Heena Sharma Blog

The year 2019 was a mix of ups and downs for the electric vehicle (EV) sales in the country. The coming year is expected to be better, with the entry of more electric cars and Chinese entities’ entry, bringing down the average cost. The second phase of the Rs 10,000-crore scheme of the central government, termed Faster Adoption and Manufacturing for Hybrid and Electric vehicles (FAME II), offers higher incentives to higher powered products. It excludes lead acid battery-powered two-wheelers and mandates that e-scooters should have 80 km per charge and a minimum top speed of 40 kmph, with at least 50 per cent localisation in manufacturing. This has left a large share of two-wheelers out of the incentive, says CRISIL Research. Recently, Union minister Prakash Javadekar told Parliament about 285,000 buyers of electric/hybrid vehicles had been supported by a subsidy of Rs 360 crore under FAME. Sohinder Gill, director-general, Society of Manufacturers of Electric Vehicles (SMEV...

Italian motorcycle maker Benelli had earlier introduced the Benelli TRK 502 and 502X bikes in February 2019. The company revamped its Indian operations in partnership with the Mahavir Group. The Benelli TRK 502 range of motorcycles was the first to come from their stable. The Leoncino 500 is powered by the same engine as thoat in the TRK 502 and 502X bikes. The Benelli Leoncino 500 is powered by a 499.6cc, liquid-cooled, fuel-injected, twin-cylinder motor that develops 47.6hp at 8,500rpm and 45Nm of torque at 5,000rpm. While the Leoncino has been shown in three variants – the standard, Trail and Sport – India is initially only expected to get the standard variant. However, Benelli India has said that it will consider bringing the Trail variant to the country based on the feedback from the market. The Benelli TRK 502 and TRK 502X were perhaps the most affordable ADVS in the 500cc twin-cylinder mid-range segment. Benelli Leoncino 500's price is expected to be lower than...