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Bashir Ahmad sold his wife’s gold jewelry to buy an electric three-wheeler that would revolutionize his apple business in Kashmir. Until winter arrived and killed it.
On a freezing morning, he pressed the ignition button once, twice — nothing. The Chinese vehicle’s battery had lost 60% of its charge overnight in minus-five-degree Celsius (23 degrees Fahrenheit) weather, leaving tons of fruit stranded and customers impatient.
Ahmad found a diesel truck to transport his apples to…
