BYD has launched the ‘world’s first high-performance’ sodium-ion BESS product using its proprietary form factor, the ‘Long Blade Battery cell’, claim industry sources. They point at an announcement by BYD Energy Storage’s UK and Ireland head Kai Wang. He, they mention, recently announced the launch of the ‘MC Cube-SIB ESS’ product.

The ‘Long Blade Battery’ as a proprietary form factor of BYD has a ‘CTS super integrated design’, making it the world’s first high-performance sodium-ion battery energy storage system (BESS). It has ultra-high energy density, exceptional safety standards and flexible module design, explain sources as they draw attention to the fact that the BESS has an energy storage capacity of 2.3 MWh and a nominal voltage of 1200-volts. The voltage range is from 800-volts to 1400-volts.

Leveraging to its advantage, the sodium-ion configuration of the ‘Long Blade Battery’ is found in natural abundance. This results – theoretically – in lower manufacturing costs compared to that of the lithium-ion batteries. Also, the sodium-ion batteries offer a higher charge/discharge rate. They have a broader operating temperature range, a longer cycle life and thus offer superior safety.

Image for representative purpose only.

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Hyundai Motor India, one of the leading passenger vehicle manufacturers, has announced a long-term strategic commitment to designate the state of Tamil Nadu as its designated ‘Flagship EV Hub for India’. The announcement includes an exclusive skill development partnership alongside manufacturing and supply chain localisation goals.

As part of this roadmap, Hyundai Motor India has reaffirmed its plan to deploy an investment of over INR 260 billion in Tamil Nadu between 2023 and 2032. This allocation is a component of the company's broader, previously declared INR 450 billion investment blueprint for the Indian market. To date, the Chennai facility has exported more than 3.9 million vehicles to over 150 countries.

The manufacturing hub will scale zero-emission capabilities via immediate product rollouts and component localisation:

• Product Rollout: Hyundai Motor India plans to introduce two new vehicle models from its Chennai facility within the year. This includes the launch of its first mass-market dedicated electric vehicle (EV) to accelerate local adoption.
• Industrial Localisation: The company has established Tamil Nadu’s first battery sub-assembly plant for EV powertrains. Hyundai Motor India is currently expanding local sourcing for power electronics and related primary components to minimise import dependency.
• Charging Network: Hyundai has deployed a direct-current (DC) fast EV charging ecosystem across the state consisting of 39 stations and 78 charging points. The high-capacity network is scheduled for further expansion across major urban centres and transit highways over the next 2 to 3 years.

The company has also aims to increase its localisation rate from the present 82 percent to 90 percent in the next 5-6 years. An additional INR 40 billion in state sourcing value from the current base, which is expected to generate an additional 2,000 jobs in the state.

Hyundai Motor India and the Government of Tamil Nadu (GoTN) have formalised a structured skill development project scheduled to commence active training operations in December 2027. The program aims to increase the global employability of the state's workforce by integrating next-generation manufacturing skills.

The curriculum will leverage partnerships with local Industrial Training Institutes (ITIs), polytechnics and engineering colleges to train students in advanced disciplines:

• EV technical architectures and hydrogen mobility systems.
• Industrial robotics, digital automation and AI-enabled manufacturing.
• Smart factory workflows alongside professional workplace communication and language instruction.

Tarun Garg, Managing Director & CEO, Hyundai Motor India, said, “HMIL’s initiatives will strengthen Tamil Nadu’s leadership in sustainable mobility and automotive excellence, while also accelerating skill development to foster a future-ready workforce. We will roll out two new models from the Chennai facility, including our first mass-market dedicated EV within this year, marking a significant step towards accelerating EV adoption and building a strong EV ecosystem. Alongside, advancing EV localization, we are equally focused on developing a future-ready skilled workforce, enabling talent to support future automotive technologies."

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Maruti Suzuki India, one of the largest passenger vehicle manufacturers globally, has officially launched India’s first flex-fuel passenger car on the eve of World Environment Day.

The technology is being introduced in the Maruti Suzuki Wagon R, a high-volume model that has previously served as a platform for the company's alternative fuel options, including Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) and Compressed Natural Gas (CNG).

The vehicle was unveiled in New Delhi in the presence of Nitin Gadkari, Minister of Road Transport and Highways, and Hardeep Singh Puri, Minister of Petroleum and Natural Gas.

The flex-fuel Wagon R is engineered to provide complete fuelling flexibility, enabling consumers to operate the vehicle on any ethanol-to-petrol blend ratio ranging from E20 (20 percent ethanol) up to E100 (100 percent ethanol).

The introduction of ethanol flex-fuel tech represents a broader commitment by India's market leader to scale diversified powertrain architectures. Maruti Suzuki's long-term product strategy incorporates a multi-tiered technology approach to meet carbon reduction goals, including Battery Electric Vehicles (BEVs), Hybrids, CNG, Compressed Biogas (CBG) and now, flex-fuel configurations.

Hisashi Takeuchi, Managing Director & CEO, Maruti Suzuki India, said, “The ecosystem for ethanol as a fuel in India is in its early stages, and as a market leader, we think it is our responsibility to contribute to make `India Go Flex’. Once it reaches mainstream adoption, Flex-Fuel Vehicles have the potential to cut oil imports, carbon emissions, and local air pollution while enhancing domestic value addition and farmer incomes.”

Nitin Gadkari noted, “Biofuels like ethanol are an important pathway towards reducing crude oil import dependence while strengthening our rural economy. Flex-Fuel Vehicles can create a strong and sustainable demand for ethanol, benefiting our farmers, industry, and the environment together. I appreciate Maruti Suzuki for taking this leadership step and supporting the Government’s vision of clean and self-reliant mobility.”

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Blue Energy Motors (BEM), a prominent manufacturer of electric vehicles (EVs) and liquefied natural gas (LNG) heavy-duty trucks, has attained a new milestone of crossing 100 million cumulative fleet green kilometres across India. The achievement highlights a growing shift within the country’s commercial logistics and freight transportation sectors toward lower-emission mobility alternatives.

The active fleet consists of more than 1,400 BEM heavy-duty trucks deployed across major nationwide freight routes. To date, this green trucking initiative has mitigated over 30,000 tonnes of carbon emissions, an environmental impact equivalent to the carbon absorption capacity of nearly 1.2 million trees.

To accelerate the transition away from traditional diesel reliance, Blue Energy Motors has established an integrated clean trucking ecosystem that combines alternative-fuel hardware with proprietary service models such as heavy-duty LNG trucks with up to 2,400km range on single fuel. For its electric truck line, Blue Energy Motors has deployed corridor-led charging networks and battery-swapping stations designed to eliminate range anxiety and charging-induced fleet downtime.

The proprietary swapping infrastructure allows a depleted truck battery to be mechanically replaced in under five minutes, optimising vehicle productivity for high-mileage commercial operations.

Blue Energy Motors utilises a structured EaaS business model to assist fleet operators by lowering upfront capital expenditure (CapEx) investments while enhancing day-to-day operating efficiencies and total fleet utilisation.

Anirudh Bhuwalka, Founder and Managing Director, Blue Energy Motors, said, “Crossing 100 million kilometres is a strong validation of where the future of freight mobility is headed. A few years ago, green-fuel trucking was still seen as an emerging idea. Today, fleet operators are actively looking at cleaner solutions that make sense not only from a sustainability perspective, but also operationally and commercially.”

“The recent volatility in global energy markets has highlighted a reality that freight operators can no longer ignore. Businesses that remain entirely dependent on diesel are becoming increasingly exposed to fuel-price shocks and supply uncertainties. Energy security, operating economics, and sustainability are no longer separate conversations. They are converging into a single business decision. We believe the next five years will witness one of the fastest transformations in the history of India’s trucking industry,” added Bhuwalka.

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Ahmedabad-based Samarth E-Mobility, a technology company, has announced the launch of its new electric mobility brand – Avore Electric. Debuting with the tagline ‘Intelligence Beyond Motion,’ the company said its product development philosophy focuses on engineering critical technology systems entirely in-house rather than assembling hardware from third-party suppliers.

Over a three-year development cycle, a team of more than 100 engineers at Samarth E-Mobility's dedicated R&D facility in Ahmedabad has developed over nine critical vehicle subsystems. This vertically integrated development framework is built on AVORE Source, the company's proprietary technology stack and the purpose-built AVR platform two-wheeler architecture.

The company's proprietary engineering portfolio includes a patented Battery Management System (BMS) and custom battery pack; the electric motor, motor controller and power control module. A DC-DC converter and an onboard fast charger. The digital display system and a proprietary vehicle operating system.

By controlling both hardware and software layers, the architecture enables over-the-air (OTA) software updates for continuous product improvements, faster system diagnostics and optimised performance. To protect its baseline engineering innovations, Samarth E-Mobility has filed more than 110 intellectual property applications to date.

Avore Electric’s upcoming range of electric motorcycles will target the 125cc–200cc segment, which represents one of the largest commuter and lifestyle demographics in the Indian two-wheeler market. The vehicles are being specifically engineered to withstand real-world Indian riding and environmental conditions, offering a practical, electric alternative for mainstream riders.

The brand's initial market-entry strategy will focus on component-level transparency, consumer education and product-led storytelling. While specific vehicle performance metrics and launch timelines have not yet been disclosed, product reveals and campaign rollouts are scheduled for the coming months.

Priyank Rakholiya, Co-Founder, Samarth E-Mobility, said, “For three years, we asked ourselves a simple question, why does India's most widely used personal vehicle incorporate so little intelligence. We realised the answer wasn't a missing feature, it was a missing commitment. True intelligence cannot be assembled from off-the-shelf components; it must be engineered from the ground up. That's why we built every critical system in-house. Engineering excellence in intelligence is not a claim for us; it's a methodology that shapes every decision we make.”

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