has worked in the Oil industry wont choose to see the reality regarding EV batteries or talk about how damaging the fossil fuel industry is to the planet and our cities. 
      And then Mr Tilak raises the usual coal complaint and claims Electric vehicles cause more pollution. 
      It's hard to believe at this stage of the game that anyone still believes that old red herring - about coal and electric vehicles. It has been proven again and again that fuelling an electric car/scooter with electricity produced from coal power plants is still cleaner, cheaper and more efficient than using petrol or diesel.
      Ultimately Mr Tilak Doshi and other EV cynics are people, who take delight in sensational or dramatic headlines like the "Dirty Secrets Of ‘Clean’ Electric Vehicles". 
      To them we will say "your time is up" and quote Nikola Tesla - "Electric power is everywhere present in unlimited quantities and can drive the world's machinery and vehicles without the need of coal, oil, gas"
      ​- PluginIndia​

  • Solar energy badly harms the environment. It must be taxed, not subsidised. Read this wild opinion piece who wants to keep burning coal. 🔗
    • ​The author talks about how Donald Trump was right in walking out of the Climate Agreement! When the planet is at stake, the President of the largest polluter in the world walks out of a meeting to come to an agreement and this guy has the nerve to applaud him and then criticises our Prime Minister Narendra Modi for not doing the same.
      The author then talks about taxes and subsidies for the solar industry. How about this, Sherlock? Diesel has been highly subsidised in India for decades and no one apparently has any problems with that. India is one the countries with the largest number of diesel cars on the road, due to the subsidised cost of diesel, and diesel is way more harmful than petrol.
      He then talks about poor quality of solar power systems. His rooftop system must be installed terribly with cheap quality materials or bad maintenance or he's just bluffing.
      He then talks about battery technologies and how it cannot improve. He's basically the kind of person who would have said that humans can never build an airplane. And that statement would be more acceptable because there was really no working prototype till the Wright Brothers made one! 
      Here, we already have electric cars, planes, ships albeit they need to improve, which is a matter of time.
      This is another pathetic attempt by mainstream media to discredit a positive environmental technology with the aim of propagating the oil industry.
      ​- PluginIndia​
      ​
  • Study claims switching to EV's won't alone help India's environment. Here's why. Read another propaganda piece for the fossil fuel industry 🔗
    • So, another article from mainstream media denouncing electric vehicles, eh? What a surprise!
      This poor article is quoting some research from a certain Radboud University in Netherlands. Hindustan Times has not even bothered to link the research article for reference. 
      So we had to google this Radboud University and we found that the professor saying this - "The answer is clear: to reduce carbon emissions, we should choose electric cars and household heat pumps over fossil-fuel alternatives."
      This article from the       Hindustan Times assumes that India's electric grid is 100% based on coal and discounts the fact that India's renewable energy mix has grown to 36% and will grow more in the coming decade.
      Ultimately this article has no depth or any sort of analysis into the research they seem to quote.
      Horrendous stuff from Hindustan Times. 
      ​- PluginIndia

July 2020 Gossip : Okinawa Oki 100

  • Okinawa Oki100 motorcycle: another rebranded Chinese EV?  Read more about this important question from AutoCarIndia!
    • So we are used to ICE vehicle centric website like AutocarIndia taking pot shots at EVs. They have done it in the past and will continue to do so. Consider this Okinawa Praise scooter 'review' from AutoCarIndia for instance. 
      The article starts with this line.       "I was pushing the Okinawa Ridge up a flyover on the very first day I got it."
      Essentially telling people that you will have to push your electric scooter everyday, which is completely wrong. 
      Sensationalism just because the vehicle is electric.
      When the founder of this giant media company says diesel cars are green, we know where their priorities are.
      However this time, they do ask a pertinent question to Okinawa electric scooters, who have been caught selling Chinese branded scooters before. How can we trust them now with the Oki100?
      Both Okinawa and AutoCarIndia need to start answering some questions. 
      - PluginIndia​​

June 2020 Gossip : Kia Seltos EV, Mahindra eXUV300

  • Mahindra eXUV300 To Offer Range Of More Than 370 Km!!! Read more hot gossip from the usual! ​🔗
    • Gaadiwaadi strikes again! Looks like they need to have an everyday EV gossip article fresh on the table. Again there was no official quote from Mahindra Electric. Usually OEM's these days, don't even reveal specifications during the launch event and apparently Gaadiwaadi has information on exact range! - PluginIndia​
  • Leaked Document Confirms Kia Seltos EV Set To Be Launched This Year. More EV Gossip 🔗
    • ​​So Gaadiwaadi has a scoop on a secret document about the Kia Seltos EV. Kia Motors has not announced any electrics and is happy to sell more OIL guzzler SUV's in the India market. Does India need more large OIL guzzlers?
      That is exactly what is being shoved down Indian consumer's throats. Kia Electric Car is far away from reality for India.
      As usual these clickbait articles continue at GaadiWaadi. SOH.       - PluginIndia​

May 2020 Gossip : ​Michael Moore's pseudo documentary, Electric Motorcycles, 
Contessa Electric Car

  • Concept Design of Hindustan Motors Contessa EV. Read about this good effort but pointless exercise 🔗
    • Can Hindustan Motors, makers of the Ambassador and the Contessa cars, resurrect themselves and be an only EV company, to help the nation? 
      Let them make some official statements before we even consider these in artistic concepts which usually never sees the light of the day.
      - PluginIndia​
  • ​Climate experts call for 'dangerous' Michael Moore film to be taken down. Read about the reaction to the critically panned documentary 🔗
    • Michael Moore's Planet of the Humans documentary is critically panned by scientists and academia and rightly so.
      • The film mentions that “Some solar panels are built to last 10 years", while manufacturers are offering 25 year warranties these days.
      • After taking potshots at wind energy, they switch to EVs and use the same old tired cliches about EVs and coal, which have been debunked many years ago by researchers and independent scientists.
​               There is absolutely no need indeed to give this pseudo "documentary" any more thought or clicks 
                - PluginIndia​
  • "Electric Motorcycles Are Unnecessary" says Motorbeam. Read this Pandering to BIG ICE! ​🔗
    • This poorly researched 'opinion' piece trashes an innovative startup like Ultraviloet who are launching a high powered electric motorcycles. They also say that Hero, TVS are only launching petrol based pollution motorcycles and care two hoots about electric motorcycles.
      Well, again how naive can these petrol heads be? Hero, TVS are not making electrics because all they care about is the bottom line and making money! They sell lakhs of pollution motorcycles to hapless Indian consumers, so why would they even care to change by offering electrics. 
      And then there are the usual limited range, lack of lithium, the standard coal argument. Everything to just show how these auto magazines and websites have an agenda against electric vehicles. 
      All of them will tow in line soon. It's just a matter of time.
      - PluginIndia​

April 2020 Gossip : New Hyundai Electric SUV, Maruti 800 EV!

  • Hyundai Now Working On Nexon EV Rival Electric SUV With 300 KM Range. Read this gossip 🔗
    • So one SS Kim, managing director at Hyundai has apparently given information to GaadiWaali that Hyundai will launch another electric car to compete against Kona! There are no sources or comments. GaadiWaali also speculates the range of this hypothetical electric car!
      - PluginIndia​
  • After Kona EV, Hyundai to launch Electric SUV to take on Nexon EV. Read this corporate talk 🔗
    • ​So after 2 years, Hyundai may get serious about EVs. SMH!  Hey! Until then, you have the Kona, which Hyundai will ensure they sell in limited numbers at inflated pricing to show they are part of the EV movement. The reality is different.
  • ​2021 Maruti 800 Electric Hatchback Imagined With High Tech Features. Read this wild speculation piece 🔗
    • ​So someone's imagination is news now? Way to go Gaadiwaali - create sensational EV stories for views.
      Maruti have opposed EVs for a long time. There is not a single authentic source if they are indeed planning an electric 800 and yet the speculative nonsense goes on!

March 2020 Gossip : Toyota H2 Cars, Fiat Electric Jeep!,
​Maruti WagonR EV, Vespa Elettrica

  • Toyota testing hydrogen fuel cell electric car in India. Read this typical Toyota move 🔗
    • When the entire industry is moving electric, Toyota remains adamant about hydrogen cars. They don't seem to have the have the will or the balls to switch to electric. It's clear that they don’t care about zero-emission transport. They just want to keep pushing more pollution cars or hybrid models in our cities. 
      Face it Toyota, the Prius and other hybrids belong to the last decade and hydrogen is a distraction.
      Either join the EV race this decade or get out!​ - PluginIndia
  • Fiat Chrysler Could Launch Jeep Electric SUV In India! Read this gossip 🔗
    • Fiat doesn't even want to sell it's one bona fide EV, the Fiat 500e. They literally begged consumers to not buy the car because they 'claimed', the 500e made the company no money. So the idea that they're bringing a jeep EV to India is hilarious!
      Wish sites like gaadiwaadi would stop printing obvious lies just for clicks.       - PluginIndia
  • Made in India electric car from Hyundai to take on Maruti WagonR EV! Read this amazing speculation 🔗
    • Where is the Maruti WagonR EV? Do we see them on Indian roads? Does Maruti even care about electric vehicles? 
      And Hyundai has not announced any new electric car model. So Rushlane is comparing one hypothetical EV with another hypothetical EV and showing this, as news. What quality journalism here!       - PluginIndia​​
  • Vespa Elettrica to arrive in India by June as CBU! Read about this typical ICE company move 🔗
    • These ​Vespa guys have been showing the Vespa Elettrica since 2018 in multiple auto expos. But as usual when it comes to electrics, these ICE manufacturers ensure limited production, no plans or a vision to launch officially. As usual we see more corporate talk by Vespa officials here - PluginIndia​​​

February 2020 Gossip : Mahindra Electric exports, Pune Electric Bus, 
​Maruti - Indians not ready for EV's!, ​Hero Motors eMaestro! 

  • Hero MotoCorp developing eMaestro electric scooter. Read the gossip 🔗
    • ​zzzzzzz! There was no quote, no commitment from the company, yet the speculative nonsense goes on. Hero Motorcorp only cares about dumping more pollution motorbikes on our roads and increase their bottle line. They have announced nothing about EVs, nor have acted to help clean up the air in our cities. - PluginIndia​​​​​

  • The biggest challenge for mass adoption of electric vehicles in India: Price. Read the usual excuses by mainstream media  🔗
    • First it was charging infrastructure and now prices. The sensational EV pieces keep coming!
      The biggest challenge for mass adoption is getting every ICE vehicle manufacturer on board. Let every ICE manufacturer have
      2-3 EV options in their portfolio, with a willingness to sell and EVs displayed in all their dealerships. Then see EVs take off.       - PluginIndia
      ​      ​​​​
  • Maruti the leading pollution car maker says - "India's not ready for EVs yet". Read this shortsightedness 🔗
    • So Hyundai has sold out all its Kona units in India, and new buyers will have to wait for six months before they can get their hands on one. Meanwhile, Indian consumers have pre-ordered about 2500 units of the MG ZS EV. Finally, Tata recently unveiled its entire long-term strategy for its electric lineup, including 600+ DC fast charging stations across India.
      But Maruti is still labouring under the delusion that Indians aren't ready for EVs. 
      Guess all that exhaust smoke from their terrible hatchbacks is making them high. Good for them.
      They'll realise the competition has left them far behind only after the smoke clears, by which time it'll likely be too late!       - PluginIndia​​​​​
      ​
  • Mahindra Electric are apparently looking to export Electric Vehicle drivetrains abroad. Read this gossip 🔗
    • Hey Mahindra Electric, as of early 2020, you don't even have a decent competitive EV in the Indian Market apart from the eVerito and you want to export expertise? 
      ​How about some focus for India?      - PluginIndia​      ​​​​

  • Can Pune's Electric Bus model help solve India's public transport crisis? Read this important question being asked 🔗
    • We appreciate Quartz India in showcasing Pune's successful electric bus project. We rode it. We loved it.  - PluginIndia​​​​​

January 2020 Gossip : Mahindra electric scooter, KIA Motors, Mahindra eKUV 100, ​TVS electric scooter

  • TVS Motors has apparently launched an electric scooter! Read this news 🔗
    • TVS Motors! The company has been anti EV at every policy meeting over the last few years, but looking at the amount of positive press that the likes of Ather, Bajaj are generating with the launch of electric scooters like the Chetak, Ather 450X, they want some of that too.
      And thus they have literally plucked the TVS iQUBE out of thin air!
      The fact that they are selling the electric scooter in only 1 city and are only aiming for a production of 1000 units per month is absolutely shameful for such a large company       - PluginIndia​​​​

  • Mahindra to unveil electric scooter in first quarter of 2020 Read this gossip​ ​🔗
    • ​Hey Mahindra! You had the first mover advantage by acquiring Reva tech, processes, and people, back in 2010. 
      ​You also had the GenZee electric scooter, which you launched in USA as you said "India was not ready for eScooters".
      ​So what made you change your mind?       - PluginIndia​​​
​
  • Why Kia Motors Isn’t Bringing Electric Vehicles To India Just Yet  Read this gossip 🔗
    • So the vice present of KIA motors India says EV's are expensive, there is no charging infrastructure and there is range anxiety. 
      He also categorically says -       "EV's are not an attractive proposition for customers today." 
      The government is installing 2000 Charge points this year. Apparently that is not enough for KIA India.
      We get it, your Seltos gas guzzler has sold around 45000 units and that brings in huge revenues for your company, so why would you even bother innovating, forget giving the Indian customer an EV option? Forget about the air quality of our cities.
      We could make another 'Kia hume bewakoof samajhte ho' joke, but why bother?
      What can you say against this sort of backward thinking?       - PluginIndia​​​

  • Mahindra eKUV100 could be the most affordable EV in India Read this news 🔗
    • Mahindra Electric is back! Let's hope they deliver the eKUV by June 2020. Although for a 130 km car, the price again seems artificially inflated all Mahindra Electric offerings. - PluginIndia​​​
      ​
  • What Is The Future Of Electric Cars In India? Read this standard media narrative 🔗
    • Mainstream media funded by BIG OIL see EV's as a big threat to their business. People charging at home or work wont give their money to these oil companies.
      Strangely you see a standard narrative by media companies when it comes to EV's. The always complain about the following
      • lack of charging infrastructure - when 2000+ charge points are being installed pan India by the government and most users charge at home and fleets charge at their businesses
      • grid capacity would be an issue - when research points that AC's have a larger grid impact that EV's will ever have
      • see very few electric cars are sold, so there is no demand - when not all ICE makers are on board. Let them all launch 2-3 options then see sales increase.
               More cynicism, scepticism against EV's by people who have never owned one. Nothing new here.

December 2019 Gossip : Lack of EV sales, MG Motors, Battery Prices,
​Electric Bus, Maruti Electric Car, Kia Seltos EV!

  • Delhi EV Policy To Offer Up To Rs 1.5 Lakh Subsidy On Vehicles, 100% On Charging Equipment. 
    Read this EV push by Mr Kejriwal ​🔗
    • ​Excellent move by the Delhi government. But we hope this support for EV's wont evaporate post elections. Also all benefits needs to go to directly to the consumer and not the manufacturer. We have seen many manufacturers, jack the price of EV's and pocket the subsidy and thus not benefiting anyone. - PluginIndia
      ​
  • Only 1,071 Electric Cars Sold In India Between April-October 2019.  Read this Gossip ​🔗
    • Oh the article says - "India is still a long way from warming up to electric cars and the sales for the period through April to October 2019, proves exactly that. And there were no concrete policies or steps taken on electrification in automotive industry as well"
      • Hey what about the total opposition from BIG ICE car manufacturers to sell electric vehicles?
      • What bout the lack of EV options from the largest car makers, who are happy to keep dumping crappy petrol automatics?
      • Hey, what about FAME 2 policy that supports electric vehicles? 
      • What bout BIG ICE makers launching electric cars with inflated prices?
                  Ofcourse mainstream media wont ask these questions. EV's are always painted in a negative light for some reason.
                  One wonders why that is? - PluginIndia
​
  • Kia Seltos Electric SUV With 400 Km Range Is Coming Soon To Rival MG ZS EV, Hyundai Kona EV. Read this Gossip ​🔗
    • KIA only has the Niro EV in global market. It has not formally announced any plans to bring that or any other EV to India. But given the massive launches of the Kona, MG EV, and Tata Nexon, looks like our media wants to get some quick and easy coverage with the hottest news in the automotive world right now -- the unstoppable rise of electric vehicles. To that we say, 'KIA hum logon ko bewakoof samajte ho?' - PluginIndia

  • Maruti Suzuki is likely to showcase an all-electric concept called the Futuro-E, at the Auto Expo. Read this Gossip ​🔗
    • In Maruti's world, EVs are only for the future. Of-course they will show an electric car at the Auto Expo - for quick and cheap media coverage. The reality is different. They will want to continue pushing outdated petrol hatchbacks like they have for the last 35 years, with 'advanced - high tech' features like automatic gear shifting, the same way junk food disguises its empty calories with tons of salt and sugar. - PluginIndia

  • Are hydrogen-powered fuel-cell electric vehicles the future? Are they better than all-electric vehicles? Do they hold more relevance in the Indian context in comparison to EVs?  Read this Pandering to BIG ICE! ​🔗
    • Ah, hydrogen-powered vehicles! The eternal excuse for BIG ICE automakers to delay selling electric vehicles. Never mind that it's way more convenient to charge electric vehicles at home where you have, you know, a socket, and never mind that electric vehicles have been sold in India for 20 years and have been proven to be reliable and in demand.
      The genius who wrote this article seems to driven a lot of H2-powered vehicles and       also seems to have fueled at hydrogen pumps too! He also seems certain that they are better than electric vehicles for India, damn decades of empirical evidence proving otherwise! - PluginIndia

  • Get ready to meet India’s First Pure Electric Internet SUV launched by MG Motors. Expected to be priced around
    Rs 20 lakh to     Rs 25 lakh, the Chinese-owned British carmaker said it will start ZS sales in five markets --
    Delhi/NCR, Mumbai, Hyderabad, Ahmedabad and Bengaluru.     Watch the livestream event!  🔗

  • Battery prices, which were above $1,100 per kilowatt-hour in 2010, have fallen 87% in real terms to $156/kWh in 2019. By 2023, average prices will be close to $100/kWh.  Read the report  🔗

  • Maruti Suzuki Ertiga Electric On The Cards, Could Become The 2nd EV From The Brand.  Read this Gossip! ​🔗
    • WOWZER! Mainstream media already thinks Maruti have launched an Electric Car and are already dreaming of
      2nd Maruti Electric Car offering! Nice! :)  - PluginIndia
      ​
  • With electric buses, West Bengal makes an ambitious push for curbing city pollution. The government also plans to increase the number of charging stations in and around the city.  Read the article 🔗
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