Bengaluru-based electric vehicle company Ultraviolette Automotive has revealed its ambitious plans for the future, which include the unveiling of the Tesseract e-scooter and Shockwave, a street-legal e-bike.

The new products will be available in Q1 of CY2026, with introductory prices starting INR 120,000 for the first 10,000 units and INR 149,999 for the first 1,000 units, respectively.

This marks a paradigm shift from the company's focus on premium, performance-oriented e-motorcycles, the F77 and F99. The idea is to reach out to a new set of customers looking for premium products that are affordable and tech-loaded. 

Furthermore, in a conversation with Motoring Trends, Niraj Rajmohan, CTO, Ultraviolette Automotive, revealed that the company is looking to achieve sales of 100,000 units per annum in the next 3-5 years. For context, the company sold 257 units in 2023 and 407 units in 2024.

This also means that the company will be looking to expand its production capacity from the existing 30,000 units in Electronics City in Bengaluru. To date, the company has invested around USD 60 million, and it anticipates that it will further invest USD 70 million to USD 100 million in the next few years.

Furthermore, the company will launch around 9 new products across categories and variants in the next 3 years to meet a wide variety of customer needs.

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Honda Cars India (HCIL) begins test run of its upcoming battery electric vehicle (BEV) SUV christened Honda 0 α in the country.

The public road verification testing serves as a precursor to the launch of an electric SUV developed for the Indian market. The prototype Honda 0 α was first showcased at the Japan Mobility Show 2025.

The verification programme will evaluate the vehicle across varied driving environments, including highways, urban roads and difficult terrains. The engineering team will focus on several performance metrics:

• Durability and Reliability: Assessment under extreme heat and monsoon conditions.
• Mechanical Performance: Evaluation of handling, ride comfort and efficiency.
• Charging Infrastructure: Testing of charging performance across different hardware types to verify usability.

The e-SUV is designed for both urban use and lifestyle-oriented driving. It is scheduled for a global introduction during the FY2026–27, with India and Japan identified as primary markets. The EV will be manufactured at Honda's facilities in India for both domestic sale and export to international markets.

Takashi Nakajima, President and CEO, Honda Cars India, said, “The start of pan-India Public Road Verification testing is a key milestone in our electrification journey. India has unique driving and climate conditions, and it is important for us to test our electric vehicle thoroughly in real-world environments. This programme reflects Honda’s global engineering strengths combined with a strong focus on local customer needs, as we prepare to introduce an electric SUV that offers reliability, comfort, and ease of use.”

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Chennai-headquartered electric vehicle start-up Raptee.HV has become the first automaker in the state to receive INR 250 million from Tamil Nadu Industrial Development Corporation (TIDCO) under the Startup Investment Policy 2025.

The EV maker is amongst the two start-ups selected by the Tamil Nadu state as part of its plans to support high-potential companies focussing on deep tech and the advanced manufacturing ecosystem.

Dr TRB Rajaa, Minister for Industries, Investment Promotion & Commerce, government of Tamil Nadu, stated, “We will specifically focus on making strategic investments in deep-tech startups which need long-term capital to succeed.  Since 2024, we have been working to reimagine TIDCO’s role with an ambition to transform Tamil Nadu into a product nation. As part of that vision, we have repositioned TIDCO as a venture catalyst, building a structured venture investment framework that can support startups at critical stages of growth. This policy now enables TIDCO to invest up to INR 250 million in startups across sunrise sectors such as electric vehicles, aerospace and defence, renewable energy, semiconductors, medical electronics, artificial intelligence, blockchain, quantum computing, agro processing, technical textiles and speciality chemicals.”

The State Policy aims to ensure that Tamil Nadu’s most promising technology companies find patient capital, strategic support and scale opportunities.

It was just last month, Raptee.HV begin deliveries of the T30 electric motorcycle, which utilises high-voltage technology (HV-Tec), a platform typically found in electric cars, for its two-wheeler products.

The T30 is priced at INR 239,000 (ex-showroom) and comes with an 8-year battery warranty and a 3-year vehicle warranty.

With initial deliveries in Chennai, the company has announced plans to expand into Bengaluru in April 2026 with a showroom and service centre. By end-2026, it intends to establish operations in all South Indian state capitals and begin entry into Western India.

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U Power has completed operational testing and integration of the battery-swapping system for heavy-duty truck prototypes intended for the Thailand market.

The milestone follows the partnership established in December 2025 with Whale Logistics (Thailand) to deploy 1,000 units in the country with the production and delivery of the first batch of tractors scheduled for May 2026.

The project was developed by U Power in conjunction with SAIC Hongyan Automotive and UNEX EV. The prototypes underwent three months of road testing to evaluate technical systems. Following integration, the vehicles met design specifications for highway logistics transportation. The project uses the UOTTA battery-swapping solution, which allows for battery replacement within minutes.

The initiative is designed to support the adoption of battery-swapping in the road logistics sector. By using this model, vehicle operators can avoid investment in grid expansion and charging infrastructure. The system is intended to maintain operational efficiency levels comparable to fuel-powered trucks while addressing battery degradation. Thailand serves as a location in U Power’s growth plan for Southeast Asia.

U Power provides AI-integrated solutions that connect electric vehicles with energy infrastructure. The company’s technology focuses on the optimisation of mobility and grid performance through modular battery-swapping stations. The deployment of these 1,000 vehicles is intended to meet logistics demand and increase transport efficiency in the region.

Johnny Lee, Founder and Chief Executive Officer, U Power, said, "Completing full-condition road testing of our pilot vehicles confirms the reliability and efficiency of the UOTTA battery-swapping model. Via the partnership with Whale Logistics, we are set to deploy 1,000 vehicles in Thailand to meet high-frequency logistics demand and boost operational efficiency. Thailand is a strategic market in U Power's global growth plan. By pioneering battery-swapping solutions for taxis and heavy-duty trucks, we are strengthening our leadership in Southeast Asia and driving low-carbon commercial transportation, while laying the foundation for expansion across the region."

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Swedish electric performance car brand Polestar has published the full carbon footprint of the Polestar 5, reinforcing its commitment to climate transparency within the automotive sector. Since 2020, the manufacturer has provided comprehensive Life Cycle Assessments for all its models, with the Polestar 5 being the latest addition to this publicly available data. The company emphasises that scrutinising emissions from materials and production is essential for actively reducing the overall climate impact of vehicle manufacturing.

As the first original equipment manufacturer to disclose the carbon footprint for its entire lineup, Polestar offers consumers clear insight into the environmental cost of their vehicles. The Polestar 5 records a cradle-to-gate footprint of 23.8 tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent, which encompasses emissions from raw material extraction through to the point of customer delivery.

A significant focus for emission reduction lies in material sourcing. Aluminium, a notably carbon-intensive component, has been targeted for improvement. In the Polestar 5, a portion of the aluminium is recycled, and the vast majority is sourced from smelters utilising renewable electricity. This strategic shift avoids substantial emissions compared to conventional methods.

Renewable energy extends beyond material supply to the production facilities themselves. The plants responsible for assembling the Polestar 5, along with those manufacturing its battery cells and related components, are powered by renewable electricity, thereby lowering the overall manufacturing emissions.

Further environmental gains are achieved through innovative interior materials. Natural fibre composites, developed with Bcomp, incorporate a flax-based fabric that reduces reliance on fossil-based substances and offers weight savings over traditional composites. Recycled content is prevalent throughout, including carpets made from reclaimed fishing nets and textiles from recycled PET. The design also facilitates future recycling, exemplified by the front luggage compartment’s mono-material PET construction. For those selecting leather, a chrome-free, ethically sourced option is available.

The Polestar 5 demonstrates that sustainability can coexist with high performance. The four-door grand tourer delivers substantial power and torque, achieves an estimated driving range up to 678 km (WLTP) and benefits from an 800-volt architecture enabling rapid DC charging (from 10 to 80 percent in 22 minutes).

Fredrika Klarén, Head of Sustainability, Polestar, said, “You cannot reduce what you don’t measure. Making the carbon footprint of a car visible helps focus the industry on where emissions occur, particularly in materials and manufacturing. That transparency is essential if we want to scale the low-carbon materials, renewable energy and circular solutions needed to reduce the climate impact of cars.”

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