Ford Bronco Goes Electric In China: 1,220 Km Range, 105 kWh Battery, And More
Ford Bronco New Energy: Specs
The Ford Bronco New Energy has been unveiled with a 105.4 kWh BYD battery offering up to 650km range for the all-electric iteration. Meanwhile, the plus in the hybrid or range extender version gets a 43.7 kWh battery pack that works together with a 1.5L petrol engine, delivering a total range of 1,220km.
Ford Bronco New Energy: Exterior
The Ford Bronco gets a bunch of exterior refreshment for a modern appeal. However, it also blends the classic Bronco style statement. Talking about the size, the Bronco New Energy is quite bigger than its ICE sibling and measures 5,025mm in length, 1,960mm in width, and 1,815mm in height, with a 2,950mm wheelbase.
Ford Bronco New Energy Exterior
The Bronco New Energy is largely based on the Bronco Sport, carrying the squared-off silhouette, tailgate-mounted spare wheel, a rugged lower cladding, and more.
While the details regarding the interior elements of the Ford Bronco New Energy are still under wraps, the lidar sensors suggest that the electric SUV will get upgraded ADAS features.
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Indian Express
11 hours ago
- Indian Express
Japan's big trade win with US on auto offers some cues for India, others
For India, the world's largest rice exporter, the recent US-Japan deal offers a somewhat cautionary tale on agri access in the context of its own negotiations with the Americans for a bilateral trade pact. At the same time, it is increasingly becoming clear that the Japanese negotiators managed to upstage their American counterparts by getting an immensely favourable deal on automobiles, even as they dangled the agri market access concessions offered by Japan and Tokyo's investment pledges as distraction the entire time. This could offer a template for others negotiating with the US for deals, including India. Under the US-Japan deal, which US President Donald Trump referred to as 'the biggest deal ever made', the Americans have agreed to impose 15 per cent reciprocal tariffs, compared to the 25 per cent the US had threatened earlier last week. While most of the focus of the US-Japan deal has been on how Washington DC managed to get market access for American agricultural products, including politically sensitive items such as rice, what the Japanese managed to wrangle out is the best possible deal for its auto sector in the given circumstances. According to the final deal, Japanese automakers would face a 15 per cent tariff now when entering the US market, much less than the global tariff on cars imposed by the US. The Big Three automakers in America – GM, Ford and Stellantis (essentially Chysler) – are now crying foul, because, as they see it, the Japanese now have a clear tariff advantage. After this deal, cars and car parts from Japan can get into the US after paying the 15 per cent tariff while American car makers, most of whom import a lot of cars and car parts fully assembled and manufactured in Canada and Mexico, are currently paying a 25 per cent tariff to import cars and parts into the US market from these two countries. For Japan, the country's automotive industry is a big contributor to its economy, representing about 10 per cent of the country's GDP and nearly 20 per cent of its manufacturing GDP. Automobiles are among Japan's biggest exports and the sector's performance is crucial for the country's overall economic health. And when it comes to Japan-US trade, where Tokyo has a substantial surplus, it is in the auto sector where Washington DC faces most of its trade deficit. The Japanese negotiators made some eight trips to Washington DC over the course of these last six months to get a deal that is favourable to them. While they did end up making a sizable commitment to investment in the US, alongside the concessions on the agri side involving rice and other farm products, the big prize really was auto. And that's where the Japanese negotiators have maxed out the outcomes, which could set the stage for more Toyotas and Hondas flowing into the American market. Interestingly, while the Americans have gone to town describing the deal as a big win, citing both the $550 billion investment pledge and agri market access as wins, the Japanese have maintained a studied silence in the aftermath of the deal, despite immense political pressure on the embattled Shigeru Ishiba government after the bruising electoral setback. Trump's tariff negotiations have largely been about leverage, given how the US President has used tariffs as a way of getting countries to the table on issues such as fentanyl inflows or how they deal with a military conflict. Revenue is yet another strong consideration for the Trump administration going forward, given that the six months that these tariffs have been in place, they have raised $100 billion so far, according to estimates attributed to the US Commerce department. The other stated objective is to bring manufacturing and jobs back to the US: how that plays out is entirely another story. What the Japan deal means goes beyond basic numbers, since there's a personal connotation here for Trump. For a man who is generally fickle with his views, tariffs are an issue where Trump's been uncharacteristically consistent. And Japan was at the centre of Trump's worldview in his early years when the American businessman was still formulating his views on policy matters such as trade. In 1987, long before he voiced any intention to run for public office, Trump took out a full-page newspaper ad warning that Japan was 'taking advantage' of the US, while pointing to the massive trade deficit between the two countries. Like most things with Trump, this was essentially a personal issue, which likely stemmed from the fact that the real estate developer had, just a few days prior to these ads, lost out on a bid for a grand piano in New York to the representative of a Japanese trading house. His views on tariffs have endured through these years, even though there is very little economic logic to the imposition of large scale tariffs by a country like America. Automakers from Japan, Trump said in that ad, were ripping America off. It's a full circle now, when, ironically, Japanese carmakers seem to be big beneficiaries under a new deal that Japan signed up for under Trump's watch. This is especially so, given the comparative advantage that the Japanese carmakers seem to have now. Over the last quarter of a century, the American cars industry has worked with policymakers to create an integrated supply chain with Canada and Mexico. Some parts of a car sold in the US are made in Canada, others in Mexico, and quite a lot are made in the US. A typical pickup truck made by the big three US auto majors – GM, Ford and Chrysler – moves back and forth across borders because of this integrated supply chain – sometimes up to seven times across the three borders. Now, with tariffs of 25 per cent on both countries, each time an auto part moves, it will get tariffed. The price for an F-150 pickup truck, according to industry estimates, could go up from $10,000-$12,000 for a car that retails at around $50,000. So, now, while the North American car industry will be at a disadvantage given the higher duties on Mexico and Canada, the Japanese car industry can bring in cars and car parts into the US at a much lower tariff. What's even more contradictory is the fact that it was Trump who replaced the North American Free Trade Agreement trade deal between the US, Canada, and Mexico with the new USMCA deal during his first term in 2018-19. Trump's imposition of tariffs on Canada and Mexico now flagrantly violate his own USMCA, and highlight his disregard for negotiated trade agreements. For New Delhi, which is currently engaged in extended negotiations with the US, the manner in which Japanese negotiators dangled multiple carrots, including the phased-out investment pledge and concessions on agri products, to win an evidently favourable deal on auto offers some lessons in negotiating. The India-UK trade deal too has some takeaways for the US deal. The UK deal showed that Indian negotiators are willing to offer concessions in areas such as agriculture and public procurement – contentious political issues where there is scope to give with factoring in some safeguards. With the US, talks have faced hurdles over agri products, with the Americans pushing for market access for genetically modified products such as soya and corn, along with broad-based access across sectors. The willingness to offer concessions on some issues that have traditionally heralded red-lines for India could mean more leeway to extract concessions on other areas of interest, like Japan managed for its auto sector. While the trade deal with the US is likely to be less focused on sectors and more focused on the headline number unlike the UK deal, India is likely to push for market access in labour-intensive sectors, while trying to ensure a significant tariff differential compared to its Asian peers. Now, if the final tariff deal offered to India by Washington DC is between 10 per cent and 15 per cent, the tariff points offered to the UK and Japan, New Delhi should have reasons to be satisfied. The tariff advantage starts to diminish if the tariff goes over 15 per cent and inches up closer to 20 per cent, as was offered by the US to Vietnam. A transhipment clause, of the kind slapped on Vietnam, could be a problem for India, given that a lot of Indian exports have inputs and intermediate goods in sectors such as pharma, engineering goods and electronics coming in from outside, including China. Also, clarity on the final American duty offer on China is a number that negotiators will be looking at, given the implicit assumption in New Delhi that the Trump administration will maintain a tariff differential. For Indian negotiators, other tariffs, over and above the US baseline tariffs of 10 per cent and the sectoral tariffs on steel and aluminium, is an added complication. Sectoral tariffs such as the 50 per cent on steel, aluminium and copper are already impacting India's exports to the US, and Trump's threat of steep tariffs on BRICS countries over them buying Russian oil is a concern. India has shown some degree of realism in opening up segments of imports that are in areas where the country has been weak or those goods are needed as intermediate goods. That is being seen as a positive step, given India's tariff structure currently has rigidities that include high tariffs on inputs and intermediate goods, which acts as a disadvantage to domestic players. While mobility of workers, which had been a bone of contention as India sought improved access for its services sector amid heightened sensitivities in a post-Brexit UK, both countries committed to some concessions. That could be the case in the negotiations with the US too. While continuing to maintain some regulatory carve-outs, such as in legal services, taxation, and national security, Indian negotiators would do well to secure gains in this area. With the UK, commitments gained by India on professional mobility were largely limited in scope, if one were to leave out the positives of the Double Contributions Convention. Expectations from a US deal could be higher on the Indian side. Anil Sasi is National Business Editor with the Indian Express and writes on business and finance issues. He has worked with The Hindu Business Line and Business Standard and is an alumnus of Delhi University. ... Read More
Hindustan Times
a day ago
- Hindustan Times
The global EV race and India's inflection point
Picture this: Yogesh, a cab driver circles the bustling area around the heart of New Delhi grappling with long queues at commercial charging stations. 'I manage to save ₹200 per day on fuel,' he says, 'but these savings are lost in search for readily available charging plugs. I could utilise this time to get another ride.' Delhi and India more broadly need structural policies that accelerate the transition to clean electric vehicles (EVs). (Shutterstock) With India standing at a pivotal juncture in its electric mobility revolution, having a target of 30% electric vehicle (EV) adoption by 2030 for cars, the nation needs over three million charging stations, a staggering leap from today's ~ 26,000 public chargers. This EV-to-chargers gap isn't merely infrastructural; it's a barrier to mass adoption. McKinsey's survey reveals that 29% of global EV owners consider reverting to ICE vehicles due to charging anxiety, with inadequate infrastructure as their top concern. The question is, 'What should India do in order to close this gap?' The answer is simple, look globally. Why? Because reinventing the wheel is costly and time consuming. Inspiration emerges from a very unexpected quarter: The global playbook. Let me explain. The current charger-to-EV ratio is 1:6 in Norway and around 1:20 in China as opposed to India's 1:135. Norway's 95% EV penetration, China's 1.2 million public chargers, and the European Union's (EU) highway charging revolution offers India not models to mimic, but lessons to adapt. And for India, this can pave the way for a strategic acceleration to its EV goals. Policy as a catalyst for EV adoption growth: Norway's tax incentive model: India is a large country with a large population. For something to take effect nationally, policies should be designed for long term impact. Let's take the example of Norway's brutal tax reengineering which included offering cut-throat tax incentives such as zero VAT or import duties on EVs. The Norwegian government also slashed registration taxes and road tolls for EVs while imposing carbon taxes on internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicles. The result? 95% of new cars sold today are electric. Norway built 18,000 chargers, not through subsidies alone, but by creating a market where EVs became economically rational. With these models, their government also communicated its clarity of vision, i.e., a complete ICE ban by the end of 2025, signalling long-term market certainty (as opposed to things such as Hybrid vs EV conundrum in India). The Netherlands went one step further, requiring EV-ready wiring in new buildings and charging points in structures with 20+ parking spaces. The EU's regulatory compulsion: The EU mandated interoperability via Alternative Fuel Infrastructure Regulation (AFIR) focusing on standardising and expanding EV charging infrastructure across Europe. Their Open Charge Point Protocol (OCPP) is also a widely adopted standard for communication between charging stations and charging station management systems. These regulations allow end consumers to use any charging infrastructure with one account. Taking cues from the Norwegians, the Dutch and the EI, India can rejig its EV policies. We can consider reducing GST on public charging, expand PM E-drive scheme to private installations as well, like Netherlands or provide incentives for green plates, such as toll-free highways or reduced road taxes for EVs nationwide. Another idea is to create a unified EV infrastructure body to standardise policy and put an end to fragmentation across different states. We also need to ensure seamless connectivity and interoperability across all chargers by pushing for a standardized protocol. While OCPP is already widely recognised in the industry, ensuring its consistent implementation across all charging points will enable seamless connectivity, enhance user convenience, and accelerate broader EV adoption through true interoperability. Infrastructure deployment through strategic expansion frameworks: With more than ~13,000 public chargers, Amsterdam made sure that there was no resident who was more than 500m away from an EV charger. The city has saturated supermarkets, transit hubs, apartments and other strategic locations across different neighbourhoods with EV charging stations. Similarly, in California, EVPassport is deploying over 400 charging stations at Viejas Casino & Resort in Alpine, focusing on high-density urban charging making it one of the largest deployments in North America. With the EU mandating fast-charging stations with a minimum capacity of 400 kW for cars and vans, and 600 kW for heavy-duty vehicles, to be installed along major highways. Germany has already installed chargers every 50-60km along its autobahns. China has installed over a million public chargers, of which most are in tier 2 and 3 cities across the country. Globally, more than two-thirds of the growth in public charging has been seen in China since 2020. The country was responsible in the deployment of fast charging amounting to 80% of the global deployments, increasing its total fast chargers to 1.6 million in 2024. EV adoption in India greatly hinges on confidence in the EV charging ecosystem and when it comes to building trust – seeing is believing. India should focus on establishing a dense network of charging infrastructure in and around the urban hotspots. We should begin by targeting key locations—metro stations, public parks, shopping malls, government offices, and highways—through strategic municipal partnerships, ensuring accessibility and convenience for all users The idea is to create high density urban charging zones. The government can consider requiring 10-20% EV-ready parking spaces in new apartments and societies. It can also explore utilising NHAI land banks to install solar-powered charging oases equipped with Battery Energy Storage Systems (BESS). BESS is critical to help reduce grid load as it helps store electricity during off-peak hours or from renewable sources (solar, wind) and supply it during peak demand. Through deliberate policy initiatives and detailed roadmap there is always an option to convert more than 20,000 PSU-run petrol pumps into dual-fuel hubs. Cochin Airport, for instance, has a 100% solar-powered charging hub. The CIAL now has a total installed solar capacity of 50 MW. Technology and innovation: Facing Arctic winters and grid strain, Norway deployed AI-enabled load management to shift charging to off-peak hours since heating demands during peak hours put strain on the grids. This strategy slashed their grid upgrade costs by 90% and allowed them to avoid substantial infrastructure investments. The OCPP mandate compliance further ended compatibility concerns. Netherland's wind-powered solution and user-centric design: Netherlands has made significant strides in leveraging renewable energy, including wind power, to power its public charging infrastructure. With over 66,000 chargers, there is no doubt that the country has utilised its limited landmass to create a dense, reliable charging infrastructure. At the same time, people in Netherlands use one interface across more than three lakh chargers for charging and making payments. Interestingly, the Germans are testing induction charging along its A6 motorway in Bavaria, which will potentially allow electric vehicles to charge inductively while driving at certain stretches. India can target similar models along the newly built Delhi-Dehradun, Delhi-Mumbai, Bangalore-Chennai Expressways and other similar high-speed corridors. India stands at an inflection point. Technology innovation can be India's route to leapfrogging to global leadership in India. We can learn a few crucial lessons from other countries to build a resilient EV charging network. First, while many chargers are designed for India's extreme weather—heat, rain, humidity, dust, and snow—this level of resilience must be standard across the country. Enforcing strict product certification and safety standards will ensure all chargers are consistently durable, reliable, and built to last, no matter where they're installed. Second, India could benefit from wider use of smart chargers that manage electricity based on real-time availability. By adjusting power use as needed, these chargers help avoid overloading the grid and ensure energy is used more efficiently. Third, India should adopt innovative solutions like solar power and battery storage (BESS) at charging stations to build a smarter energy model. This not only ensures reliable power and reduces strain on the grid, but also helps make EV charging sustainable from the ground up. Last but not the least, we need to build 'intelligent' chargers. Use of AI and predictive analytics, for example can substantially boost performance and reliability of the charging ecosystem. By focusing on these priorities, India can develop a robust, efficient, and future-ready EV charging ecosystem tailored to its unique environment. India can become a potential leader by combining global insights with local innovation. For that, we need strategic yet actionable measures for India to leapfrog others in times to come. A lot of conventional ideas are already hidden in plain sight which we need to look around and try to find from the global playbook. And then there are some non-conventional ideas such as: India is a country of yatras and road-trips. Be it the Char-Dham, Puri, Dwarka, Golden Temple, Shirdi, Kashi, Tirupati or many others, can be converted into EV Yatra with the access routes to these places having high density of EV chargers, effective for travellers as well as locals alike. Indian highways are full of dhabas. We can partner with dhaba owners on a commission-sharing model, converting select spaces in their parking lot as EV charging. This approach not only improves access to charging along highways but also creates local employment opportunities through MSMEs and deployment of local charging stations. This has the potential to cover 100% national highways within 2-3 years, where people can charge their cars during a pitstop. India's edge lies in convergence; 599 highways totalling 1,50,000+ km, 500 GW renewable capacity by 2030, UPI's eight billion+ monthly transactions, and demographic scale. Yogesh's struggle should give way to ease and efficiency in EV charging. By 2030, his hunt for chargers must transform into a 5-minute pit stop. The global playbook offers the tools; India's ingenuity must now rewrite the rules. Norway built the world's most advanced network by making chargers ubiquitous. India can surpass them by making them smarter, greener, and accessible to all. The global playbook is written. Now, we rewrite it – for India, and for the world. This article is authored by Anant Nahata, CEO, Exicom.
NDTV
2 days ago
- NDTV
US-Based Women-Only App 'Tea' Hacked, 72,000 Pictures Leaked Online
An American app that lets women share "red flags" or feedback about men they have dated called "Tea" confirmed Friday that hackers had accessed some 72,000 images including user IDs. A preliminary investigation indicated hackers early Friday accessed a "legacy" storage system holding images uploaded by users who signed up before February of last year, a Tea spokeswoman told AFP. Stolen pictures included some 13,000 selfies or images featuring photo identification submitted to verify Tea accounts, according to the spokeswoman. The rest of the pictures were from posts, comments or messages publicly viewable in the app, the company said. No email address or phone number data was accessed, according to Tea. Tea's website boasts a "sisterhood" of more than 1.6 million women who can share dating advice and experiences anonymously on the platform. The app has attracted interest and triggered controversy with its promise to help women avoid problematic men and get intel on dating prospects. Critics point out privacy risks of date reviews that include photos and names, while fans tout the potential for women to avoid manipulative, dishonest, or violent encounters. Tea became the top free app in the Lifestyle category in Apple's App Store this week after it went viral on social media. Copies of ID card photos swiped from Tea were posted Friday on 4Chan, an online forum known for "incel" culture and rampant misinformation, according to screenshots shared on Reddit and other sites. The security breach, involving images of IDs like driver licenses, exposes victims to the risk of stalking or identity theft, according to Trey Ford, head of security at cybersecurity company Bugcrowd. "Connecting usernames to actual legal names and home addresses exposes these women to a variety of concerns," Ford told AFP. "Identity theft is only the tip of this iceberg."
