Rapido Banks On Airport Services To Enhance Its Technological Prowess And Expertise
- By Gaurav Nandi
- November 28, 2024
With a priority to provide a seamless customer experience by tackling common pain points like ride rejections among others, the app-cab aggregator Rapido has established cab zones at airports in cities like Visakhapatnam and Surat.
Keen to expand its presence, the company is working to expand its reach to other cities with airports such that it can tap airport routes with competitive fares and well-conditioned vehicle fleet.
Revealing that they are expanding their airport services across other metro cities in the current quarter of FY2024025, Rapido Cabs Head, Rajiv Bhyri, mentioned at an event in Kolkata that they see airport routes as a key area for growth due to the high demand for reliable, round-the-clock transportation options.
“With the increasing number of travellers, we believe our airport services will offer riders the lowest prices while our zero-commission model maximises captains' earnings,” he averred.
Providing an insight into Rapido’s strategy to address the ride rejections faced by commuters that use app-based aggregators, Bhyri said, “Rapido is focused on providing a seamless customer experience and resolving common pain points such as ride rejections that many commuters face with app-based aggregators. With the rise in airport traffic, our strategy emphasises affordability and reliability. By offering competitive fares and maintaining a fleet of well-maintained vehicles, we aim to ensure a dependable and pleasant journey for our customers.”
Entering an association with the Airports Authority of India (AAI), Rapido has already began offering affordable and seamless commute solutions to travellers at the Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose International Airport, Kolkata. The service was inaugurated by State Transport Minister Snehasis Chakraborty. State Transport Secretary Dr Saumitra Mohan and others were also present.
To set up dedicated cab service zones at Kolkata Airport where travellers can easily access safe, reliable and budget-friendly rides through its platform, Rapido is emphasising on tech-powered SaaS business model. This business model is designed to guarantee real-time ride availability and highly competitive pricing.
"With the launch of this service at Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose International Airport, we're not just offering cost-effective travel solutions but also creating valuable employment opportunities for our local drivers. The technology-driven approach aligns with our vision of making West Bengal a leader in smart mobility and we're confident this initiative will set new benchmarks,” expressed Chakraborty.
Rapido Co-founder Pavan Guntupalli explained: "At Rapido, our mission is to revolutionise mobility by delivering reliable, safe and affordable solutions through innovation. Our collaboration with the Airports Authority of India to introduce dedicated cab zones at major airports is a significant step in enhancing the traveller experience while empowering local communities through job creation. With Rapido’s technology-driven platform, passengers can expect seamless airport commutes at the most competitive prices."
Audi Introduces Bidirectional Charging And Three Battery Variants On A2 e-tron
- By MT Bureau
- November 13, 2026
German luxury carmaker Audi has detailed the battery architecture and bidirectional charging capabilities of the Audi A2 e-tron, which is available to order in three battery configurations of 52, 61 and 84 kWh.
The EV features Vehicle-to-Load (V2L) functionality to power devices and Vehicle-to-Home (V2H) capability to supply electricity to households when paired with a DC wallbox, with Vehicle-to-Grid (V2G) functionality planned to feed energy into the power grid in the future.
The 52 kWh and 61 kWh variants use lithium iron phosphate (LFP) batteries arranged in a cell-to-pack layout, while the 84 kWh variant uses a nickel-manganese-cobalt battery. Depending on the configuration, direct current charging powers range between 100 and 183 kW, charging the battery from 10 to 80 per cent in 24 minutes for the 52 kWh version, 26 minutes for the 61 kWh version, and 29 minutes for the 84 kWh versions.
The vehicle incorporates an OCDC 2.0 unit that integrates the on-board charger and DC/DC converter, utilising metal-oxide-semiconductor field-effect transistors (MOSFETs) and alternating current output management software. A thermal management system regulates battery temperature, current flow, and state of charge during charging and discharging cycles, while a battery management controller employs an algorithm to track state of charge, ageing, and range calculations across the LFP cells.
- Tangentia
- Enmovil Solutions
- Team Canada Trade Mission
- Maruti Suzuki India
- Mahindra & Mahindra
- TVS Motor Co
- Daimler
- Nestle
- Hero MotoCorp
- Indus Towers
- Ashok Leyland
- Ravi Bulusu
- Vijay Thomas
Enmovil Partners Tangentia To Enter Canadian Manufacturing And Automotive Markets
- By MT Bureau
- November 12, 2026
Enmovil Solutions has formed a partnership with Tangentia to provide supply chain orchestration software to manufacturing and automotive enterprises in Canada. The agreement was formalised during the Team Canada Trade Mission to India in October 2026, led by Canada's Minister of International Trade, Maninder Sidhu, which resulted in 34 agreements valued at nearly CAD 300 million.
Under the terms of the agreement, the companies will combine Enmovil's CADDIE supply chain platform with Tangentia's integration and Agentic AI systems. Tangentia will manage go-to-market operations, deployment and customer support in Canada, targeting manufacturers, automotive original equipment manufacturers, electric vehicle and battery producers, defence contractors and supplier networks. Enmovil's platform manages demand, inventory, production, and logistics planning for clients including Maruti Suzuki India, Mahindra & Mahindra, TVS Motor Co, Daimler, Nestle, Hero MotoCorp, Indus Towers and Ashok Leyland.
Ravi Bulusu, Co-Founder and CEO, Enmovil, said, “Canada is a natural next step in Enmovil’s global expansion. Its manufacturing and automotive sectors run on complex, tightly connected supply chains, where faster and better-coordinated decisions translate directly into cost and service outcomes. By combining CADDIE, Industry’s leading Agentic supply chain decisioning and orchestration platform, with Tangentia’s solutions and local expertise, we can offer Canadian enterprises a joint solution that helps them make faster, better-informed supply chain decisions. We look forward to working with Tangentia to bring this to more businesses in Canada.”
Vijay Thomas, CEO, Tangentia, said, “Canadian manufacturers, Retailers and Distributors are under growing pressure to build supply chains that are more resilient and responsive. CADDIE, Enmovil’s supply chain decisioning and orchestration platform, has proven itself at scale with some of the largest manufacturing and automotive companies in India, and it complements Tangentia’s strengths in Supply Chain, EDI, integration and Agentic AI. Together, we can offer our customers a combined solution and a practical path to AI-driven supply chain decisions. This partnership is also a strong example of the growing technology ties between Canada and India.”
- Visteon Corporation
- SHINRY Technologies
- Visteon-Shinry Power Electronics
- VSPE
- GaN
- Zilai Zhao
- Mark Sun
- Benoit Rousseau
Visteon, SHINRY And Infineon Collaborate On Single-Stage GaN Onboard Charger
- By MT Bureau
- November 12, 2026
Visteon Corporation and SHINRY Technologies, operating through their joint venture Visteon-Shinry Power Electronics (VSPE), have partnered with Infineon Technologies to develop a single-stage onboard charger for electric vehicles. The announcement was made during the Electronica Trade fair in Munich.
The system combines VSPE's converter hardware topology and control strategy with Infineon's gallium nitride (GaN) monolithic bidirectional switches (BDS). The single-stage architecture consolidates power conversion functions and removes the bulk capacitors used in two-stage onboard chargers to reduce component count, system dimensions, and costs.
The unit supports 22 kW three-phase and 19.2 kW single-phase AC charging alongside vehicle-to-everything (V2X) bidirectional operation. Infineon's GaN BDS devices integrate bidirectional voltage blocking and current conduction into a single semiconductor unit, lowering component requirements in the power stage and shrinking the dimensions of magnetic components through switching frequency operation.
Zilai Zhao, Co-General Manager at Visteon-Shinry Power Electronics, said, “This collaboration brings together complementary strengths in vehicle electronics, power conversion and advanced semiconductors. By combining Visteon’s system expertise and Infineon’s GaN leadership, we’re delivering a transformative solution for next-generation EV platforms.”
Mark Sun, CTO, SHINRY, said, "Integrating Infineon's GaN switches with our proprietary single-stage topology is a game-changer for power density and system cost. Our R&D team is fully committed to validating this innovative architecture to meet the rigorous reliability standards of global automotive customers."
Benoit Rousseau, Vice-President of GaN Automotive, Infineon, said, “Together with Visteon-Shinry Power Electronics we are pushing the boundaries of onboard charging for the next generation of electric vehicles. Our GaN bidirectional switch, recognised as a ‘Global New Energy Vehicle Innovative Technology’ at the 2026 World New Energy Vehicle Congress, combines leading-edge switching performance and efficiency with a new level of semiconductor integration, enabling new power conversion architectures.”
- Dubai Future Foundation
- DP World
- SHIFFT
- Oxa
- Dubai Research
- Development and Innovation Programme
- Khalifa Al Qama
- Ibrahim Al Najjar
- Paul Newman
DP World Joins Self-Driving Logistics Joint Venture SHIFFT As First Strategic Partner
- By MT Bureau
- November 09, 2026
Dubai Future Foundation has announced DP World as the first strategic partner of SHIFFT, a self-driving logistics joint venture established in collaboration with autonomous vehicle technology company Oxa under the Dubai Research, Development and Innovation Programme.
The partnership focuses on developing and deploying autonomous logistics solutions across ports, terminals and industrial zones, beginning at Jebel Ali Port. The scope includes vehicle integration, autonomous driving functions, safety frameworks, fleet management, routing, digital twins, situational intelligence and operational performance optimisation.
At present, DP World operates more than 900 vehicles at Jebel Ali Port for inter-terminal container movement, alongside thousands of vehicles across its global network of over 60 ports and terminals.
Khalifa Al Qama, Chief of Research, Development and Innovation, Dubai Future Foundation, said, "The selection of DP World as the first strategic partner of SHIFFT marks an important step in developing and implementing autonomous logistics solutions from Dubai. This collaboration brings together world-leading operational expertise and advanced technologies to develop practical solutions that can be deployed and scaled globally."
Ibrahim Al Najjar, Senior Vice-President of Information Technology, DP World GCC, said, "For our customers and partners, autonomous technology translates into more predictable, resilient supply chains that keep cargo moving reliably and at speed. It also creates opportunities for our people to build future-ready skills, while strengthening Dubai’s competitiveness as a destination for trade and investment. By co-developing these technologies here, around real operational needs, we are setting new benchmarks that will benefit the wider industry."
Paul Newman, Founder and CEO, Oxa, said, "This collaboration aims to transform industrial vehicles into an intelligent, autonomous digital workforce capable of operating efficiently in complex, mixed-use environments. By working with DP World, SHIFFT is helping to elevate operational fleet performance and strengthen the long-term resilience of supply chains."

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