Indian Ecommerce: Amazon Increases Its Kirana Bet, Introduces Digital Storefronts

#hyperlocal #delivery #hyperlocaldelivery #ecommerce #kirana #grocery #localstores

Global ecommerce giant Amazon has been trying hard to create a mark in India’s unorganised retail market despite continued war-cries from retailers for vying the market share. In the latest attempt, Amazon has launched Smart Stores.

Under this, the company is providing physical stores with software to maintain a digital log of the inventory they have in the shop and supplying them with a QR code. The company claims that more than 10K shops, ranging from mom and pop stores to big retail chains, including Big Bazaar, MedPlus and More Supermarkets, have deployed the company’s system.

The Smart Store feature allows a local shop to display its products on the Amazon app, allowing users to discover products, read reviews, evaluate offers while in the store or from anywhere using the app. After selecting the products they wish to buy their checkout with Amazon Pay, they can avail the option of UPI, balance, credit or debit cards.

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Amazon Increases Its Kirana Bet, Introduces Digital Storefronts

Global ecommerce giant Amazon has been trying hard to create a mark in India's unorganised retail market despite continued war-cries from retailers for vying the market share. In the latest attempt, Amazon has launched Smart Stores.

1000 Km Range, 30% Cheaper: Bengaluru Firm, Log 9 Materials, Overhauls Charging Tech for Electric Cars!

#ev #batterytechnology #technology #electricvehicles #afc #aluminiumfuelcell

#vocalforlocal #vocalforlocalindia

The electric vehicle segment in India has indeed come a long way, with limitations of mass adoption. As per data compiled by Bloomberg, a little over 8,000 EVs were sold locally in the past six years, while India currently imports almost all of its lithium ion batteries that predominantly power these vehicles.

According to an analysis by BloombergNEF, in early 2019 there were 316 gigawatt-hours (GWh) of global lithium cell manufacturing capacity. China is home to 73% of this capacity, followed by the U.S., far behind in second place with 12% of global capacity. In order to avoid our dependence on China for these batteries, we have to encourage alternative battery technology.

In this direction, a Bengaluru-based nanotechnology company specialising in Graphene called Log 9 Materials, founded by Akshay Singhal along with his father in 2015 , have developed their own brand of aluminium fuel cells (AFCs) that offer five times the range than an average lithium ion battery can offer, costs 30 per cent cheaper, is easier to use and doesn’t require the hassle of constantly recharging it.

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1000 Km Range, 30% Cheaper: B'luru Firm Overhauls Charging Tech for Electric Cars!

Better than Lithium Ion batteries, this innovation runs on water, air, aluminum and graphene. #DriveGreen #ElectricVehicles The electric vehicle segment in India has indeed come a long way. However, there remains limitations when it comes to mass adoption.

Startup Technology: Walkcar, a Portable vehicle that looks like a laptop with wheels

#mobility #electricmobility #micromobility #smartcities

Micro-mobility devices present an environmentally friendly and traffic-free means of commuting in urban centers. Little wonder they are becoming more popular in this age. Unfortunately, portability has been a significant drawback of the standard micro-mobility options.

The people that need them the most also need to get on buses or trains to get to their destination. However, most of the available devices are either impossible to carry along or too bulky to carry conveniently. COCOA MOTORS. Inc. hope to solve this problem with the Walkcar, a commuting device that’s just about the size of your laptop.

Walkcar is currently priced at around $1,800 excluding tax. This price looks pretty steep, especially when you consider the fact that there are more powerful electric scooters or skateboards in the same price range. However, portability is the major selling point of Walkcar, and there’s hardly any as portable. For now, the device is only available in Asia, but COCOA MOTORS. Inc. hope to scale to other continents soon.

A short video on Wlakcar

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Walkcar: Portable vehicle that looks like a laptop with wheels

Micro-mobility devices present an environmentally friendly and traffic-free means of commuting in urban centers. Little wonder they are becoming more popular in this age. Unfortunately, portability has been a significant drawback of the standard micro-mobility options. The people that need them the most also need to get on buses or trains to get to their destination.

Covid Research: IIT Delhi, National Chemical Laboratory working on home-based testing kits for COVID-19

#covid19 #covidtesting #iit #iitdelhi #ncl #testingkit

Home-based COVID-19 testing kits could soon be a reality with the Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi and the National Chemical Laboratory (NCL) Pune working on an alternative testing method which can not only be performed by individuals at home but will also deliver quick results.

The collaborative project with the NCL, which comes under the aegis of the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), has also received financial support from Microsoft India and is expected to be ready in a month's time.

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IIT Delhi, National Chemical Laboratory working on home-based testing kits for COVID-19

Home-based COVID-19 testing kits could soon be a reality with the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Delhi and the National Chemical Laboratory (NCL) Pune working on an alternative testing method which can not only be performed by individuals at home but will also deliver quick results.