India’s electric two-wheeler manufacturer Hero Electric has appealed to the government to take a re-look at the government’s FAME II scheme, or Faster Adoption and Manufacture of Electric (and Hybrid) Vehicles, since it has not helped low cost electric vehicles pick up sales, as that is the segment which contributes to maximum volumes in the electric vehicle category, and not premium electric vehicles. According to Hero Electric, while the FAME II scheme was aimed to promote adoption of electric vehicles, the government needs to include low speed two-wheelers, as these cost effective vehicles are essential for mass adoption of electric vehicles.

We at PlugInCaroo feel that lack of support for slow scooters was a MAJOR SETBACK for the Governement’s EV Policy. FAME2 took 1 step ahead and 3 steps back. FAME2 was out and out support for Li-Ion batteries. This step motherly treatment of supporting one technology and ignoring other technology is wrong. LET THE MARKET DECIDE for heaven sake!

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In 2015 Cochin International Airport (CIAL) had become the first airport in the world to be completely powered by solar energy.  It had received praise from across the world and was awarded the United Nation’s 2018 Champions of the Earth Award for Entrepreneurial Vision. The energy self-sufficient airport had become a model that has been replicated around the country and the world.

Now following its footsteps, the Jawaharlal Nehru (JLN) Stadium in the city is all set to adopt renewable energy to run it.

The JLN Stadium… Continue reading →

With billions of dollars being poured into battery electric vehicles, what seems like millions of new innovations crop up every year. Some inventions will find successful implementation. Most will wash up on the shore as EV industry jetsam. The Daily Mail reports on another novelty awaiting judgment, an aluminum-air battery (Al/air) created by British engineer Trevor Jackson. Jackson claims that if you replaced a Tesla Model S lithium-ion battery with one of his aluminum-air batteries of the same size, range would increase from 370 miles to 1,500 miles. Since the Al/air battery is lighter than a lithium-ion unit, Jackson says that if you used an Al/air battery of equivalent weight, the Model S would run for 2,700 miles on one full charge.

Read full article here: https://www.autoblog.com/2019/10/22/aluminum-air-electric-car-battery/

Farming crops under solar panels, a process called agrivoltaics, can boost food production, water savings, and the efficiency of electricity production, researchers report.

Building resilience in renewable energy and food production is a fundamental challenge in today’s changing world, especially in regions susceptible to heat and drought.

Agrivoltaics, also known as… Continue reading →

General Motors is shutting its assembly plants, resulting in job losses for engine and transmission plant workers, in a bid to raise funds to develop new EVs

Powerful lobbies with vested interests see agroecology as a threat to their influence on farming systems

Agroecology is recognised worldwide as a system that enhances fertile landscapes, increases yields, restores soil health and biodiversity, promotes climate resilience and improves farmers’ well-being. Its practices are supported by many agricultural scientists, the Food and Agriculture Organization, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, farmers’ groups and several NGOs. It is therefore surprising that the National Academy of Agricultural Sciences, based on a brainstorming session that included industry representatives, sent a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi opposing Zero Budget Natural Farming (ZBNF). ZBNF, developed and publicised by agro-scientist Subhash Palekar, has been adopted by Andhra Pradesh.