As separation pangs hit the electric vehicle joint venture between Hero Group and Ultra Motors, the Delhi High Court has restrained the UK-based firm from selling competing electric two-wheelers for a period of 180 days starting April 23. Responding to a petition filed by Hero Cycles, which sought to restrain Ultra Motors India Ltd (UMIL) from selling electric vehicles and kits in India, a high court Bench restrained UMIL "from offering for sale or attempting to market any products defined in the agreement' for the period.

ALMOST without exception, scientists and policy makers agree that hybrid vehicles are good for the planet. To a small but insistent group of skeptics, however, there is another, more immediate question: Are hybrids healthy for drivers? There is a legitimate scientific reason for raising the issue. The flow of electrical current to the motor that moves a hybrid vehicle at low speeds (and assists the gasoline engine on the highway) produces magnetic fields, which some studies have associated with serious health matters, including a possible risk of leukemia among children.

India's electric car, the Reva, is all charged up to drive into the big league of the auto industry I turn the key in the ignition and

Rahimafrooz on Thursday announced introduction of Lucas Hybrid CNG and Spark Taxi CNG batteries made for CNG fuelled vehicles in Bangladesh. Yeamin Sharif Chowdhury, general manager of marketing, Jasim Uddin Sarker, national sales manager and Md Mokhlesur Rahman, marketing manger of Tyre of Rahimafrooz Distribu-tionLimited spoke at a press conference on the launching of the CNG batteries, held in the Dhaka city, said a press release.

The Delhi Cabinet on Thursday approved the signing of a memorandum of understanding with the Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage (INTACH) for declaring Delhi a "World Heritage City'. It also cleared a proposal to grant huge concessions on purchase of battery-operated vehicles in the city.

The Delhi Cabinet on Thursday approved the proposal to encourage the use of battery-operated vehicles in the city by reducing the rates of value-added tax (VAT) on them. The Cabinet also approve the signing of a memorandum of understanding with Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage for declaration of Delhi as a world heritage city. Speaking to the reporters, Delhi chief minister Sheila Dikshit stated that her government will allow the citizens to have access to a clean-fuelled vehicle to ensure improvement in the air quality of the city.

Not just high on hormones, this quartet is equally charged up about saving the environment with their e-cycle, finds Ankur Jain Is your ever-escalating fuel bill giving you a heartburn? Then this gang of four Amdavadi students may just have the right solution. An alternative that will not just lighter on your pocket but also healthy and eco-friendly to boot. Meet Thor, a battery-operated e-cycle designed by Standard XI science stream students of Ahmedabad's Eklavya school

Tata AutoComp GY Batteries (TGY), a 50:50 joint venture between Tata AutoComp Systems (Taco) and GS Yuasa International (GYIN) of Japan, is planning to set up separate production line for two-wheeler

This column was the first to mention that the compressed air powered engine was on its way to Tata Motors, for use in a small car, and now the Tatas have confirmed this in a separate news report. Obviously, it will not be the only engine of choice in the Tata Nano (or any other small motor vehicle being developed by them right now, either), but it will certainly be an option for city taxies and short-run small cargo vehicles. This should, with any luck, convince the armada of environmentalists and greens. And bring the subject of a small vehicle back to the core issue: increased mobility is good for the nation as well as the people. Whether they use public transport as the mainstay or not, is another issue. Which brings me to the next point

At a time when experts are struggling to find a solution to mitigate the perceived damage to the planet in the wake of climate change, Jawaharlal Nehru University here is trying to do its bit to save the environment. The authorities are discussing a proposal to start battery-operated buses for internal commuting on the sprawling campus.