ITV

Tag: Vikas Singh

  • Ampere Nexus becomes first EV to conquer Shipki La Pass, (13,200ft)

    Ampere Nexus becomes first EV to conquer Shipki La Pass, (13,200ft)

    MUMBAI: Ampere Nexus, the electric 2-wheeler from the house of Greaves Electric Mobility, has made history by becoming the first-ever electric scooter to reach the Shipki La Pass at an altitude of 13,200 ft, riding to just 200 metres from the LOC. This Independence ride, undertaken to promote the Border Tourism Initiative of the Indian Army led by Tripeak Brigade under the aegis of Surya Command, also proves that India’s EV revolution can thrive from urban roads to the nation’s most remote and challenging terrains.

    Flagged off from Chandigarh on 9 August 2025, the Shipki La Pass expedition was a three-day journey and a feat achieved by two Ampere Nexus scooters. Covering over 425 km of winding mountain roads, steep gradients, and diverse terrains – the journey covered Shimla, Reckong Peo and Pooh, passing through the Kinnaur Valley before the final climb to Shipki La Pass.

    Since its launch in 2024 — marked by the Kashmir-to-Kanyakumari ride — the Ampere Nexus has been achieving records due to its endurance, performance, and adaptability. From traversing the length of the nation to now conquering one of its highest and most formidable passes, the Nexus continues to prove it is Engineered to Outperform, Outlast, and Outshine in every environment.

    On arrival at the Shipki La Pass, the Ampere Nexus riders and the team were welcomed by Indian Army jawans, who then participated in the flag-hoisting ceremony to celebrate India’s 79th Independence Day. This served as a powerful moment that fused national pride, technological progress, and environmental commitment.

    The achievement was also formally recognised with a certificate from the India Book of Records stating, “First Electric 2-Wheeler to Reach Shipki La Pass – The record for the First Electric 2-Wheeler to reach Shipki La Pass was set by Ampere Nexus, supporting the Indian Army’s border tourism initiative. The ride started from Chandigarh on August 9, 2025, and concluded on 12 August at Shipki La Pass (13,200 ft). This expedition showcased the endurance and performance of the EV scooter, highlighting its ease of charging, empowering it to drive to the very edge of our map, as confirmed on 12 August 2025”

    Greaves Electric Mobility managing director Vikas Singh said, “From conquering Kashmir-to-Kanyakumari to now scaling one of the nation’s highest and most challenging passes, the Ampere Nexus has consistently proven what it was designed for — to Outperform, Outlast, and Outshine. This Shipki La achievement is far more than a record — it’s proof that India’s EV technology is ready to go the distance, from the heart of our cities to the very edge of our borders. Amplifying the Indian Army’s Border Tourism initiative makes this feat even more meaningful. As the country celebrates the 79th Independence Day, the Ampere Nexus aims to stand as a symbol of innovation, resilience, and the unstoppable spirit of a new, electrified India.”

    This feat is part of Greaves Electric Mobility’s larger purpose- to democratise smart, sustainable mobility in the country. The journey demonstrates that electric mobility is no longer confined to cities; with the Ampere Nexus’s reliable performance, adaptable design, and ease of charging, it can reach even India’s farthest frontiers, making clean mobility accessible to all.

    Expedition film will be released on 15 August on Ampere social handles: Youtube and Instagram

  • Greaves Electric Mobility shifts gears with Vikas Singh as new managing director

    Greaves Electric Mobility shifts gears with Vikas Singh as new managing director

    MUMBAI: Greaves Electric Mobility Ltd (GEML), the EV arm of Greaves Cotton, has plugged in fresh leadership with the appointment of Vikas Singh as its new managing director, effective 2 June. He takes the wheel just as India’s EV market hits the fast lane.

    With a career that cuts across India’s most dynamic consumer sectors and a knack for navigating regulated terrain, Singh is expected to inject agility and momentum into GEML’s next growth sprint. He steps in to lead the current management team, tasked with scaling up the company’s vision of making smart, sustainable mobility accessible to every Indian.

    An alumnus of FMS, University of Delhi, Singh has held senior roles across Indian and global firms, bringing with him a playbook of transformation, growth, and grit.

    “In line with our long-term strategic vision and continued focus on strengthening leadership for  future growth, the Board of Greaves Electric Mobility Ltd has approved the appointment of  Mr. Vikas Singh as managing director, effective June 2, 2025,” Greaves Electric Mobility Ltd.

    The move signals GEML’s deepening commitment to democratising e-mobility — a sector now charged with innovation, policy tailwinds and rising mass appeal. With Singh at the helm, Greaves is clearly betting on experience meeting acceleration.
     

  • News channels focus on graphics on D-day

    News channels focus on graphics on D-day

    MUMBAI: At a time when presentation matters as much as content if not more, news channels are leaving no stone unturned to better package their coverage of the elections, ahead of counting day on 16 May. According to insiders, channels are investing close to Rs 1 crore to Rs 1.5 crore in graphics and technology depending on their own internal resources.

     

    “There are two parts to it: pre-counting day and counting day. In the former, you have to effectively cover all constituencies and make people understand while in the latter, the emphasis is on graphics as well as synergy between getting the information and putting it out instantly,” says NDTV CTO Dinesh Singh. Simply put, maximum energy goes into ensuring that data is collected from multiple sources and punched in quickly to be flashed on your TV screens. More precisely, revamping studio sets, making graphics more elegant, and inflating backend support in terms of OB vans, cameras and servers are all part of this exercise.

     

    “Satellites, lease lines or 3G supported systems are used to send pictures and videos from the ground to the studio while historical data is put on air through graphics. This can be done either virtually on a green screen or in a real set with virtual graphics,” says Live India head of technical operations Johnjit Singh Ahluwalia. A case in point is Times Now where one can see editor-in-chief Arnab Goswami, belting out statistics in his swanky new studio with the graphics playing out in front of him. CNN-IBN, on the other hand, has tied up with Microsoft for presenting historical data of more than 60 years.

     

    Speaking of ABP News, the channel put in six months of effort to hire OB vans and extra manpower along with backpack units for larger coverage. New shows have been set up with multi camera facility, apart from extra microphones, cables, connectors and servers. Various mechanisms such as OB vans, leased lines, FTPS and back pack units like Live U and TVU that work on 2G/3G/4G and are equipped with a variety of data cards are used to receive data at the office. “We also focus on error-free transmission and so far, have achieved it. High end studio cameras are hired with a triax setup for outdoor shoots,” says MCCS marketing manager Vikas Singh.

     

    Network 18 has roped in AC Nielsen as the agency to handle raw counting day data. Planning was done eight months in advance, keeping in mind the pre-polling stage, the polling period, post-polls, counting day, and the results. “Technology plays a key role in the elections. From programmers to data analysts to statisticians, every specialist plays a key role. But more than playing an individual key role, I think the ability to maximise the relevance of technology and to be able to bring all of them together for a common deliverable is the key for in depth elections coverage,” says CNN-IBN and IBN7 managing editor Vinay Tewari.

     

    NDTV, with a developer team of 21 engineers and around 40 people in the graphics department, started preparations around three months in advance. “Earlier, counting used to be for three days and now, it starts in the morning and ends in the afternoon so the on-screen graphics need to be attractive and studio swanky,” says Dinesh Singh.

     

    ABP News has divided itself into teams of eight to 10 for production, camera editing, satcom, working for programmes etc. that report to line managers, who in turn report to the main head. Ahluwalia agrees about the importance of technology in election. “These are crucial five or six hours within which you either swim or sink. Most of the investment goes in the actual coverage from the ground and then on the presentation of that data. With little resource, give high quality,” he says.

     

    The crux of the election is to ensure that you have a good backup for everything in case anything goes wrong. “At various locations, we have a back up like another OB van or a Live U unit, stand-by cables, camera etc. in case of any equipment failure. We had contemplated each and every aspect of technical failure and have been thus able to avoid that. Equipment redundancies are built at various levels of production and post production, including the programme transmission,” says Vikas Singh. Ahluwalia says that most news broadcasters have seen at least one election that redundancies are built into the system with complimenting hardware, servers and machines to give seamless on-air transmission.

     

    With less than a day to go for counting, channels are all set to turn up some serious heat with not just the information but also the graphics. So, prepare to sit back and enjoy the game…

  • ‘Sahi Rajneetik Rai Banane Ke Liye Dekhiye Sirf ABP News’

    ‘Sahi Rajneetik Rai Banane Ke Liye Dekhiye Sirf ABP News’

    MUMBAI: Among a sea of news channels gearing up for the impending elections is one that aims to gauge the mood of the electorate and help form political opinion rather than simply airing election news and analyses.

    We’re talking of the Hindi news channel, ABP News, which has not only come up with a slew of shows ahead of the polls but has also undertaken a massive marketing campaign to promote these programmes called “Aap Apni Rajneetik Rai Kahan Banate Hain?” (Where do you form your political opinion?)  

    Significantly, the campaign tries to get viewers to switch to ABP News to form the ‘correct political opinion’ by telling them, “Sahi Rajneetik Rai Banane Ke Liye Dekhiye Sirf ABP News” (To make a correct political opinion watch ABP News).

    Promos have been running since 2 April on major crowd-pulling channels such as Star Plus, Colors, Sony Entertainment Television, Life OK, Sony Max, Star Gold, Movies OK, &Pictures and UTV Action during both primetime and non primetime.                                                            

    The outdoor campaign encompassing bus stands, collectors’ offices, toll booths and city entry points has just begun and is focussed on Delhi and 75 cities in Uttar Pradesh (UP) including Lucknow, Allahabad, Dehradun, Varanasi and Meerut among others. UP is the focus of the campaign because in the Hindi heartland, people discuss politics even at the local chai stall. The creative for the outdoor focuses on the youth but is targeted at all age groups.

    The radio campaign has a similar regional focus with spots on Radio City, Fever, Red FM, Oye, Big FM and Radio Mantra while the digital campaign is focussed on high-traffic websites. On-ground activities are expected in the coming weeks. The entire campaign will go on for a month till 2 May. Sources peg the cost of the campaign at nearly Rs 8 to Rs 10 crore. Lowe Lintas is the creative agency behind the campaign, Mindshare is the media agency and Milestone is the OOH agency.

    According to MCCS marketing manager Vikas Singh, “The news genre viewership expands during election. Usually it is six per cent of the universe, and we expect it to grow to nine to ten per cent this time. Politics is a national pastime and everyone has a point of view. Our campaign urges them to watch ABP News to make the right choice.”

    Coming to the shows themselves, the launch of ABP News’ flagship show Pradhanmantri last year was a sort of build-up to the election this year. The other show that concluded just recently was 7 RCR, which discussed the election outcome. 

    Pradhanmatri was anchored by Shekhar Kapoor while 7 RCR was hosted by author Chetan Bhagat.  

    Another show, Ghoshnapatra, anchored by Kishore Ajwani, has top political leaders grilled by a panel of experts and guests about their future plans, if elected to power.

    Other shows launched not very long ago include Newsroom Mein Netaji, Ground Zero Se Dibang presented by Dibang and the ABP-Nielsen poll which is conducted on a regular basis to gauge the mood of the electorate.

    ABP group editor, Shazi Zaman, says, “Our effort is to introduce formats that help us communicate in an effective and meaningful manner.” In addition, over a hundred neighbourhood debates called ‘nukkar bahas’ have captured the mood of the electorate at the people’s doorstep. Also, ABP News’ primetime show, ABP Live, at 9 pm, now consists of election debates.

    “Our effort is to capture the inclination of the electorate through on-ground and studio debates, digital interactivity and large-scale opinion polls. Complementing this is our effort to report and analyse the views and strategy of parties and leaders across the political spectrum,” says Zaman. Abhisar Sharma anchors ground debates and special shows while Sumeirra Khan and Neha Pant anchor debate shows.

     ABP News is betting big on election viewership, putting aside a considerable chunk of its annual marketing plan for promotion. The scale of the marketing plan is one of the biggest in the news genre. At the same time, the channel has come out with a good number of shows to engage viewers during the most crucial battle of the eyeballs that happens once in five years.