Charge Zone Expands EV Charging Network To Over 13,500 Stations

Charge Zone

Charge Zone, a leading electric vehicle charging company, has announced that it has attained a major milestone by expanding its network to over 13,500 charging stations. This, the company claims, makes it the largest EV charging platform in the country.

It attributed the growth to its strategic OCPI-based roaming partnerships with leading EV infrastructure players, including Statiq, Bolt, Kazam, Pulse Energy, Chargemod, ElectreeFi, Evnnovator and others. These partnerships have allowed the company to offer a unified, interoperable EV charging ecosystem for its customers.

Kartikey Hariyani, Founder & CEO, Charge Zone. “At Charge Zone, our vision has always been to build more than just a network – we’re creating the digital backbone of India’s EV ecosystem. Reaching 13,500 charging stations is a defining moment, not just in terms of scale, but in what it represents: a truly interoperable and tech-driven infrastructure that simplifies the EV experience for everyone. Whether you're an individual commuter or a fleet operator, our goal is to make charging as seamless, reliable, and accessible as possible. Through collaborative partnerships and deep tech integration, we’re laying the foundation for a clean mobility future that’s connected, intelligent, and built for the next generation of transportation in India.”

Currently, the Charge Zone network sees over 8,000 daily users, with its mobile app seeing over 250,000 downloads. The company shared stated that almost 70 percent of India’s EV customers have used Charge Zone app at least once in their EV journey.

At present, the company’s EV charging network includes 3.3kW, 7.4kW and 10kW charging options for city use, DC fast chargers ranging from 30kW to ultra-fast 360kW for faster charging speeds.

E3 Electric.Ai Secures INR 1 Billion In Series A Funding Led By BluVenture Holdings

E3 Electric.Ai

Bengaluru-based electric mobility startup E3 Electric.Ai has raised INR 1 billion in a Series A funding round led by BluVenture Holdings. The company intends to use the capital to support product development and expand its presence across India ahead of the launch of its E3 TRION scooter.

The start-up focuses on integrating artificial intelligence (AI) into electric scooters to manage safety, reliability and charging. Its platform utilises modular architecture to produce variants from a single chassis and incorporates AI for maintenance and routing.

E3 Electric.Ai maintains an R&D team and holds a portfolio of over 18 patents in modular architecture, battery systems and safety. The company positions its scooters as an alternative to the 110cc internal combustion engine segment.

P Sanjeev, Founder & CEO, E3 Electric.Ai, said, "At E3, we believe electric vehicles should predict, learn and continuously improve, making mobility safer, more reliable and affordable over time. E3’s DNA is defined by 3 words, Modular + AI + Human. Our Modular platform enables us to build multiple scooter variants from the same chassis. E3’s patented AI stack enables preventive maintenance check and smart routing to address range anxiety. E3 TRION is crafted with care and introduces best in class anthropometry-based ergonomics for a very comfortable ride. This investment enables us to accelerate our vision of making intelligent mobility accessible to millions of Indian families."

Shaun Dawson, LP with BluVenture Holdings, said, "As the world’s largest two-wheeler market, India is at an inflection point in its EV transition journey. E3 has built an impressive technology platform combining modular engineering with software-led intelligence that is tailor-made for electric scooters. Sanjeev’s deep expertise enabled E3 to build a profitable, sustainably scalable operating model instead of the industry's typical heavy-burn approach. E3 is smartly leveraging AI to track performance and health parameters, delivering predictive maintenance & value. We see the opportunity to build a category-defining company."

Ather Energy To Unveil Mass-Market Scooter On 29th August

Ather Energy - EL

Bengaluru-based electric vehicle maker Ather Energy has announced that the fourth edition of its community event, Ather Community Day, will take place on 29 August 2026 in Bengaluru.

On 29th August, Ather Energy will unveil its first e-scooter built on its EL platform, marking its entry into the mass-market scooter segment.

The EL platform is a vehicle architecture designed for versatility, scalability and manufacturing efficiency. The upcoming scooter is intended to address the price segment of INR 100,000 to INR 125,000. In addition to the vehicle, Ather will showcase innovations in technology, charging and ownership systems.

In what can be seen as a further interesting development, Hero MotoCorp, which was amongst the earliest backers in the EV maker, has approved an investment of INR 10 billion in Ather Energy.

At present, Hero MotoCorp holds 29.48 percent stake in the company. The new investment will further see subscription to equity shares or other eligible securities, including compulsorily convertible preference shares and warrants to be issued by Ather Energy on a preferential basis.

Ather Community Day serves as an event for owners, enthusiasts and partners to view product developments and company strategy. The 2025 event, held on 30 August, hosted over 4,000 attendees and featured the unveiling of the EL platform, the Redux concept vehicle, fast-charging technology and AtherStack 7.0.

HPCL Conducts Fuel Quality Inspections To Monitor Ethanol-Blended Petrol

HPCL

Hindustan Petroleum Corporation (HPCL), one of the leading Oil Manufacturing Companies (OMCs), has conducted a series of inspections to monitor ethanol-blended petrol across its retail network.

Between 3 July and 13 July 2026, the company performed 1,385 regular field inspections, alongside 2,173 surprise inspections between 7 July and 13 July.

Additionally, HPCL’s Quality Assurance Cell completed 93 surprise inspections and 49 fuel samples were tested in mobile laboratories. According to HPCL, no irregularities, contamination, or issues regarding quality compliance were detected during these checks.

HPCL maintains a quality assurance system that includes field inspections, surprise checks and laboratory testing to ensure fuels meet specified standards.

Kazam Launches Integration Programme For Charge Point Operators Into Unified Bharat e-Charge Platform

Bharat Charge

Kazam has introduced a seven-day programme to assist Charge Point Operators (CPOs) in connecting their existing networks to the Unified Bharat e-Charge (UBC) platform at no initial cost.

The initiative utilises Kazam’s Beckn Provider Platform to facilitate the onboarding of CPOs to the interoperability layer developed by the Ministry of Heavy Industries, BHEL and NPCI.

Unified Bharat e-Charge is designed to provide an open network that allows users to find charging stations, check availability, compare prices and manage payments through compatible applications. CPOs with OCPI-compatible systems can integrate their current management systems, applications, and pricing models into the network.

Akshay Shekhar, Co-Founder and CEO, Kazam, said, “India does not need every charging operator to build another consumer application. It needs every reliable charger to become accessible through an open and trusted network. Through this programme, we want to ensure that the cost of integration does not prevent capable CPOs from participating in Unified Bharat e-Charge. Kazam will provide the provider-side infrastructure so operators can connect their existing ecosystems without rebuilding them from the ground up.”.

Participating CPOs will receive support for network assessment, OCPI integration, protocol enablement, sandbox testing and transaction validation. By joining the network, operators can improve the discoverability of their charging stations while retaining control over their assets, pricing and customer relationships. Kazam is already live on the network, supporting transactions through BHIM and other participants.