The Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers (SIAM), the apex body representing automakers in the country, concluded the 3rd International Conference on World Biofuel Day 2024 themed The Biofuel Revolution in India: Fueling Tomorrow. 

The event brought together global and national experts, policymakers, and industry leaders to discuss the critical role of biofuels in India's sustainable energy transition and the broader implications for the Indian automotive industry.

The conference commenced with the inaugural session titled Catalysing the Indian Biofuel Story for the Global Arena, moderated by Prashant K Banerjee, Executive Director, SIAM. He said," There are three C’s collaboration, communication, competency that defines India’s biofuel journey. India has embraced E20 economy, and its collaborative efforts is manifested by strong cooperation that the sector is receiving from the global partners. "

The Chief Guest Kenneth Félix Haczynski da Nóbrega, Ambassador of the Federative Republic of Brazil stated,” Driven by our shared vision for a sustainable future, Brazil’s ethanol expertise and India’s progress in decarbonisation align with our goal of 20-25 percent biofuel use. The Collaboration between India and Brazil sets a global example in the energy transition, emphasising inclusivity and cost-effective bioenergy solutions. Major investments and technology transfers between our nations will be key to advancing sustainable mobility and achieving long-term climate goals."

Rohit Mathur, Joint Secretary, Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas, Government of India said," Today’s success is the result of the collective efforts of multiple ministries under the visionary leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. We are poised to see significant progress in the next five years as we advance biofuels and fully utilise domestic resources. The ethanol program is benefiting farmers, saving foreign exchange, and transforming the ecosystem. We urge investment in advanced biofuels to further boost ethanol production and emphasise the need for a mass awareness campaign to educate the public on flex-fuel and ethanol percentages."

K C Sharma, Chief Engineer (MVL) at the Ministry of Road Transport & Highways, Government of India said, "Achieving net-zero emissions by 2070 is a national commitment with biofuels being crucial to this goal. We have increased ethanol blending from 1.4 percent in 2013-14 to nearly 20 percent today, thanks to the collaborative efforts of fuel providers, vehicle manufacturers, and component suppliers. We are advancing towards testing new bio-ethanol solutions with prototypes already on Indian roads."

Vikram S Kasbekar, Executive Director of Hero MotoCorp and SIAM Executive Committee Member in his keynote address said, “The industry will be ready soon to rollout the flex fuel vehicles but their off-take is important. The energy content in ethanol is less than that of petrol. We have to consider what value the customer will get in adopting to ethanol and ensure that the customers benefit.”

Dr. Reji Mathai, Director of the Automotive Research Association of India (ARAI) said, "Marking a significant milestone in our commitment to advancing biofuel integration and reducing emissions, India is able to achieve E20 compliance with BS VI standards".

Sujoy Choudhury, Director at Indian Oil Corporation stated,” India needs to ensure the biofuel growth is equitable and sustainable. Oil manufacturing companies have increased their tankage by ten-fold to support the biofuel journey. Today, Ethanol moves through various modes of transport including pipelines, railways, and roadways.”

Mandava Prabhakar Rao, President of the Indian Sugar & Bio-energy Manufacturers Association (ISMA) said," Sugarcane is the most efficient crop in terms of water and land utilisation. Currently, only 15 percent of sugarcane is converted to ethanol, but increasing this by 10 percent only would allow the Indian sugarcane industry to meet 55 percent of the country’s ethanol demand”.

The conference also featured the release of the Context Paper on Biofuels in India: Current Scenario and the Road Ahead.

Rajesh Menon, Director General of SIAM in his closing remark said, "The inaugural session has highlighted India’s significant achievements in the biofuel sector and brought attention to the need for collaborative efforts for future advancements in biofuel. We must build on this foundation and drive the mobility sector towards a sustainable and impactful future".

Ashim Sharma, Senior Partner from Nomura Research Institute moderated a session on ‘Biofuel Demand and Supply Management: Bridging the Gap.’

A report was released at the event on “Sukh Da Saah – SIAM Initiative on Crop Residue Management.” Alok Sharma, Director (R&D) of Indian Oil Corporation discussed advancements in biofuel R&D; Anurag Saraogi, Chief General Manager, Bharat Petroleum Corporation presented critical operational strategies for developing storage capacity and dispensing of the fuel; Rajagopal Manohar, Head of Technical Service and Innovation, Novonesis, spoke on technological innovations beyond development of ethanol biofuel;  Ashok Singh, Assistant Vice-President, Regreen-Excel EPC focused on technologies for supply chain optimization; and Amit Agrawal, Senior Vice-President, Bajaj Hindusthan Sugar detailed the sugar industry’s role in biofuel production.

Som Kapoor, Future of Mobility Leader, EY Parthenon moderated the Thematic Session 2 titled ‘Preparing the Auto Industry for a Flex Fuel Future,’ focusing on assessing the sector's preparedness for flexible fuel vehicles, which included insightful presentations from panelists. Vikram Gulati, Country Head & Executive Vice President (Corporate Affairs & Governance), Toyota Kirloskar Motor shared strategies for development of hybrid flex vehicles in the country, while Sameer Sinha, CEO, Triveni Engineering & Industries addressed engineering challenges related to production of ethanol. 

Shweta Saini, Founder & CEO, Arcus Policy Research discussed the regulatory landscape on ethanol production and feedstock cultivation, and Krishnan Sadagopan, Senior Vice-President, Ashok Leyland & Board of Director IOCL, and Harjeet Singh, Executive Adviser (Tech), Hero MotoCorp and Presentation by Prof. K A Subramanian, Head of Department, Energy Science and Engineering, IIT Delhi spoke on technical readiness of the OEMs to launch flex fuel vehicles in the country.

Thematic Session 3, ‘Building a Resilient Ecosystem for the Adoption of Biofuels,’ focused on the critical steps needed to support biofuel ecosystem development in India. Moderated by Raman Jha, Executive Director at PwC, the session featured key insights from industry leaders. Y. B. Ramakrishna, Member – Working Group on Biofuels at MoPNG discussed necessary policy frameworks introduced by the government for development of ethanol value chain, while Rafik Mankad, CMD, Biotexus Energy and R Ramaprabhu, Head of Fluid Technology, Mahindra & Mahindra talked about role of industry in adoption of higher blends of biofuels. Contributions from Sqn Ldr Ankur Naik Director, Punjab Renewable Energy Systems; Ashish Kumar, Managing Director, Verbio India and Rajneesh Agarwal, Secretary General, UP Distillers Association (UPDA) emphasised the need to adopt renewable energy solutions, develop robust and scalable ethanol supply chain for fulfilment of decarbonisation goals. 

The session wrapped up with a call for stronger collaboration and technological innovation among the industry stakeholders from Dr. Prabhakar Thakur, HoD (Hydrocarbon Efficiency & New Energy), Directorate General of Hydrocarbons, Govt. of India and Dr. S. D. Singh, Senior Advisor, Biodiesel Association of India.

The European Union voted in favour of imposing extra tariffs on China-made EVs by up to 45 percent on 4 October 2024. Threatening a broader trade conflict with a country that has already vowed to protect its companies and is considered as the factory of the world, the move has been criticised by the auto industry and various EU member states.

With growing demand for EU and China resolving their differences through dialogue, the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade is known to express that it is opposed to be the move.

With the technical teams from China and the EU set to resume talks on 7 October 2024, the situation in EU as far as the auto OEMs like Volkswagen Group, Stellantis and BMW Group are concerned, there have been instances of profit warnings.  

Weak demand, rising costs, global competition, trade wars, geopolitical situations, subsidies and company-specific factors are among the reasons being underlined for the profit warnings by European automakers.

Receiving necessary support with 10 members backing the tariffs, 12 abstaining and five members – including Germany – voting against, the European Union, claim sources aware of the development, has been urged by the auto industry to negotiate with China for better terms and conditions rather than to reach the level were a trader war looks eminent.

Present in the China market for a decade or more, many European automakers seem to fear if the tariffs imposed on Chinese EVs will lead to negative consequences in that market for them.

Volkswagen is known to have said that the tariffs are ‘the wrong approach’. There is a need for the two sides to negotiate and find the middle way, mentioned an industry source in Germany in response to the tariffs by EU.

Image courtesy: EmDee (Wikipedia)

The Association of Indian Forging Industry (AIFI), the apex body representing the forging industry in the country has announced its new officer bearers for 2024-26. 

The committee has elected Yash Munot as the new President of AIFI, while S.  Ravishankar was elected as the Vice-President.

Munot, who succeeds Vikas Bajaj, had previously served as Vice-President of AIFI from 2020 to 2024, is now also the youngest to be appointed as the President in the organisation's history. 

He currently serves as the CEO at Varsha Forgings and the Managing Director at KCTR Varsha Automotive. Munot begun his journey in the forging industry in 2005 joining his family business - Varsha Forgings. He was also instrumental in organising major industry events like IFC 2011, Forgetech  India 2016, Asia Forge 2019 and ForgeTech India 2023. He has served as the Western Region Chairman from 2018 to 2020. 

“The forging sector in India is at a pivotal juncture, with tremendous opportunities for innovation and growth. Our focus will be on fostering collaboration within the industry, driving technological advancements and promoting sustainable practices. I am committed to working closely with all stakeholders to ensure that our industry not only thrives domestically but also strengthens and enhances its global footprint. Together, we will build on the strong foundation laid by my predecessors and strive for excellence in every aspect of our work," said Munot.

S Ravishankar added, “I will strive for advancing our industry’s progress and tackling the challenges presented by a rapidly changing global landscape. Our priorities will include boosting competitiveness, driving innovation and equipping our members for future opportunities. I look forward to embracing the exciting prospects ahead and contributing to AIFI’s continued success during this transformative era”

He (Ravishankar) currently serves as the MD at Super Auto Forge and has over 25 years of experience in the auto component manufacturing industry. He is a Manufacturing Engineer with Bachelors degree from Annamalai University and Masters degree from The Ohio State University.

It was in 1997, after working in Detroit for two years, Ravishankar returned to India and joined his family business at Super Auto Forge. He has been instrumental in developing the international business of SAF and led the initiative to establish marketing offices in Detroit in 2001, followed by Belgium in 2011. He has been the Chairman of Indo American Chamber of Commerce for the period 2008 – 2009 – Tamil Nadu Branch and currently serves on the Southern Regional Committee of ACMA since 2021.

Automechanika Frankfurt has cemented its position as the leading international trade fair for the automotive industry with the successful conclusion of Automechanika Frankfurt 2024. 

The slogan of this year’s Automechanika was ‘Driving Transformation’, with topics such as electrification, vehicle connectivity, driver assistance systems and digitalisation taking the centre stage. The fair was held from 10 to 14 September 2024 and saw 4,200 companies from 80 countries displaying their products and solutions for retail, workshops and industry. Spread over an area of 320,000 square metres and 26 hall levels, the event witnessed a total of 108,000 visitors from 172 countries.

Visitors had the chance to see cars with alternative drive systems up close, such as electric, hydrogen, and hybrid models, and even take a ride in the Future Mobility Park and the related expert forum Innovation4Mobility. For even more highlights, there were brand-new event types available, such as an exhilarating rally. Ninety-four percent of attendees, 70 percent of whom were foreign visitors, expressed satisfaction with the event, not just with the trade fair's offerings but also with their aims being met.

An emphasis on sustainable technologies, products and solutions was highlighted at Automechanika this year. Several talks on remanufacturing and circular economy tactics were held on the stage in the new Sustainability Court in Hall 5.0. This year also saw the opening of ‘Ambition’, a dedicated Gen Z section in Hall 3.1 with live acts, panel discussions and succinct, fascinating presentations to pique the interest of young people in the automotive professions. This action was taken as a result of the well-known lack of qualified workers in the automobile sector.

Detlef Braun, Member of the Executive Board of Messe Frankfurt, commented, “Even in the midst of the digital transformation, the industry once again demonstrated its wealth of innovation, providing countless highlights over the course of the five-day event. Together with our exhibitors, we were able to find the right players to present the most important topics – including alternative drive systems, sustainability and the use of AI and robotics in the automotive aftermarket – on the stages and in the exhibition halls. We are also delighted by growing demand from both German and international visitors.”

Michael Johannes, Vice President Mobility & Logistics, Messe Frankfurt, said “Never before has Automechanika in Frankfurt had a supporting programme and range of events like this. Our roster of presentations and practical workshops covered a wide range of topics, including bodywork and paintwork, electric vehicles, commercial vehicles, caravan repair, 3D printing, detailing and much else besides. These were very well received by the professionals, and students and pupils took advantage of the opportunities on offer to find out for themselves what some of the automotive trades and professions are like. One of this year’s new additions was a programme and area devoted especially to Generation Z. We wanted to draw their attention to the professional opportunities that are available in the fascinating world of the automotive industry – and we were very successful.”

Castrol India, a leading lubricant manufacturer, has announced that it has achieved a significant sustainability milestone by increasing recycled content in its high-density polyethylene (HDPE) plastic bottles to 50 percent. 

With this, the company aims to achieve 2,600 metric tonnes of annual recycled plastic usage in its packaging portfolio by 2024.

The step builds upon its previous actions to help make its packaging more sustainable, including the commercialisation of 100 percent recycled bottles for POWER1 range in 2022 and the incorporation of 30 percent recycled content across its entire bottle packaging in 2023.

This latest change aligns seamlessly with Castrol’s global PATH360 strategy, which aims to reduce its plastic footprint by half by 2030.

Sandeep Sangwan, MD, Castrol India said, “We are proud to announce this milestone in our journey towards more sustainable packaging. This achievement is a testament to the hard work and dedication of our team, who have overcome challenges to develop packaging solutions that meet our high standards for quality and aesthetics.”

In addition to packaging, Castrol India aims to have more sustainable manufacturing practices. The company’s production facilities utilise energy-efficient technologies and renewable energy sources to seek to reduce its operational greenhouse gas emissions.