Kinetic Green Energy and Power Solutions and Exponent Energy have formed a strategic alliance to launch 15-minute rapid charging solution for electric three-wheelers (e-3W), covering both the L5 and L3 categories.

This solution targets e-rickshaws and e-cargo carts, aiming to improve operational efficiency for last-mile mobility operators.

The partnership will see integration of Exponent Energy’s proprietary full-stack platform — which includes battery technology, a charging network and intelligent software—enabled Kinetic Green vehicles to achieve a 15-minute full charge.

This rapid charging is expected to extend daily operating hours by up to 30 percent. As per the understanding, Kinetic Green’s popular L3 models, including the Safar Smart, Safar Shakti, and Super DX will now feature this rapid charging technology.

The L5N Safar Jumbo loader and the upcoming L5M passenger variant will also utilise the 15-minute charging to allow for faster turnaround times, translating to more trips and higher earnings for operators.

The joint solution is backed by an industry-leading 3,000-cycle warranty. The digital platform will also provide features such as real-time state of charge tracking and predictive maintenance alerts.

To support Kinetic Green customers, Exponent Energy’s existing network of over 160 charging stations across four cities will be made available to the e-3W fleet. The infrastructure is planned to expand rapidly into major metros and tier II, III cities over the next 12 months.

Dr. Sulajja Firodia Motwani, Founder and CEO, Kinetic Green, said, “This partnership marks a defining moment for India’s electric three-wheeler sector. By bringing the country’s first 15-minute full charge solution to e rickshaws and cargo carts – the backbone of India’s urban last mile mobility - we are empowering owner operators, small & large fleet operators to achieve unprecedented uptime and efficiency. Our customer-centric approach drove this exclusive strategic partnership for our L3 e3W category offer our customers the best cost of ownership. This partnership accelerates our mission to democratise green mobility, making sustainable transportation accessible and affordable for all while propelling the development of India's EV infrastructure.”

Arun Vinayak, CEO and Co-Founder of Exponent Energy, said, “At Exponent Energy, our mission is to make EVs the easiest choice – and that means solving real problems for real operators. This collaboration allows us to embed our rapid charging platform into the entire portfolio of e3Ws in India – spanning both L5 and L3 segment – delivering unparalleled speed, reliability and scalability to operators and creating a blueprint for the future of electric transport.”

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SiMa.ai has announced its first integrated capability resulting from a collaboration with Synopsys. The joint solution provides a blueprint to accelerate architecture exploration and virtual software development for automotive Systems-on-Chip (SoCs). These chips support applications including Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS) and In-Vehicle Infotainment (IVI).

The partnership aims to deliver architectures required for software-defined vehicles. The blueprint allows customers to begin the design and validation of custom AI SoCs and ‘shift left’ software development before silicon is available. This process is intended to reduce development costs and accelerate vehicle time-to-market.

The blueprint provides pre-integrated SoC virtual prototypes and a tool workflow using solutions from both companies.

For Architectural Exploration:

• SiMa.ai MLA Performance and Power Estimator (MPPE): Enables customers to size machine learning accelerator designs for specific workloads.
• Synopsys Platform Architect: Used to model workloads and analyse performance, power, memory, and interconnect trade-offs before RTL design.

For Verification and Validation:

• Synopsys Virtualiser Development Kit (VDK): Facilitates software development using a virtual SoC prototype, which can accelerate vehicle time-to-market by up to 12 months.
• SiMa.ai Palette SDK: Supports machine learning workflows for edge AI applications.
• Synopsys ZeBu Emulation: Delivers pre-silicon hardware and software validation to ensure architectures meet workload requirements.

Krishna Rangasayee, Founder & CEO at SiMa.ai, said, "We are pleased with how well the two teams have worked together to quickly create a joint solution uniquely focused on unlocking physical AI capabilities for today's software defined vehicles. Our best-in-class ML platform, combined with Synopsys' industry-leading automotive-grade IP and design automation software creates a powerful foundation for innovation across OEMs in autonomous driving and in-vehicle experiences."

Ravi Subramanian, Chief Product Management Officer, Synopsys, said, "Automotive OEMs need to deliver software-defined AI-enabled vehicles faster to market to drive differentiation, which requires early power optimisation and validation of the compute platform to reduce total cost of development and time to SOP. Our collaboration with SiMa.ai delivering an ML-enabled architecture exploration and software development blueprint supported by a comprehensive integrated suite of tools significantly jumpstarts these activities and enables our automotive customers to bring next-generation ADAS and IVI features to market faster."

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Chinese display panel manufacturer Tianma recently exhibited its range of automotive technologies at CES 2026. The company’s solutions include LTPS-LCD, AMOLED and MicroLED technologies designed for cockpits.

The centrepiece of the exhibit was the Smart Cockpit 7.0, an automotive interior and dashboard demonstration. It integrates a 49.6-inch curved ACRUS display with 8K resolution and a slidable AM-OLED display using a gear-rack mechanism.

It also presented InvisiVue, a solution that mimics decorative surfaces like wood or metal when inactive and reveals images through a transmissivity layer when powered on.

The 49.6-inch ACRUS curved display uses Corning ColdForm Technology. It features pixel-level dimming with 210,000 zones, achieving a contrast ratio of 100,000:1. The unit’s R3000 curvature is designed to align with the windshield to reduce blind spots and reflections.

Furthermore, Tianma also presented two HUD technologies – a 43.7-inch Ultra-wide IRIS HUD. It uses a Mini-LED display with peak brightness of 10,000 nits for visibility in sunlight. It features an 85 percent NTSC colour gamut and a curved structure designed to match the windshield’s optical path.

Secondly, an 11.98-inch IRIS HUD, which utilises high-luminance PGU technology, delivering 12,000 nits brightness. The module is less than 15 mm thick for integration in compact vehicles and operates at approximately 6 W to reduce thermal load.

The company also introduced a 34-inch dye liquid crystal dimming glass for rear side privacy windows. This technology uses voltage control of liquid crystal molecules to achieve stepless dimming without physical sunshades.

The system provides a response time of less than 300ms for transitions between privacy and transparent modes. It features a wide viewing angle and a grey-black tone to manage glare within the vehicle interior.

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Audi Revolut F1 Team has reached a technical milestone by completing the first ‘fire-up’ of its 2026 Formula 1 car. The event took place at the team's facility in Hinwil on 19 December 2025, where the Audi Power Unit was operated for the first time while installed within the chassis.

The procedure serves as a verification of the integration between the powertrain, developed in Neuburg, Germany, and the chassis, designed in Hinwil, Switzerland. The project also involves the Technical Centre in Bicester, UK. This phase confirms that the core components of the vehicle function together before moving into the next stages of dynamic testing.

Gernot Dollner, CEO of Audi AG, said, “For Audi, entering Formula 1 is a key part of our brand’s ongoing renewal. This milestone is a clear demonstration of our ‘Vorsprung durch Technik’ ambition. It is the result of seamless teamwork and a relentless pursuit of excellence that will serve as a guiding example for the entire Audi organisation. This project is a catalyst for change, fostering pride, identity, and enthusiasm. With the fire-up, the hard work of the teams in Hinwil, Neuburg and Bicester now truly comes to life, marking the beginning of an exciting new chapter in Audi’s motorsport history.”

Mattia Binotto, Head of the Audi F1 Project, added, “A fire-up is always a special moment, but this one marks a new beginning. It is the tangible result of our collective ambition and the dedicated work of our teams in Neuburg and Hinwil. Seeing everything come together for the first time gives the entire project incredible energy. We have built a solid foundation for what will be a long journey, defined by our relentless drive to improve.”

Jonathan Wheatley, Team Principal, commented, “This successful fire-up is a critical milestone that validates the quality of the work and collaboration across all departments. It energises the entire team and provides a clear focus as we prepare for the next phases of development, including the moment we first bring the car to track. This achievement brings our first race in Melbourne into sharp focus, and we will build on this foundation as one united team.”

The team is scheduled to hold a launch event in Berlin on 20 January 2026, where the race livery and identity will be revealed. This will be followed by collective testing in Barcelona at the end of January. A content hub will also be launched to provide media updates throughout the inaugural season.

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Bengaluru-based electric vehicle maker Ather Energy has announced the rollout of the 'Infinite Cruise' feature on the Ather 450X model. The software feature is being enabled via an over-the-air (OTA) update and will be provided as standard.

First introduced on the Ather Apex 450 in August 2025, the system is designed for urban riding conditions in India. Unlike conventional cruise control that disengages upon braking or acceleration, Infinite Cruise is said to remain active and adapts to rider inputs. The system recalibrates to new speeds without requiring manual reactivation, aimed at reducing throttle intervention in traffic. The feature operates within a speed range of 10 kmph to 90 kmph, covering city speeds typically excluded by traditional systems.

The update incorporates three specific control modes:

• CityCruise: Adjusts to speed changes in urban traffic.
• Hill Control: Maintains speed on inclines and descents using a regenerative braking algorithm.
• Crawl Control: Stabilises low-speed movement on uneven surfaces, supported by traction control.

Ather will extend this feature to over 44,000 existing customers who purchased the 450X from 1 January 2025. The company stated that this backward compatibility is a result of hardware choices made during the development of the 2025 series.

The Ather 450X is priced from INR 147,998 (ex-showroom) in Bengaluru. The company continues to use software updates to modify the capabilities of its vehicle fleet over time.

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