Year Ender 2023: Five epic developments in the world of EVs this year

There is no doubt that the world is slowly shifting towards electric mobility. We are seeing new electric two-wheelers and cars that are entering the market. But there are still some roadblocks that the industry needs to conquer before electric vehicles become fully mainstream. So, every year there are some new developments that help accelerate the growth and help people adapt to electric vehicles in their lives. This year also we got to see several big developments and here are the top five of them.

Ola Electric's new cell

Bhavish Aggarwal, CEO of Ola Electric shared an image of a Li-ion battery cell on his social media that he claims is the company's first indigenously developed battery. The cell is called NMC 21700 and will be produced at Ola Electric's Gigafactory which is currently being developed in full swing. The manufacturer says that the cell has been developed keeping in mind the weather conditions that India has to face. Once the local manufacturing of cells starts, there is a possibility that the cost of electric two-wheelers from Ola Electric could see a drop.

BPCL charging network with Tata Motors and Ather

Charging network is one of the biggest hurdles when it comes to daily driving an electric vehicle. This is where Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited came forward. BPCL currently has one of the largest networks of petrol pumps in India. Ather Energy, one of the leading electric two-wheeler manufacturers from India has gained access to BPCL's 21,000 fuel stations where they would be able to set up their fast charging network which is called Ather Grid. Apart from this, Tata Motors, which is the leading electric four-wheeler manufacturer in India will have 7,000 chargers. BPCL has initiated over 90 Electric Vehicle Fast Charging Highway Corridors across the nation, which means that there is a fast-charging station approximately every 100 kilometres on both sides of major highways. These corridors span more than 30,000 kilometres across various highways.

Toyota's Solid-state batteries

One of the gripes that people have from electric vehicles is that the battery packs take a lot of time to recharge and often the range is less than what an ICE vehicle offers on a single full tank of gas. This is where a new development from Toyota comes into play. The Japanese manufacturer is developing a Solid-State battery pack that can deliver up to 1,200 km of range on a single charge and can be recharged in just 10 minutes. These batteries are going to be manufactured at Toyota's Teiho facility located in Aichi prefecture in Japan. The carmaker has tied up with energy group Idemitsu Kosan to develop these batteries jointly.

Reduction of FAME 2 subsidy

The Indian Government announced that electric vehicles sold on or after June 1, 2023, would receive significantly lower FAME 2 subsidies. Because of this, there was a sharp decline in the sales of electric two-wheelers. Customers will only get 15 per cent of the overall cost of the electric two-wheeler back as a subsidy.

Maruti Suzuki eVX

At Auto Expo 2023, Maruti Suzuki, India's largest four-wheeler manufacturer showcased its first electric vehicle that will be launching in India in 2025. It is being co-developed with Toyota who will also sell their version of the electric vehicle. Maruti Suzuki eVX will have a battery capacity of 60 kWh and a range of 550 km on a single charge. The new electric SUV is being developed on an all-electric platform.