Connect with us

Published

on

Originally published on Future Trends.

Welcome to another issue of our new India x Cleantech series! On a monthly basis, we are pulling news from across clean technology sectors in India into a single, concise summary article about the country.

Cleantech Investments

Reliance Invests In US Energy Storage Company 

A newly-formed subsidiary of Reliance Industries Limited, one of India’s leading industrial conglomerates, has invested in a US-based energy storage company. Reliance New Energy Solar, along with Paulson & Co., Bill Gates, and other investors, invested $144 million in Massachusetts-based Ambri Inc. Reliance New Energy Solar invested $50 million in the transaction.

ReNew Power To Invest $384 Million To Acquire Solar, Hydro Power Assets 

One of India’s leading renewable energy companies, ReNew Power, has announced plans to acquire solar and hydro power projects in the country. The company will spend Rs 28.5 billion ($384 million) to acquire 260 megawatts of solar power capacity and 99 megawatts of hydro power projects.

Canadian Pension Fund Invests $219 Million In Azure Power

International Finance Corporation and its infrastructure fund sold a 19.4% stake in NYSE-listed Azure Power. The stake has been acquired by Ontario Municipal Employees Retirement System (OMERS). CDPQ remains the majority shareholder in Azure Power. The company has 2 gigawatts of operational solar power capacity and another 5 gigawatts capacity under construction.

Electric Mobility

Tata Motors Launches Tigor EV

Tata Motors unveiled its second electric passenger vehicle, the Tigor. The new car has a 26 kilowatt-hour lithium-ion battery pack which can be charged in less than an hour. The car is expected to have a range of around 300 kilometers (186 miles) per charge.

Tata Motors Looking To Raise $1 Billion For Its Electric Mobility Business

Tata Motors is reported to be in talks with leading global PE investors to raise $1 billion for its electric mobility business. According to media reports, the company has approached Blackstone Group, TPG Capital and KKR & Co. for investment in the EV business. The company plans to launch 10 electric vehicle models by 2025. It currently offers two.

Odisha Announces Incentives For Electric Vehicles

The government of Odisha recently announced its electric vehicles policy to attract manufacturers as well as buyers. The state has exempted electric vehicles from road tax and registration fees. Buyers will also be eligible for subsidies of up to $1,360 for buying electric cars. Battery manufacturing units can get up to $136,000 in capital investment support from the government.

More Than Half A Million EVs Registered In India In Last Three Years

The Ministry of Heavy Industries reported that more than 500,000 electric vehicles have been registered in the country since 2018. These vehicles have benefited from government’s Faster Adoption and Manufacturing of Electric Vehicles (FAME India). The second phase of the FAME scheme, launched in April 2019, will offer Rs 100 billion ($1.4 billion) in subsidies to EV buyers. The government expects to facilitate the purchase of more than 1.5 million electric vehicles under this scheme.

Renewable Energy & Batteries

India Achieves 100 Gigawatts Of Renewable Energy Capacity 

On the 12th of August, India’s minister for power and renewable energy, RK Singh, announced on Twitter that the country had achieved the milestone of 100 gigawatts of renewable energy capacity. Solar energy is the largest technology by installed capacity, accounting for 44%, followed by wind energy at 39.5%. Bioenergy accounts for 10% of the installed capacity, while small hydro power projects (less than 25 MW capacity) account for 5%. The rest of the capacity is contributed by waste-to-power capacity. If large hydro power projects are also accounted for, the renewable energy capacity increases to 146 gigawatts.

ReNew Power Signs 400 Megawatt Deal To Supply Round-The-Clock Renewable Energy

The Solar Energy Corporation of India signed a power purchase agreement with ReNew Power for 400 megawatts of solar-wind hybrid power. The company will set up 900 megawatts of wind and 400 megawatts of solar power to meet its obligation to provide round-the-clock power. An undisclosed capacity of battery storage would also be installed.

NTPC Commissions 25 Megawatt Floating Solar Power Project

India’s largest power generation company, NTPC Limited, announced that it commissioned a 25 megawatt floating solar power project in the state of Andhra Pradesh. The project is located at the reservoir of NTPC’s Simhadri thermal power plant. This is the largest floating solar power project in India. NTPC is also working on another floating solar power project with 100 megawatts of capacity.

Engie Commissions 200 Megawatt Solar Power Project 

A subsidiary of French utility Engie has commissioned a 200-megawatt solar power project in the western Indian state of Gujarat. The project is part of the Raghanesda solar power park and the company’s second-largest solar project in the country. The company expects annual generation from the plant to be around 550 million kilowatt-hours, resulting in the reduction of around 400,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions. Engie’s India solar capacity now stands at 1.1 gigawatts. The company also has 280 megawatts of wind power capacity operational.

Acme Solar Plans 3.5 Gigawatt Green Hydrogen Project In Oman

Solar IPP Acme Solar Holdings has announced intentions to set up a solar-wind hybrid project in Oman to produce green hydrogen. The company plans to set up 3 gigawatts of solar power and 500 megawatts of wind energy to produce 900,000 tonnes of green ammonia every year. Construction of the project will entail an investment of $3.5 billion and would be ready over the next three years.

Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners Invests $100 Million In Amp Energy

Amp Energy will receive equity investment of more than $200 million with at least half of it coming from Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners. The investment would be used for the company to develop 1.7 gigawatts of solar and solar-wind hybrid capacity.

Tata Power Commissions 324 Megawatt Tracker-Based Project In Gujarat

Tata Power has commissioned a 324 megawatt solar power project in the western state of Gujarat. The project uses single-axis trackers supplied by New York-based GameChange Solar. The project is the largest to use single-axis trackers in India.

Tata Power Wins $52 Million Solar Battery Storage Project 

Tata Power Solar Power Systems announced that it secured rights to develop a 50 megawatt solar power project with a 50 megawatt-hour battery storage system. The project will be located in Ladakh and is expected to be commissioned by March 2023. This would be India’s first co-located large-scale battery storage project.

 

Appreciate CleanTechnica’s originality? Consider becoming a CleanTechnica Member, Supporter, Technician, or Ambassador — or a patron on Patreon.

 

 


Advertisement



 


Have a tip for CleanTechnica, want to advertise, or want to suggest a guest for our CleanTech Talk podcast? Contact us here.

Continue Reading

Environment

Mercedes is offering a massive, $50,000 discount on THIS luxury SUV

Published

on

By

Mercedes is offering a massive, ,000 discount on THIS luxury SUV

While the typical buyers of the flagship Mercedes-Maybach EQS 680 may not have to ask what one costs, they do need to know what number to write on the check – and if they happen to be asking this month, that number will be $50,000 LOWER than before.

CarsDirect is reporting a MASSIVE $50,000 lease or purchase cash incentive on the $181,050 top-of-the-line Mercedes-Maybach EQS 680, which amounts to a JC Penney-like 27% discount from the luxo liner’s original asking price and the biggest factory discount deal on any new Mercedes-Benz model so far.

Mercedes-Benz nearly doubled the savings on the 2025 Mercedes-Maybach EQS 680 this month, making it the SUV with the largest rebate offer. The high-end luxury SUV is available with $50,000 in lease cash or purchase cash. Previously, the automaker offered $30,000, making this the best deal to date on the $181,050 vehicle.

CARSDIRECT

For that money, Mercedes-Maybach EQS buyers get Rolls-Royce rivaling material appointments and infotainment features that wouldn’t look out of place in a futuristic sci-fi movie, as well as reclining and massaging rear seats with quilted leather upholstery, lumbar support pillows, and a whole lot more, too.

It’s nice in there


The Maybach EQS 680 is all about opulence, of course – and the list of available features reads exactly the way you’d expect it to on a ride like this. For example: there’s a 12.3″-inch” digital instrument cluster, 17.7″ OLED touchscreen central multimedia display, another 12.3″ OLED display for the front passenger, something called MBUX Hyperscreen, ventilated/rapid-heating front seats so your chauffeur doesn’t get too sweaty, the previously-mentioned massaging seats, “soft close” doors, power side-window sunshades for added privacy, illuminated running boards, and a 64-color choice of interior mood lighting.

Advertisement – scroll for more content

Power and torque rarely matter on a ride that you’re more likely to be relaxing in rather than driving, but the big Mercedes doesn’t disappoint in that department, either, thanks to a fully variable 4MATIC AWD system with Torque Shift power vectoring that can send the big SUV’s 649 hp away from the wheels that slip to the wheels that grip, and also work to accelerate inside wheels at a different rate than outside wheels to neutralize handling at the limits.

You know, in case you need to escape the hungry mobs with pitchforks forgot to pick up little Suzie from soccer and need to get there now, Now, NOW!

The big EQS features a 107-ish kWh battery pack good for an EPA-estimated 200 miles of range, with 10-80% charge available in about 30 minutes on a 200 kW DC fast charger. And, trust me, that’s the kind of convenience your personal driver will love.

You can find out more about Mercedes’ killer EV deals on the full range of EQ models, from this top-shelf Maybach on “down” to the also super-discounted compact EQB crossover, below, then let us know what you think of the three-pointed star’s latest discount dash in the comments section at the bottom of the page.

SOURCE: CarsDirect; images via Mercedes-Benz.


If you’re considering going solar, it’s always a good idea to get quotes from a few installers. To make sure you find a trusted, reliable solar installer near you that offers competitive pricing, check out EnergySage, a free service that makes it easy for you to go solar. It has hundreds of pre-vetted solar installers competing for your business, ensuring you get high-quality solutions and save 20-30% compared to going it alone. Plus, it’s free to use, and you won’t get sales calls until you select an installer and share your phone number with them. 

Your personalized solar quotes are easy to compare online and you’ll get access to unbiased Energy Advisors to help you every step of the way. Get started here.

FTC: We use income earning auto affiliate links. More.

Continue Reading

Environment

E-quipment highlight: the highest-rated lawnmowers on Amazon are ELECTRIC

Published

on

By

E-quipment highlight: the highest-rated lawnmowers on Amazon are ELECTRIC

Despite decades of market dominance, it seems like the days of loud, finicky gas-powered lawnmowers may finally be behind us — and I say that because five of the highest-rated mowers on Amazon won’t burn a drop of gas.

While the federal push for EVs may have stalled under the current Trump Administration, state and local governments continue to tightening restrictions on noise and small-engine emissions — and that means your next lawn mower is more likely to plug in than fill up, whether you like it or not. The good news, however, is that in addition to being quieter, safer, and not poisoning the air you breathe while you walk behind them, electric mowers have come a long way in terms of power and performance in just a few years. So much so, in fact, that many of the highest-rated models on Amazon, period, are electric.

Consumer site SlashGear recently compared the average star ratings of a number of lawn mowers on Amazon, focusing on products that had at least 2,000 reviews and a four-star average or higher, and found that battery-electric units from EGO, Greenworks, and Worx were among the top-rated mowers, regardless of fuel type:

The products on this list have the highest ratings for lawn mowers on Amazon. Not only do they have high ratings, but they also have an extensive number of reviews from customers. There are lawn mowers not included on this list with higher customer ratings, but they don’t have the same quantity of reviews.

SLASHGEAR

There’s one manual push mower (sometimes called a reel mower) on that top five list, but virtually no mention of the fact that there are precisely zero gas-powered mowers on the list – despite there being more than 600 pages of results when I searched “gas mower” earlier today. And it’s that fact that seems like the Real News™ item here, not the affiliate links.

Advertisement – scroll for more content

So, in that spirit, here’s a brief rundown of each of the top-performing mower brands that’s both free of ad links and in alphabetical order. Enjoy!

EGO


Power+ 56V 21″ electric mower; by EGO.

Over the past few years, the EGO brand has staked a claim to being the gold standard for cordless lawn equipment with its high-voltage 56V battery platform and premium build quality, and the brand’s self-propelled mowers regularly top customer satisfaction charts (they show 4.6-star average rating with more than 2,600 reviews).

That’s no surprise, as the EGO mowers offer superior durability, long runtimes, quick charging, and enough torque to rival (if not outperform) comparable gas models.

Greenworks


24V 13″ electric lawnmower; via Greenworks.

Another electric lawn care standard-bearer, Greenworks has been covered a number of times in these pages for everything from a powerful 60V cordless chainsaw to an electric minibike. Today, though, we’re focusing specifically on the brand’s 24V 13″ brushless electric mower – a product with a 4.3-star rating after more than 21,000 Amazon reviews. (!)

Fans of the Greenworks lawnmowers often cite their low weight, durability, ease of use, and for a small suburban yard (let’s call it a 1/4-1/2 acres, on the high side) the 13″ version shown, above, should be more than up to the task.

WORX


40V 17″ cordless lawn mower; by WORX.

Full disclaimer: I have a few WORX-branded toys in my garage, partly because of the brand’s smart, compact, and consumer-friendly approach to product design and partly because the brand’s excellent Power Share platform let users swap batteries between tools before some of the other brands figured out that was a huge selling point, giving WORX a significant head start in the logistical simplicity and convenience departments.

The results speak, meanwhile, for themselves. The brand enjoys high customer ratings for its 40V 17″ mower (above, which fits neatly between the other two options), and a growing base of users who’ve discovered that going electric doesn’t have to mean going expensive.

If you’re looking to get yourself some electric lawn equipment, keep an eye out for Electrek’s “Green Deals” posts which frequently feature big discounts. And check with your state or regional clean air regulator to see if any rebates are available – here’s California’s page, and here’s Colorado’s, but there are constantly shifting incentives available elsewhere too, so even if you’ve looked into those before: look again.

Source links throughout; featured image by EGO.


If you’re considering going solar, it’s always a good idea to get quotes from a few installers. To make sure you find a trusted, reliable solar installer near you that offers competitive pricing, check out EnergySage, a free service that makes it easy for you to go solar. It has hundreds of pre-vetted solar installers competing for your business, ensuring you get high-quality solutions and save 20-30% compared to going it alone. Plus, it’s free to use, and you won’t get sales calls until you select an installer and share your phone number with them. 

Your personalized solar quotes are easy to compare online and you’ll get access to unbiased Energy Advisors to help you every step of the way. Get started here.

FTC: We use income earning auto affiliate links. More.

Continue Reading

Environment

New Mitsubishi Eclipse electric crossover gets real with 370 miles of range

Published

on

By

New Mitsubishi Eclipse electric crossover gets real with 370 miles of range

This one is bound to upset the DSM purists still out there — meet the all-new Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross, an all-electric crossover with over 370 miles of range that’s rolling out to European dealers as you read this. (!)

First unveiled last month, the all-new Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross EV is one of the first fruits of the Nissan- Mitsubishi- Renault alliance to wear the Mitsubishi badge and early production versions of the new SUV have already begun rolling out of Renault’s ElectriCity Douai Plant in Cuincy, France.

“Following the launch of the Outlander plug-in hybrid EV (PHEV) and the Grandis hybrid EV (HEV), rolling out the all-new Eclipse Cross marks a crucial step in our electrification strategy in Europe,” said Takao Kato, president and chief executive officer of Mitsubishi Motors, at the vehicle’s debut. “Having developed the world’s first mass-produced BEV, Mitsubishi Motors has made it a mission to provide environmentally friendly vehicles and has been working toward achieving carbon neutrality. We will continue contributing to the realization of a decarbonized society by expanding our lineup of electrified vehicles, as well as addressing the diverse needs of our European customers.”

Smart Armor styling


Mitsubishi calls its latest Eclipse’ design language “Smart Armor,” and says that its design, “conveys robustness and security by incorporating powerful, armor-like design elements into an advanced and sophisticated smart EV design.”

Advertisement – scroll for more content

I don’t know about any of that, but the design is certainly a noticeable, modern update on the Outlander and Outlander Sport that have dominated the struggling Japanese car brand’s North American product line for the last decade. So, while it may not win any awards or make into a “future classics” coffee table book, the latest Eclipse would certainly look “new” in a modern American Whole Foods parking lot.

Modern outside, modern inside


Inside, the new Mitsubishi Eclipse EV offers a comforting mix of buttons and touchscreens angled, cockpit-style, towards the driver and finished in a color palette that will be familiar to any 1st-gen DSM driver, paired with the chunky steering wheel and diamond-quilted seats that drivers familiar with Mitsubishi’s more recent SUV- and crossover-heavy are used to.

Like the exterior, the new Eclipse EV’s probably won’t win any design awards, but it seems comfortable and practical enough and — I can’t state this enough — looks to be a noticeable improvement over the previous generation. The car’s tech, connectivity, and infotainment features, too, also seem thoroughly modern:

The all-new Eclipse Cross is equipped with a vertical 12.3-inch Smartphone-link Display Audio (SDA) system, offering the latest infotainment experience. As it is a vehicle with Google built-in1, drivers can use apps like Google Assistant and Google Maps the moment they step into the car and even download additional apps via Google Play. Simply saying “Hey Google” enables drivers to operate the air conditioner, search for destinations, make phone calls, and play music—all hands-free. Both Apple CarPlay®4 and Android AutoTM are supported with wireless connectivity, offering a seamless connection to smartphones. The audio system features a Harman Kardon premium sound system with five selectable listening modes to suit any mood or preference, delivering an immersive, high-quality sound experience. In addition, four drive modes, Personal, Eco, Comfort, and Sport can be selected at will through the SDA, depending on the driver’s preferences and driving conditions. The Mitsubishi Motors mobile app enables remote access to the vehicle, including locking and unlocking, charging, and checking the parking location, all from a smartphone, enhancing everyday convenience. The model supports Firmware-Over-The-Air (FOTA) wireless software update technology, enabling drivers to easily update to the latest software environment by simply following the instructions on the SDA screen.

The all-new Eclipse Cross features up to 20 advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS)5. Ultrasonic sensors, cameras, and forward radar constantly monitor the vehicle’s surroundings to support safe driving. With a range of advanced safety technologies, including the MI-PILOT2 same-lane driver assistance system for highways and Rear Cross Traffic Alert (RCTA)2 system, it offers a safe and secure driving experience.

MITSUBISHI

The new Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross EV features an 87 kWh battery good for up to 600 km (~375 miles) of range on the European cycle. That battery sends electrons to a capable 160 kW (~215 hp) electric motor that delivers 300 Nm (220 lb-ft) of torque at 0 rpm. DC fast charging can happen at up to 150 kW of charging, which (by my math) works out to something like a 25 minute 10-80% charge time.

Spanish-language site Motorpasión was able to get their hands on a preproduction version of the new Mitsubishi Eclipse and gave it a pretty solid review. You can check that out here, but we’ll be holding back our review until Fred or Micah can get their hands on one. Stay tuned.

Electrek’s Take


2026 Mitsubishi Eclipse EV; via Mitsubishi.

I’ve alluded to this a few times in this article, but it’s worth saying again: the new Eclipse Cross EVs aren’t wining awards or setting any performance records here, but they’re perfectly adequate and zippy enough to more than keep up with modern traffic. And, frankly, that’s a refreshing change of pace from an automotive market that seems to be constantly chasing the cancerous mantra of, “bigger, faster, more.”

If Mitsubishi’s US dealers aren’t positively begging for the parent company to bring this new EV to North America, they have truly lost the plot.

SOURCE | IMAGES: Mitsubishi.


If you’re considering going solar, it’s always a good idea to get quotes from a few installers. To make sure you find a trusted, reliable solar installer near you that offers competitive pricing, check out EnergySage, a free service that makes it easy for you to go solar. It has hundreds of pre-vetted solar installers competing for your business, ensuring you get high-quality solutions and save 20-30% compared to going it alone. Plus, it’s free to use, and you won’t get sales calls until you select an installer and share your phone number with them. 

Your personalized solar quotes are easy to compare online and you’ll get access to unbiased Energy Advisors to help you every step of the way. Get started here.

FTC: We use income earning auto affiliate links. More.

Continue Reading

Trending