THE FUTURE IS IN THE INDIAN THE AIR ACES CURTAIN RAISER ...€¦ · Dr. Manish Jaiswal Member Mr. Sirish Batchu Member Mr. N. S. Rao Member Dr. Shankar Venugopal Member Mr. Nitin

ENGLISH QUARTERLY

Vol : 6 Issue : 3 July - September 2019 Free Distribution

THE FUTURE IS IN THE AIR

THE INDIAN ACES

CURTAIN RAISER: iTEC INDIA 2019

MOBILITY ENGINEERING SEPTEMBER 2019 1

CONTENTS

10 Cover Story - The Future is in the Air

33 The Indian ACES

Features

CoverUbiquitous Flying: How to get more people to fly more places more often.

37 Apollo Tyres’ Design Studio

50 BusWorld Central Asia 2019

ENGLISH QUARTERLY

Vol : 6 Issue : 3 July - September 2019 Free Distribution

THE FUTURE IS IN THE AIR

THE INDIAN ACES

CURTAIN RAISER: iTEC INDIA 2019

MOBILITY ENGINEERING2 SEPTEMBER 2019

CONTENTS

© SAEINDIA reserves all rights .

No part of this publication and/or website may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form without prior written permission of the Publisher. Permission is only deemed valid if approval is in writing. SAEINDIA buys all rights to contributions, text and images, unless previously agreed to in writing. In case of Address / addressee not found return to SAEINDIA, No 1/17, Ceebros Arcade, 3rd Cross, Kasturba Nagar, Chennai -600 020. Telefax: 91-44-2441-1904, Phone: 91-44-4215 2280.

SALES & MARKETINGK. Venkataraj, SAEINDIANo.1/17, Ceebros Arcade, 3rd Cross, Kasturba Nagar, Adyar, Chennai - 600020, India(T) 91-44-24411904, (E) [email protected]

Departments 3 Editorial

4 SAEINDIA News 4 TTTMS Symposium

5 PDP Programme

6 Workshop

7 Seminar

8 Aero Design

19 Tech Trends

21 Curtain Raiser - iTEC

24 Technology News 24 Bearing a load

26 How to ensure seafty

27 Locational intelligence

40 Technology Report

61 Interviews 6 1 S.S. Kim - Hyundai Motors India Ltd

62 Suresh Chettiar - Volvo Buses

63 Paul Mascarenas - SAE International

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MOBILITY ENGINEERING 3 SEPTEMBER 2019 3

EDITORIAL

SAEINDIA BOARD OF DIRECTORSDr. Bala K. Bharadvaj President

Dr. R. K. Malhotra Immediate Past President

Mrs. Rashmi Urdhwareshe Senior Vice President

Mr. I. V. Rao Vice President

Mr. Deepak Sawkar Secretary

Mr. S. Sriraman Treasurer

Dr. Arunkumar SampathMember

Mr. N. BalasubramanianMember

Mr. Dinesh ShyamsundarMember

Mr. Munirathnam JavajiMember

Dr. D. MuruganandamMember

Ms. Pamela TikkuMember

Prof. Prakash B JoshiMember

Mr. Prakash SardesaiMember

Mr. Purushottam PandaMember

Dr. SSV RamakumarMember

Dr. R. RajendranMember

Mr. S. ShanmugamMember

Dr. K. C. VoraMember

Mr. Subodh MoryeMember

Mr. R. VelusamyMember

Representing SAE InternationalDr. David. L. SchuttChief Executive Officer Mr.Murli M. IyerExecutive Global Advisor, Global Affairs Office of the Chief Executive Officer

Presented by SAEINDIA Branding and Communication BoardDr. Arunkumar SampathChair

Dr. Manish JaiswalMember

Mr. Sirish BatchuMember

Mr. N. S. RaoMember

Dr. Shankar VenugopalMember

Mr. Nitin B. DhandeMember

Mr. Subodh MoryeMember

Mr. Nitin AgrawalMember

Mr. U.D. Bhangale Member

Dr.Satyanarayanan R ChakravarthyMember

Dr.G.M. KamathMember

It was an excellent quarter for SAEINDIA. Our Mobility Professional Development board has launched a few deep-dive Professional Development Programs in the last three months.

We are on the threshold of the third edition of iTEC India 2019 which will be held from December 17 to 19 at Sheraton Grand, Bangalore, a conference focusing on electrification. This year’s theme is ‘e-Mobility for Community.’ For the first time, iTEC 2019 India will be hosting a Hackathon which focuses on six problem statements that encompass the critical areas of e-Mobility in India.

From this issue onwards, we are starting a new column series, written by Dr. Shankar Venugopal, Vice President, Mahindra & Mahindra and Dean, Mahindra Technical Academy. He will highlight the latest trends in automotive technology.

Our Cover Story in this issue is a well-researched article – The Future is in the Air by Prof. Satya R. Chakravarthy, IIT Madras. He looks into the future of air mobility and how it can ease transportation while providing a viable and alternate mode of travel, to congested roadways.

We have a triple whammy in our Interview pages – S S Kim, MD, Hyundai Motors, Suresh Chettiar, Business Head, Volvo Buses and Paul Mascarenes, 2019 President, SAE International. They give personal views on the future of e-Mobility in the Indian landscape.

We invite you to our Annual General Meeting scheduled on September 20, 2019, Friday at IITM Research Park, Chennai. 2018-19 was one of the most productive years for SAEINDIA. We have achieved Rs. 16.68 Crores of (USD 2.316 million) Income with Rs. 2.23 Cr (USD 310K) of surplus. SAEINDIA has supported our sections to the tune of Rs. 1.83 Cr in (USD 255K) 2018-19, in terms of Section Subsidy, Membership Share and Share from Conference revenue. We like to place our sincere thanks & gratitude to entire FISITA 2018 World Automotive Congress team (OC / SC and all other committees) for their contribution in taking SAEINDIA into the world scene in general and surplus in particular. It would not have been possible to achieve such a good balance sheet without their selfless efforts and contribution.

The audited balance sheet of the society will be posted to members before AGM. It will also be available on our website.

NuGEN Summit in Delhi, AOSEC in Bangalore, ADMSS in Chennai and many other critical technical conferences are in line for you in the next three months. A World In Motion, (AWIM) National Olympics is also around the corner in Chennai.

K. Venkataraj EDITOR


SAEINDIA News

SAEINDIA Northern Section (SAEINS) organized the “Think-Tank for Thermal Management Systems (TTTMS) Symposium and Exhibition – 2019” on 2nd & 3rd May 2019 at Marriott Resort and Spa, Jaisalmer. The event was inaugu-rated by Chief Guest Mr. Balraj Bhanot, Independent Consultant and Automobile Homologation Expert, who emphasized the need and importance of evolution of poli-cies and test methodologies for energy efficient and envi-ronmental friendly thermal management systems in exis-tence today and develop appropriate standards for imple-mentation.

The Symposium had many technical sessions as highlight-ed below:

• Real Drive Emission (RDE) standards with back ground, testing methodologies and implementation challenges by Mr. Vikas Sadan of ICAT.

• CAFE (Corporate Average Fuel Economy) wherein importance of fuel conservation in India, CO2 emis sions, green house inventory by Mr. Anoop Bhat of MSIL.

• ICAP (India Cooling Action Plan) wherein overall growing demand and predicted demand for all veh- cle segments along with taking measures for energy efficient systems and development of new environ ment friendly refrigerants by Dr. Satish Kumar of AEEE.

TTTMS SYMPOSIUM AND EXHIBITION 2019, 02 & 03 MAY 2019, JAISALMER

TEAM – TTTMS SYMPOSIUM AND EXHIBITION 2019

• New and / or alternate refrigerant, wherein solutions for current refrigerants available with certain con straints was the key highlights by Mr. Vikas Mehta of Chemours.

• India’s Kigali amendment commitments by Ms. Shikha Bhasin, of CEEW.

• Advanced power-train solutions to meet CAFE norms under RDE conditions by Mr. S. Muthu of MAHLE Engine Components.

• India specific study on potential reduction of fuel consumption and emission using mobile AC technol ogy by Mr. Yogendra Singh Kushwah of Subros.

The event also had sessions on Electrical Vehicle Thermal Management Systems, Vehicle Climate Control and Thermal Simulation / Modeling, Testing and Validation demonstrated by experts from Tata Motors, Ashok Leyland, Subros, Pranav Vikas and Mahindra & Mahindra. In order to encourage and motivate the enthusiastic professionals, all the participants, executive committee members and volun-teers were felicitated by the jury followed by a visit to the sand dunes to provide cultural and environmental aware-ness to all the associates. The next chapter of this event will be held at Jaipur.


SAEINDIA News

A Three-Day Professional Development Program On “Nano Engineered Material for Aircraft and Auto Applications” was organized by SAEINDIA from 29th to 31st May 2019 at Radisson Blu Atria, Bengaluru. A total of 44 delegates wit-nessed the program. The inaugural program started with the introduction of Chief Guest and other dignitaries on the dais by Mr. Venkataraj, Deputy Director General, SAEINDIA.

The Program was inaugurated by lighting of the lamp by the dignitaries Dr. Ajit Kelkar, Professor and Chairman, Nano Engineering, Interim Director, Center of Excellence for Advanced Manufacturing, North Carolina A&T State University, Joint School of Nanoscience and Nano Engineering; Dr. Ram V. Mohan, Professor Nano Engineering, North Carolina A&T State University, Joint School of Nanoscience and Nano Engineering; Mr. Prakash Sardesai, Head, Application Engineering and Business Development, Sud-ChemieIndia Pvt. Ltd. and Chairman MPDP Board SAEINDIA; Mr. Munirathnam, Chair, Aerospace Forum, SAEINDIA and Founder CEO, Javaji M Consultings; Mr. Venkataraj, Deputy Director General, SAEINDIA and Mr. Tito Kishan Vemuri, MC Member, SAEIBS.

The 1st session was handled by Dr. Ajit Kelkar where he presented an overview of current nanomaterial systems to include Fullerenes, Carbon Nanotubes (CNTs), Nanowires, Nanocluster, Nanoparticles, Nanocrystals, Quantum dots,

PDP PROGRAM, 29 - 31 MAY 2019, BENGALURU

TEAM – PDP PROGRAM BENGALURU

Dendrimers, Nano clays. There was also a surprise quiz ses-sion at the beginning of the session. The 2nd session was the industry visit program where the participants were tak-en to CMTI, Yeswantpur handled by Dr. Bala Shanmugam, Joint Director, CMTI. He explained to the participants about Nano Technology, Lab facilities @ CMTI. CMTI is an R & D organization focusing its efforts mainly on harnessing know-how in the manufacturing technology sector to prac-tical purposes and assisting technological growth in the country. CMTI has the role of being a catalyst and a key player in manufacturing technology growth in the country.

The 3rd session was handled by Dr. Ram V. Mohan who gave an introduction of Nano processing and explained about general approaches and challenges of Nano process-ing. He also explained about the characterization and ma-nipulation at Nano-scale, Synthesis and processing 0D nanostructures – nanoparticles, Synthesis and processing 1D nanostructures – nanowires / nano rods / nanotubes / nanofibers, Electrospinning in the session. The 4th session was handled by both Dr. Ajit Kelkar and Dr. Ram V. Mohan about the different type of Nanocomposites namely Polymer, Ceramic Matrix and Metal Matrix Nanocomposites in Industry. In that Conventional Composite Manufacturing Methods namely Thermoplastic and Thermoset Composite Processing were explained in the session. They also ex-plained integration of nanomaterial constituents in resin infusion composite processing in Nano Technology.


SAEINDIA NewsThe 5th session was also handled by both the speakers and they explained about Aerospace Applications in Nano Engineered pre-pregs manufacturing and also covered Tribological and anticorrosion coatings, Lightning strike protection, Space radiation protection using nanomaterials and Microvascular Sections and its applications in future

A two-day workshop on “Vehicle Dynamics” by Mr. Ravindra Kolhe, partner, NB Technologies, Chinchwad, was organized by SAEINDIA Western Section (SAEIWS) on July 4 & 5, 2019 at Dr. D. Y. Patil Institute of Engineering and Management Research (DYPIEMR), Pune. SAEINDIA Professional members and students were invited for this program. A total of 48 members were registered for this workshop. The program started with lighting of the lamp by dignitaries. Mr. Kiran Narkar, HOD Mechanical Engg. Department addressed role of DYPIEMR in this event.

Mr. Sanjay Nibandhe, Chairman, SAEIWS welcomed the speaker, Mr. Ravindra Kolhe and addressed the role of SAEINDIA Western Section and various initiatives by SAEINDIA for Engineering students. Mr. Narahari Wagh, Secretary, SAEIWS gave an introduction of the speaker.

WORKSHOP, 04 & 05 JULY 2019, PUNE

TEAM - WORKSHOP, PUNE

Mr. Kolhe spoke on basics of Vehicle Dynamics with slide presentation.

Following points were covered in this part of the lecture On Day 1:

1. For industries - What is an Engineer? What is a Designer? Quick learning process; How human brain works.

2. Fundamental Reviews of MUST TOPICS – Engg. physics / Engg. mechanics and overall Mech. Engineering fundamentals.

3. Product design & development process: Preparing TARGET product specifications, Benchmarking, Concept designing, Detail designing, Design verifi cations, Virtual CAE simulations, Product Testing

Electric Vehicles. Vote of thanks was Proposed by Prof. S Mohan, visiting professor, CeNSE, IISc, Bengaluru. He thanked all speakers, dignitaries, OC Members and partici-pants.


SAEINDIA News

and validation into laboratories, Field testing.

4. Vehicle Dynamics: SAE Co-ordinate system and related terminology, Understanding various loads acting on the vehicle, Preparing free body diagram and arbitrary force diagram for vehicle body, understanding the basic calculations of vehi cle dynamics.

5. Understanding the Automotive transmission and its role in vehicle engineering, engine fuel map curves and its significance, vehicle steady state perfor mance calculations, grad ability calculations, etc.

Following points were covered in this part of the lecture On Day 2:

1. Decoding the vehicle specifications in detail, accel eration and deceleration calculations, calculation of vehicle wheel power / torque requirement as per

the road characteristics, calculations for max power / torque from max engine power / torque specifi cations.

2. Actual detail vehicle dynamics design calculations for one each of 2 / 3 / 4 wheelers.

3. Introduction to Hybrid & Electric vehicle technology.

4. Generic working of automotive industries, guidelines to fresh engineers to be a good employee in automo tive industries.

The lecture ended with a question and answer session. Representatives from participants spoke on their impres-sion about the speaker and workshop. Mr. Narahari Wagh, felicitated the Speaker and delivered the valedictory speech. Mr. Ramesh Pasarija, Deputy Director, SAEIWS pro-posed a vote of thanks.

SEMINAR, 10 - 12 JULY 2019, MYSURU

TEAM – SEMINAR, MYSURU

SAEINDIA Bengaluru Section (SAEIBS) in association with Hari Shankar Singhania Elastomer & Tyre Research Institute (HASETRI) and Siemens Industry Software India organised a 3-Day seminar on “Vibration and Acoustics Engineering – Introduction and Industrial applications” on 10th & 12th July 2019 at Hotel Country Inn & Suites by Radisson, Mysuru. The event was inaugurated by Dr. R. Mukhopadhyay, Director & CE, HASETRI; the other digni-taries present are Mr. Venkataraj, Deputy Director General, SAEINDIA; Mr. Frank Demesmaeker, Siemens, Belgium and

Mr. Promod, Siemens, India. The seminar was attended by 25 participants from various automobile and automotive Industries. This seminar covered both theoretical lectures and practical demonstrations in HASETRI’s semi-anechoic chambers using Siemens sensors and software. Theoretical lectures were delivered by faculties from Siemens-Belgium, Siemens-India and HASETRI.

The topics covered in the seminar included: Introduction to Vibrations, Vibration Measurements – Sensors & Instrumentation, Review of Digital Signal Processing (DSP)


SAEINDIA News

AERO DESIGN CHALLENGE 2019, 19 - 21 JULY 2019, CHENNAI

DIGNITARIES ON THE DAIS

SAEINDIA Southern Section (SAEISS) in association with SRM SAEINDIA Collegiate Clubs conducted Aero Design Challenge (ADC) 2019 Final Event in SRM Institute of Science and Technology (SRMIST), Kattankulathur, Chennai from 19th to 21st July 2019. Around 900 student members from various engineering institutions spread across India participated in the competition. The event was supported by around 40 Faculty members, 25 Judges from DRDO Labs, ISRO, CSIR-NAL, HAL & Aero Industries, 15 practicing aero engineers and 45 student volunteers of SRMIST.

The inaugural function was followed by lighting the kuthu-vilakku by the dignitaries on the dais including the Chief Guest - Dr. S. Ganesan, Outstanding Scientist, Additional Director & Project Director - Aircraft Projects, CVRDE, DRDO, Chennai; Dr. C. Muthamizhchelvan, Director, Faculty of Engineering and Technology, SRMIST; Dr. D. Kingsly Jeba Singh, Dean, School of Mechanical Engineering, SRMIST; Shri. S. Shanmugam, Chairman SAEISS & Director

basics, Vibration Signal (Signature Testing) Analysis with demo, Modal Testing and Analysis with demo, Introduction to Acoustics, Acoustic Measurements – Sensors & Instrumentation, Role of Elastomeric materials in NVH for both Automotive & non-Automotive industries, Sound Pressure, Sound Intensity, and Sound Power, Advanced Acoustics – Sound Quality Engineering and Demo, Advanced Acoustics – Sound Source Localization and

Demo, Advanced Acoustics – Transfer Path Analysis and Demo, Recent trends in Noise & Vibration Simulations, Vibration & Acoustics: Applications & Case Studies.

The event was the inaugural event of the newly formed Mysore division, under SAEIBS and there are plans to do more such events of similar nature in future.

- Design Desk India (P) Ltd and Dr. M. Leenus Jesu Martin, HOD – Automobile Engineering, SRMIST. The Chief Guest of the inaugural function was introduced by Dr. D. Kingsly Jeba Singh. The Chief Guest congratulated SAEISS for con-ducting such a great event for the benefit of the student community who will be the future of this country and also presented the recent developments and achievements in the area of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles by DRDO Labs spe-cifically CVRDE, Chennai.

After the inaugural address, SAEISS thanked the ADC workshop hosting colleges and honoured the representa-tives with the mementos. After the inaugural session, the Judges for Technical presentation were briefed about gen-eral guidelines for the evaluation process by Dr. S. Senthilkumar, Champion, ADC 2019 to make sure that the uniformity in the evaluation was being maintained in all 7 sessions. Flight round sessions for Micro Class Aircraft (MCA) and Regular Class Aircraft (RCA) were held


SAEINDIA News

ONE OF THE VEHICLES IN ACTION

parallelly. Technical inspection and flight rounds were sup-ported by the technical partner, the Garuda Aerospace (P) Ltd., Chennai.

The chief guest for the award ceremony of ADC 2019 was Dr. Y. Sreenivasa Rao, Outstanding Scientist, Project Director ADFV (Exo), Programme AD, Hyderabad and the function was presided by Dr. Leenus. Welcome address was given by Mr. A. Armstrong, Vice Chairman, SAEISS, Chennai. The guest of honour, Mr. J. Munirathnam, Chairman, Aero Forum, SAEINDIA gave the special address in which he highlighted the importance of participating in SAEINDIA Aero events and motivated the participants. The chief guest in his address mentioned the values and benefits of ADC event and he congratulated the teams and distributed the Best Aero Design Challenge Awards to the winners of ADC 2019, under various categories in Micro and Regular classes with Cash prize worth of `4.1 Lakhs. The vote of thanks was delivered by Mr. P. Baskara Sethupathi, SRMIST.

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COVERStory

Emerging developments in automobile technologies such as electric vehicles, aggregation, and driverless cars do not offer a solution to the choking traffic witnessed on the roads of most Indian cities, notably metros such as Bengaluru, Mumbai, and New Delhi, for example. Conventional thinking points to the need for extensive metro rail networks within and across cities. Such solu-tions are however infrastructure intensive, take a lot of time to implement, very expensive, require significant governmental interventions that are subject to whims of political changes in a democracy, and cause short term inconveniences during their implementation to the road traffic that they aim to reduce in the first place.

This situation compels us to explore the third dimension and literally leapfrog into the air in the future! Autonomous air-taxis capable of vertical take-off and

THE FUTURE IS IN THE AIR!Ubiquitous Flying: How to get more people to fly more places more often

landing (VTOL) could offer a solution by which several layers of the lower airspace could be effectively utilized without much by way of infrastructure. While there, we could also explore perhaps even simpler such air-based solutions for suburban commute, transport within the hinterland at the taluk level to remote places that are hitherto not well connected by road or rail and / or take long travel times to reach. Essentially, let us usher in a paradigm of flying from anywhere to anywhere else.

Present Aviation Scenario

By contrast to the above possibilities of what are called as urban air mobility (UAM) and sub-urban (commuter) /sub-regional air connectivity, the present aviation scenar-io is utterly complicated. One has to drive long distances, again in intense traffic, to a huge palatial-looking airport that houses malls, boutiques, food courts, lounges, etc.


COVERStory

but situated outside the city, and show up a couple of hours ahead of the departure time, stand in long lines to obtain boarding passes and dump the check-in baggage, undergo security screening of self and the cabin bag-gage, and walk long distances to reach the gate, often to get on a bus that could take you to the other end of the tarmac over a long and slow drive, and get on a plane that once again queues up to the runway awaiting air traffic control (ATC) clearance for takeoff. The whole pro-cess has been complicated out of proportions over the last few decades!

India has singularly witnessed the highest growth in civil aviation among all countries in the world consistently for nearly a decade now, at fairly high levels of around 20%. This is of unprecedented proportions in aviation history. We need to ask the question if the complicated process we witness to catch a flight every time is affordable and sustainable at the scale we are witnessing in India, which is set to emerge as the largest aviation market in the foreseeable future.

The present aviation solution—let’s call it “mega avia-tion”—evolved in the West, and has witnessed the usage of extremely large airports, ultra-busy runways, and pas-senger footfall in the millions, in big cities around the world. The situation of such a large number of people as in India that could take to the skies is a new, Indian prob-lem, which prompts us to seek a different solution that can be extended to several smaller levels of aviation, as we shall see next.

Two basic concepts for India: redefining scale and “de-frastructure”

I would like to introduce two underlying and related con-cepts to adopt for India. One is to redefine what is meant by doing things at scale, i.e., scaling up to large scale. In the twentieth century that witnessed modern growth mostly in the West, large scale has been to make things big! Like huge airports, in this instance. An alternative approach to large scale is to do/make things in large numbers, even if they are small individually. This thinking leads to the concept of distributed air connectivity, i.e., spread aviation to a large number of small airports that are easily accessible and negotiable by a large number of people without hassle.

The second concept is perhaps more powerful, which is to emphasize on what I call as “defrastructure”. The idea

of one having to use public infrastructure for basic needs such as water, sanitation, sewage, drainage, electricity, gas, transportation, etc. is again something that evolved in the last two centuries in the West. Airports, airplanes, and airlines at present are in the similar realm. Emerging economies and third world countries are measured against this yardstick on being able to afford such infra-structure to their citizens. This is utterly unreasonable. On the other hand, for instance, today we are moving to-wards rooftop solar the world over, which makes it possi-ble for people to handle their own power needs, at least partially. Similarly, we would have to think of how local recycling of sewage, drainage and municipal solid waste, local desalination of water, could meet our water and fuel needs. Therefore, in the present context too, we need to see how to decentralize aviation by dismantling airports, first by making them smaller and more sporadically situ-ated, and ultimately making them disappear even!

Technologies for Mini, Micro, and Nano Aviation

Let us define a new aviation approach at several different levels. First, there is an ongoing effort by the Government of India (GoI) into what is referred to as re-gional connectivity scheme (RCS), something that has been practiced in the West as “commuter airlines” for long. This is “mini aviation” as opposed to the “mega avi-ation” we noted above involving large airports, aircraft, and airlines. We can do better though. We need to push further down to sub-regional and suburban levels of avia-tion - “micro aviation”, and still further to VTOL air-taxis for UAM within cities - “nano aviation”.

This article is less about aviation itself, though, i.e., the art of setting up air traffic, but more about the technology of aerospace engineering that can enable or usher in the aviation at these different levels. After all, the basic in-

EHANG-184-COAXIAL-MULTI-ROTOR-EVTOL-AIR-TAXI-WITH-X8-CONFIGURATION-15


COVERStorygredient of aviation at all levels is the aircraft itself. The assertion here is that the present aircraft that plies the skies is designed for relatively longer distances, carrying larger number of passengers that forces fewer hubs to operate from, which primarily serves the mega aviation. If it is any indication, the largest aircraft made, the Airbus A380, has had the shortest run since entry into service in 2009 with rumours of production shutdown even before all orders are delivered. So clearly, different kinds of air-craft are required for the other levels of aviation. So, what is the appropriate aircraft technology for the mini, micro, and nano aviation scales when compared to what exists today? This is the theme of this article. Of course, we will briefly look at emerging possibilities of ATC in such aviation scenarios towards the end.

There are two directions in which the aircraft technology is evolving today, that would enable the smaller levels of aviation. These are: (i) 3D printing; (ii) electric aviation. Additive manufacturing - loosely called 3D printing - can be adopted to improve conventional aircraft and engines, as well as to emerging developments related to electrical-ly propelled aircraft. 3D printing offers a level-playing field in ensuring manufacturing standards across the world by reducing part counts, assembly efforts and la-bour, ensuring dimensional accuracy, etc. besides de-creasing the raw material and production costs.

Electric aviation enables a vast decrement in the number of parts of the aircraft, reduces system complexity, en-hances redundancies and reliability, and could bring down the capital cost of the aircraft acquisition but more im-portantly, would drastically reduce the operation and maintenance (O & M) costs. However, electric propulsion is powered by batteries, which have far less energy densi-ty when compared to fuels, hence it is not possible to ex-pect electric aircraft to have significant range and endur-ance similar to the present day conventional aircraft any-time in the foreseeable future.

In view of the above, it is envisaged that conventional air-craft and engine designs modified for 3D printing-based manufacturing processes need to be adopted to pump-prime regional air connectivity in a big way. Whereas, electric propulsion could be adopted for the two other smaller levels of sub-regional / sub-urban aviation and intra-city UAM, where the shortfall in range is not of great concern.

Availability of smaller and cheaper aircraft (with cheaper engines) and lower O & M costs can also spawn “uberiza-tion” and crowd sourced NSOPs (non-scheduled opera-tions) that can be operated by entities that are not air-lines in the conventional sense as they exist today. This makes it quite easy for people to access a flight at the fingertips of their mobile phones within a few minutes!

Regional Air Connectivity: Making Conventional Aircraft Better

There are 449 airstrips, airfields, and airports that are registered all across India, besides many helipads in most cities and district headquarters, listed by the Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA). Of these, only about 100 airports have been opened up, and the air traffic is significant only in a handful of them. The RCS is attempting to pen-etrate air connectivity to most of these airports with lim-ited success.

The regional aviation being fostered today is leading to a large number of orders for turboprop aircraft such as the ATR-72 and Bombardier Q400 by major airlines in India. It has also spawned a few smaller regional commuter air-lines. For instance, in 2017, the total fleet of aircraft avail-able with all the airlines combined was 450, whereas with the advent of the MoCA’s RCS, the UDAN programme, in that year alone, the number of orders placed was around 850. This would triple the total fleet over the years that these aircraft would be delivered to the airlines. However, the RCS offers to provide viability gap funding (VGF) to the airlines that successfully bid for different routes, in lieu of ticket prices within limits for a bulk of the seats. This has to be done because the capex and op-ex costs of the available aircraft, besides accounting for fluctuating oil prices, are somewhat prohibitive and debilitate against commercial viability of such operations.

A gap exists in the possible turboprop aircraft that could be built to cater to the regional aviation market. To start with, the aircraft that are available today were designed and developed over some decades ago in the West, so modern aircraft development in this class is eminently possible. Specifically, aircraft with specifications that are better suited to bring down the capital and O & M costs for the airlines for operating the regional routes need to be targeted. With today’s technology involving detailed computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulations and fi-


COVERStory

nite element analysis (FEA), advancement in materials such as a variety of composites, superalloys, etc., it is possible to design aircraft specific to the regional aviation market that reduces the capital costs by about 33% and O & M costs by about 25%. Such targets, when achieved, can easily offset the need for VGFs, and accelerate re-gional airline operations tremendously.

India has a peculiar advantage in having consistently in-vested in high technology areas of space, defence, and nuclear sectors, and in setting up IITs, despite persisting societal maladies such as poverty, lack of health and sani-tation, etc. on which the pace of development may be wanting. As a result, significant knowhow has been de-veloped within the country over the decades on ad-vanced technologies such as carbon-carbon composite materials, high temperature alloys, thermal barrier coat-ings, etc. Together with the emerging capability on addi-tive manufacturing, it is possible to even 3D print carbon fibre composite structures and high temperature metal alloys, which is at the cutting edge of global competence today.

Engines are about half the cost of the aircraft and the most complicated components therein. There are a large number of aircraft manufacturers around the world, whereas there are only very few aircraft engine manufac-turers. In fact, there are more countries that can make atom bombs than those that can make gas turbines—the engines that typically propel airplanes. India has been lacking in fostering civil aircraft development for long. HAL focuses on military aircraft manufacturing, with a predominant emphasis on production under license rath-er than ab initio design and development. Tejas, the LCA, is a bright example of the exception, although in the mili-tary realm still. Similarly, GTRE focuses on developing a military aircraft engine. Only recently, Mahindra has signed a contract for manufacturing the Canadian Viking 19-seater civil aircraft, besides acquiring the Australian 8-seater Air Van. NAL is engaged in test flights of the Saras and is poised to embark upon developing its Mk II. On the R & D side, both fixed wing airframe majors such as Airbus and Boeing, Textron on rotary wing aircraft, and almost all the engine majors such as GE, Pratt & Whitney Canada, Rolls Royce, Safran, Honeywell, etc. have their research centres in India. With the available trained man-power, expertise, and knowhow, with 3D printing-based

manufacturing, it is now possible to envisage a quick turn around on civilian gas turbine development that is cost effective on both capex and opex. Similarly, development of aircraft such as the NAL’s regional transport aircraft (RTA) need to be fast-tracked and commercialized at the earliest. This aims at specifications such as relatively low-er cruise altitude at 5000 m except locally around storm clouds when needed, a flight Mach number of 0.4, range less than 3000 km, etc., all of which are quite amenable to short haul commutes. Significant public-private part-nerships can unlock this huge potential and bridge the gap on the need in this country. Like a stereotypical Indian, we are waiting for an arranged marriage!

Sub-urban / Sub-regional Air Connectivity: Electric Aircraft

Attempting to spread aviation down to the micro-level means we need to get off the idea of conventional run-ways for most part. Smaller and unconventional take -off / landing airstrips need to be developed in sub-urban sprawls, satellite townships, and interior district / taluk headquarters for feeder services by small aircraft in the range of 4-19-seater capacities. Such small airstrips could be in the midst of townscapes, probably playgrounds, other open spaces, metro station tops, and water bodies (using amphibious aircraft). More unconventional options would include development of circular runways surround-ing small airport terminal buildings, all of which not big-ger than a typical playground.

Electric aircraft are eminently suitable for this purpose. They could be thought of as conventional ones but with-out an engine and a fuel tank, but with a battery pack wired to motors and drives to turn the propellers. Using this approach, it is possible to estimate the range that ex-isting aircraft can have if converted to full electric. The answers would be disappointing. While a typical trend of increasing range for increased number of passengers ex-ists for conventional aircraft, typically in the 1000s of km even for 4-seater aircraft, most electric aircraft equiva-lents of the same take-off weight have a relatively flat trend of range of around 200-300 km for all aircraft from a 4-seater (e.g., Cessna 182 Skyline) to a 150-seater (e.g., Airbus A320), through intermediate sized ones such as a 12-seater (e.g., Pilatus), 30-seater (e.g., Dornier), and 70-seater (e.g., Embraer).


COVERStoryThe reason for the short range is clearly the low energy density of electric batteries, which is not going to match fuel-like energy densities ever. So, instead of waiting in-definitely for batteries to improve further, short range as a disadvantage can be turned on its head by identifying the new market of micro-aviation being advanced here. Range extenders using series hybrid propulsion concepts can also be adopted to take advantage of electric propul-sion in the front end and the conventional propulsion at the back end of the power train.

Further, new electric aircraft development will not follow the path of replacing the engines and fuel tanks of exist-ing aircraft. Recent research on electric aircraft propul-sion has indicated the need for higher lift-to-drag ratio and further light-weighting to improve the range, besides the higher battery energy densities needed. This calls for new methods of enhanced lift generation and drag reduc-tion, besides reducing the structural weight significantly by using composites. A new approach of multi-disci-plinary integration is specifically enabled by distributed electric propulsion (DEP) championed by NASA Langley, by which an array of smaller propellers is placed in front of the wings, and they are powered by light weight mo-

tors and drives directly connected to the propellers. This kind of architecture is now possible with electric propul-sion because only wires need to be run across different points on the aircraft instead of mechanical transmission to all those propellers.

Small short-haul electric aircraft can become like long range taxis or buses, but plying over distances of about 200-300 km. Since they would still fly at appreciable cruise speeds, the travel times would become enormously shorter, without the added hassles of traffic getting in and out of cities. They can spawn a new breed of “air-lines” that operate out of what would appear to look like bus stands!

Urban Air Mobility: Smart e-VTOLs

The final frontier is UAM and the correspondingly suitable aircraft for such operations. UAM necessarily requires VTOL because of the urban environment it has to operate in. Presently, helicopters are available to meet this pur-pose, but their economic viability and safety concerns pose questions. Helicopters face stringent operational restrictions such as daytime operations (half hour before sunrise to half hour after sunset), no takeoff / landing from elevated platforms or in inclement weather, etc. par-ticularly for single-engine aircraft. Night landing requires additional instrumentation besides twin-engine aircraft. Safety records for helicopters have not been particularly impressive either. Many of these aspects, besides intense maintenance requirements, make it too expensive for he-licopters to be used for UAM. The major exception is Sao Paulo in Brazil, where around 300 helicopters ply the skies in air-taxi operations, whereas by comparison, the estimated total number of civilian helicopters available in the whole of India does not exceed around 180. There are very few other services such as Blade in the US that oper-ate helicopters for a limited clientele. In India, the Bangalore airport boasts of a fledgling heli-taxi service, after a few such failed attempts in the last 10+ years.

Today, VTOL basically implies that a multi-copter ap-proach has to be adopted, as in small drones, as opposed to conventional helicopters powered by a single vertical rotor. This will improve safety by providing redundancy. Again, in order to power multiple rotors, an electric pro-pulsion approach is more suitable. This leads to a class of vehicles that are generally referred to as e-VTOL. Some examples of such aircraft are e-hang 172, Volocopter,

DISTRIBUTED ELECTRIC PROPULSION

NASA X-57 MAXWELL ELECTRIC AIRCRAFT


COVERStory

VOLOCOPTER

Lilium, etc. While the first two are purely VTOL drone variants, the last one is a winged VTOL aircraft.

The challenge lies in extending the range of these aircraft, because similar to helicopters, multi-copter drones are primarily hovering machines that guzzle a lot of power to just stay up in the air, much less to move forward. So, a new generation of VTOL-fixed wing hybrid aircraft, or hy-brid aerial vehicles (HAVs), needs to be developed so that aerodynamic lift generation can be utilized in forward flight to conserve power on the rotors. Usually, this is ac-complished by means of tilt rotors. Lilium has gone a step further and configured a row of shrouded electric fans that tilt for VTOL. Other simpler approaches are also being developed, which are merely a combination of the multi-rotors and fixed wing, tail and empennage.

These are too early days for the science of HAVs to get firmed up, and we are witnessing the emergence of many a fancy configuration as artists’ conceptions that are not even sure to fly! Exciting times are ahead on these type of aircraft, with conventional OEMs such as Boeing, Airbus, Rolls Royce, Siemens, Bell Helicopters, etc. not directly getting into it but investing in subsidiaries, be-sides a lot of startups being spawned and supported by taxi aggregators such as Uber. Some of these, in fact, in-volve hybrid propulsion or combination propulsion of

electric and combustion engines together, to manage the VTOL and the forward range requirements, besides noise in residential neighbourhoods, whereas others are pure electric aircraft, to keep the architecture simple.

These e-VTOLs being sensitive to weight also implies that they cannot carry too many people. Obviously then, these are mostly being developed as autonomously pilot-ed aircraft, since the additional weight of a human pilot is unaffordable in these cases. Autonomous piloting not only means autopilot, in the sense of navigation from the point of origin to destination along a prescribed flight path, as do the conventional aircraft of today. It also means that these aircraft should be capable of obstacle avoidance, similar to driverless cars that are also fast coming onto roads today in different parts of the world. This is why, these vehicles have to be what’s called as “smart e-VTOLs”.

Movement of goods by air

If human movement across a city could be accomplished with autonomously piloted aerial vehicles, then it is obvi-ous that such aircraft configurations could be used for

LILIUM

BOEING

BELL HELICOPTERS


COVERStorymovement of goods too. In fact, goods can come in sev-eral sizes, starting from a few kilograms in weight. Thus, in the near term, one could witness several small-scale HAVs capable of carrying a few kg of payload over a few 10s of km per charge of battery. These are expected to scale further up to capabilities to carry a few tens of kg over around 100 or so km, before still larger scale HAVs emerge that are capable of a carrying few 100 kg over a couple of 100 km range, at which point, they would be eminently suitable of carrying human payloads too. All of these different sizes have their major markets. The small-est one described above is very useful for delivering food like pizzas and other door delivery items. Similarly, medi-cines could be door delivered. Fashion products from e-commerce retail platforms could also utilize these aerial vehicles. At the larger sizes too, HAVs could be useful in logistics, in carrying larger parcels and packages from hubs radially outward across the city.

Besides the capabilities of the aircraft for UAM, a large number of VTOL points need to be identified within a city, even at the level of street corners, metro station tops, etc. Very little infrastructure should be additionally needed to support such VTOL points, except perhaps to facilitate charging of the aircraft’s batteries, when re-quired. Then, the most important question with such an aviation architecture would be to deal with “crowded skies”.

Autonomous Air Traffic Control

With drones, HAVs and other e-VTOLs of different sizes, speeds, and ranges carrying goods and people compet-ing for airspace, how do we manage all of them at the same time? Unmanned traffic management (UTM) is an emerging trend the world over. In India, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) is putting in place a “Digital Sky Platform” by which all aerial vehicles are classified by size and have to be registered if they are heavier than 2 kg. Registration includes the use of a SIM card so that these drones can be tracked from mobile cellphone towers, which are part of the existing infra-structure. A no-permission no-takeoff (NPNT) protocol is in place for all registered drones. Currently, expression of interest is solicited for demonstration of beyond visual line-of-sight (BVLOS) autonomous navigation of appro-priate aerial platforms over a distance of at least 5 km. In the next few years, the advent of autonomous aerial vehi-

cles crisscrossing our urban skies can surely become commonplace.

Making airports obsolete

An extension of the above scenario is to make pres-ent-day airports obsolete! I want to go from my home (in my city) to a specific place (of course!) in another city

DARPA SWARM TECHNOLOGY DEMONSTRATION

that is several hundreds of kms away. So, let’s imagine this: I hail an air-taxi from my mobile app to my nearest takeoff point—the street corner, my door front or terrace. It is scheduled in such a way that, as I fly to the edge of the city in the direction of my destination, my aircraft gets into an “inverse swarm” formation around a “mother airship” which took off from what used to be an airport somewhere at the outskirts to provide mid-air recharging to mine and several similar other air-taxis for most of the distance between the two cities. As we approach the destination city, all the air-taxis “peel off” from the moth-er airship and go to their respective specific destina-tions—street corners, terraces, or door fronts. The moth-er airship lands, again, at what used to be an airport, somewhere at the outskirts. So, nobody goes to an air-port anymore! No more security checks, no showing up two hours earlier, beating traffic, missing flights, nothing! No flight attendants too. Defrastructure!!

This can extend to foreign travel as well. Already, many countries are moving towards machine-based visa checks at immigration today. So, those formalities can be auto-matically conducted mid-air as one enters a foreign air-space. Non-compliant occupants could be asked to “de-swarmed” and landed at designated areas not larger than a parking lot for further verification.


COVERStory

All of this is not science fiction! It can happen easily in the next 10-15 years!!

What are we doing at IIT Madras?

A lot! As a first step, there is all of this “visioneering” that goes on which I have shared in this article. More con-cretely, we have been working on co-developing metal 3D-printed gas turbine combustors at the National Centre for Combustion R&D (NCCRD) at IIT Madras along with GE, Bangalore. We are aiming to put together an aca-demia-industry consortium involving gas turbine design, manufacturing, and MSME supply chain partners with the help of Central and State government entities. We have incubated a startup called “The ePlane Co.” to make elec-tric planes, specifically HAVs from small scale up to an air-taxi in the next few years. We are participating on the DGCA’s call for Expression of Interest to demonstrate BVLOS autonomous flight over long distances. We are partnering with organ transplant and other medical orga-nizations as well as food delivery majors for pilot trials of HAV flights. We are working towards a full scale UTM solution including visual recognition of rogue drones in-truding into sensitive areas by deep learning and their capture as well. And, I have offered a semester-long full-fledged elective course on “Electric Aircraft Propulsion”, perhaps for the first time in the world, and plan to vid-eo-record the lectures the next semester.

Summarizing thoughts

We have covered a lot of ground—or airspace, rather—in this article! In sum, we started by pointing out large air-ports and large aircraft are passé, and that we need to democratize aviation and bring a bit closer to earth by embracing mini, micro, and nano-aviation, namely, re-gional air connectivity, sub-regional / sub-urban air com-mute, and urban air mobility.

Regional air connectivity is already kicking off, but it is still within the framework of airlines and existing aircraft. New developments of more modern aircraft that are bet-ter suited for short haul and more fuel efficient, less maintenance intensive engines by means of 3-D printed parts-based manufacturing, are required to spawn great-er viability of regional routes. Significant cost cutting in terms of both capex and opex is possible if such new air-craft are developed. And, there is a huge market potential that remains untapped. Small plane manufacturers could afford to up their game with this kind of thinking and

grow and flourish in this market fast. We have the skilled manpower to do this but need a good public-private partnership that could bootstrap the economy signifi-cantly.

The sub-regional / sub-urban air commute story is quite alluring, as it could be enabled by the emergence of elec-tric aircraft. Small aircraft such as 4, 12, or 19-seater could be easily configured, of course with lighter structure and better aerodynamics that are in turn made possible by adopting electric propulsion, can be easily developed within a short timeframe. The aviation infrastructure for this should be loosened up to adopt unconventional air-ports and airstrips, such as circular runways, tops of bus /train / metro stations, water bodies for amphibious air-craft, etc., remote ATC, and unconventional airlines offer-ing NSOPs.

The UAM is the most fascinating prospect of all, allowing for smart e-VTOLs of varied sizes and shapes to ply the skies across cities carrying goods and people. There is a clamour for this space at present, all of which should reach a head to real impact over road traffic in drastically cutting down travel times with greater comfort and lesser pollution, enabled by a UTM such as the Digital Sky Platform by the DGCA. In the Indian context, very few air-taxi efforts are happening, except at IIT Madras per-haps, but there is significant traction for small scale goods delivery at present. Uber has announced their in-terest in plying air-taxis in Indian skies, however.

With all of this, pretty much anyone and anything should be flying from anywhere to anywhere else, obviating the need for large highways, elaborate multi-grade flyovers and intersections, and such extensive surface infrastruc-ture. The day is also not far when, fueled by mid-air re-charging, one could go from their doorstep in one city to another doorstep in another city without having to go to airports at all. The present scene of huge airports, big aircraft, large airlines is obscene! It is so twentieth centu-ry, it needs to become obsolete. The would be the ulti-mate in aviation defrastructure!

Satya R. Chakravarthy Professor of Aerospace Engineering,

Indian Institute of Technology Madras, Chennai, India

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TECHTrends

TECHNOLOGY CONVERGENCE TO DRIVE AUTOMOTIVE INDUSTRYThis column on technology trends brings to you a snapshot of the most recent developments. The column covers a wide spectrum of technologies and business models that have a potential to disrupt the automotive industry. To begin with, we focus on electric, autonomous and connected vehicles.

Autonomous Vehicles – Mobileye CEO outlines the three big challenges

A recent interview with Amnon Shashua, the CEO of Mobileye, featured in the MIT Technology Review outlines three big challenges in the path of autonomous vehicles. Mobileye, the Israel-based leader in self-driving technolo-gy, was acquired by Intel in 2017 and has partnerships with more than two dozen car makers. The technical chal-lenges in Autonomous Vehicle technology fall into two broad areas – (a) Perception and (b) Decision making. (1) How do we design self-driving cars that can perceive the environment better than the best human driver? The solution spans across computer vision and sensor fusion (camera, radar, lidar etc.), precision maps etc. (2) How do we make self-driving cars make decisions such as how fast to drive and when to change lanes – for such deci-sions are based on a trade-off between safety and useful-ness. Addressing this challenge is important from a regu-latory and legal perspective. (3) Building a self-driving car that is cost affordable is the biggest of the three chal-lenges. At the current high price, it is financially sustain-able only for ride-hailing businesses. The challenge is in bridging a gap that is almost three orders of magnitude on all three fronts – perception, decision making and price.

Source: https://www.technologyreview.com/s/613399/

the-three-challenges-keeping-cars-from-being-fully-au-tonomous/?_ga=2.64631279.179906320.1560676663-888555453.1560676663

Electric Vehicles - New Law requires EVs to make noise at low speeds

Since the EVs are very silent, pedestrians and cyclists have a hard time hearing them coming. The visually im-paired and partially sighted require sound for spatial awareness. Can we design electric cars that make a uni-versal and easily recognizable buzz? The European Union just announced that all existing EVs will have to emit some kind of sound or noise by July 2019, even when traveling at slow speeds.

Source: https://futurism.com/the-byte/electric-vehi-cles-noises-evs

New Tires make EVs quieter

As the tire rolls, tiny bubbles of air are compressed be-tween the tread and ground. The tire keeps rolling, the air gets released, making a little pop as it decompresses. This happens thousands of times each second, across four tires. The noise made by the tires become very prominent in the absence of noise made by an internal combustion engine (ICE).

Source: https://www.wired.com/story/bridgestone-turan-za-quiettrack-tire/FREE SAMPLES:

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TECHTrends

EV Batteries – Recycling of Cobalt can mitigate risks around supply of critical materials

Cobalt constitutes the cathodes of lithium-ion batteries used in EVs and is essential in keeping the batteries’ tem-peratures stable. Cobalt is mined in only a few regions of the world, including parts of Africa, and the supply of co-balt is expected to fall short of demand in the next few years as electric vehicles become more widespread. Japan’s Sumitomo Metal Mining has developed a method to recycle cobalt from spent electric car batteries, allow-ing conservation of a relatively scarce metal.

Source: https://asia.nikkei.com/Business/Markets/Commodities/Milestone-reached-in-the-recycle-of-cobalt-from-spent-EV-batteries

EV – Two- and Three-Wheelers for India

EVs represent a tiny share of India’s auto market today, but efforts to electrify scooters and rickshaws may change that. Electrifying two- and three-wheelers can go a long way towards cleaning up its transportation sector. One major hurdle for deeper EV penetration in India will be the difficulty of charging these vehicles. There is very little public charging infrastructure, limited ability to set up charging systems in multi-storied residential apart-ments and electricity supply is erratic in many parts.

Source: https://www.technologyreview.com/s/613279/why-two-wheels-are-better-than-four-in-indias-electric-vehicle-push/

Dr. Shankar Venugopal Vice President, Mahindra & Mahindra, Automotive and Farm Business &Dean,Mahindra Technical Academy

Technology Convergence - Electric, Autonomous & Connected Vehicles

With most automotive OEMs focusing on low-price, long-range electric cars, EV upstart Rivian saw an opening: No one was making luxury electric trucks. Their idea is to find a winning combination of electrification, connectivity, and automation that will help the company finish on top when the industry races, again, toward consolidation.

Source: https://www.wired.com/story/future-of-transpor-tation-rivian-auto-tech-boom/

The convergence of the three exponentially growing tech-nologies – electric, autonomous and connected vehicles – has a great potential to disrupt the automotive industry. The business model disruption of shared mobility offered by ride-hailing businesses further accelerates the adop-tion of these new technologies.


CURTAIN Raiser

EV Landscape & iTEC India

ATTENDEES AT iTEC 2017

Rising awareness towards the need to develop a sustain-able tomorrow has resulted in efforts to reduce emissions & dependence on fast-depleting fossil fuels. Cleaner forms of energy generation are becoming the norm across the globe. Global efforts to reduce vehicular emis-sions have received a shot in the arm with the rapid ad-vancement of Electric Vehicle (EV) technology.

Advanced European countries have set an example be-coming early adopters of the greener alternative. Norway, for instance, has over 1 lakh electric cars plying on the road. The UK plans to ban the sale of new cars powered by conventional engines by 2040. And India has set its own goals for an electric future.

At a time when worsening air quality has reached alarm-ing levels in the country and rising crude oil import bills

are eating into our foreign currency reserves, a switch to cleaner & viable forms of mobility was inevitable. Poised to become the most populous country by 2030, smart mobility solutions with a thrust on public transport & 2-wheelers are the need of the hour. With policy man-dates and push towards faster adoption of EVs using schemes like FAME (Faster Adoption and Manufacture of Hybrid and Electric Vehicle) policy, India is witnessing one of the largest transportation transformations in the modern era, as the country begins to prepare to adopt carbon-neutral forms of mobility.

Converting buses to run of cleaner fuel holds relevance as India has one of the highest rates of public transport use in the world, averaging almost 25% (excluding non-mo-torized transit) across major cities; 90% of this share is


CURTAINRaiserfrom buses, which can account for 30–40% of the people transported in the city. When combined with the thrust on e-autos, the impact of the electrification is slated to create to impact and awareness among the masses. Globally, EVs already benefit from lower operating and maintenance (O&M) costs. These lower O&M costs are mainly due to electricity’s lower per-kilometre (km) cost than gasoline.

Another focus area of the Indian government’s EV push will be on the 2-wheeler segment, which accounts for more than 70% of vehicles in India. This segment will probably see quicker adoption of EV solutions, despite the price increase owing to new technologies in this seg-ment. India is a cost-sensitive market. However, in the long run, the cost of owning and running an electric two-wheeler would be much lesser.

The Centre with its FAME II scheme has allocated `10,000 crore, over the next three years to further mass adoption of EVs. With FAME II, the government will offer incentives worth ` 8,596 crore to EV purchases, electric buses, three-wheelers and four-wheelers to be used for com-mercial purposes. Plug-in hybrid vehicles and those with a sizeable lithium-ion battery and electric motor will also be included in the scheme and fiscal support offered de-pending on the size of the battery.

The scheme is envisioned to support 10 lakh two-wheel-ers, 5 lakh three-wheelers, 55,000 four-wheelers, and in-centives will be given for three and four-wheelers used for public transport and commercial purposes.

The government aims to tackle the challenge of enabling the necessary infrastructure by its plans to set up 5,000 charging points major cities by 2022. A total of ` 1,000 crore is being earmarked for the same under FAME II. Another challenge will be ensuring a constant supply of power to support the demand once a considerable num-ber of EVs start plying on the road.

Range anxiety among users, which remains a deciding factor among buyers to make the transition could be ad-dressed with battery swap stations along the highway. Instead of owning a set of batteries, solutions like swap-pable batteries can be offered as solutions in the early stages of the transitions.

Cost is a major challenge for the growth of EVs. Lithium-ion batteries add up to 60 percent of the total price, and

this is a challenge that needs to be addressed quickly. India-specific innovations in battery technology to find an optimal balance between range and cost. The challenge of making the EVs safe and recycling the electrical com-ponents used in EVs are other challenges standing in the way of its mass adoption.

Sensing the global switch towards cleaner forms of mo-bility and releasing its forthcoming importance in India, SAEINDIA adopted it as one of their focus areas. Through iTEC India, SAE is committed to bringing cutting edge technologies to further the EV landscape in the country.

Mrs. Rashmi Urdhwareshe, Director, ARAI, Pune, and Steering Committee Co-Chair – iTEC India remembered the inception of iTEC and commented, “I still remember a few years ago when we had a discussion with then-presi-dent of SAEINDIA, Dr. Bala K. Bharadvaj and Dr. Tomy Sebastian of IEEE to combine the strengths of both these societies and plan a continual event to focus on electrifi-cation of transportation technologies. And thus was born iTEC for India. Today, the relevance is extremely high ow-ing to NITI Aayog’s challenging position on electrification of 2 and 3 wheeler industry in particular and the entire transportation sector in general and with the Department of Heavy Industries announcement of FAME II and push on electric vehicle program as well as infrastructure to be setup. In that context, IEEE and SAEINDIA association through iTEC will be very relevant for the country.”

IEEE Industry Application Society (IAS) is a transitional organization that facilitates the advancement of electric and electronics engineering. IEEE IAS enables the ad-vancement of theory and practice in the design, develop-ment, manufacturing and application of safe, sustainable, reliable, smart electrical systems, equipment, and ser-vices.

Objectives of iTEC

iTEC India aims at helping the industry in the transforma-tion from conventional vehicles to advanced electrified vehicles. iTEC is known for its participatory approach by creating a conference that involves components, systems, standards and grid interface technology which is associ-ated with efficient power conversion of all types of elec-trified transportation such as EVs, HEVs, and PHEVs along with heavy-duty, rail and off-road vehicles.

Mr. Mahesh Babu, Chief Executive Officer, Mahindra


CURTAIN Raiser

Electric and Steering Committee Chair– iTEC India 2019 said, “Such initiatives provide exposure to participants and push the threshold of excellence in our quest to make India a global player in the EV manufacturing ecosystem. A chance to interact with stakeholders in the industry and like-minded entrepreneurs make it an attractive proposi-tion.”

iTEC India 2015 observed the launch of the “Lithium” Project. Lithium is the world’s first service provider with a hundred percent zero-emission electric car fleet for cor-porate transport. The three-day conference featured about 100 technical papers, 2 tutorials, 3 panel discus-sions, and 5 keynote speeches.

iTEC INDIA 2017, the second International Transportation Electrification Conference was organized from 13th to 15th of December 2017, Pune.

The conference addressed technical interests related to the electrification in the transportation sectors including but not limited to, electric cum hybrid vehicles, plug-in- hybrid vehicles, rail, road and off-road vehicles. iTEC INDIA 2017 also had an array of papers across different topics. Also, the event comprised panel discussions, short courses, and tutorials, presentations, exhibition, display, and ‘ride and drive’ of electric vehicles. About 120 techni-cal papers were presented at the conference by partici-pants across various countries.

The conference covered topics including Power Electronics and Electric Motor Drives, Electric Machines, Sensors and Actuators, Battery and Battery Management System, Electric, Hybrid Electric, Plug-in-hybrid vehicles, Electric Vehicle System Architectures, Smart Grid, Electrical Infrastructure and V2G, Fuel Cell applications in Transportation, Electrical Systems and Components for Sea, Undersea, Air, Rail, and Space Vehicles.

iTEC 2019

The 3rd edition of iTEC India conference focuses on the theme ‘eMobility for Community’ and will be held from 17th to 19th December 2019 at Sheraton Grand, Whitefield, Bangalore.

Dr. Bala K. Bharadvaj, President - SAEINDIA, MD - Boeing India Engineering and Steering Committee Co-Chair – iTEC India, commenting on the importance of iTEC said, “We are standing at the cusp of a significant change in how we get around and iTEC 2019 will be a great oppor-

tunity for researchers and people who think about the society to share their ideas with not just the stakeholders of the India automotive industry, but also with visionaries from around the world.”

Global stakeholders of the automotive industry will be participating in iTEC India 2019. The 3-day event will cov-er various keynote speeches, panel discussions as well as an industry exhibition, offering an exclusive platform to meet industry leaders of the electric mobility sector, get recognized by game changers and boost brands. This edi-tion also provides a unique opportunity for ‘Special Presentations’ for experts who would like to present their work instead of a full paper presentation.

Hackathon

For the first time, iTEC India is hosting a Hackathon for innovative local talent to come up with disruptive solu-tions to solve the challenges preventing the mass adop-tion of EVs in India. The Hackathon focuses on six prob-lem statements that encompass the critical areas for e-mobility in India, furthering the Government of India’s vision ‘Electric Mobility 2030’.

Problem Statements of iTEC Hackathon 2019 includes:

• Islands of Sustainability: Can we create a sustainable eco-system?

• Solving Urban Transport Woes. Can we make shared mobility the solution?

• The use of electric 2-wheelers and 3-wheelers for last-mile delivery

• Second Life, Recycling and Upcycling. How do we draw the optimum use out of EV batteries, making Q them truly green?

• Safer the Better. How do we make the future EV a safer mode of transport?

• Making Energy Efficient EVs of the Future


TECHNOLOGYNews

SWAPNIL SHAH

BEARING A LOAD, EFFICIENTLYModern powertrains demand improved efficiency in spite of greater loads and speeds, whilst also guaranteeing seamless durability. Bearings endure the maximum strain of this modernisation trend, and a correct bearing layout and design can be the difference between a good and a great product. Shorter development cycles also make it crucial to achieve a ‘ready for production’ design, which is achievable only via simulations.

Virtual Dynamics is FEV`s multi-body dynamics simula-tion (MBS) software which understands the needs of dif-ferent fidelity bearing models for each development stage and across varying applications. It also recognises the demand for enhanced modelling approaches for a comprehensive analysis.

In a 60-minute webinar, titled From Concept to Start-of-production Powertrain Bearing Analysis, held on April 17, 2019, simultaneously webcast from Detroit, Stuttgart and New Delhi, FEV’s Swapnil Shah, Applications Engineer, Virtual Dynamics and Mustafa Duyar, Product Manager, Virtual Dynamics, demonstrate the easy-to-use bearing modelling capabilities, with a focus on the ‘state-of-the-art’ Thermo-Elasto-Hydrodynamic (TEHD) solution. The approach utilises the advancements of flexible structures in MBS to directly couple the fluid and structural dynam-ics. This provides a complete interaction between the bearing hydrodynamics, and the full range of structural dynamics, to broaden the field of application and improve the quality of results.

In a one-on-one interview, Shah and Duyar, answer a few important questions:

For sheer academic knowledge, in an internal combus-tion engine for an automobile, how many bearings would be in use?

The number of bearings in any engine is dependent on the number of cylinders. It is important to remember that every rotating component in the entire powertrain will need some kind of bearing for its mounting. Taking an example of the most widely used engine in passenger cars, the cranktrain and the valve train of an inline 4 cylin-der would have anywhere in between 25~35 loaded bear-ings. In addition, the accessory drive units and gear train would have many mode bushings and bearings. Virtual Dynamics is not limited by the number of bearings and also incorporates a wide range of bearing types found in the powertrain.

Of these, which are the most load-bearing bearings?

The most loaded bearings in the entire engine are found in the cranktrain. The Main pin and the Crank pin bearings to mount the crankshaft in the engine block and the con-

MUSTAFA DUYAR


TECHNOLOGYNews

necting rods on the crankshaft respectively are also the most important in terms of dynamics and design.

As we move to more and more of electrification of vehi-cle powertrains, what percentage of reduction do you see in the play of bearings overall in an automobile?

MHEV, HEV and PHEV vehicles are going to dominate the electrified powertrain market in the short to mid-term. This development includes many strategies like engine downsizing, cylinder deactivation, start-stop systems etc. All of these have an adverse effect on the powertrain dy-namics as well as the NVH behaviour, and innovative bearing solutions will be necessary to counter the un-wanted consequences. Moreover, NVH of the entire pow-ertrain becomes more prominent as the engine noise and vibration decrease with more electrification.

The bearings in purely electric vehicles, even though not loaded as much as in conventional IC engines, are very important to endure the substantial higher rotational speeds and electrical erosion while precisely maintaining the air gap in all environmental conditions throughout its designed life.

From the overall automobile perspective, if I may repeat myself - every rotating component in the entire power-train will need some kind of bearing for its mounting. Hence, the bearing layout of the gear train and the drive-line will be still important, and arguably even more so due to a greater emphasis on its efficiency and NVH be-haviour.

What are the newer metals or alloys that are forecast for use in the manufacture of bearings?

This is a question better answered by a bearings manu-facturer / supplier. Even though bearing design is an iter-ative process involving the manufacturers and designers, the suppliers are generally responsible for defining the acceptability criteria. With a multi body simulation soft-ware like Virtual Dynamics, we can predict the bearing loads and dynamic behaviour considering various physi-cal factors like the surface roughness, material hardness and elasticity as well as the tolerances. However, the bearing design and material has to be decided by the suppliers based on production and cost limitations.

Please explain in detail, the Elasto-HydroDynamic (EHD) solution.

The elasto-hydrodynamic (EHD) bearing model is devel-

oped in the framework of the elastic multi-body simula-tion FEV Virtual Engine which offers a wide range of tools for the ICE mechanical dynamics analysis. FEV Virtual Engine is a so-called vertical application to the general purpose EMBS-software Adams. Based on the functional-ity of Adams the tool chain is extended and customized for the needs of ICE and powertrain dynamics analysis.

Realizing an elasto-hydrodynamic bearing model contains two main aspects. One is the description and modeling of the effects within the bearing clearance filled with a lubri-cant. The hydrodynamic effects here can be evaluated based on the Reynolds equation which is suited for the solution of fluid dynamics in thin liquid layers. A more ex-tensive evaluation becomes necessary when the local clearance decreases to the range of asperity heights. Not only the additional asperity contact has to be evaluated, but also the impact of surface asperities on the hydrody-namics via the extended Reynolds equation for rough surfaces. The second aspect of the EHD approach con-cerns the coupling between the effects within the bearing clearance and the environment defined by the bearing shell and journal. Here, particularly the interaction be-tween the hydrodynamic and the asperity contact pres-sure on the one hand and the structural deflection due to the entirety of all loads on the other hand is of interest.

Hydrodynamic Model

The hydrodynamic formulation and solution is the key feature of every EHD-bearing model. It not only deter-mines the scope of functionality but also the computa-tional performance. Typically, two main effects are of great interest in the fluid of a journal bearing. One is the pressure creation in the complete fluid film region (active zone) which in particular determines load carrying capac-ity of the bearing. The second is the extent and the level of cavitation in the non-active zone of the lubrication film. As pointed out by the investigations of Cole and Hughes and the intensity of cavitation can be influenced by the pressure level in the oil supply and can cover sig-nificant spheres of the lubricant film. Detailed knowledge on gas and fluid distribution may not only help to provide proper supply positioning and dimensioning but is also a prerequisite for an accurate friction estimation as gases and fluids heavily differ in their shear contribution.

Nikhil Raghavan


TECHNOLOGYNewsHOW TO ENSURE SAFETY DURING BATTERY SIMULATION AND TESTING?Batteries are the key components in electrified powertrains and need to meet strict requirements regarding durability, reliability and performance. Furthermore, a key topic throughout the complete battery development process is safety.

AVL battery experts Paul Schiffbänker, Product Manager, Electrification, and Martin Schweiger, Senior Application Manager, Battery Test Systems, discussed the various as-pects that need to be considered when testing an EV bat-tery. Key talking points included: safety by design, electri-cal and thermal safety, safety in an ageing system and safe-ty during testing and validation. Graz, Austria-based AVL is the world’s largest independent company for development, simulation and testing technology of powertrains (hybrid, combustion engines, transmission, electric drive, batteries and software) for passenger cars, trucks and large engines.

Paul Schiffbanker is responsible for business development for all battery systems related development services at AVL Powertrain Engineering. Martin Schweiger is responsible for business development for similar services at AVL Instrumentation and Test Systems. According to them, there are eight attributes of traction batteries as key factor for success: Serviceability, Production capability, Efficiency, Performance, Driver experience, Safety, Cost and Engineering requirements.

The abuse and misuse of battery systems emanate from three areas: Mechanical abuse - crashes and crushes; Electrical abuse – rough roads, shaker tests, vibration and torsion; Thermal abuse – fast charging and performance.

Following the webinar, we posed a few questions to both of them and Paul Schiffbanker responded with his answers:

Safety is paramount in both testing and in usage of bat-teries in any environment. How is this ensured in the envi-ronment of an automobile?

The definition of a safe battery system starts at the selec-

AVL BATTERY TEST CENTER

tion of a suitable and safe battery cell, which often contra-dicts with the need for highest energy densities. Safety therefore must be ensured by both the right mechanical and electrical integration, as well as a clever control strate-gy. Those shall prevent failure modes, which can lead to a safety critical event, or handle a failure mode to limit the effects. The dangers going along with high voltage systems must be taken into account throughout the whole lifecycle from first concept design until final recycling: Already in an early stage of development of a battery module and bat-tery pack, AVL validates the design and functions of a bat-tery pack during normal and misuse situations utilizing AVL’s simulation tools. In subsequent hardware tests the simulation outcomes are confirmed. AVL’s test solutions are equipped with the newest and latest systems and strategies to ensure safety during all different test scenarios.

Normally, there is a certain life for a battery. In constant use, especially in a moving environment as in an automo-bile, the life of a battery gets reduced. How is it possible to ensure the longevity and deadline of expiry on a uni-form basis for batteries of different brands and manufac-turers?

Battery cells are manufactured with different cell chemis-tries, fitting different requirements, which all behave differ-ently – also in terms of aging. A negative impact on the lifetime of a battery cell can be for instance heat. Therefore, many battery systems are actively thermally controlled. Further, also a weak design of electric or mechanical com-ponents can lead to a quicker end-of-life. Overall the life-time of a battery system and battery cell is analyzed in de-tail, utilizing methodologies of simulation, component test-ing, as well as clever fleet test analysis.

What are the safety features that would get standardized for incorporation in a battery?

Today we see many different routes and possibilities – but of those only a few were standardized over a wide range of industry. Electric components, mechanical systems, as well as control strategies are divers from battery system to bat-tery system.

Nikhil Raghavan

PAUL SCHIFFBANKER


TECHNOLOGYNews

Increasing urbanisation and a shift from car ownership to greater use of shared transportation services will funda-mentally change how we move about our cities. This pres-ents an opportunity for new mobility businesses to deliver more personalised, on-demand services as they put con-sumers at the heart of their organisations.

In a webinar held simultaneously at Detroit, Stuttgart and New Delhi, HERE’s Leen Balcaen, Senior Director, Industry Solutions, EMEAR, Nick Kelter, Director, Product Management, and Thiago Goncalves, New Mobility Industry leader, discussed how location intelligence can help im-prove the business operations of mobility providers, how mobility organisations can provide an experience for users that is both frictionless and delightful and how mobility providers can gain the capabilities needed to develop a sustainable competitive advantage.

Interview with Thiago Goncalves

Do you foresee a major shift towards shared mobility? If so, why?

Absolutely! We’re in a moment where multiple disruptive forces are converging and becoming intensified. Some are very well known for a while, such as traffic congestions,

HOW LOCATION INTELLIGENCE IS SHAPING THE FUTURE OF MOBILITYNew mobility providers are targeting global coverage, yet many are still on the journey toward profitability. Technology for efficient fleet management and trip planning can support the growth of these organisations by helping them reduce costs and improve operational efficiency in the near-term.

growing population in the urban environment and parking problems in cities centers. Others are newer, such as the acceleration of technology adoption and the explosion of digitalization and connectivity. Behavioral aspects also plays an important role and the generations Y & Z make us clear they’re losing interest on owning a car. It’s also worthy to mention how the cities and their respective legislations are boosting this transformation with strong emissions tar-gets, vehicles ban in many cities and also a strong interest to become more attractive and greener urban environments by integrating multi-modal transportation and freeing-up public spaces.

In our perspective, people won’t necessarily want to own cars in the future, but they will want and rely on Mobility-as-a-Service. As such, automakers, car rentals and others are likely to become mobility services provider, aggregating multiple offerings (e.g.: car-sharing, ride-hailing, car-pool-ing, public transport options, scooters and bike options) on a single platform that provides a comprehensive, integrated door-to-door solution. Tech companies are also coming to this segment, with different strategies, capabilities and know-how, however sharing the same vision.

A very strong motivation to the shared mobility is its strong

LEEN BALCAEN NICK KELTER THIAGO GONCALVES


TECHNOLOGYNewscapability to enable the transformation towards autono-mous vehicle. In the other hand, it’s also benefited from it in the operations perspective, the same way it’s already from electrified vehicles. We can’t forget to mention about the vehicles being connected, that’s what brings the whole new business to life. Bottom line: it’s what we like calling the self-reinforcing megatrends.

With this big transformation, we shift the way we move: “from one vehicle to all situations” to a “solution to each use case”. E.g.: you can take a public transport to com-mute to work, use a scooter to grab a lunch, rent a con-vertible for some hours on a sunny weekend and use a bike-sharing to take what was missed at the supermarket. Everything spontaneously, frictionless and with a delightful user experience. And still, more environmental friendly, by reducing noisy, pollution and optimizing the public space.

How do you explain the term, ‘shared transportation ser-vices’?

Shared transportation services could be explained with the capability to optimize assets utilization and journeys. We see commonly, and especially in the peak hours, vehicles driving around with only one person, rather than having this full capacity optimized (usually up to 5 people). In many cases, the origin and destination are similar, or if not, a significant part of the way likely is, missing only the last miles, what represents a huge opportunity to improve transit conditions.

Overall, public transports are the best and the oldest ex-ample we could mention to illustrate shared transporta-tion. Nevertheless, it presents issues to scale, such as long timing and big investments, reason why cities are pursuing new initiatives for addressing the topic, such as dedicated lanes for vehicles with more than 2 people.

However, with the digitalization effect, the enablement of pooling services has grown substantially and even created a new sub-segment within the new mobility with different business models; ride-sharing and P2P sharing are some examples. Uber Pool, MOIA and BlaBlaCar are companies with very promising business for shared transportation services.

Which are the major countries this would have an impact on?

We see the approach towards shared mobility more city-based rather than country-specific.

The megacities and big urban centers have a group of very similar challenges to address – as previously mentioned,

but also some others which are very specific and might come from legislations, existing infra-structure, population, culture, or any other driving force. Therefore, for any new mobility initiative it’s fundamental to ensure the delivery of customer-centric experience while adding value to the cit-ies.

In the evolving automotive scenario, what are the major disruptive technologies that could emerge in the next de-cade?

There are four major disruptive megatrends emerging for the next decade: Connectivity, Automation, Shared ser-vices and Electrification - CASE.

They are self-reinforcing and one is enabling the other. Nevertheless, they’re not happening at the same time. The first connected cars have come out of the assembly lines in the 90’s but are just now becoming more popular and re-ceiving new applications and capabilities. In the coming 2 -5 years, the automotive world is going to be significantly electrified. The shared mobility is popping-up all around since 2 years ago and might face a consolidation before scaling strongly in the next couple years. Sometime further ahead, we’ll see the autonomous vehicles complementing this automotive revolution.

With electrification being touted as the next big thing in the automotive industry, what are the energy sources that will get tapped?

Although I’m not an expert on this topic, I’ve been follow-ing discussions around this theme from some stakeholders along the value chain, and those are always leading to-wards clean energy, such as Solar, Wind and Hydroelectric Energy. Therefore, a greener cycle would be reached.

From an era where we are concerned about shortage of fossil fuels, increased pollution and large junkyards of used and condemned vehicles, how do we take remedial measures to wipe out the damage done to the ecology?

If we just rethink the way me move around, we could re-duce significantly emissions. Making use shared transpor-tation services (public transport or pooling), rethinking the reasons to purchase a vehicle (smaller, lighter or with bet-ter engines), or even pursuing electric models over com-bustions, as well as doing a better planning on our daily activities to optimize our journeys, are already some exam-ples that don’t need any legislation or depends on third partied and still bring immediate positive results to the en-vironment.

Nikhil Raghavan


TECHNOLOGYNews

SHAPING THE FUTURE OF MOBILITY

As a new era of mobility dawns on the automotive indus-try, there are several challenges and issues that all stake holders will face, till such time a smooth transition to new-er modes and systems fall into place. Autonomous driving, connectivity, electrification, mapping, artificial intelligence, data and Mobility as a Service (Maas) are the areas where changes are expected to take place across the world in the automobile industry.

During a two-day conference designed by Automotive World, under the aegis of M:bility | Europe, in Stuttgart on July 9 and 10 at the Movenpick Hotel, Stuttgart Airport, Germany, all these and more were debated, discussed and papers presented by several stakeholders from the auto-motive industry, mobility sector and transportation provid-ers, with a focused view to understand the future of mobil-ity.

Divergent views and strong opinions were voiced by key speakers and presenters:

“I do not see so-called air taxis as being a very good idea. Let’s get ground transport running first before considering other things.” - Michael Münter, Head of Strategic Planning and Sustainable Mobility, City of Stuttgart.

“We’ve learned the challenges of handling the data gener-ated by AVs - it is time consuming and error prone. Finding the information, you need is a headache, and today the process is quite laborious.” - Robin Nijor, Vice President of Business Development & Marketing, Renovo.

“We are more or less already driving vehicles that are com-puters on wheels, so I don’t think the risk of cyber crime will kill the AV.” — Ilijana Vavan, Managing Director, Europe, Kaspersky Lab.

“Will MaaS become the new normal? In big cities: yes. In rural areas: not so much.” - Jacob Fellman, Associate, NGP Capital.

“I strongly believe that automakers will change from being purely producers of a product to enablers of mobility.” - Philipp Kemmler-Erdmannsdorffer, NIO.

“Autonomous driving does not necessarily solve the traffic issue in urban areas.” - Jürgen Bilo, Managing Director co-pace GmbH, Continental Automotive.

What are the major issues facing automakers and mobility stakeholders? The questions that sought answers from the participants were:

What is the future of mobility? Morgan Holt, Chief Strategy Officer at Fitch, a brand consultancy says that the emphasis in citizen growth areas will be in the cities and it is cities that are dictating the demand for EVs, with free parking in many areas and greater access to charging sta-tions. According to Dr. Robert Schroder, Deputy Managing Director, Kantar Automotive, auto manufacturers register around 40% of their sales from vehicles bought by city res-idents. Hence, with 60% sales coming from outside cities, private vehicle ownership will prevail in rural areas for some more time.

How will future mobility shape society by 2030? Philipp Kemmler-Erdmannsdorffer of Chinese EV manufacturer NIO believes that automakers will change from being pure-ly manufacturers of a product to enablers of mobility. In his report of the conference, Freddie Holmes writes: Having focussed almost exclusively on ‘cars sold’ for the last century, manufacturers are expected to embrace rev-enue sourced through ‘miles driven.’ There was much de-

JURGEN BILO (SECOND LEFT) AND PHILIPP KEMMLER (FAR RIGHT)


TECHNOLOGYNews

bate around the levels of autonomous driving laid out by the Society of Automotive Engineers, but the overriding sentiment of the conference was that Level 4 automation holds the promise. “I am pretty much convinced that we will see many Level 4 enabled cars on the streets in 2030,” said Philipp Kemmler-Erdmannsdorffer.

What does future mobility mean for a fluid management specialist? As with all new technologies, there is the ap-prehension, the reluctance, the fear and the concern as to what will happen to the time-tested system, namely, ICE (Internal Combustion Engine)? Russell Hester, Director of Business Development at dlh BOWLES, a US-based engi-neered plastics and fluid management firm firmly believes that even though there may be a reduction in product lines associated with ICE vehicles, there is increased con-tent with other products. The general view is that while EVs are set for a rapid growth in the coming years, diesel and petrol will continue to dominate the passenger car market.

Will cyber threats kill the autonomous car? As with any-thing to do with software and digital platforms with high speed Internet connectivity and data transfer systems, there is always a fear of viruses and cyber-attacks. Connectivity is revolutionising new vehicles which in fu-ture will generate as much as 4000 gigabytes of data ev-ery day, says Freddie Holmes, in his report. Ilijana Vavan, Managing Director, Europe, Kaspersky Lab said that since we are already driving vehicles that are computers on wheels, there is no major risk of cyber crime killing the autonomous vehicles. On the other hand, Christoph Gauger, Partner and Managing Director, The Boston Consulting Group feels that there is a risk that cyber

crime could kill the development of AVs. But, Gauger has great trust in the automotive industry to find a way. (Information courtesy: Automotive World)

Nikhil Raghavan

ILIAJANA VAVAN IS SECOND FROM LEFT ROBIN NIJOR FROM RENOVO

MICHAEL MUNTER

JACOB FELLMAN FROM NGP


SEMINAR

INDIA HAS A SIGNIFICANT MARKET POTENTIAL FOR ELECTRIC VEHICLES: IESAThe recently held 2-day IESA Electric Mobility & Advanced Battery Training with FAME 2 Certification Process along with ARAI Lab visit, at Pune on 6 and 7, June 2019, provided a unique platform to interact, discuss and learn advanced battery technologies, FAME II certification process and EV ecosystem in India.

Although we are still in the infancy of adoption of EVs, with the changes in the technology landscape as well as a clear vision set by the Indian government, India Energy Storage Alliance IESA estimates that over 7 crores EVs could be sold in India till 2030.This transition of the trans-portation sector from petroleum based internal combus-tion engines (ICEs) to EVs, would create a market of 750 GWh of advanced energy storage solutions over the next decade. The Government of India has laid down its plans and DHI is catalysing the Indian EV market with the active support from various other ministries such as NITI Aayog, MoP, MoRTH, MS&T, MoCIP for making this dream a reali-ty. State Governments like Karnataka, Telangana, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Kerala, Andhra Pradesh, Delhi, and Maharashtra have made promising moves by announcing their own policies to promote the development of electric mobility infrastructure and providing incentives for manu-facturing of EVs and energy storage.

IESA has set a vision to make India a global hub for R&D and manufacturing of advanced energy storage and EV systems by 2022. In the past, IESA organised two editions of EV Conclave in 2017 & 2018 along with two regional EV roundtable in Karnataka and Maharashtra with the sup-port of state governments to encourage EV pilots in India.

Ajay Chitankar, MD, Pune Mahanagar Parivahan Mahamandal Ltd discussed the matter of battery swap-

ping saying that it is not as simple as it requires charging infrastructure. He pointed out that private parties may think of undertaking the business of setting up charging stations similar to our petrol pumps. Good charging infra-structure should be made available in collaboration with the Pune Smart City Development Corporation Ltd (PSCDCL) and the Pune Municipal Corporation. Ajay felt that some of the vacant spaces in Pune - as small as 200 sq ft - could be utilized to put up this charging infra for EVs and felt it was a good opportunity for private players to take up. He was also particular about the choice of e-busses, preferring a 12 - meter bus that would be the equivalent of 40 - 44 two wheelers against the 9 meter bus which would take care of just 21 two wheelers.

Dr Rahul Walawalkar, President, IESA spoke on behalf of his organization saying they have an initiative moving on-ward with vehicle electrification. He offered help in terms of coordinating with the private players or coordinating in terms of better utilization of infrastructure. With 75+ plus members operating in multiple countries, IESA has a lot of collective knowledge to offer, he said.

Anand Deshpande of ARAI brought up critical issues re-garding the safety and performance of EVs. ARAI had a very important role to play here he said, pointing out that with a lot of focus on the cost of EVs, one could not com-promise on safety. The other issue was the rising summer


SEMINAR

temperatures in Pune which affect the performance of EVs. EVs is new a technology and it has its own safety and performance challenges and performance limitations, said Mr. Deshpande. Range or high temperature or lithi-um ion batteries could be a challenge considering our tropical conditions. So as far as safety standards or per-formance standards are concerned, we have been contin-uously updating and amending our Central Motor Vehicles Rule. He spoke of a global standard which is be-ing developed on EV safety and that ARAI is also partici-pating in this harmonisation of regulations. The other topic being debated by global experts is the thermal ef-fects from Li-ion batteries which is very relevant to India, where vehicles operate in summer conditions of 45C plus. The same applies to charging stations. ARAI has been do-ing certification on the overall effect that this will have on the battery. ARAI with the support of the Ministry of Heavy Industries has set up a Centre of Excellence where they are working on various test methodologies to im-prove the health of and enhance the actual capacity of the battery. Mr. Deshpande explained that charger testing was carried out under increased temperatures suitable to Indian environmental conditions.

Athshyam Khan, Manager- Technical, Mobility, Energy Efficiency Services Limited is promoting EV adoption in the country and is instrumental in launching an eco-sys-tem for electric vehicles. In order to catalyse EV demand, EESL under the Ministry of Power, has placed bulk orders for 15,000 vehicles. These have been deployed on a pan-India basis. The maximum - 400 - 500 vehicles - have been deployed in Delhi alone, with a total of 700 e-vehicles in the Noida - Gurgaon region. In the state of

Andhra Pradesh, EVs have been deployed in 14 - 15 cities. In other states such as Jharkhand and UP, they have been introduced in just a couple of cities. The presence of EVs on roads will ignite the need for an efficient eco-system for electric vehicles in the form of effective charging in-frastructure. For this, we have done the assessment and finalized the sort of back end requirement which we have circulated to all departments and states and also clarified misconceptions regarding the need to register, kind of software etc., said Khan.

Although currently consumers have very limited choices on EVs in India, Indian automobile sector leaders have already showcased their upcoming EVs which can hit the roads very soon. Indian companies have successfully built electric cars in the recent past and are lining up electric buses to be provided to state transportation. Many start-ups have already entered and developed market ready products in 2W and 3W segments. Batteries are a critical component for EVs and there is a big gap as currently there is no li-ion cell manufacturing taking place in India. With the objective of triggering the early adoption of EVs in India the goods and services tax (GST) Council has set a tax rate of 12% for electric vehicles, compared with 28% plus cess for petrol and diesel cars and hybrid vehicles.

Nikhil Raghavan

FROM- L TO R:- DR. RAHUL WALAWALKAR, PRESIDENT, IESA; ANAND DESHPANDE, SENIOR DEPUTY DIRECTOR, ARAI; AJAY CHARTHANKAR, JOINT MANAGING DIRECTOR, PMPML; AHTAYSHAM KHAN, MANAGER TECHNICAL-ELECTRIC MOBILITY, EESL; DEBI PRASAD DASH, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, IESA; ANIL GUPTA, DIRECTOR, OKAYA POWER AND ASHOK THAKUR, EDITOR, ETN MAGAZINE

AN ATTENTIVE AUDIENCE


FEATURE

THE INDIAN ACESAUTONOMOUS | SHARED | CONNECTED | ELECTRIC“When will we have Autonomous Cars in India?” – this is an often-asked question, pertaining to the automotive industry, from both insiders and outsiders alike, with much curiosity, excitement and eagerness. As an autonomous car enthusiast and a close follower of this technology, one can be relieved that the question, thankfully is always about “When will we”, and not “Will we?”, in India. So, what is this buzz all about? Why do we need Autonomous Vehicles (AV) or Self Driving Cars, at all? We will try and explore perspectives in this context, and (may be!) try to arrive at the much sought-after timing for India.

The predictions have it: overall automotive business ecosystem is set to hit a staggering $7 trillion dollar economy by 2050. With electric and shared mobility along with autonomous cars playing key contributors to this ecosystem, it is only natural that there is much excitement and interest in their development and fruition. Commercial reasons aside, even more compelling reasons are safety and environment benefits, of the ACES.

Before attempting to answer the question of When, we must try and understand the What. The Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) has succinctly defined the Levels Of Autonomy. This is defined in the J3016 Standard. The Standard clarifies the role of human driver, driving automation scope and functional definitions. It is attempted to be a descriptive and informative standard rather than a normative one. This Standard forms the basis for discourse on autonomous vehicles across engineering, legal, media, and regulatory domains. The document is also intended for providing a useful framework for driving automation specifications and technical requirements. This is a great reference point for us to understand the intended What.

Levels of Automation

The J3016 Standard defines 6 levels of Driving Automation, Level 0 is the current status – no automation in the autonomous context. The Table-1 explains critical functional considerations to understand levels of driving automation.

When we try to understand what are we trying to automate – the answer turns out to be quite an obvious

revelation, hiding in plain sight. As much as we say we are automating the Car, we are essentially, automating the Driver! So, we talk of driving automation not as much in terms of the hardware and software, but the intended driving functionality that is being automated, by replacing a human driver.

Critical functions for Autonomous Execution:

• Lateral Control: Steering

• Longitudinal Control: Acceleration and Braking

• Object and Event Detection and Response (OEDR)

• Fallback: Alerting the fall back ready driver to take control of the scenario

Operating Design Domain (ODD): The design domain for which the vehicle functionality is defined, developed, tested and released for production – the specifications of geography, rules of the road, temperature, lighting or other dynamic conditions, including weather, inside which the autonomous functionalities work as intended – this is the Operating Design Domain or ODD.

The Level 5 Autonomous is considered to have an infinite Operating Design Domain (ODD). This means, the car can perform all functions as intended and without failure under any driving conditions. When we are posed with the loaded question of “When will we have Autonomous Vehicles on the road?”, we must first seek to understand what Level of Autonomous Driving is being asked. Most times, the assumption is for Level 5 which roughly translates to “Can I watch a movie and go on any road, anywhere and anytime in any weather condition?” Well, not quite, and this is not just for India, but the world over. We expect Level 5 to take shape around the 2040s, and have it in commonplace close to 2050.


FEATURE

The real deal clencher: Getting the ODD right

Having understood the crucial influence of ODD (restricted or infinite, does not matter), at once we realize that the functioning of the autonomous car is dependent on the environment and the ODD it is built for. It is both an inside out and outside in transaction. The sensors detect the environment, but the rule of the game is dependent on what environment the car is in. One can have the best sensors (Cameras, LIDARs, RADARs, etc.), and allied technology / algorithms in place. If it is not tuned to the relevant ODD, the car is as good as Level 0 or Level 1 at best. The task of sensing, planning and control cannot be achieved without the right enablers in place.

As we speak today, in 2019, there are enough technological explorations underway, that are not necessarily India specific. The globe is trying to solve these complex problems and several OEMs are racing to find solutions. Something as “fundamental” as working around overcoming lens flares on cameras that blind the car’s vision to automated cleaning of accumulated dust on LIDAR surfaces, are being worked on. Cost of sensors, especially LIDARs is another big area of expected breakthrough for commercial success of autonomous vehicles. Creation of High Definition Maps (HD Maps) that aide AV traverse, for the cities and geographies of the world is a mammoth task on hand. It is a precursor to all important tasks of the AV – such as localization, prediction, planning and control.

What is in store for India?

On the Highway NH275, when one takes a road trip from Bangalore to Mysore, there are well laid out sign posts for speed breakers, except that there might be no speed breakers coming up, in some cases – you have already responded to the sign by slowing down! Lane markings could fade away, speed limits forgotten to be defined, cattle crossing the roads, roads used as paddy crushers, pedestrians popping from the bushes in a road divider are some of the more complex considerations on most Indian highways, apart from lengthy trailors switching lanes without warning. The task on hand is defining an ODD that represents these conditions.

The array of events to be managed are far more “wilder”. When we think of this task, it appears that the western world has been scheming an all autonomous scenario for over a 100 years now already, and India needs to up the game. Now, all this, just with the highways. What about various other scenarios? Urban conditions – such as Metros, Tier-2 cities and beyond. What does it take to define the ODD for these conditions. What about unladen roads, intersections without traffic lights or malfunctioning ones. What about the offenders, who might turn unsafe for autonomous cars. We suddenly have college educated personality cars in the name of autonomous vehicles and cars comparable to notorious school drop-outs (human controlled) driving along side each other. How will they co-exist?

In the 2019 autonomous-vehicles-readiness-index study, by KPMG that measured 25 countries, India stands 24th,


FEATURE

beating only Brazil. We have 23 countries ahead of India, including the likes of Spain, China, The Scandinavians, Mexico and Russia.

The reader must have begun to understand that the autonomous car is so much beyond the car itself. In the world of AV development, a popular saying goes “ If we are able to crack deep learning algorithms for Indian scenarios, we could possibly crack it for the rest of the world”. The complexity simply lies in every aspect of the AV functioning and execution – Sensing, Planning and Control.

Sensing failure could arise from unplanned-for scenarios, or roads not available on the maps, and resulting in possible localization inaccuracies. Planning failure could arise from inaccurate predictions of environment dynamics, which is a precursor to the ego vehicle’s planned path execution. Control failures could arise from inaccuracies accrued at sensing, prediction and planning stages. These failures are not new to the AV development world. However, the nature and the intensity of these disturbances could be higher and more complex for India, that emulating the biological responses is an exciting problem to solve. After all, humans are driving in these conditions today (albeit accident statistics, rising!). We come to realize, the wonderful human abilities, that we intend to emulate.

Summarizing, the detailed tasks for an AV are as follows:

HD Maps - pre-created maps to feed the AV traverse

Localization - the task of perceiving the environment and locating the position of the AV in the map

Perception - Sensing the environment - dynamic and static objects, and help in Localization

Prediction - Predicting other vehicles, pedestrians and dynamic entities

Planning - creating a plan based on all above inputs for the next location of the vehicle in the form of way-points

Control - executing the plan, using steering, braking and acceleration

We understand the AV execution problem is an amalgamation of multiple ingredients. The Venn diagram on this page is a highly simplified representation of the enablers for AVs, and India has its own unique challenges in each of these areas.

AV success in India, cannot be described in a simple Yes or No. Nor can it be pin pointed to a specific time frame. It will be a journey of the right enablers coming in place at the right time. The technological challenges, infrastructure standardization, regulations and the right incentives from the Government will continue to play a large role in AV visibility on Indian roads. Government schemes for AVs on the lines of FAME (Faster Adoption and Manufacturing of Electric vehicle) will be critical for the success of AVs. This will drive OEM participation – from research to production. It will also incentivize infrastructure and allied alignment. Though not directly, it can be seen that an evolution of Electric, Shared and Connected vehicles can be a precursor to AV flourishment on Indian roads.

Interestingly enough, AVs will also bring about a revolution in the entire business model of the mobility industry: impacting facets of mobility related services to OEM sales. Mobility as a service, insurance and even entertainment, along with several related aspects of the eco-system will change and adapt. Problems related to AV ethics, and the laws governing them need to be evolved – think accidents, damages and other liabilities at least during a phase of transition to AVs. The


FEATURE

This is also expected to optimize farming approaches, reduce wastage in input resources and better forecasting for market supplies. The gains of using AVs are very tangible and embracing this for a farming context is far easier than solving a full-blown peak traffic problem to solve. Usage of AVs for farming is surely earlier in the sequence as for the timing of AVs is in question.

Similar to farming, other human independent environments such as mining, construction and defense can take precedence for AV applications, not just in India but the world over. This is a direct benefit in terms of safeguarding human lives from hazardous working conditions.

Conclusion:

The right goal for now is to keep pushing forward, and not having to wait for the best conditions to come by. The When, is thus, not a specific year in question, but is a continuum in time and it is also required to understand the When in terms of the necessary and sufficient conditions being met, in order to realize AVs on Indian roads. AV applications for farming may well be the first production-ready and real-time, mass deployment application to come by.

technological enablers may come with defining clever ODDs for India (geo-fencing, delaying deployment of Level 5, etc.), while there may be equally critical challenges in realizing the non-technology enablers, that may span up to political and philosophical realms (loss of driver jobs Vs automation or solving the evergreen trolley problem and it’s equivalents for India).

A simplified problem to solve could be in terms of using AVs in the field of agriculture, and specialized farming.

This is a more “tame” problem to consider and solve, for the reason that the ODD is simpler, human lives not at stake, and more in-control scenarios to deal with. One can use GPS guided inputs to sow, spray fertilizers and even harvest the yield. The entire farming exercise can become more data driven, by engaging computer vision techniques, identifying the right time to harvest, observe an unwelcome rodent and alert the owner with ripened fruits.

Vijai Gopalakrishnan

Engineering Manager, General Motors Technical Centre-India

References:

https://www.sae.org/news/2019/01/sae-up-dates-j3016-automated-driving-graphichttps://saemobi-lus.sae.org/content/j3016_201806 https://www.sae.org/news/press-room/2018/12/sae-inter-national-releases-updated-visual-chart-for-its-”lev-els-of-driving-automation”-standard-for-self-driving-ve-hicles https://www.fool.com/investing/2017/07/10/a-7-trillion-passenger-econo-my-market-intel-thinks.aspx https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trolley_problem crashstats.nhtsa.dot.gov/ https://www.forbes.com/sites/lanabandoim/2019/04/27/how-self-driving-tractors-and-ai-are-changing-agricul-ture/ https://www.techrepublic.com/article/how-self-driving-tractors-ai-and-precision-agriculture-will-save-us-from-the-impending-food-crisis/ https://www.wired.com/story/guide-self-driving-cars/


FEATURE

APOLLO TYRES IS PLANNING TO SET UP A DESIGN STUDIO IN CHENNAI.Launching its first Apollo Truck Tyre Zone (ATTZ) in Malaysia as part of the focus to provide consumers with convenient access to its products and services, Apollo Tyres is claimed to be working on an ambitious plan to set up a design studio at Chennai. It is likely to be situat-ed within the R&D facility of the CV tyre major and help the CV tyre major to perform various visualisation activi-ties. Said to be a part of the company’s strategy to stay agile and tap the new trends in road transportation, which will call for substantial improvements in efficient energy management, the design studio is expected to help Apollo Tyres to use various digital platforms to turn out superior products and solutions. With tyre contribu-tion set to play an ever-increasing role in reducing vehicle carbon footprint, the design studio is expected to play a key role in activities like tyre tread design, which calls for a balance between advanced engineering and appear-ance. Activities such as these would mean a significant upgrade in design talents over time with the setting up a studio.

Offering a vast portfolio of tubeless and tube type tyres for CVs, passenger vehicles and two-wheelers, Apollo Tyres, by the setting up a design studio, is expected to profit from an ability to explore new markets and further strengthen its position in the markets that it is already present in. Claimed to be the 11th largest tyre manufactur-er globally, Apollo Tyres, incorporated in 1972, has come to market products under the Apollo and Vredestein brand (Apollo Tyres acquired Vredestein Banden BV in 2009). Having a vast network of branded, exclusive and multi-product outlets, the tyre manufacturer, with facili-ties in India, the Netherlands, and Hungary, is said to spend close to 2.5 per cent of its revenue on R&D. Having clocked a turnover of USD 2.28 billion in FY2018, Apollo tyres, with an R&D center at Chennai in India, and at Enschede in the Netherlands, has 69 per cent of its reve-nues coming from India. Europe contributes 26 per cent. The other markets contribute the remaining five-per cent revenue.

With the design studio expected to provide a significant boost in terms of product proliferation, Apollo Tyres, ac-cording to PK Mohamed, Chief Advisor, R&D, is augment-ing its abilities at various levels. “We have been upgrad-

ing our equipment on a constant basis,” he informed. Mohamed stated that the company spends every year on upgradation. Looking at elevating the (R&D) center to international levels in the next five years, Apollo Tyres, said Mohamed, “Is setting up a new design studio with various important aspects apart from visualisation. Through the design studio, the Cv tyre major is planning to utilise its digital prowess to increase productivity by a big margin. By setting up the design studio and further upgrading various R&D functions, the company is also looking at engaging talent. It will be increasing the R&D manpower over time.

Tyre engineering

By setting up a design studio within its R&D facility at Chennai, Apollo Tyres is aiming at a significant technolo-gy up-gradation. This is expected to help the company to indulge in a high level of tyre engineering. With an eye on many advanced markets of the world, the company is looking at a significant boost in all that it does. Said Mohamed, “There are three important aspects of a tyre – safety, comfort, and economy. The economy bit could be split into mileage and rolling resistance. The safety bit could be split into aspects like braking distance, traction, cornering, etc. The comfort bit could be split into me-chanical and accosting comfort. If the three important

PK MOHAMMED, APOLLO R&D


FEATURE

aspects make a tyre a highly engineered part of an auto-mobile, importance has to be given to technology.” Highly engineered with much involvement of technology, a tyre is a complex component indeed. It incorporates, accord-ing to Mohamed, specialised polymers to enhance safety. It also incorporates silica through a complex technologi-cal process called as tandem mixing. Apollo Tyres is claimed to be the only company in India to have tandem mixing technology.

Claimed to have invested Euro 24 million to acquire tan-dem mixing technology, the company, said Mohamed, has a specialised division for polymers. “There’s an extended division in the Netherlands as well,” he revealed. Stating that they have got a deep understanding of the safety aspect of the compound, Mohamed explained that inputs from India and the Netherlands are taken into account. Making highly safe tyres, the company has invested a lot in its plant in Chennai. Right from mixing to curing, Apollo Tyres, in order to reduce the acoustics and vibra-tions, is performing a considerable computer-aided simu-lation.” Much attention is being paid to the comfort as-pect; to the mechanical comfort; the geometry of the tyre, and the precision of placement of the tyre. For the economy part, the rolling resistance of the tyre has been optimised such that the tyre would provide good mile-age, traction, and less rolling resistance. Said Subhendra Baksi, Head, R&D PV (AMPEA), “On a tyre, there are around 16-18 components. There is much precision in-volved. Only around four to six inches of the tyre makes contact with the road. It is these four to six inches of con-tact patch that handles load transfer, braking, etc. A tyre is all about pure engineering. It is supported by chemis-try.”

Stressing on the four megatrends — electrical, electronic, EVs and shared mobility — witnessed by the tyre industry that is also tackling technological challenges, Mohamed drew attention to the shift from a steam engine to an IC engine. He termed it as significant. In terms of speed, the tyre has to meet challenging requirements, he added. With the shift from the IC engine to electric systems, as-pects like track, rolling resistance, noise, and durability are proving to be challenging, explained Mohamed. He stated that Apollo Tyres is well equipped to tackle such challenges and employs 220 people at the Chennai R&D center. The Enschede R&D center employs 180 people. Working on truck tyres with a focus on mileage and dura-

bility in mind, the tyre manu-facturer is ex-ploring nano-materials. It is working with Mahatma Gandhi

University and has got a patent on the subject. Having developed a nano-based compound, Apollo Tyres is look-ing at further developing it. It is looking for an amount of industrialisation.

The Indian scenario

Using silica tech to help the tyres that it manufactures to withstand the Indian rough road conditions, Apollo Tyres is fast shaping into a global entity where the teams at Enschede and Chennai work in close coordination. Supplying tyres to low as well as high-end vehicles, the company saw its winter tyre being rated as the number one tyre in the European markets. If this is any encour-agement, the CV tyre manufacturer is closely following the rising radialisation of CV tyres in India. Of the opinion that the Indian customers look at mileage as compared to the European customers that look at traction, resistance, and mechanical comfort, Mohamed said, “There are sev-eral aspects regarding the rolling resistance of a tyre. These include sustained speed, driver habits, and inflation pressure.” Stressing on the need for good roads, Mohamed explained, “Truck radialisation is at 47 per cent in India. In the next 10 years, every vehicle will have radial tyres.” Drawing attention to a draft that has been ap-proved by the government and is awaiting implementa-tion, Mohamed expressed that Apollo Tyres is entering two-wheeler tyre manufacturer.

Manufacturing prowess

Setting up a new two-wheeler manufacturing facility at Baroda, Gujarat, Apollo Tyres is investing close to `100 crore. Developing tyres that will address the needs of high-end vehicles, the company is looking at offering all types of tyres. The Baroda facility, once operational, will make 2000 tyres. The capacity will over time be ramped up to 4000 tyres. Selling close to three lakh tyres per month, Apollo tyres is chalking out an ambitious plan to expand its reach, and be found in all tyre segments.

Sricharan R, Commercial Vehicle


TECHNOLOGYNews

NIPPON’S WET-ON-WET PAINTING TECHNOLOGY FOR CVS IN INDIANippon Paint, Asia’s number one paint brand in terms of revenues, has pioneered cutting edge technology for Commercial Vehicles painting. Nippon Paint has intro-duced its unique ‘Wet on Wet (WoW) Painting Technology’ in India, with a focus on delivering a lean and extremely efficient painting process to the CV OEMs and major bus body manufacturers. The WoW technology solution will drastically reduce painting cycle time, energy requirement and labour cost and significantly improve productivity in the painting process. With rapid strides in product solutions, Nippon Paint aims to become the clear leader in the Commercial Vehicles Segment space in India by 2021. The launch follows Nippon Paint’s recently-an-nounced unique express painting system for the automo-tive aftermarket,

Sharad Malhotra, President Automotive, Commercial and Wood Coatings, Nippon Paint (India), said, “The Indian commercial vehicle industry is a focus sector for us. Our objective is to develop and introduce state-of-the-art high productivity solutions for the CV industry. We aim to drastically improve throughput for our customers without any major capital investment from their end. This is just the first step in our mission to introduce world-class products developed by our global R&D team that add tre-mendous value to our CV and light industrial customers.”

Lewis Taylor, Global Technical Manager for Nippon Paint, said, “The biggest challenge faced by the commercial ve-hicle manufacturers in the painting process is how to op-timize efficiency. Nippon Paint aims to solve this problem by delivering customized solutions that maximize effi-ciency based on customer-specific production lines and infrastructure. Our WoW technology solution minimises sanding and baking processes, thereby delivering effi-ciency improvements of up to 50% and cost reduction of up to 20%.”

Siddarth Sharma, Business Head for CV Coatings, Nippon Paint India, said, “Nippon Paint prides itself on being the Paint Process Specialist for the CV industry. Our business process is led by our integrated paint and non-paint product solutions, technical expertise for painting lines and superior supply chain capabilities. Our OE and other

customers are assured that quality paint jobs will be delivered every sin-gle time. With WoW painting technol-ogy, customers can now enjoy an ex-tremely efficient system, with superior aesthetics.”

Nippon Paint currently works with most of the leading OEMs in the coun-try and is also a preferred player in the private bus-body segment in India. Nippon Paint is also working closely with the major State Transport Undertakings in India.

ACI Bureau


TECHNOLOGYReport

MERCEDES-AMG EXTRACTS WORLD-RECORD POWER FROM NEW FOUR-CYLINDER ENGINE

MERCEDES-BENZ CLAIMS ITS AMG-DESIGNED M 139 IS THE WORLD’S MOST-POWERFUL 4-CYLINDER ENGINE. (IMAGE: MERCEDES-BENZ)

PROPULSION

Mercedes-Benz engineers delight in setting new technol-ogy records—because they can then start a new program to break them. At Mercedes-AMG—the out-and-out per-formance side of the business—that urge often brings some remarkable results, the latest being massive power output from its new 2.0-L 4-cyl. AMG’s “fundamentally new” M 139 is bluntly claimed to be the world’s most powerful turbocharged 4-cyl. In series production.

The raw figures for the M 139S version are a claimed out-put of 310 kW (421 hp) from 1.9 L of displacement; the figure is up 30 kW (41 hp) over its forebear 4-pot mus-cle-machinery, the M 133. Peak output is at 6750 rpm and

maximum engine speed is 7200 rpm; AMG’s 4-cyl. Powerhouse also gener-ates 500 Nm (369 lb-ft) at 5000 to 5250 rpm.

Tech extravaganza

To help achieve the M 139’s outsized perfor-mance figures is a spar-kling constellation of technologies that span crankcase strength, turbo-charger subtlety and fuel injection capability, plus exceptional systems co-operation. With the pro-pulsion conversation in-creasingly dominated by electric vehicles (EVs) and hybrid-electric vehicles (HEVs), came this com-ment from Mercedes-AMG Chairman, Tobias Moers: “Not only is the output per liter unrivalled for a turbocharged engine, the high level of efficiency also demonstrates that

the internal combustion engine still has further potential.”

Interestingly, the M 139—like other Mercedes-AMG en-gines, assembled on a “one man, one engine” basis—comes in two versions: the S and what Mercedes-AMG terms “the basic version” with an output of 285 kW (387 hp) that isn’t exactly a wimp either. The decision to offer a lower-power option was to meet customer wishes and has proved successful in the V8-engine AMG models, stated the company. Both versions are said to have a spe-cifically-calibrated torque curve—dubbed “torque shap-ing”—similar to that of a naturally-aspirated engine. EV engineers still might not be impressed.


TECHNOLOGYReport

Substantial construction

Squeezing so much power from a 2.0-L engine emphasiz-es the need for structural strength. The M 139 has a chill-cast aluminum crankcase to help achieve it. Molten alumi-num is poured into a metallic, water-cooled mold to speed cooling and solidification of the melt, leading to a fine-grained, dense structure for very high strength, stat-ed the company.

Closed-deck construction, a technique borrowed from racing, delivers low weight and “impressive rigidity” to cope with cylinder pressures of up to 160 bar (2,321 psi). The transverse-engine layout positions the turbocharger and exhaust manifold at the rear, the intake at the front. This is to facilitate a vehicle hood line and general frontal area that improves aerodynamic efficiency. Intake-air ducting also is said to be improved.

Roller-bearing turbo

The M139’s new twin-scroll turbocharger housing has two flow passages positioned in parallel. Friction-reducing roller bearings are used for compressor and turbine shafts. Maximum charge pressure is 2.1 bar (30.5 psi) for the M 139S. An electronically-managed wastegate gives improved charge-pressure control to help part-load re-sponsiveness; the wastegate control unit (WCU) receives information regarding charge pressure, throttle flap posi-tion and the potential for knock, with “modifying” signals listed as intake pressure, engine temperature, engine speed and atmospheric pressure, together allowing a brief overboost function for pedal-to-the-metal moments.

The milder M 139 gets an exhaust-valve makeover.

MATERIALS

MAGNA’S NEW FREEFORM ENABLES SCULPTED, SEAMLESS SEAT SURFACESeat comfort and clean cover surfaces are high on the list of interior “wants” for consumers, but seats designed and produced with traditional cut-and-sew surfaces can dull the comfort level and impede the cleaning process.

Seating specialist Magna has an answer: a next-genera-tion seat trim cover that began with a new foam formula-tion created by the global supplier’s in-house chemists.

“The new chemistry formulation is really the break-through, as it allows us to create a new foam laminate.

Mercedes-AMG explained that repositioning and slightly angling the engine’s fuel-injection nozzles and sparkplugs in the cylinder head facilitates “greatly enlarging” the ex-haust valves compared to the M 133, reducing overall pis-ton venting. Thermal optimization of the new engine is significant, with more efficient cylinder-head cooling re-quired and met via seating rings with reduced installed height and a cooling bore hole close to the combustion chamber in the web area between the exhaust-valve seat-ing rings.

Mercedes’ Camtronic variable-valve control is used on the exhaust side and a multi-layer corrugated-metal seal is used to isolate the cylinder head from crankcase. Thermal optimization also involves a smart cooling system, with an extra radiator in the wheel arch as a supplement to the regular radiator and a low temperature circuit for air/wa-ter cooling. Transmission-oil cooling is part of the en-gine’s coolant circuit and there is a heat exchanger posi-tioned on the transmission. An on-demand electric water pump operates independently of the engine.

The M 139 uses two-stage fuel injection. The first has very quick and precise piezo injectors operating at pressures up to 200 bar (2900 psi) for in-cylinder direct-injection. The second stage comprises intake-manifold (port) injec-tion using solenoid valves. Fuel-supply operating pressure is 6.7 bar (97 psi). The first vehicle to use the M139 re-portedly will be the A45 hatchback launched later in 2019, while likely U.S. models could include the CLA se-dan and GLA and GLB crossovers.

Stuart Birch

We can mold shapes with this construction that are not feasible with the traditional cutting and sewing of trim covers,” Dino Nardicchio, global vice president of ad-vanced technology engineering for Magna Seating, said in an interview.

Compared to current molded trim technologies, Magna’s FreeForm is four times more breathable. The seat trim cover technology, produced via a patent-pending process, also enables design details as precise as a 3 to 4 mm


TECHNOLOGYReport

(0.118 to 0.157-in) radius versus the 20 to 25 mm (0.787 to 0.984-in) for tra-ditional cut-and-sew. Deep draws on a seatback mean second- or third-row occu-pants can gain up to 4 in (102 mm) of additional knee clearance.

Multi-material surfaces within the same seat cov-er—such as leather and suede, vinyl and leather, cloth and vinyl or another mixed-material combina-

ENGINE OIL FROM CHRISTMAS TREES AND FLASHLIGHT BATTERIES

MATERIALS

What is the connection between a Christmas tree, chewing gum, used fry oil and 14 flashlight batteries? Answer: Together with some other commonly used items, this in-congruous recipe can be turned into a liter of automo-tive-quality engine oil—not formally analyzed for a speci-fication but approximating to an SAE 0W20 by Nexcel, a BP innovation business.

Sharply focused on recycling used oil via its self-con-tained, sealed-cell system, the company has completed a technology demonstrator program (not for production but it is understood the results are expected to contribute to improved molecular efficiency in production) to show what can be achieved by using some unlikely ingredients to create a lubricant from recycled resources.

The aim is to highlight the value in items considered to be waste that can be linked to deliver useful raw materials, said Marc Payne, Nexcel’s formulation manager, who got the idea when he was redecorating a home bathroom.

“I was using a commercially-available product containing acidic organophosphates to depolymerize and remove silicone sealant in my shower, when I noticed that the re-sultant action gave an oily residue. This oily substance was a silicone oil similar to those used as anti-foam agents in lubricants.” This discovery triggered thoughts

IN-VEHICLE SEATS ARE EASIER TO CLEAN BECAUSE OF FREEFORM’S SEAMLESS SURFACE. (IMAGE: MAGNA)

tion—are possible. Zipper on/off covers are another op-tion. Up to 80 conventional trim-attachment components, including listing wires, are eliminated because FreeForm uses hidden tiedowns, said Nardicchio. “Without all of these components, there is much better surface control.”

Magna’s FreeForm seat covers could reach the market-place as early as 2021. “It’s perfect for [vehicle] mid-cycle trim changes, because the base foam pad is common. We can literally provide differentiation by simply removing the topper cover,” Nardicchio said, adding, “this is espe-cially appealing for ride-sharing domains because fleet owners want the ability to clean vehicle interiors with minimal downtime.”

FreeForm can be used in vehicle programs of any volume.

Kami Buchholz

about other materials and inspired the preparation of a “recipe” to create oil from wholly recycled common-use materials.

But one item in particular was proving a problem: identi-fying a suitable source of recycled materials to yield an anti-oxidant—essential because oxidation in engine oil increases viscosity, produces unwanted acids and results in corrosion of metal parts and sludge in the sump.

A STEP TOWARDS ENGINE OIL CREATION: SCOOPING OUT CONTENTS OF A USED BATTERY AS PART OF NEXCEL’S TECHNOLOGY DEMONSTRATOR PROJECT. (IMAGE: JAMES BISSETT FOR NEXCEL)


TECHNOLOGYReport

CLOSEUP OF MICHELIN’S “AIRLESS” UPTIS WHEEL MOUNTED ON A CHEVROLET BOLT EV. (IMAGE: GM)

Michelin has partnered with General Motors to test the tire company’s “airless” wheel technology, which will it says will improve safety and reduce waste by eliminating the possibility of punctures. The two companies expect to begin marketing the Uptis (Unique Punctureproof Tire System) Prototype in 2024.

The novel structure, which has been long in development and is covered by about 50 patents, is made with alumi-num, rubber components and resin-impregnated fiber-glass, Eric Vinesse, Michelin’s executive VP of research and development, explained. Michelin’s technology will be tested on a fleet of Bolt EVs beginning this year.

CHASSIS

MICHELIN, GM PARTNER ON AIRLESS WHEEL FOR 2024

The difficult one

“This was the difficult one,” admitted Payne. “I needed hindered phenols or aromatic amines as an anti-oxidant and consulted specialists at the knowledge-based busi-ness Concept Life Sciences (CLS), who said that spruce trees were a good source of phenolic compounds. The month was December, when spruce Christmas trees were on sale and plentiful, so CLS chipped up one, extracted some phenolics and converted them to aromatic amines for use as anti-oxidants.”

The project then could proceed with all the necessary in-gredients mustered—and so began a “cooking time” of about four months.

This is Payne’s detailed ingredients’ list and chemistry les-son:

• Viscosity modifier: extracted from used engine oil via preparatory dialysis.

• Anti-foam: derived from discarded cured silicone seal ant broken down via acid hydrolysis to a silicone oil.

• Pour-point depressant: derived from used cooking oil fatty acids grafted onto a methacrylate and polymer ized.

• Detergent: derived from used cooking oil converted to a phenate detergent and then over-based (CaO + CO2) to produce a calcium based detergent system.

• Anti-wear: zinc oxide extracted from used alkaline bat-teries and converted to ZDDP (zinc dialkyldithiophos-

phates) via the standard synthetic route.

• Dispersant: derived from used chewing gum (180 pel lets); PIB (polyisobutyleme) gum base radically cracked to about the correct chain length, reacted with maleic anhydride then subsequently reacted with a polyamine.

• Anti-oxidant: derived from phenols extracted from dis carded Christmas trees (spruce) and converted to an aminic anti-oxidant.

• Base oil: derived from a distilled and hydro-treated used engine oil.

Zero-waste goal

John-Ward-Zinski, Nexcel sustainability director, said of the result: “The project shows the sustainability of waste. This was a hugely demanding project, particularly regard-ing yielding of phenols and catechols for antioxidants—and one which we hope will open the public’s eyes to the importance of recycling and sustainability.”

The project team worked to a zero-waste goal, with tri-al-and-error a necessity as they moved into experimental territory.

Ward-Zinski said re-refinement of used oil can create a high-quality product when blended with new additives, but added that bulk feedstocks made up of many differ-ent types of used oils can complicate the process and re-duce the process yield.

Stuart Birch


TECHNOLOGYReport

SF90 IS FERRARI’S FIRST-EVER PLUG-IN HYBRIDPROPULSION

The airless structure eliminates the possibility of blow-outs, improving safety and ensuring that drivers won’t be stranded by flats. Vinesse, speaking at the 2019 Movin’On Summit in Montreal, estimated that 200 million tires an-nually are discarded prematurely due to punctures.

Michelin plans to start production in North America, but Vinesse said benefits may be greater in other geogra-phies. North American drivers typically have tire punc-tures every two or three years, while punctures occur ev-ery six to eight months in China.

Uptis wheel assemblies can be built to different perfor-mance orientations, such as sport or comfort. They also can be tuned to specific vehicles. The design—marketed as Michelin X Tweel—already is in production for a variety of commercial off-road vehicles, from skid-steer loaders to golf carts, all-terrain vehicles (ATVs) and garden trac-

tors.Vinesse said there will be several technical improve-ments in the automotive-applications’ design between now and 2024, when production begins. During that time, regulators and standards bodies also will have to develop new nomenclature and make other changes to address the non-inflatable tires.

Uptis weighs about 5% more than conventional tires, but that weight will be offset because no spare tires will be needed on the vehicle, according to Vinesse. The number of retread cycles will be determined as physical tests are performed.

The wheel assemblies can be easily retreaded, helping reduce longterm costs, but initial pricing isn’t yet deter-mined.

Terry Costlow

Storied sportscar-maker Ferrari will produce its first-ever plug-in hybrid-electric vehicle, the company said in an-nouncing its SF90 Stradale, a new model named in refer-ence to the 90th anniversary of Ferrari’s founding. But not only is it the brand’s first PHEV, it’s the most powerful Ferrari production car ever sold.

And for yet another “first,” the SF90 Stradale is the first Ferrari sportscar to be fitted with all-wheel drive (AWD), “a step necessary to allow the incredible power unleashed by the hybrid powertrain to be fully exploited,” Ferrari reported.

“The new model is extreme on every level and represents a true paradigm shift because it delivers unprecedented performance for a production car,” Ferrari said in a re-lease announcing the car. The company also confirmed that with the inception of the SF90 Stradale, “a V8 is the top-of-the-range model for the first time in the marque’s history.”

The SF90 Stradale combines the output of a 4.0-L twin-turbocharged V8 (essentially derived from Ferrari’s much-awarded 3.9-L twin-turbo V8) and three electric motors—a motor/generator between the engine and the transmission driving the rear wheels and a motor for each wheel at the front axle, which in true “e-axle” configura-tion is not mechanically connected to the internal-com-

bustion driveline. The arrangement is central to imparting the sophisticated AWD propulsion that combines control of the two front-axle traction motors with the IC/mo-tor-driven rear wheels.

The SF90 Stradale’s performance is little short of as-tounding—even by Ferrari standards. The company claims a 0-62 mph (100 km/h) acceleration time of 2.5 s and says the car can attain 124 mph (200 km/h) in 6.7 s, while top speed is a claimed 211 mph (340 km/h).

Despite the added weight of three motors and a 7.9-kW-h lithium-ion battery pack—total hybrid system weight is 270 kg (595 lb)—Ferrari said the 2-seat SF90 Stradale’s curb weight is just 1570 kg (3461 lb).

Eight cylinders for the primary job

The SF90’s 4.0-L 90-degree V8, developing 769 hp at 7500 rpm, has the highest output ever for a Ferrari V8, the company said. Although the engine’s bore was increased to 88 mm compared with original 3.9-L variant, the SF90’s engine has a narrower cylinder head, larger intake valves and a 9.5:1 compression ratio. A new direct-injection fueling system with central injectors works at 350 bar (5,076 psi) and the company said the intake and exhaust are completely redesigned; redline is 8000 rpm.


TECHNOLOGYReport

The turbochargers now have electronically-controlled wastegates which enhance catalyst heating and new compressor volutes that optimize flow dynamics.

Ferrari claims the 4.0-L V8’s 192.27 hp/L specific output is the highest in the segment. Revised gear ratios for the 8-speed automated manual deliver an 8% efficiency im-provement in the Worldwide Light Vehicle Test Procedure (WLTP) cycle, Ferrari said, adding that although the transmission adds a ratio, its installed height is 15 mm (0.6 in) lower and overall is 10 kg (22 lb.) lighter, in part owing to the fact that it includes no reverse gear—that function now is provided by the front-axle motors.

Electro-drive tricks

Another new-to-Ferrari curiosity for the SF90 Stradale: when driven exclusively on battery power, the Stradale is a front-wheel drive car.

Top speed exclusively on battery power is 135 km/h (84 mph) and 25 km (16 miles) is the maximum range from the 162 kW (217 hp) of combined power from the three electric motors that also can feed as much as 800 Nm (590 lb-ft) into the propulsion equation.

The hybrid system also plays into another famous Ferrari

THE SF90 STRADALE NOT ONLY IS FERRARI’S FIRST-EVER PLUG-IN HYBRID, IT’S ALSO THE FIRST FERRARI SPORTSCAR TO BE FITTED WITH ALL-WHEEL-DRIVE. (IMAGE: FERRARI)

attribute: braking. Although providing genuine perfor-mance “feel” has been difficult to achieve with brake-by-wire systems, the company says the SF90 Stradale has brake-by-wire control that “allows the braking torque to be split between the hydraulic system and the electric motors” and goes on to say the design “actually boosts performance and brake feel rather than compromising them.”

The new SF90 Stradale stays relatively light with new in-novations such as hollow castings in place of convention-al ribbed castings. Two new aluminum alloys are used in the car, including a high-strength 7000-series alloy “for some of the sheetmetal,” the company said, and carbon fiber is used for the bulkhead separating the engine from the the cabin.

The company said that the SF90 Stradale’s chassis has 20% increased bending stiffness and 40% higher torsional rigidity than previous platforms without any increase in weight.

Bill Visnic


TECHNOLOGYReportHEAVY CAPABILITY FOR CHEVY’S 2020 SILVERADO HEAVY-DUTY PICKUPS

That there are a staggering eight different trim levels for the new 2020 Chevrolet Silverado HD lineup says much about the importance the commercial-pickup segment holds for each of the Detroit Three automakers. Like the half-ton pickups sold to everyday consumers, these mod-els, once known mostly as “work trucks” have assumed a complex role that far exceeds their one-dimensional roots.

The 2020 Silverado HD (2500/3500) line includes “just” five distinct trims, but there are sub-trims for three; all told, it’s Work Truck, Custom, Custom Trail Boss, LT, RST, LT Trail Boss and High Country. As you work up the trim-level ladder, the line separating commercial duty and lifestyle accoutrement becomes blurrier—particularly when you understand it’s possible to lay down nearly $90,000 for a check-all-the-boxes version of the new High Country trim.

Fancy prices for “work” pickups aren’t news for Tim Herrick, Chevrolet Trucks’ tuned-in executive chief engi-neer. Many customers tow expensive equipment or camp-ers that are substantial investments, he said, so they’re willing to make a comparable outlay for a pickup with the capability to tow up to 35,500 lb (16,103 kg). And do it in the kind of enhanced comfort that’s coming to define even heavy-duty pickups.

New chassis brings new capability

Herrick said the 2020 Silverado HD architecture is based on an up-rated version of the prior boxed-steel ladder frame, all to handle that max tow (for the Silverado 3500) that’s 52% greater than before. As is invariably the case, the new structure also brings more size: a 5.2-in. (132-mm) enhancement for the wheelbase of the most-popular

crew cab body, to 158.9 in. (4036 mm) for the standard bed. Compared to the outgoing 2019 HD pickups, the crew cab also is 1.4 in. (36 mm) wider and overall length is up by a not-insubstantial 10.4 in. (264 mm). That length brings a standard bed that provides 9 cu. ft. more volume and 3 in. (76 mm) of newfound rear-seat legroom.

In a day of high-desert test driving, our favorite new-chas-sis element might be the short/long-arm independent front suspension that is a noticeable refinement compared to the solid front axles common to the segment. The im-proved steering precision and comfort the setup provides is augmented by an optional “digital” assist for the base hydraulic recirculating-ball power steering. The digital as-sist ties into the tow/haul setting for unique steering cali-bration while towing that was a game-changer with the 12,000-lb (5443-kg) and 14,000-lb (6350-kg) test tows Chevy arranged on hilly public roads.

Gasoline V8 and diesel details

Those with outsized towing and hauling requirements are known for their loyalty to diesel engines and the 2020 Silverado HDs continue with the 6.6-L Duramax diesel V8 that generates SAE-certified 445 hp and 910 lb-ft (1234 Nm). But there’s a twist: Herrick said the new trucks’ re-vised and strengthened frame, along with a 30% larger-di-ameter prop shaft, larger front and rear axles and 12-in. (304-mm) ring gear mean the Duramax is able to channel all 910 lb-ft in first gear of the new standard Allison 10-speed automatic transmission—capability that allows GM to offset rival Ram’s High Output variant of its latest Cummins-made 6.7-L I-6 turbodiesel that belts out 1000 lb-ft. (1356 Nm), but may not be able to deliver maximum torque in first gear.

And taking a direct shot at Ford’s competing Super Duty lineup, Herrick also said Chevrolet’s tow ratings are not reduced by elevation. “We can tow the number we say—anywhere in the galaxy,” he boasts. Diesel-engine/Allison transmission HDs also can be had with a first-ever inte-grated power takeoff (PTO) that’s driven directly from the engine via a chain drive; Chevrolet said the feature, elimi-nating the need to fit an aftermarket PTO, is a first for the brand. Another thoughtful touch is a gauge to indicate diesel exhaust fluid (DEF) level, while the DEF tank itself is relocated so that the filler is next to the fuel filler.

THE 2020 SILVERADO HD IS ALL-NEW AND CLAIMS THE SEGMENT’S HIGHEST MAX-TOW RATING AT 35,500 LB. (IMAGE: CHEVROLET)


TECHNOLOGYReport

A monstrous 28-in (711-mm) diameter cooling fan is part of a carefully conceived cooling strategy that includes a new “after-run” feature that automatically keeps the en-gine and ancillaries running for up to 15 minutes if the truck is placed in park after a demanding haul.

The 2020 Silverado HD’s gasoline-engine option is an all-new 6.6-L gasoline V8 that develops 401 hp and 464 lb-ft (629 Nm); the previous 6.0-L V8 made 360 hp and 380 lb-ft (515 Nm). The iron-block engine remains based on GM’s small-block architecture, with cylinder-head casting related to the light-duty 6.2-L small-block, assistant chief engineer for small-block engines Mike Kociba told Automotive Engineering. The engine is backed by GM’s 6L90 6-speed automatic transmission.

THE SILVERADO HD LINEUP’S NEW LADDER FRAME IS STRONGER AND LONGER, A KEY ELEMENT IN RAISING TOW AND PAYLOAD RATINGS AND INCREASING CARGO BED AND CABIN VOLUME. (IMAGE: CHEVROLET)

Kociba added that compression ratio was increased from 9.7:1 to 10.8:1 and the new internals include a forged-steel crankshaft and connecting rods and a new piston design for the HD application. Meanwhile, the new addition of direct injection “I believe defines the character of the en-gine and sets us apart in the market,” he said.

All 4-wheel drive models get a new 2-speed active trans-fer case that, in “4 auto” mode automatically apportions and adjusts drive between the front and rear axles as

4WD is required. There also is a locking rear differential.

New styling, customer-driven utility tech

Sandor Piszar, director of Chevrolet marketing, said that in a departure from past practice, the 2020 Silverado HDs were designed to be visually distinct from the light-duty Silverado, so the only shared sheetmetal with the Silverado 1500 is the roof panel. Production began first with the crew cab body style, with regular cab, double cab and duallies coming in the fall.

Most Chevy officials stayed away from the widely-ma-ligned grille treatments for some trims. Piszar said the va-riety of trims is response to surveying that indicates HD customers “want the [specific] truck that’s right for them.”

He also said the 2020 Silverado HDs incorporate more than 50 segment firsts, but the highlight has to be the ex-ternal-camera suite that encompasses as many as eight different cameras offering up to 15 views— the magical being the “invisible trailer” function that can continually show a virtual view of the road normally obscured by a large trailer. Test drives also proved the optional head-up display (HUD) available on some Silverado HD trims to be particularly useful for towing, while the available power up/down tailgates are a treat, too.

The sophisticated camera system, developed in coopera-tion with supplier Valeo, is a prominent example of a de-velopment priority for Chevy’s new-generation HD pick-ups. Chief engineer Herrick said that apart from the ex-pected attention to overall performance that’s vital in the HD segment, development placed a high emphasis on easing the tension of towing.

Bill Visnic

CABIN OF THE 2020 SILVERADO HD HIGH COUNTRY. (IMAGE: CHEVROLET)

A GAME-CHANGING TOWING TECHNOLOGY IS THE “TRANSPARENT TRAILER” FEATURE ENABLED BY THE 2020 SILVERADO HD’S EXTENSIVE SUITE OF AVAILABLE EXTERNAL CAMERAS. (IMAGE: CHEVROLET)


TECHNOLOGYReportCADILLAC PULLS THE WRAPS OFF TWO NEW V-SERIES SEDANSCadillac has added two more sedans to its V-Series per-formance lineup, the 2020 CT4-V and CT5-V. The CT4-V will square off against established C-segment players such as the BMW 3-Series and Mercedes-Benz C-Class, along with Hyundai’s new Genesis G70. The CT5-V will compete with the BMW 5-Series and Audi A6. The two new 4-door sedans join the larger 2019 CT6-V sedan in the V-Series stable, though the company noted that the series is evolv-ing to be less focused on hard-core, track-worthy ma-chines, and more about sporty and comfortable daily driv-ers.

“We are inviting even more customers into the V-Series family,” said Brandon Vivian, Cadillac executive chief engi-neer, “by adding a new level of elevated performance be-tween our Sport models and the ultimate, high-perfor-mance track capability that the V-Series has grown to rep-resent.”

Though an apparent shift from the original track-ready V-Series ethos, the company hinted at upcoming V-Series models that will provide elevated, closed-course perfor-mance. True to its word, two days after the new V-Series sedan were revealed, two prototypes took to the track at the Detroit Grand Prix on Belle Isle. Beyond the “CT4” and “CT5” labels integrated into the camouflage and several images, Cadillac provided no additional details on the pro-totypes.

Turbocharged and 10-speeds

The CT5-V will arrive powered by a 3.0L twin-turbo-charged V6 rated at a Cadillac-estimated 355 hp (265 kW). The CT4-V will be powered by GM’s all-new 2.7L “du-

al-volute” turbo 4-cylinder (which made its recent debut in the Chevy Silverado), rated at a Cadillac-estimated 320 horsepower (239 kW). CT4-V will be paired with the 10L60 10-speed automatic while CT5-V uses the 10L80. Both models will be available in RWD or AWD configura-tions.

Both the CT4-V and CT5-V are underpinned (like the ATS and CTS models they replace) by GM’s latest rear-wheel-drive Alpha architecture. The larger CT5-V will feature a rear electronic limited-slip differential (eLSD), while the CT4-V will get a mechanical unit. Both models will feature the latest version of GM’s magnetorheological dampers, what it labels Magnetic Ride Control 4.0, claiming a tune that enhances comfort without sacrificing responsiveness.

Each of the new sedans will feature Brembo front brakes, launch control and a number of drive modes, including a “V-Mode” that permits a customized set of parameters. The CT5-V will feature 19-inch wheels, the CT4-V will ar-rive with standard 18-inch wheels, with RWD versions shod with summer performance tires and AWD models getting all-season rubber. Cadillac’s Super Cruise ad-vanced driver-assist system (ADAS), will become available on both sedans in calendar year 2020.

The CT4-V and CT5-V are expected to go on sale in early 2020. Though pricing specifics have yet to be revealed, Cadillac noted the price differential between standard ver-sions should be $6K-$7K.

Both sedans will be produced at GM’s Lansing Grand River facility in Lansing, Michigan.

Paul Seredynski

CADILLAC’S SUPER CRUISE ADVANCED DRIVER-ASSIST SYSTEM (ADAS), WILL BECOME AVAILABLE IN CALENDAR YEAR 2020 ON BOTH THE CT4-V AND CT5-V SEDANS. (IMAGE: CADILLAC)

THE 2020 CADILLAC V-SERIES SEDANS – CT4-V (FOREGROUND) AND CT5-V – ARE BOTH BASED ON GM’S LATEST ALPHA ARCHITECTURE, WILL BE AVAILABLE IN RWD OR AWD CONFIGURATIONS AND FEATURE TURBOCHARGED ENGINES. (IMAGE: CADILLAC)


TECHNOLOGYReport

2020 FORD EXPLORER: KNOCKOUT STYLING SURROUNDS ALL-NEW ENGINEERINGAlready America’s all-time best-selling SUV, the all-new 2020 Ford Explorer is cast on an entirely new global rear-wheel-drive (RWD) architecture and boasts the first Ford application of its new modular hybrid transmission (MHT). The lighter and stronger architecture underpins the broad-est Explorer lineup yet, featuring a new hybrid, an ST model, more powerful EcoBoost powertrains, all-10-speed gearboxes and a host of new safety / convenience tech. With new styling that is razor sharp, consumers would have likely flocked to it regardless.

The biggest news for the 2020 Explorer is the new global RWD architecture, with the Explorer being the first appli-cation for Ford (Lincoln has already debuted its version with the all-new Aviator). “When you start all-new, the exciting part is you get to work on not only upping the game, but you get to listen to feedback on the prior prod-uct, its shortcomings or opportunities,” explained Scott Slimak, the vehicle engineering manager on the new Explorer. “When you’re all new, you get to go after all that. You get a chance to wipe the slate clean.”

All new MHT hybrid

The new hybrid setup is a “no compromise” system built around the 10R 10-speed automatic and does not impact passenger or cargo space. A similar system will appear on a host of future Ford products, including the F-150. “We can now place the battery pack strategically under the seats, outside of the passenger compartment,” Slimak said. “We’re not giving up luggage space, package space or seating or head room. And you get the win-win be-cause now the battery pack’s lower so our Cg is lower, and we don’t compromise on towing.”

The Explorer Hybrid uses a naturally aspirated 3.3-L V6, paired with an electric motor integrated in the P2 position within the 10-speed transmission. Total system power is rated at a claimed 318 hp / 322 lb ft (237 kW / 437 Nm). The liquid-cooled lithium-ion battery is mounted beneath the second-row seats. Ford did not provide a final EPA mpg rating, but claimed “more than 500 miles between fill-ups” for a rear-wheel-drive hybrid. The hybrid has an 18-gal. (68-L) fuel tank, which equates to 27+ mpg.

For 2020, the hybrid will be offered in Limited trim only, one of five available trims (base, XLT, Limited, ST and Platinum). The base engine on the 2020 Explorer is a

2.3-L EcoBoost 4-cylinder producing 300 hp / 310 lb-ft (224 kW / 420 Nm). Platinum trims will provide a 3.0-L twin-turbo EcoBoost V6 (365 hp / 380 lb-ft; 272 kW / 515 Nm). The new ST version gets a 400 hp / 415 lb-ft (298 kW / 563 Nm) version of the same V6. All Explorers fea-ture the new 10R transmission and are available with RWD or AWD.

Sharp duds for the road

We’re not ones to generally discuss styling, but the Explorer is so purposeful looking, it’s likely to help drive a new Ford profit center on looks alone. Even though out-side dimension are roughly unchanged, its presence has been altered completely. The styling accentuates the rear-wheel-drive stature, with the sheet metal drawn tight like a bow-string set to be unleashed.

“We grew the wheelbase but kept the outer dimensions. The height, the overall length, they’re within a tenth of an inch, it’s decimal dust,” Slimak explained. “Yet the whole stance and positioning of the vehicle looks more aggres-sive, with a wider stance. People are asking us, ‘Is it wid-er?’ No. It’s not wider. ‘Is it taller? Longer?’ No.”

On the road, the new chassis and longer wheelbase are instantly apparent, and the three-row SUV tracks confi-dently, even when towing near its max capacity. The hy-brid is swift and transparent, and is also effective when towing. A revelation was the RWD XLT trim with the base 2.3-L EcoBoost. It felt light, athletic and nimble, and should prove a great daily choice for families in kinder cli-mates.

Paul Seredynski

THE ALL-NEW 2020 FORD EXPLORER IS SHARPLY STYLED AND FEATURES A CHROMED GRILLE, WHEELS AND ACCENTS IN THE TOP-SPEC PLATINUM TRIM. (IMAGE: FORD)


BUSWorldBUSWORLD CENTRAL ASIA 2019Busworld Central Asia 2019 made a grand debut with the stakeholders of the bus and coach industry in the Republic of Kazakhstan.

Busworld International forayed into Almaty, in the Republic of Kazakhstan with the inaugural edition of Busworld Central Asia 2019. Held from June 25-27, 2019, at the Atakent Expo, the grand debut of the bus and coach fair attracted potential bus and coach manufactur-ers, bodybuilders, ancillaries, and specialist service pro-viders among other stakeholders. Known to be in the transition period to advanced bus and coach develop-ment, Central Asia was presented as a unique market to all the stakeholders that made it to the inaugural edition of the expo. The stakeholders had the opportunity to ob-serve as well as suggest measures like the need to priori-tise mass transport solutions to stay efficient and effec-tive. Many Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) like Kamaz Trade, Anadolu Isuzu Otomotiv, Astana Motor, Dafo Vehicle Fire Protection, JV MAN Auto and Samauto participated. They presented 24 vehicles. Tier suppliers like Voith Turbo Limited also made it a point to partici-pate.

Highlighting Central Asia’s capabilities in assembly and distribution, the inaugural edition of Busworld Central Asia 2019 saw representation from Turkey, China, Russia, Tajikistan, Belarus, and Uzbekistan among others. Expressed Didier Ramoundt, President, Busworld International, “We have always focussed on a variety of

important factors to give the best in buses and coaches, and in what would amount to a high level of safety. The Almaty event is no different in terms of what it presents.” Mentioning that Central Asia is an interesting place, Ramoundt averred, “Shortly, this market will witness sig-nificant changes.” Attracting public and private entities, which should provide some idea about the potential the market holds, the inaugural edition of Busworld Central Asia 2019 was held against the backdrop of the Government of Kazakhstan investing heavily in upgrading the country’s transport and logistics infrastructure.

Drawing attention to the ‘2050 strategy blueprint’, Baurzhan Baibek, Mayor of Almaty, expressed in his inau-gural speech at the show that a positive outcome is re-sulting from the implementation of reforms in the trans-port system. Around 122 kilometres of dedicated lanes have been created for buses across 22 streets in Almaty, informed Baibek. He mentioned that even during peak times, travel by public transport ensures a three times faster journey as compared to the use of a private vehicle. “The new reforms have enabled us to upgrade 80 per cent of the fleet, and by the end of the year, we will reach 100 per cent,” he added. Stating that they are the first in the region to introduce a new system of passenger traffic, which allows them to increase the number of citizens us-


BUSWorld

ing public transport by 40 per cent, Baibek averred, “The up-gradation of fleets will continue with the aim of pro-viding efficient public transport. Doing so will also help the region to scale up the international comparison charts.”

With an additional 144 kilometres of the dedicated bus line roads said to be under development, the inaugural edition of Busworld Central Asia 2019 saw the Organization of Busworld Academy alongside the exhibi-tion. It is a worldwide knowledge platform of Busworld and witnessed the participation of around 38 speakers from all over the world. If local market issues were delved upon, making the participants abreast of the local bus and coach industry, the speakers, through their address-es, highlighted ways to attain the desired level of operat-ing-ability and efficiency. Stated Jan Deman, Director of the Busworld Academy, “We started with a market analy-sis of the buses and coaches in Kazakhstan. We learned that we are looking at a market that is growing and needs attention. We found out that the Kazakhstan market is amid fleet renewal.” Pointing at the need to immediately replace 10 per cent of the existing bus fleet shortly, Deman said, “Over 50 per cent of the buses in Kazakhstan are over 15 years old.”

The fleet renewal exercise having commenced in 2016, Kazakhstan has 13 private entities that operate the public transport system. As the fleet renewal exercise gathers pace, the focus is increasingly on deploying CNG buses. Some 800 units have been transferred to CNG, and more are said to be on their way. The conversion of buses to CNG proved to be an important topic of discussion at the Busworld Academy as well. Zero-emission buses for both

city and long-distance coaches (like tourist application) to lower the emission were talked about. The discussion at the Busworld Academy also touched upon the 2017 policy review of the development of public transport sec-tor in Kazakhstan, which builds on the preceding work of ‘Sustainable Urban Transport Strategy 2013-23’ for Almaty.

Receiving strong support from local authorities (including the Ministry of Industry and Infrastructural Development of the Republic of Kazakhstan and the Mayor of Almaty), the inaugural edition of Busworld Central Asia was suc-cessful. Seeking the association of United Nations Center for Regional Development (UNCRD), Union of Auto Transport of Kazakhstan (KAO), Atamekeh and Union Internationale des Transports Publics (UITP), the exhibi-tion also highlighted how land-locked countries are up-grading their public transport systems, and are driving their public transport ambitions. Kazakhstan is claimed to be among the world’s largest Land-locked Countries (LLDCs). It is thus challenged by the lack of access to the sea, which requires a trade to be conducted through neighbouring countries. If this adds to the cost, on the positive side, the country is looked upon as the one, which is at the forefront of surface transport initiatives.

In 2014, the United Nations called for the assistance of LLDcs in the ‘Almaty Programme of Action’. It was de-signed to address the special needs like the establish-ment of a new global framework for developing efficient transit transport systems in landlocked and transit devel-oping countries, taking into account the interests of both-land-locked and transit developing countries. It is what makes the country’s bus and coach industry stakeholders upbeat about the future of mass public transportation.

BAUYRZHAN BAIBEK, MAYOR [ AKIM ] OF ALMATY, DIDIER RAMOUDT, PRESIDENT OF BUSWORLD INTERNATIONAL, BERIK AMALEV, VICE -MINISTER OF INDUSTRY AND INFRASTRUCTURAL DEVELOPMENT OF THE REPUBLIC OF KAZAKHSTAN, AND HIS EXCELLENCY ALEXIS DE CROMBRUGGHE DE PICQUENDAELE , AMBASSADOR OF KINGDOM OF BELGIUM, AT THE INAUGURATION OF BUSWORLD CENTRAL ASIA 2019, ALMATY IN REPUBLIC OF KAZAKHSTAN.

AT THE SIDELINES OF BUSWORLD CENTRAL ASIA , BUSWORLD ACADEMY HELD CONFERENCES TO SIGNAL THE MARKET TRENDS . THE CONFERENCES COVERED A BOARD SPECTRUM OF TOPICS.


BUSWorld

ANADOLU ISUZUAnadolu Isuzu showcased its 12 m Citiport CNG bus at the Almaty Busworld 2019. Aimed at metropolises and mu-nicipalities, the bus stands out as far as the looks are con-cerned. Weighing 17.9-tonnes, it measures 12 m in length, 2.5 m in width and 3.1 m in height. Equipped with three entry points, the bus is designed for easy ingress and egress of passengers. Also having a wheelchair ramp the bus, with a rear overhang of 3.4 m, flaunts a wide passen-ger gangway. It is wide enough to allow free movement of 97 passengers. Available with seating options of 27- and 31-seats the bus is powered by the EuroV 5.9-litre Cummins CNG engine. Transmission is an automatic six-

speed ZF 6 AP 1200B unit with a manual and foot-controlled retarder as stan-

dard. With 75 per cent of its sales coming from the European Union — from city buses and tourist coaches, Anadolu Isuzu is confident of increasing its reach in Kazakhstan. Offering vehicles measuring from 9.5 m to 18 m in length the company is looking at a significant share of the market in Kazakhstan as the Central Asian country looks at renewing its fleet. With a plant in Kocaeli, Turkey, Anadolu Isuzu could profit from its experience in markets like Azerbaijan Having a strong presence in Azerbaijan, the company, in Tajikistan, has a fleet of around 65 vehi-cles. Expressed sources close to the company that close to 60 per cent of the revenue (of Anadolu Isuzu) comes from the export markets. They are expecting not only for the trend to continue in the future, but to grow as new markets are explored, and new and exciting products that meet the local and regional requirements of the markets are offered.

THE ANODOLU ISUZU 12M CITIPORT CNG BUS WAS ONE OF THE MOST IMPRESSIVE LOOKING BUSES AT THE SHOW.


BUSWorld

ASTANA MOTORSHomegrown distributor and assembler, Astana Motors showcased vehicles of the Golden Dragon and Hyundai brand. It displayed the Hyundai H350 van that measures 6.19 m in length, 2.03 m in width and 2.66 m in height. Flaunting nature-inspired design, the H350, aiming at ve-hicles like the Mercedes-Benz Sprinter, profits from de-sign elements like a distinctive hexagonal grille and verti-cal projection head lamps. With a high stance, courtesy the 16-inch alloys, the van, according to sources close to Astana Motors, combines high level of practicality with the sophistication of a plush mini-bus that is comfortable too. Fitted with long-stay mirrors (having LED outside mirror repeaters) and a rear assist step, the H350 also comes with a roof-mounted rear-camera and stop lamps to ensure high level of operational safety. The interior in-cludes a modern dash and a spacious cabin, both of which add to the van’s appeal. In the cargo carrier guise, the cabin seats up to three passengers. In the passenger guise, the vehicle can seat up to 16 people. Powered by a 170 hp EuroVI 2.5-litre common-rail turbodiesel engine mated to a six-speed manual transmission with a Power Take-off (PTO), the H350 is said to come in three body types. With its body made from extensive use of high strength steel, the van comes fitted with a fuel-stretching system, Advanced Battery Management System (ABMS) and an active eco-drive mode. Some of the other key fea-tures include a TFT display that informs the vehicle stats and stability control. The GVW of the vehicle is 3.5-tonnes.

Entering into a distribution agreement with Xiamen Golden Dragon Bus Co. Ltd., Astana Motors’ subsidiary, Hyundai Trans Auto, will manufacture the Golden Dragon bus in Almaty. In this direction, the company, confident of a wide range of buses at the right price points meeting the demands of Kazakhstan’s passenger transportation companies, displayed the Golden Dragon XML6125CLE electric aluminium body bus. Jointly developed by Xiamen Golden Dragon and Netherland-based Ebusco, the e-bus measures 11.98 m in length, is 2.54 m wide and 3.28 m tall. The low-floor bus is offered with a front or middle double inward door (with wheelchair access), and a CCTV system in order to ensure utmost safety. With the aluminium body resulting in a lighter build (GVW of 19-tonnes) without sacrificing the robustness and reliabil-ity offered by its steel-body predecessor, the e-bus is ca-pable of seating 40 passengers (39+D). Boasting of a spacious and ergonomic driver cockpit, and a low floor

THE HYUNDAI H350 VAN AIMS AT THE MARKET THAT ALSO CONTAINS THE MERCEDES - BENZ SPRINTER.


BUSWorld

passenger area with a ergonomic and comfortable layout, the vehicle is equipped with LFP 576 VDC (540 Ah) bat-tery of 311 kWh capacity. Having a special pre-heater sys-tem designed to allow the working of electric devices in different conditions, air-conditioning and a sliding win-dow with tempered glass, the XML 6125CLE has a driving range of 350 km on a four-hour charge. Equipped with pneumatic air suspension, ZF RL82EC front axle and ZF AV 132 rear axle, hydraulic assisted steering system, and a double-circuit air brake system (from Knorr) with discs all-round, the e-bus features EBS, ABS, ASR and ECAS from Wabco. The bus is priced at USD 325000. Assembling light trucks, heavy-duty trucks, vans, dump trucks and light buses of Hyundai and Golden Dragon brand since 2011, and in a range of 12 m and 18 m (includ-ing low floor and low entry buses), Astana Motors claims to command good support from the government. For

customers, it provides CVs with easy access to credit ser-vices at relatively lower interest rates.

ASTANA MOTORS

THE GOLDEN DRAGON XML6125CLE E-BUS DISPLAYED BY ASTANA MOTORS HAS A RANGE OF 350 KM ON A FOUR-HOUR CHARGE


BUSWorld

SAMARKAND AUTOMOBILE FACTORY LLCThe Samarkand Automobile Factory showcased two small buses, Samauto HD 50 and Samauto LE 60, at the show. The SAZ HD 50 (of M3 category) bus is an intercity bus capable of carrying 45 people including two bus crew members. Featuring two service doors on the right-hand side beside and a driver’s door on the left side, the bus, with a GVW of 95-tonnes, has a wheelbase of 4.4 m. It measures 7.9 m in length, 2.3 m in width, and 2.8 m in height. Offered with soft seats, mechanical cushioning system for the driver’s seat, heated rear-view mirror, and glued side windows, the bus could be had with an air conditioner, two-point seat belts, three-point seat belts,

pre-start fluid heater, electronic programmable destina-tion indicator, voice connectivity with passenger com-partment (microphone), remote setting-up for rearview mirrors (joystick), stencil destination indicator and vent windows on the side as an option. Powered by a 150 hp EuroIV four-cylinder ISUZU 4HK1-TCN diesel engine, the bus is aimed at the shuttle bus market.

The SAZ LE 60 intracity bus, at the other end, weighs 10.2-tonnes and can seat (56+D) persons. With a wheel-base of 45 m, the bus measures 8.06 m in length, 2.47 m in width and 75 m in height. It is offered with the same base equipment as the SA HD 50, and can be had with


BUSWorld

SAMARKAND AUTOMOBILE FACTORY LLC

additional equipment like Electronic Suspension Control (ESC), leaning (ECAS), electronic programmable destina-tion indicator, voice connectivity with passenger com-partment (microphone), pneumatic suspension driver’s seat, a ramp for the disabled, and remote setting-up for rear-view mirrors (joystick). The bus is powered by a 180 hp EuroIII (also available in EuroIV) four-cylinder Cummins 4ISBe4 185B or a 190 hp Isuzu 4HK1-TCC engine located transversely at the rear. Transmission is a manual five-speed Allison unit. Aiming to become a leader in bus and truck body building among the CIS countries, Samarkand Automobile Factory has supplied around 200 buses and 850 different vehicles. It has been active in the region since 2010, and has a clear focus on medium-sized buses. Having five different buses in its portfolio (medium size buses of seven-to-eight meter length), the company offers 10 different chassis and 40 body types with the lat-ter designed in Uzbekistan by the company’s local de-signers and engineers. Looking at ramping up the manu-facturing capacity from the existing 4000 units to 10000 units, SamAuto offers buses in diesel and CNG guise.

SAMARKAND AUTOMOBILE FACTORY SHOWCASED TWO SMALL BUSES , SAMAUTO HD 50 AND SAMAUTO LE 60.


BUSWorld

KAMAZ

Kamaz showcased two off-road vehicles built on the 43118 truck chassis. They are powered by a 300 hp 11.76-litre EuroIV ‘Vee’ eight-cylinder common-rail, tur-bodiesel engine (model 740.662-300). Fitted with a man-ual nine-speed ZF 9S1310 transmission, the vehicles are capable of running on diverse terrains. Made unique by a people mover variant, trucks caught showgoers attention. Especially the people mover variant that has been de-signed to ferry workers, and can accommodate 32 pas-sengers. Kamaz also displayed a mobile home for eight people. It is equipped with beds and kitchen, and boasts of numerous utilities. The largest automobile manufactur-er in Russia, Kamaz PTC ranks among the world’s top 20 heavy-duty truck producers. It also ranks 16th by produc-tion volumes of heavy-duty trucks with GVW exceeding 16-tonnes. The company has a production capacity of 71,000 vehicles per annum.

KAMAZ SHOWCASED TWO OFF - ROAD VEHICLES BUILT ON ITS 43118 TRUCK CHASSIS.


BUSWorld

BELKOMUMASH

OJSC “Holding Managing Company” Belkommunmash, a leading Belarusian manufacturer of modern urban electric transport – trams, trolleybuses and electric buses, attracted visitors with scale models of the E433 and E321 buses. Keen to ex-port to Kazakhstan, the E321 model from the company is a light-weight 12 m bus that seats 26 passengers and runs on su-percapacitors. It is claimed to provide an autonomous run on a single charge up to 40 km. The 18 m E433 bus, on the other hand, can seat 38 people. Speaking on the sidelines of the show, Belkomumash sourc-es expressed that the company plans to bring in trams designed specifically for intensive and medium traffic requirements.

MAN AUTO-UZBEKISTAN

OJSC “Holding Managing Company” Belkommunmash, a leading Belarusian manufacturer of modern urban electric transport – trams, trolleybuses and electric buses, attracted visitors with scale models of the E433 and E321 buses. Keen to export to Kazakhstan, the E321 model from the company is a light-weight 12 m bus that seats 26 passengers and runs on superca-pacitors. It is claimed to provide an autonomous run on a single charge up to 40 km. The 18 m E433 bus, on the other hand, can seat 38 people. Speaking on the sidelines of the show, Belkomumash sources ex-pressed that the company plans to bring in trams designed specifically for intensive and medium traffic requirements.

BELARUSIAN MANUFACTURER, BELKOMMUNMASH, DISPLAYED SCALE MODELS OF THE E433 AND E321 BUS.

MAN AUTO - UZBEKISTAN COMPANY DISPLAYED THE MAN RR3 INTERCITY COACH


BUSWorld

Voith Turbo, Russia, showcased the DIWA.6 automatic transmission, which is claimed to offer 50 per cent less shifting, reduced downtime and low maintenance costs. The transmission boasts of optimal fuel-effi-ciency, lower air and noise pollution, and true stop-start technology. A key highlight of the transmission is the hydrodynamic offset converter. In Nur-Sultan (erstwhile Astana), the capital of Kazakhstan, 100 per cent buses (Iveco and Maz) are known to use Voith transmissions. Fit for CNG buses and BRT systems, a key government focus area for the government at the moment, the transmission, claimed Voith sources, is generating good deal of enquiries. Founded in 1867, Voith is a 150 old company with over 19,000 employ-ees and a cumulative sales of Euro-two billion. It is present in over 60 countries worldwide.

Sricharan R, Commercial Vehicle

VOITH TURBO

Didier Ramoundt, President, Busworld International

Q: What is the potential of Kazakhstan as a bus and coach mar-ket?

A: During our initial recce, we visited the transport and tourism ministries where we found of the stakeholders being invested in public transporta-tion. Recently, they floated a tender for 11,000 new buses for instance. It is not possible for a single OEM to provide such a huge number. This

then presents an opportunity for ev-erybody to engage. We are hopeful of expanding further in the next edi-tion of Busworld Central Asia 2019. We believe the next step is to high-light the tourist bus and coaches in this market. This is just a beginning for us!

Q: Do you see OEMs coming in and setting up their factories here given the slow pace of development?

A: I know that the authorities are looking for an OEM who wants to set-up a manufacturing base. Not only to serve Kazakhstan but also to serve the whole of Central Asia and the neighbouring countries. Together with the neighbouring countries, the potential is immense.

Q: Is there a potential for electric buses?

A: We could compare this market somewhat to India. The big differ-ence is that the Indian market has many bus builders, and here there are none. That is the most important difference. There are not many sup-pliers too and there is not much of the bus body building business here. I think this is the first signal to the country, that the strategy is thought over including building of bus and coach plants to cater to the inherent demand and export markets. There is a scope of JVs too.

Q: What can we expect from Busworld going forward?

A: Public transport is changing gears. Coaches are run privately many a times. We see a change in the mindset of authorities. They need to contribute to public trans-port and realise the need for invest-


BUSWorld

ments to be made. They understand that they will earn a Return on Investment (ROI). Many are also hopeful of the possibility of electri-cal transport, and hydrogen, making it to the list of preferred energy sources. These markets have the re-sources and the stakeholders realise they have what it takes to join the more advanced countries league. With the backdrop of such develop-ments, we will expand with six addi-

tional Busworld editions across the globe. As we take from our experi-ences, the idea of having global cov-erage, we are looking at markets like Siberia, the USA where we already have an agreement and looking at editions like Busworld Baltimore in 2022. We are also heading to the southern tip of Latin America. It is a huge continent to cover with just one exhibition in the North. Besides we are also headed to the south of

Argentina or Uruguay for which we will head out in November to con-duct feasibility studies. We are also looking at South Africa and the Middle East. Between the first steps we take and the realisation it takes around two-to-three years. So, we are looking forward to attaining global coverage and presence. It is a big challenge and we are striving for it.

JAN DEMAN, DIRECTOR, BUSWORLD ACADEMY

Q: What is the main focus of the academy in Central Asia?

A: At the Busworld Academy, we al-ways focus on most topics that are hot in the region we are in. So, the topic in India would not be the same as here. It would not be the same as in Europe or the USA. In some re-gions, we are still talking about ca-pacity. For instance, for major cities in India, capacity is a key issue. A higher capacity can help avoid traf-fic congestion. The next step is to lower emissions, lower noise pollu-tion and stuff like that. We focus on what is needed and in Central Asia, it is funding of finance for renewal of the fleets.

Q: What were the key topics dis-cussed in the congress at Busworld Central Asia 2019?

A: In the Busworld Academy we dis-cussed different things. One is the way to zero-emission. Two, the fi-nancing of fleet renewal. As you know, about half of the bus fleet here is older than 15 years. So, it needs to be replaced. But, there is a financial issue. We got the World Bank and European Bank for region-al development and some consul-tants here in the country, to advise on how the renewal of fleets can be financed. The government sees the need to renew them and is currently focusing on renewing the city bus fleet. To attain zero-emission levels, changes at the grid level are re-quired. Besides, it was also dis-cussed how the batteries would have to be renewed and recycled.

Q: Is Kazakhstan ready for electric buses?

A: I think the operational structure could be ready in some time. But, financing is still a problem. For ebuses, the electric grid needs to be

made more capable. For instance, to charge at night, a strong grid is needed. This is not always the case everywhere. The stakeholders are also looking at technologies like bat-tery swapping as an alternative to charging stations. The downside to battery swapping albeit are the pro-hibitive investment costs towards setting up the right infrastructure.

Q: In hindsight, was Busworld Central Asia as envisioned?

A: This is our first edition here in Almaty and it was as we envisioned. The exhibition hall was about 1500 square meters with a footprint of about 30 exhibitors and 21 vehicles (20 buses and one coach). There was only one coach which is sym-bolic for this region. So, long-dis-tance coach services are to be de-veloped going forward given their potential. Especially, given the back-drop of Kazakhstan’s fast-growing tourist population. We hope to take it to the next level in the second edi-tion.


INTERVIEW

HYUNDAI CHARGES AHEAD WITH KONA ELECTRIC

July was a landmark month in the calendar of Hyundai Motors, for, it saw the na-tionwide launch of the first small crossover / SUV BEV, the Kona Electric. The fully electric SUV is a true expres-sion of Hyundai’s Advanced Technology in Eco and Clean Mobility, offering the first long-range Green SUV with 452 Kms / Charge.

KONA Electric is named after the idyllic west-coast region of the Big Island of Hawaii. The KONA region is famous among endurance triathletes and thrill-seeking travellers, and this energetic image is further reflected in the innova-tive and distinctive design of this eco-focused SUV.

Mr. Seon Seob Kim is the President, MD & CEO of Hyundai Motor India Ltd since Dec 1, 2018. He joined Hyundai Motor Company in January 1992. A keen strategist with 27 years of diversified Global experience Mr S. S. Kim has worked in different markets of Hyundai Motor Company. Prior to Hyundai Motor India, he was Head of Business Operations Strategy Division of Hyundai Motor Company headquarters in Seoul.

With Thought Leadership and Analytical perspective, Mr. Kim has led many global roles for successful implementa-tion of long-term strategies of Corporate Planning, Business Operations & Strategy Planning, Procurement and Audit Division including marketing operations at Hyundai Motor America.

Mobility Engineering met Mr. Kim on the day his company presented and demonstrated Kona Electric to the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu, at the Secretariat, on July 24, 2019.

How do you find the Indian automotive market?

This is my first time in India; I took charge in December last year. Since then, I have deeply studied the Indian market and I find it very unique, in that, every state is like a small country by itself. The governments are different, the ethos and policies are different and the preferences in automo-biles are also well-defined. For us it is a challenge that we have met head-on with several models and variants across the board, to cater to every segment.

Hyundai is currently the No.2 car manufacturer is the country. Would you say that the path to No.1 is by going mass market with popular and affordable priced cars?

No. While we have a large presence in the small car seg-ment, my personal aim is to see Hyundai as a premium val-ue car maker. That doesn’t mean we want to be in the lux-ury market segment alone. Our Creta, Venue, Elantra are aimed at this segment which I spoke about. With Kona, we will address a newly growing segment.

Since announcing the launch, Kona Electric has already received 120 bookings, despite the slightly higher price range and the fact that the EV technology is still at a na-scent stage in the industry as well as in the national land-scape. And, for the Venue, we have received 45900 book-ings of which we have delivered 9700 so far.

Nikhil Raghavan


INTERVIEW

SURESH CHETTIAR, BUSINESS HEAD, VOLVO BUSES, SOUTH ASIA

Suresh Chettiar has been Business Head of Volvo Buses South Asia from January 1, 2018. He brings with him over two decades of Volvo Bus and Volvo Group experiences –hav-ing held senior leadership roles across functions. Apart from driving market development of Volvo’s high-end buses in India, Suresh has

also led the successful introduction of UD branded buses to herald Volvo Buses’ entry into the value segment. He has a background in mechanical engineering.

What is your assessment of the luxury bus market in India?

The Indian premium bus market has evolved appreciably since Volvo created it about two decades ago. Quality bus-es have helped make public transport (PT) a desirable al-ternative to personal modes of transport in terms of com-fort and safety, thereby reducing congestion and pollution. They have made possible welcome developments such as greater numbers of single women travellers and also more regular overnight bus journeys.

At this point in time, inter-city coaches have greater market traction. Going forward, we expect to see greater momen-tum in the city segment too in line with the government’s plans to scale up PT through measures like the fostering of win-win public private partnerships, easier access to fi-nance and adoption of international best practices.

Bus-based public transport needs stronger institutional support. According the sector ‘industry’ and ‘infrastructure’ status is a necessary first step. This can help bring in invest-ments and standardisation into public transport, thereby enabling it to emerge as a credible option vis-a-vis person-al vehicles for the travelling public. We also need to see a much greater focus on quality and safety in the delivery of PT services. At the moment, the market is artificially an-chored to bare minimum levels that falls short of passenger expectations. This scenario is especially glaring in the con-text of a rapidly growing India and its increasingly affluent middle-class.

What is the acceptance level of automatic transmission buses in the country?

Comfort and safety are key motivators for users of personal vehicles to switch to quality buses. Automatic transmis-sions are important on both accounts. Apart from obvious benefits to passengers, automatic transmissions reduce driver fatigue and therefore the possibility of error.

We as Volvo, introduced Volvo I-Shift automatic transmis-

sion on our long-distance buses over five years ago. This feature has been well received both for enhancing driver experience as well as reducing fuel consumption. Hence, we find very good acceptance for automatic transmissions across the public transport ecosystem.

Are automatic transmission buses suitable for the mass market intra city/town bus segment?

Mass transit applications are subject to even tougher duty cycles, including intense stop-start driving patterns besides attendant traffic challenges. For the reasons mentioned above, we believe that automatic transmissions are a good choice for buses irrespective of their application.

What are Volvo’s plans for Electric/Battery-powered bus-es in India?

We already have two diesel-hybrid buses in operation in Navi Mumbai since 2016, which have been performing very well. Volvo Buses continues to believe in the suitability of hybrids for India. As for full electric buses, we continue to work with other stakeholders to evolve a sustainable frame-work for their introduction. We have a market-leading elec-tric bus in our global portfolio and will be ready to launch it in India as soon as the market is ready for it.

How is Volvo gearing for FAME II?

Electromobility clearly has answers to many core issues un-derlying the current challenges around environment and fossil fuels. We welcome the government’s policy initia-tives in this regard.

It is however equally important to address the complete ecosystem of urban transport rather than focussing on electrics as just a technology alternative to the convention-al driveline systems. There is an essential need to make public transport more attractive if investments in this sec-tor have to make the desired impact

But it is important to understand that electromobility is a journey that involves a number of steps and there is a clear role for hybrids and electric pilots as we yet search for op-timal technical solutions that can be commercially de-ployed on a large scale.

How do you plan to work with STUs on ‘service-based business model’ to avail FAME II incentives?

We are studying FAME II proposals in consultation with other relevant stakeholders. The effort is to drive better shared understanding of the road ahead for e-mobility. Strategies to address specific business opportunities will emerge from this consultative process.

Nikhil Raghavan


INTERVIEW

Paul Mascarenas is a member of the Board of Directors of ON Semiconductor (NASDAQ: ON) and the US Steel Corporation (NYSE: X); and a Special Venture Partner with Fontinalis Partners, a Detroit based strategic investment firm focusing on early stage companies in the rapidly emerging area of next-generation mobility solutions.

He also is an investor and advisor to a Michigan based startup, Innovative Xercise Solutions. Previously, Mascarenas was Chief Technical Officer and Vice President, Ford Motor Company. In that role, he led Ford’s worldwide research organization, overseeing the development and im-plementation of the company’s technology strategy and plans. He also led the establishment of Ford’s Silicon Valley Research and Innovation Center, which supports the com-pany’s vision to provide uncompromised personal mobility for people around the world.

Serving in several senior executive positions during his 32-year career with Ford, Mascarenas has extensive experience in Product Development, Program Management and Business Leadership, with assignments in the United Kingdom, Germany and the United States. He was a Director of Mentor Graphics Corporation (until acquisition

“WHEN INDIA SCALES UP ON EVS, IT WILL CHANGE DYNAMICS OF THE GLOBAL MARKET” : PAUL MASCARENAS, PRESIDENT, SAE INTERNATIONAL

by Siemens in 2017) and President and Chairman of the Executive Board of FISITA, the International Federation of Automotive Engineering Societies. Mascarenas is a Fellow of SAE International and a Fellow of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers. He served as general chairperson for the 2010 SAE World Congress and Convergence and has served on the FISITA board since 2012. He is also a member of the Institute of Directors.

Paul holds a degree in Mechanical Engineering from King’s College, University of London in England and in June 2013, received an honorary doctorate degree from Chongqing University in China. In December 2014 he was appointed an OBE by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, in recognition of his services to the automotive industry.

Mobility Engineering met Paul Mascarenas during a recent visit to India. Excerpts of the interview:

From a global perspective, what are your suggestions for India to go electric in the automotive sector by the forth-coming decade? What are the specific lessons that we could learn from other countries and not repeat the same mistakes?

There are three aspects that have to come together for the success of e-mobility. First is Technology readiness. For this, India has only to follow what is already making head-way in some of the other countries and so, do not have to reinvent the wheel. Secondly, the Infrastructure for Power Generation. It doesn’t make sense to pollute the atmo-sphere in the process of making power for driving e-mobili-ty. Clean power generation, is the key word. Thirdly, Affordability. This will be the biggest challenge, considering that numbers may not reach economies of scale in the be-ginning. Further, affordability is related to scalability – more numbers, less costs. Indian market has a high volume capa-bility. But, we must remember that even internationally, the forecasts for the next decade is not very high. So, in the Indian context, reaching economies of scale will be a chal-lenge.

Which are the top three areas of concerns if India consid-ers these directives? Especially with Lithium, Cobalt, Manganese, and other essential elements going into bat-tery production to be imported into India?

When India scales up to high volume EVs, it will change the dynamics of the global market. Markets like North America and Europe are similar to India. As local manufacturers step

Published by K. Venkataraj. Printed by S. Arumugam on behalf of SAEINDIA. Printed at Hitech Offset (P) Ltd, 11, Srinivasa Nagar Main Road, Koyambedu, Chennai 600107. Published from SAEINDIA, 1/17, 3 rd Cross, Kasturba Nagar, Adyar, Chennai 600020. Editor: K. Venkataraj


INTERVIEWup production, imports will reduce and automatically, costs will also come down.

How do you think it will impact the current crop of auto-mobile manufacturers in both the 2, 3 and four wheeler segments, given the fact that India is the largest 2W and 3W market in the world?

Two and three-wheelers will actually benefit from electrifi-cation purely because of the range in which these vehicles will operate. Less vehicle weight, smaller batteries and city-centric travel are the advantages. In comparison, cars with longer drive ranges will probably opt for hybrid sys-tems. More drive range power entails larger and heavier batteries. Also, periodic charging points will be required on highways.

Is it the right strategy to focus more on public infrastruc-ture and not necessarily for EV passenger vehicles?

Actually it is a chicken or egg situation and it has to evolve parallelly. Governments alone cannot take the responsibility for developing the infrastructure, like charging stations etc. Private players and private-public collaborations are re-quired to develop and provide the infrastructure so that when the EVs start rolling off the assembly lines, the users will not suffer.

How will electrification impact the ancillary manufactur-ers around the country?

Transitory phases happen in every industry and so it is with the automobile sector. Ancillary manufacturers will continue to innovate, introduce new lines and products to cater to an increasing offtake from EV manufacturers. Historically, IC engines have been there for such a long time that it is not expected to go off the roads in a hurry. If not, for OEMs, the replacement market is always there.

What are the lessons that India could learn from other countries for overcoming the infrastructure challenges in charging, building the EV ecosystem, skill development?

Benchmarking the technology and incorporating interna-tionally available technology and introducing policies to incentivise the end users for embracing the EV technology, are the initiatives that India has to implement.

What do you think will be the effect of e-mobility on the petroleum industry?

In the near term, the effect won’t be much as there is a huge fleet of IC vehicles already on the roads. Over time, the shift will happen and it will be a smooth transition to E-mobility.

Nikhil Raghavan

The dual sta�on shock absorber tes�ng system is a high produc�vity test system specially designed for tes�ng shock absorber /strut / front-fork in the produc�on line. This machine ensures the assembled shock absorber meets required performancespecifica�on. It is the result of two decades of R&D with a focus on harmonizing produc�on line test requirements for 2, 3 and4-wheeler suspension components. Individual features of the Dual Sta�on have been tested and proven by all major shockabsorber manufacturers across the country. Almost every shock and strut manufactured in India are tested on BISS machine,tes�ng over 2 million parts a month.

5 to 15 kN dynamic force ra�rg

Velocity ra�ng 0.005 to 1.5 m/s

Self aligned top pneuma�c and bo�om hydraulic grips

Quick change of jaw faces and spacers to switch betweenthe parts

Tooling to test unsealed parts

Low-force "bull-dog" top grip to avoid damage

Top and bo�om tooling to suit threaded, rod eye mounts

Tooling suitable for 2, 3 and 1-wheeler parts

BISS is a subsidiary of ITW-lndia and part of the Test and Measurement Business Division of ITW, USA. More than 25 years, BISSis proudly associated with automo�ve industry worldwide in developing and manufacturing of a variety of servo-controlled testsystems to evaluate the quality, performance and durability of automo�ve components and sub-assemblies.

Dual sta�on shock absorber performance tes�ng machine

RNI No. TNENG/2014/55684

8% of men and 0.4% of women see the significance of the plot above. It uses a color table created so that people with color vision deficiency can accurately interpret simulation results. And that’s a beautiful thing.

The Cividis color table, courtesy of Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, is available in the COMSOL Multiphysics® software for simulating designs, devices, and processes in all fields of engineering, manufacturing, and scientific research.

Visualization of the corrosion rate on the surface of an unprotected aluminum fender in contact with an engine cover made of unprotected Kevlar.

What’s so special about this color table?

comsol.blog/cividis

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THE FUTURE IS IN THE INDIAN THE AIR ACES CURTAIN RAISER ...€¦ · Dr. Manish Jaiswal Member Mr. Sirish Batchu Member Mr. N. S. Rao Member Dr. Shankar Venugopal Member Mr. Nitin