News round-up (06/04/15)

With news on; Tesla Model 3 announced; Gasmet acquisition, and; India’s electric vehicle ambition.

Tesla launches affordable, low emission ‘Model 3’

Car manufacturer Tesla has unveiled its lower-cost electric car, named the Model 3, at a launch event in Los Angeles last week (March 31).

Tesla anticipates that the Model 3 will be in production by late 2017

The vehicle is expected to cost close to $35,000 (£24,725) and have a range of at least 215 miles per charge, have seating for five adults and travel from zero to 60 miles per hour in under six seconds.

The company has begun taking reservations for the vehicles from consumers, which are scheduled to begin production in late 2017. Drivers wishing to secure a Model 3 have had to pay a £1,000 deposit to add their name to the waiting list.

In a statement, the company said: “When production begins, we will begin deliveries in North America starting on the West Coast, moving east. As we continue to ramp production, we will begin deliveries in Europe, APAC and right-hand drive markets.

“It is not possible to ship to all regions simultaneously because regulators in each part of the world have slightly different production requirements. Staggering deliveries in this way also allows us to provide the best possible customer experience.”

Gasmet in Quantitech acquisition

Finnish gas monitoring equipment firm Gasmet Technologies Oy has announced the acquisition of Quantitech Limited, based in Milton Keynes.

Gasmet’s products are employed globally in regulatory monitoring, process control and environmental safety applications, and Quantitech has been its sales and service partner in the UK and Ireland since 1995.

Commenting on the acquisition, Mikko Ahro, chief executive of Gasmet Technologies Oy, said: “Quantitech has an excellent reputation and has established a comprehensive customer base, and with the retirement of the current owner, this acquisition is designed to secure the long-term future of the business and to exploit the growth opportunities that we see in the UK market.”

Following the acquisition, Quantitech will remain at its Milton Keynes location, trading under the same name and continuing to supply the same range of products.

Looking forward, Mr Ahro said: “We believe there are significant growth opportunities for FTIR analyzers in the UK, so it is our intention to strengthen the resources at Quantitech to further improve the experience and expertise that drive the company’s high levels of customer support.”

India sets out electric vehicle ambition

India is aiming to maximise electric vehicle usage amongst its 1.2 billion population by 2030, in a ‘self-financing program’, power minister Piyush Goyal has said.

India is looking to increase the number of electric vehicles on the road

According to The Times of India, power minister Piyush Goyal — speaking at a youth conference last week — said: “We don’t need one rupee of support from the government. We don’t need one rupee of investment from the people of India.”

Mr Goyal commented that a small group of politicians will meet in early April to discuss the details of the goal which may include incentives to buy electric cars by making them zero-down investments.

Just 6% of households in India reportedly own a car but numbers are expected to grow as the economy expands. Last October, the country promised to obtain 40% of its electricity from renewable sources by 2030 and in a bid to fight air pollution and traffic congestion, India has recently levied a 4% green tax on new passenger vehicle sales.