Like an IC engine automobile where the engine and the driveline make up the key aggregates, in EVs the key aggregates are the battery and the motor. While an IC engine may account for 23 to 30 percent of the total cost and the driveline component such as a gearbox, propeller shaft, transaxle or a differential may together cost another 15 to 20 percent of the total vehicle cost, in the case of an EV, it may not be that simple. 

It is therefore necessary to find out about the battery and motor replacement cost before buying an EV. A young Canadian owner – Kyle Hsu – of Hyundai Ioniq 5 was thrown out of his seat almost when he found out that the warranty was void on the battery pack of his one-year-old electric vehicle and it would cost him a little over $ 60,000 to replace it! The car was bought in 2022 for $ 56,000. 

Hsu was driving to the interior of British Columbia, according to the YouTube channel Motormouth which has highlighted the development, when he avoided something on the road. On the cautionary side, he dropped at the dealer to get the car checked after he returned from the trip. 

The battery cover underneath the e-car was founded to have been scratched. The dealer conveyed that the battery behind the cover had been impacted and should be replaced since it may explode. It was not repairable. 

Hsu took the help of the insurance company once he was told that it would cost over $ 60,000 to replace the battery. The insurance company told him that his vehicle IDV was less than the cost of replacing the battery. If he were to choose to replace the battery, the insurance costs were likely to go up by 50 percent despite his clean driving record. 

Responding to Motormouth, the Hyundai Canada PR Manager Jennifer Mcarthy is known to have said that it amounts to a very rare situation and Hyundai Canada’s customer experience team should have had the opportunity to access the situation prior to sharing of costing. 

The cost of battery replacement depends on the nature of the damage, type of battery and repairs required. There is no one set price for ever replacement while battery cost is a challenge for the business. Pricing strategy for batteries that is reasonable, fair and in line with market competitiveness is being worked on, Mcarthy is known to have expressed further.

In his column in The Guardian newspaper recently, actor and automobile enthusiast Rowan Atkinson stated that he loves electric vehicles and was an early adopter. He however felt increasingly duped. 

An electrical and electronic engineer by education, Atkinson is of the opinion that electric motoring does not seem to be quite the environmental panacea it is claimed to be. 

Stating that electric cars have zero exhaust emissions, which is a welcome development, particularly in respect of the air quality in city centres, Atkinson said in his column, if you zoom out a bit and look at a bigger picture that includes the car’s manufacture, the situation is very different. “The problem lies with the lithium-ion batteries fitted currently to nearly all electric vehicles: They’re absurdly heavy, huge amounts of energy are required to make them and they are estimated to last only upwards of 10 years,” he averred. 

Drawing attention to solid-state battery development, Atkinson expressed that if hydrogen wins the race to power trucks and as a result every filling station stocks it, it could be popular and accessible choice for cars. 

Till then, keeping the old petrol vehicle may be better than buying an EV since it costs far less to make and can last for 30 years with tender loving care. 

If the majority of the first owners would retain their vehicles for over five years, it would result in an amount of CO2 reduction brought about by new cars being put on the road. The entire chain of raw material selection to manufacture, to the end of the road has its share of carbon emissions. 

Though it may be better to reduce our reliance of IC engine vehicles, it would be worth considering that the existing vehicles have already paid their environmental dues – cost to the environment – during their manufacturing process. A lot of technological development has also made them far less polluting and reliable than they were a few years or decades ago. 

Also, the possibility of writing off a one-year-old EV because its battery replacement cost exceeds the vehicle purchase cost is countered by the engine, gearbox or a body part being repairable in case of an IC engine vehicle.

Many of you would also remember the head honchos of some auto companies in India saying that BS VI emission compliant vehicles will only emit water through the tailpipe and will be cleaner than the ambient air. 

The time is ripe to understand what is ‘actually’ environment friendly, an EV or an IC vehicle. The time is right to test and analyse if it the automobiles that are causing more pollution in Indian cities or there are other sources. An air filled with so much dust does not seem like the handiwork of automobiles rather than the gigantic civil projects that being worked on. 

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Youdha has expanded its vehicle lineup into the commercial cargo segment with the introduction of the ePod G electric three-wheeler.

Designed for last-mile logistics, e-commerce deliveries and retail distribution, the electric three-wheeler expands Youdha's ePod platform from passenger transport into goods mobility.

The ePod G features an 11.8 kWh lithium iron phosphate battery and a 6 kW three-phase permanent magnet synchronous motor. The powertrain delivers a claimed range of 170 to 180 km under standard test conditions, a payload capacity of 545 kg and a gross vehicle weight of 1,000 kg. The e3W has a top speed below 50 kmph, 22 percent gradeability and a charging duration of four to five hours.

Ayush Lohia, CEO, Youdha, said, "Our ambition is to build ePod into a trusted name across passenger and goods transportation. The positive response to our passenger vehicle gives us a strong foundation to extend the range into cargo. With ePod G, we aim to address the needs of businesses and individual operators involved in last-mile deliveries while continuing to strengthen Youdha’s product portfolio and market presence."

The ePod G will be available in half-deck and closed box configurations to accommodate varied delivery requirements. Built on a monocoque chassis, the vehicle includes hydraulic brakes, steel rims, 120/80-R12 8PR tyres, LED headlights, and a seven-inch CAN-enabled digital LED instrument cluster. The launch enables Youdha to supply individual owner-operators, commercial businesses, and delivery fleet managers across the Indian market.

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Tesla has opened online reservations for the new Roadster in select global markets, including India, with production scheduled to begin in 2028 for left-hand drive configurations. Alongside the reservation announcement, Tesla India has also introduced a complimentary Acceleration Boost for its Model Y L six-seater SUV.

The new Roadster design incorporates aerospace-inspired elements and SpaceX components. In the domestic product lineup, the Model Y L SUV receives an Acceleration Boost software update, reducing its zero-to-100 km/h acceleration time to 4.5 seconds while offering an operating range of up to 681 kilometres under WLTP testing standards.

Tesla currently offers the Model Y and Model Y L in India. The entry-level Model Y is priced at INR 5.08 million, while the Model Y L starts at INR 6.19 million. The EVs carry safety evaluations from global testing bodies, including NHTSA, Euro NCAP, ANCAP and C-IASI.

To support vehicle ownership, Tesla's domestic charging infrastructure comprises 20 Supercharger stalls and 28 Destination Charger stalls, with three additional sites planned by the end of 2026.

Home charging setup has been established for owners across 23 Indian states. The manufacturer has also introduced its Refer and Earn program in India, offering purchase discounts for buyers and referral credits for existing owners.

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VIDA, the electric mobility brand powered by Hero MotoCorp, has unveiled the DIRT.E K3 6DAYS Limited Edition at the 100th FIM International Six Days Enduro in Grândola, Portugal.

The release marks the first collaboration between an Indian electric vehicle manufacturer and the event as an official partner of the Fédération Internationale de Motocyclisme.

The model is limited to 100 units, with each unit assigned a number corresponding to an edition of the event. The electric two-wheeler features Portuguese flag-inspired green and red livery, race competition typography and official 6DAYS branding.

First introduced in December 2025, the DIRT.E K3 is an electric off-road vehicle designed for youth riders. It incorporates a modular frame that adjusts without tools at three points, allowing handlebar height, footrest positioning, and seat height to be adjusted as the rider grows.

The DIRT.E K3 comes with a removable 360 Wh lithium-ion battery with a three-hour full charge cycle, three software-managed speed modes reaching up to 24 kmph via thumb throttle, a magnetic power cut-off kill switch and a 60 mm rear disc brake system.

Kausalya Nandakumar, CBO of the Emerging Mobility Business Unit, Hero MotoCorp, said, "Being part of the historic 100th edition of FIM ISDE is a proud milestone for VIDA and an opportunity to showcase how electric innovation can shape the future of off-road riding. The VIDA DIRT.E K3 brings together the spirit of motorsport with forward-looking technology, building on the recognition it received at CES 2026 and the Red Dot Design Award. With our Portuguese- inspired 6DAYS® Limited Edition, we are celebrating the legacy of this iconic event while bringing a fresh perspective to electric off-road mobility. At VIDA, we believe innovation should go hand in hand with a safe, engaging, and empowering riding experience for young riders."

Fabio Muner, Marketing and Digital Director, FIM, said, "On behalf of the FIM, I would like to sincerely thank Hero MotoCorp for its active participation in the 100th Edition of the FIM 6DAYS®. Thanks to the DIRT.E K3 6DAYS® Limited Edition bike, young riders have the chance to experience first-hand the beauty of motorcycling and enduro, an opportunity that is essential for building the future of our sport. The fact that these vehicles will be available on the market is a further great achievement for the FIM 6DAYS®. It is another example of how this historic FIM World Championship continues to widen its borders year after year, opening its doors to new generations and new ways of riding. Thank you, VIDA for sharing this vision with us."

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Epsilon CAM, one of the leading battery cathode active material manufacturers, and cell technology firm C4V have signed a Letter of Intent (LoI) to evaluate and qualify lithium iron phosphate and bio-mineralised lithium mixed metal phosphate cathode active materials.

The agreement establishes a framework to evaluate Epsilon CAM's cathode materials for cell-level integration across C4V's battery platforms and North American manufacturing programs, including those operated by sister company Near Prime Technologies.

As per the arrangement, Epsilon CAM will provide material samples and engineering data for testing, including electrochemical performance validation, cycle-life evaluation and process compatibility assessments. Subject to technical qualification and definitive contracts, the firms plan to explore multi-year material supply arrangements and technology integrations.

The evaluation will assess supply-chain sourcing for critical raw material inputs, including lithium, manganese and phosphorus, to align with North American content requirements.

Epsilon CAM is advancing plans for a 20,000-tonne-per-annum cathode active materials plant in India by 2028, positioning its production as a non-foreign-entity-of-concern source for global cell manufacturers.

Vikram Handa, MD, Epsilon CAM, said, "This LoI brings together complementary capabilities across cathode materials, cell technology and manufacturing. Our focus is to demonstrate material performance at the cell level and to work with C4V toward scalable, high-quality LFP and LMFP solutions that address the evolving needs of battery manufacturers and automotive customers."

Dr. Shailesh Upreti, CEO, C4V, said, "Epsilon is helping address one of the most important gaps in the U.S. battery supply chain: reliable access to scalable, ex-China phosphate cathode active materials. C4V is currently evaluating Epsilon’s materials through our Digital DNA qualification process for potential use across C4V cell platforms and U.S. manufacturing programs at Near Prime. Successful qualifications would create an important pathway connecting advanced cathode materials with C4V battery technology and domestic cell manufacturing."

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