The SAEINDIA International Mobility Conference (SIIMC 2022), the tenth edition of the Society of Automotive Engineers INDIA’s (SAEINDIA) flagship event, kicked-off on Wednesday, which is being hosted at Bengaluru, India. The three-day event will bring together the mobility ecosystem, with a phygital event to be held between 12 October to 14 October, 2022.

The theme for this year’s conference is “Sustainable Multi-Modal Mobility Ecosystem”, which takes forward SAEINDIA’s commitment on advancing and promoting mobility engineering. Dr Murugesh Nirani, Minister of Large and Medium Industries, Government of Karnataka, was the chief guest of the inaugural session. Along with the inaugural session, there was also an exclusive press meet.

Sharing his thoughts on sustainable multi-modal solutions, Mahesh Babu, SIIMC 2022 Conference Patron, and CEO at Switch Mobility India, said, “A robust mobility framework is the need of the hour to mitigate the impact of growing emissions and rapid urbanisation. Sustainable multi-modal solutions will help de-carbonise 100 million tonnes of CO2 by 2030. SIIMC 2022 is a platform where all three stakeholders – the government, the industry and the communities have come together to make sustainable multi-modal mobility a reality.”

How is SIIMC 2022 different?
At the press meet, K Venkataraj, Deputy Director General, SAEINDIA, put across that with the tenth edition of the conference, each edition enhances itself. “This is because the transportation sector has gone through so much of transformation,” he remarked and continued, “We are actually living through the mobility sector transformation era. In order to address the present-day challenges, SAEINDIA’S duty is to bring in experts to the knowledge-takers and knowledge-givers. It’s a K2K business we are in. So, we bring in worldwide experts, who present it in terms of number of papers.”

All for the need for sustainability
Munirathinam Dhananjayan, Chair-Organising Committee, Founder and MD of Focus Group, said that the SIIMC 2022 three-day event will see over 700 mobility experts, including industry leaders and professionals from research and development, manufacturing, and services come together and network under one roof. “The key highlight of the tenth edition of the SIIMC 2022 is going to be the presentation of more than 180 papers and 543 abstracts on engineering innovations, with a focus on promoting sustainable and multi-modal mobility in the country. SIIMC 2022 will see a host of panel discussions and individual presentations, putting the spotlight on trends and innovations shaping the future of mobility,” he mentioned.

Some of the key sessions of the conference will see speakers coming together and discussing themes, states SAEINDIA. Some of these themes include the role of the automotive industry in meeting the challenges of global warming, the design and development of low cost electric microcars for urban commuting, edge-computing for multi-modal and intermodal mobility, building globally connected car platforms – unearthing complexity, balancing energy efficiency, driving excitement and comfort in battery electric vehicles, and if battery swapping is a viable alternative to accelerate the electric vehicle adoption in India.

Talking about the focus areas and theme of the SIIMC 2022 conference, Venkataraj said, “This year’s conference theme, “Sustainable Multi-Modal Mobility Ecosystem”, resonates well with the present-day reality, where mobility is considered to be playing a big role in achieving sustainable development by promoting goals, like a clean and green environment and equitable livelihood.”

Venkataraj went on to assert, “We are in a very critical and early stage of production of sustainable solutions in mobility. Which is why, this year’s conference is going to help technocrats, stakeholders, etc, where they can learn from one another about what is happening in other countries. This way, India and other nations can gain knowledge from this conference.”

Additionally, while at the event, Suhas Gopinath, CEO, Globals Inc., inaugurated TechHive, claimed SAEINDIA. TechHive is a one-stop shop for start-ups to showcase their products and services to the global and Indian automotive market. It works towards facilitating networking and supporting new business opportunities, by bringing together start-ups, the automotive industry and investors.

The government’s role
When asked about the Government of India’s initiatives to set up multi-modal logistics parks across the country, Rashmi Urdhwareshe, President, SAEINDIA, cited that the government is addressing this in multiple ways. “One is improving the infrastructure by way of private connectivity,” she informed and went on, “The second is working on efficient goods transformation – we have even seen in one of the presentations how important it is to address goods transportation across the country. The third initiative is to look at greener solutions – not at just electrification but others, too, like LNG for example, which has great opportunity.”

What else to expect at the conference
SIIMC 2022 will see panel discussions that will be led by industry experts and researchers. As per SAEINDIA, the speakers will be from India’s leading automotive and technology organisations, as well as science and engineering institutes. The key organisations participating in the conference include Maruti Suzuki, Tata Motors, Volvo, Ashok Leyland, Bosch, Indian Oil Corporation and Indian Institute of Science.

According to SAEINDIA, C V Raman, CTO at Maruti Suzuki, Vijay Nirani, Managing Director at MRN Group, Vinay Harne, CTO at TVS Motors, Brian McMurray, President at General Mortors, Korea, Dr Sri Srinath, President at SAE International and Prashant Doreswamy, President at Continental Automotive India are some of the prominent industrialists who will be delivering various sessions at the conference.

Ashok Leyland, the Indian flagship of the Hinduja Group and the country’s leading commercial vehicle manufacturer, has opened a new dealership for light commercial vehicles (LCVs) in Siliguri, West Bengal. With this new facility, which happens to be the fifth LCV dealership in West Bengal, the company now has a robust LCV distribution network with more than 800 touchpoints.

Located at Eastern Bypass Road, SBM Warehouse, Eastern Bypass, Bhaktinagar, Siliguri, Jalpaiguri, West Bengal, the new dealership will be managed by channel partner Happie Trucking. The main workshop facility (service and spares) is also strategically located at Debgram, Ware House, Thakur Nagar, New Jalpaiguri, Jalpaiguri, West Bengal. Equipped with advanced tools, quick service bays and sophisticated infrastructure, the facility is all set to ensure superior customer experience.

Viplav Shah, Head – LCV Business, Ashok Leyland, said, “We are excited to further strengthen our presence in this region. West Bengal and Eastern India, at large, have been a key market for us. We have always recognised the potential this region has, and we are excited about the opportunities that lie ahead in this geography. We have been working on creating a strong foothold in the region, and the new dealership in Siliguri will bolster our presence in this geography. The overwhelming success of our ‘DOST Range’ and now the ‘BADA DOST’ can be attributed to the robustness of our products and the extensive reach of our network. All our products have been receiving great responses from our customers, thanks to their best-in-class mileage and class-leading performance, backed by extensive sales and aftersales support. We are extremely proud that our track record of service retention levels is exemplary, with close to 70 percent of our customers returning to our dealer workshops even after the warranty period. We, as always, would remain committed to maintaining and even enhancing the level of customer service and satisfaction. This new dealership is being opened to further strengthen our reach, in line with our commitment.”

VE Commercial Vehicles (VECV), recently hosted Jan Thesleff, the Ambassador of Sweden to India, at its manufacturing facilities in Pithampur. He was accompanied by Markus Lundgren, Counsellor and Head of Trade section, Embassy of Sweden and Sofia Hogman, Swedish Trade Commissioner, Business Sweden.

The CV maker states that its VE Powertrain plant is a successful symbol of India-Sweden collaboration. The facility leverages India’s skilled workforce and technical expertise while positioning VECV as a hub for development and manufacturing that meets global standards. Notably, VEPT has been producing Euro 6 (BS VI) compliant engines since 2013, supplying over 40 countries.

Jan Thesleff said, “Currently, more than 280 Swedish companies operate in India, contributing to sectors ranging from automobiles and communications to healthcare and defence, directly generating over 240,000 jobs. The Eicher-Volvo joint venture exemplifies the strategic benefits of this partnership by harnessing the strengths of Sweden and India and fostering mutual growth and technological advancement. I am thoroughly impressed by the advanced technology products and sustainable manufacturing processes I witnessed today at VECV. Their remarkable achievements epitomise the shared innovation, growth, and sustainable development that Sweden-India partnership continues to deliver for the benefit of both nations.”

Vinod Aggarwal, Managing Director & CEO, VECV, said, “We are honoured to welcome His Excellency Ambassador Jan Thesleff and the team from the Swedish Embassy to our Pithampur facility. Over the past 16 years, the VECV joint venture has not only driven the modernisation of India’s commercial vehicle sector but has also enabled Volvo Group to source world-class engines and components, made in India, for its global requirements. The success of this joint venture is rooted in the principles of trust, mutual respect, and win-win collaboration, combining Volvo Group's technology leadership with Eicher’s deep understanding of the Indian market. VECV looks forward to building on this success in the future”.

At present, the company sells CNG, LNG, electric and diesel trucks and buses in India under the Eicher and Volvo brands.

Manba Finance, a leading non-banking finance company (NBFC), has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Piaggio Vehicles (PVPL), the wholly-owned subsidiary of the Piaggio Group, to provide tailored financing solutions to Piaggio three-wheeler customers.

As per the understanding, the partners are set to form a dedicated central coordination team to oversee the implementation. They will focus on key areas such as product structuring, interest rate optimisation, resource allocation, centralised communication, and training to ensure the efficient execution and monitoring of the tie-up.

The MoU was signed by Diego Graffi, CMD, Piaggio Vehicles and Monil Shah, CBO & Director, Manba Finance, in the presence of Amit Sagar, EVP of Sales and Retail Finance, and Nilesh Arya, Head of Retail Finance, Piaggio Vehicles.

The partners state that the collaboration comes as electric three-wheeler sales saw a record high of 65,700 units in October. With this electric three-wheelers are just 16,856 units away from surpassing the CY2023 total of 583,597 units.

“We are proud to collaborate with one of India’s leading three-wheeler manufacturers, a trusted brand among aspiring entrepreneurs across the country. This partnership strengthens our footprint in the three-wheeler segment while enabling us to provide seamless digital lending solutions to our customers," said Shah.

German automotive component supplier Mahle has bagged a new contract from MAN Truck & Bus to supply components for the hydrogen engine of its ‘MAN hTGX’ truck.

The hydrogen truck uses a direct-injection engine with 6 cylinders, 16.8-litre displacement, which produces 383 kW power. Mahle will supply the hydrogen power cell unit, consisting of piston, piston rings, piston pin and cylinder liner. It will also supply components to be used in the valve train.

Interestingly, MAN aims to build around 200 units of the hydrogen truck for selected markets from 2025.

Dr Roger Busch, member of the Mahle Management Committee and Head of Sales, said, “Mahle has successfully transferred its 100 years of expertise in engine components into the future. Our state-of-the-art pistons and other parts make the internal combustion engine fit for hydrogen and thus climate-neutral. Today, we are able to fulfil our customers’ expectations in terms of performance, efficiency and service life.”

The component supplier says it has successfully tested its engine components to meet the specific requirements of hydrogen operation.

The company claims that the Mahle hydrogen power cell unit, in particular the oil consumption of the motor and the so-called blow-by, i.e. the leakage of hydrogen gas into the crankcase, can be reduced to a minimum. This enables a robust and failure-free operation of the motor.

Mahle at present is working on around 30 hydrogen engine projects for customers in the on- and off-highway sector, with more series launches from its customers being planned in 2025.