Autonomous vehicles are the future. While these are still finding their place in the world, we do wonder how long it will be before autonomous cars find themselves on Indian roads. We see companies like Ola Electric announcing that they will be stepping into the autonomous vehicle sector in the country. However, autonomous vehicles certainly come with their set of both opportunities and challenges, while technological advancements have altered our perspective towards autonomous technology. 

Speaking strictly about India, approximately 80 percent of car sales in the country are small cars or those that typically fall into A or B segments. By and large, India will remain a small car or cost-sensitive market during the next decade. Therefore, this restricts how much of automated vehicles or advanced driver-assistance systems (ADAS) will penetrate in the country. Plus, the government has opined that autonomous vehicles could lead to a lot of driver losses. “Maybe they are ready for ADAS features (Level 0 and Level 1) and automated (Level 2 to Level 3) vehicles, but not for autonomous (Level 4 to Level 5) ones,” shares Aman Madhok, Senior Analyst, S&P Global Mobility. 

Autonomous vehicles in India – What’s standing in the way?

But why isn’t India yet in a place where it can embrace autonomous vehicles? Madhok puts across that we aren’t seeing any autonomous cars in India in foreseeable future. “Talking about autonomous cars at this point is something that is decades into the future. Maybe we might see some autonomous cars on Indian roads by the 2050s. However, in the US and China we are seeing mobility service providers like Waymo give autonomous rides to people, even if only in very specific areas. Even in developed parts of the world we expect autonomous cars account for a small share over the next decade. 

The fully autonomous car journey might initially start in geofenced areas or predictable routes like in airports.” 

He further adds, “Apart from the need for safety, there are associated cost-savings that will be an important driver for autonomous vehicles, wherein robotaxis can save a lot of money for mobility service providers, as these robotaxis will not require any driver.” 

Significant factors

But when it comes to India, multiple challenges stand in the way, such as cost constraints, lack of infrastructure and regulations, which act as hindrances for autonomous vehicles to find their place in India. 

But are these the only challenges when it comes to autonomous cars in the country? The Indian automotive industry has always been open to adopting new technologies developed in the western world at a faster pace. We also jumped from BSIV to BSVI and see traction in EVs in the first and last mile space. But there’s so much more when autonomous vehicles come into the picture, from India’s vast geography to road conditions to driving behaviours. 

Putting things in perspective, there are different drivers for BSIV, BSVI and EVs. For example, the step from BSIV to BSVI was pushed by the Supreme Court to curb pollution levels in the country. Similarly, with EVs, elements like fuel costs and environmental concern come into the picture. 

However, when it comes to autonomous vehicles, it doesn’t have much with environmental concerns. 

“There has to be a proper road infrastructure, with proper lane markings, in order for autonomous technology to work in vehicles,” Madhok cites and continues, “The driver behaviour is also an aspect of attention; in India, we usually see that the traffic rules are perhaps not the most followed rules. Hence, these systems need to be accustomed to such driving behaviours, or also other elements that we witness on Indian roads, like stopping in the middle of the road, a street animal coming in the way, potholes etc. The Indian weather conditions must also be taken into consideration. Basically, the same hardware needs to be tweaked at a software level in order to get habituated to Indian conditions.” 

Safety – A major growth driver

When automated cars do find their way into the country, there will be considerable scope for them to be penetrated in the C and above segment cars (the section where around 20 percent of car sales come from is witnessing good growth). “The reason being, firstly, these segments account for a considerable sale, and secondly, customers from these segments are not very cost-conscious,” Madhok explains and goes on, “As the cost-sensitivity declines, customers are more willing to spend on safety features.” 

Plus, there is a rising awareness around safety, which will be a major growth driver for automation in India. Automakers are trying to differentiate themselves and stand out in the market by offering ADAS features. 

For instance, Mahindra’s XUV700 having automated driving features or Hyundai planning to bring in similar features in its cars. 

“With the growing awareness, early estimates suggest that variants with these ADAS features are seeing good demand,” Madhok reveals and elaborates, “These variants include ‘base’, ‘sport’ etc. The top variant would have ADAS. Also, ADAS features can be included as an optional package.” 

There has also been a lot of change in perception within the industry, the government and among customers in the last few years. Madhok asserts, “The government has plans to implement its own car assessment programme (NCAP) and introduce its own safety ratings. It is anticipated that the government will push for features that are easy to implement and cost effective. For example, warning based ADAS features, like forward collision warning or lane departure warning, which are simple features and do not require a lot of design or architectural changes.” 

What’s more, post-Covid, there has been a stronger realisation about how to save lives. “Around 150,000 people die in India due to road accidents every year. So, there has been more concern about making driving safe,” Madhok reveals and adds, “This has resonated more among customers who are becoming more aware of safety.” 

While 150,000 is no small number, most road accidents are caused due to human errors. This makes Madhok of the opinion that autonomous cars are more of a public need than a technological look-in. “And if these accidents can be controlled or assisted through ADAS features, then a lot of lives can be saved,” he informs.

The need for regulations

It eventually all comes down to safety and people’s lives. Thus, a key cornerstone of introducing autonomous cars in India, or any country for that matter, is the need for regulations. Currently, there is no dedicated legislation for self-driving cars in India. Moreover, having indigenous standards for ADAS features is important before mandating them. Hence, the government first needs to make ADAS standards, which are customised to India and tested for Indian road conditions, before mandating ADAS features in the country. 

“Currently, all ADAS features being introduced in the market adhere to global regulations and safety standards. The regulations are currently at a very nascent stage in India and the government has not given any timeline on when a particular standard or feature related to autonomous driving will be implemented,” Madhok avers and goes on, “Autonomous emergency braking was supposed to be mandated in India in 2022-23 as per the government’s plan. However, currently there is no standard for that feature. Therefore, it’s important that the government gives a timeline, so that the automakers can prepare their car launches having ADAS safety features accordingly.” 

Filling us in on another aspect, Madhok pronounces that apart from regulations, the government can build an adequate number of world class testing sites, and fund pilot projects for testing autonomous vehicles. 

Accepting and trusting autonomous vehicles

Once regulated, any new technology introduced to a vehicle needs to be commercialised, and it’s pivotal to build the consumers’ trust in the technology. “As automated vehicles start operating on the Indian roads, and people get more accustomed to using ADAS features, it will definitely instil more confidence in the customers, making them feel more secure and change their perception,” says Madhok. 

If tested successfully and made suitable for Indian conditions, automated vehicles in Level 1-2 can certainly run on Indian roads in coming years. Yes, several companies are working to make this technology a reality in the automotive industry in India, which can certainly be achieved if we focus on the growth drivers and overcome the major hurdles, like infrastructure and regulations. (MT)

As the world relies more on technology and data to tackle different situations or to streamline processes, loopholes exist inevitably. Orbitsys leverages its cloud-based platform, allowing centralisation of data along with remote access for the automotive industry to tackle dealerships and hurdles.

“We tackle connectivity and data hurdles in the automotive industry by offering a cloud-based platform. This allows dealerships and OEMs to centralise data, which eliminates scattered systems, creating a single source of trusted data for customer and vehicle information. Moreover, accessing data remotely enables secure, role-based and real-time data visibility across multiple locations, improving decision-making,” informed Harvinder Pal Singh, Chief Business Officer, Orbitsys DMS.

Dr Amitabh Saran reveals Altigreen’s plans for the ASEAN market and talks about ESG goals and more.

As part of Altigreen’s plans to enter the passenger vehicle market, do you plan to hire fresh talent?
Sometimes start-ups land up doing a lot of things at the same time. The money runs out because a start-up starts with one problem and migrates to a completely different problem. Sometimes it starts adding all kinds of features to its products. For example, by entering the passenger space, we are clear that we cannot do this with the existing funds that we have. That’s because it’s clear that we need to have more teams, a different space etc. Also, we will be in a position to hire more talent and have a separate line entirely for passenger vehicles within the same factory. Besides, we have ensured that there will be ‘common-isation’ of platforms where skills can be achieved. So we are in the process of hiring talent.

What are your plans for charging solutions/infrastructure?
We are very clear that we are a vehicle OEM and do not build charging infrastructure. However, we do partner with a lot of charging companies who are building this infrastructure. We ensure that we are working with them, where we go hand-in-hand and everyone benefits. I have always believed that we need to do this as an ecosystem approach.

What are your plans for the ASEAN market? 
We have always said that Altigreen focuses on India and the emerging markets. The emerging markets are South Asia, Africa and South America. The ASEAN market is very important to us, especially because one of our investors comes from Singapore, and they are going to help us a lot in our progress in ASEAN countries. Thailand, Indonesia, Philippines and Singapore are four places where we have already been seeing a lot of demand coming, in both passenger and cargo three-wheelers.

A major concern around EVs is high cost. How do you plan to tackle it?
To promote cell manufacturing and electronic component manufacturing in India, the government has created the PLI, wherein even other companies are participants. Each of them will be making cells, and I think they will start creating cells made in India and for Indian conditions, 2024 onwards. That will bring down cell prices and we will see more parity.

Is it that the younger generation, which is interested in purchasing EVs, is unable to do so on account of costs?
I don’t think so. Gen Z may be more inclined to exploring new things. But it’s not like every kid on the block is driving/riding an EV. I think it’s the convenience, which people find as a great alternative and as long as the use case is the same.

How is Altigreen meeting India’s ESG goals?
Over the last nine years, we have been doing a lot of R&D. Our focus was never on the paradigms of ESG or how we fit into it. But we ensure that we are doing everything to make sure that we are focusing on a sustainability paradigm. For example, if one looks at our motor design, they will see that we chose that there will be no magnets in it. Not just because the import of magnets should not be encouraged but also because we want to ensure that the motors are serviceable and manufacturable. Therefore, we have been very conscious about this. Moving forward, now that we are in expansion mode, we have an entire ESG section. Battery recycling is also something that we are working on. We do believe that the batteries that come out of EVs should not be thrown away. They have a very strong use case in solar and other areas, where we have already started working.

Prashanth Doreswamy talks about future learning in the automotive industry, the company’s sustainability goals and how the future belongs to autonomous vehicles.

As an auto-parts manufacturer, how do you think automakers can prepare for the future of mobility?
The consumer would like to see the car as an extended IoT device. That’s because this is all driven by consumer preferences, except for electrification; electrification is driven more by regulations and the government. However, other trends like connected or autonomous are more consumerdriven. We have been seeing a lot of comfort in our homes and offices. Today, consumers expect to see that comfort inside a car because a car has become an extended living space.

With electrification, will jobs become obsolete for small auto-parts manufacturers? Can you tell us the work you’re doing in T-shaped skills?
I don’t think jobs will become obsolete. But this is a transformation that, as tier 1s and tier 2s, we will have to evolve with over a period of time. I’m sure that there are a lot of opportunities, because with EVs, while the number of components is decreasing, a lot of other content is increasing. How we reshape ourselves through this will be a challenge for every company. That’s where the differentiation will come from – who is spending more on R&D. Because whatever is spent on R&D today is not for today but for tomorrow. Those who spend more on R&D innovation are going to drive the future, and that’s something that Continental also strongly believes in.

When we talk of T-shaped skills, we’d like to develop people’s skill sets on the broader side as well as on particular segments, deep into the subject. There are a lot of programmes for this, one being the software academy that we began in around 2017-2018. You can’t put the millennials and Gen Zs just into a classroom; their way of learning is much different. That’s how these course curriculums are being designed.

Do you see autonomous cars happening at all?
Autonomous is always a challenge; it is not just a vehicle ready with all the technologies, but an ecosystem. A lot of things have to come in sync. There are certain hurdles and it’s taking a little longer than expected, but we strongly believe that the future is going to be autonomous.

While working with OEMs, the development time of a product is typically three years, and then the vehicle will be available in another six years. How do you make sure that technology is still relevant till then?
This is why we do a lot of research in terms of understanding the technology landscape and the consumer preferences. Not only within the automotive industry, but we do benchmark with a lot of adjacent industries as well. All of this is taken care of in the product planning process. At the same time, we look at how we can upgrade to the latest technology without modifying anything.

In terms of surface solutions, what alternatives are you looking at for leather (for seats) so that animals are not killed?
The surface solution that we have is an alternative for leather. It is at a much lower cost and gives the feel of a leather. It is much more durable than leather and meets all the other interior requirements. This application goes from the seating to the armrest to cockpit assemblies.

Can you tell us about some of Continental Automotive’s sustainability goals?
We are one of the first auto-component manufacturers to come up with a bold promise, which was made in December 2019. We made four promises. The first is that we’ll be carbon neutral across the value chain (from raw materials to the disposal) by 2050 and our operations will be carbon neutral by 2040. From December 2020, all of our 540+ manufacturing operations – including India – have been using only green power. The second is zero tailpipe emissions. The third is that we’ll achieve 95 percent circular economy by 2030 – whatever we use will be reused and recycled. The fourth is that we will be a responsible value chain.

What will shape the automotive parts and the automotive sector this year?
We’ll see a huge growth in electronics inside the car. There will be more connected features and ADAS functions. Besides, the industry will migrate from small cars to bigger sized cars, including SUVs, which is good news for the industry. We’ll still continue to have some challenges on the semiconductor parts. This crisis will come to an end sometime in the mid of 2024, maybe.

Hygge Energy has developed a marketplace for local players to trade renewable energy.

The last decade has witnessed a gradual transformation of the Indian mobility space. The influx of electric vehicles (EV) has added to this change. It has also aptly highlighted the adaptation of modern technology by the auto industry, among others, to close the gap between EVs and IC-engine vehicles.

With stress being laid on the creation of an efficient infrastructure, albeit in the form of enough charging solutions, efforts are being made to ensure early adoption of EVs as well as a sustainable user experience. Designing a software to unlock the monetary potential of renewable energy with an eye on EVs and terming it as ‘Zero Emission Electric Mobility’, Hygge Energy has developed a marketplace that paves the way for local players to trade renewable energy. It is an initiative that will be set up at CNG stations. In this direction, the company has signed a memorandum of understanding with Think Gas.

Prateek Saxena, Founder and CEO of Hygge Energy, mentioned, “The Indian EV charging business faces three major problems: the electrical grid is not resilient enough to allow charging; the grid energy mix is not renewables-centric, and hence the charging source is not renewablebased in any manner; and buying grid energy is not profitable for charging operators. When chargers are set up, the grid requires very costly upgrades. The resulting increased transformer size causes higher sanctioned load and electricity bills as well. The load factor on the grid is too high; as the demand peaks for EV charging, the grid often does not have the capacity to support it. There is also a lack of aggregation of carbon credits. The individual EV charging station operators are not in a position to consolidate carbon credits for monetisation. Our solution addresses all of these problems.”

Zero Emission Electric Mobility was designed with three essential objectives in mind: charging EVs using renewable energy; promoting zero-emissions mobility; and no upgrades for grid infrastructure, hence avoiding delays and expenses. This will decrease grid load dependency for charging stations by over 80 percent and improve grid resiliency.

Hygge’s solution is supported by an end-to-end immersive EV charging mobile app that facilitates the entire charging experience for both the driver as well as the charging station owner.

The platform
The platform addresses the lack of aggregation of carbon credits as well. As the platform will source renewable energy for EV charging, it will be used for maximising carbon credits for companies like Think Gas in the clean fuel business, informed the executive.

Hygge Energy enables entrepreneurs and large corporates interested in investing in the EV charging business to make money. The platform is plug-and-play. It instantaneously connects EV charging stations to next-gen technology, including IoT devices embedded with artificial intelligence and blockchain that reduce cost of operation, and an immersive EV charging app that drives traffic.

Hygge’s technology allows EV operators to become profitable at a very low cost. “We partner for long term with operators, and this association lasts throughout the lifecycle so that we can support their operations related to pricing, policy, regulation and technology,” said Saxena.

Bridging the gap
Hygge’s EV charging system is supported by a next-gen charging app that enables owners to book, reserve and pay for charging time slots in advance, avoiding waiting time and disappointments because of not getting a charging spot and chaos at charging sites. End-to-end planning and scheduling of EV charging will also allow EV owners to overcome the hurdle of range anxiety.

The gamified and community-centric app will enable like-minded individuals to come together and exchange ideas for creating a greener future. Zero Emission Electric Mobility is a highly adaptable system that provides 100 percent clean energy e-mobility by ensuring that EV charging is done with renewable energy, thereby allowing environmentally conscious EV owners to be in charge of their energy usage and carbon footprint.

Hygge’s charging app also enables tracking of payments as well as carbon credits earned by users each time they utilise Hygge’s network. This will open up access to an INR 750 billion carbon trading market for renewables-based EV charging.

“Now our end users also include drivers of CNG vehicles. Think Gas requested us to improve the customer experience at their CNG filling stations by using our EV charging app for providing a similar experience for CNG drivers. Our app for CNG users includes advance booking, cashless payment and loyalties, like our EV solution,” informed the CEO.

Zero emission transportation
Electric vehicle charging using coal-heavy grid power emits 50 times more carbon than doing it using solar photovoltaic solutions. Zero Emission Electric Mobility ensures that all EV charging is done using renewable energy as opposed to using other available energy sources, thereby drastically reducing the greenhouse emissions.

The system is facilitated by Hygge’s proprietary customer premises IoT device called the Hygge Box, which operates on embedded machine learning-based artificial intelligence and blockchain technology. It enables tracking, measurement, optimisation, allocation and accounting of renewable energy, hence ensuring that electric vehicles are primarily charged with clean renewable energy.

Zero Emission Electric Mobility is a highly adaptable system that provides completely clean e-mobility. The platform can not only be integrated to any EV charging or battery swapping system but also provides truly zero-emission transportation by ensuring the use of low-cost renewable energy for charging EVs and batteries.

The partnership
Zero Emission Electric Mobility (complete with the Hygge Box and Hygge Energy’s EV charging app), as well as Hygge Energy’s app for CNG filling, will initially be installed at a Think Gas CNG station in Uttar Pradesh, followed by other locations under discussion. This will be a big step by Hygge towards unlocking a USD 15 billion carbon trading market for service providers offering CNG and EV charging services in India, which will make these businesses profitable.

Hygge’s platform is integrated with on-site or off-site renewable energy and the distribution grid infrastructure. It enables tracking, measurement, optimisation, allocation and accounting of energy. This ensures that all renewable energy is directed towards EV charging. In the absence of EV charging, this energy can be redirected to other applications for maximum utilisation and savings on electricity bills. It also avoids the additional load that EV charging infrastructure puts on distribution transformers. As a result, renewable energy e-mobility can be accommodated without the need for additional investments in grid infrastructure.