A recent study conducted by researchers from the International Council on Clean Transportation (ICCT), George Washington University, and the University of Colorado Boulder in the US estimated that vehicle tailpipe emissions were linked to about 385,000 premature deaths from ambient PM 2.5 and ozone worldwide in 2015. An estimated 70 percent of these occurred in the four largest vehicle markets -- China, India, the EU, and the US.

While the figures paint a grim picture, we see no urgency in bringing about an immediate improvement in air quality standards. The government of India has put a long-term policy focus on shifting to electricity as a transport fuel. However, this will bear fruits only after at least a decade of work and infrastructure development. As we wait for electric vehicles, we must not lose the opportunity to use the readily available cleaner fuels such as auto LPG which can clean the urban air faster.

In the wait for the roll-out of EVs, India is missing on the immediate environmental benefits of auto LPG, an easily deployable source of transport power. It emits up to 120 times less particulate emissions than diesel vehicles; 96 percent less nitrogen dioxides (NOx) than diesel and 68 percent less NOx than petrol. It is also more than 30 percent cheaper than petrol. Over 26 million vehicles across 70 countries run on auto LPG. South Korea sells 4 million tonnes of this fuel annually. In the US, Russia, Japan and China, governments incentivize auto gas usage with tax breaks on sales, excise, registration, parking and road use charges.

Two-wheelers

More than 40 percent of vehicular pollution in Delhi comes from two-wheelers. Across the country, 2-wheelers account for more than 75 percent of vehicles on roads. We need to start pushing two-wheelers towards cleaner fuels as well. Auto LPG makes for the most viable alternative. The 2-wheeler conversion kit is available for about INR 5000-5500 along with a convenient side fitment of the LPG Tank.

Promote Gaseous Fuels

While a large number of buses and public transport vehicles in several cities are running on CNG, it is also necessary to convert a substantial number of private vehicles to gaseous fuels. Rapidly shifting to a mix of CNG and auto LPG is an easier task than shifting to EVs. While the government supports CNG through the City Gas Distribution Project, it has left out auto LPG.

Auto LPG has several advantages over CNG, including 5-6 times less installation cost for refueling stations and less engine performance loss. Globally, auto LPG is the third most commonly used automotive fuel after petrol and diesel. Seven of the 10 large car manufacturers produce LPG-powered cars. Auto LPG occupies very little space in car boots and can be transported in cylinders in trucks to distant outposts.

Auto LPG is already available in 500 Indian cities and it neither needs any major infrastructural overhaul nor any subsidies to encourage consumers. It is important that the government frames policies that are favorable to all alternative fuels to allow consumers a wider choice.

An urgent policy intervention is to change the Type Approval norms of the Ministry of Road Transport for vehicles converting to gaseous fuels. In India companies have to renew the extremely costly Type Approvals for auto LPG and CNG conversions every three years. This has resulted in a rapid dwindling of players in the retro-fitment market. The Type Approval Validity must be made perpetual in line with the European norms. Similarly, the GST rate on LPG conversion kits for vehicles must be reduced from 28 percent to 5 percent as a measure to push up the rate of vehicle conversion to environment-friendly fuels. The GST rate on auto LPG also needs to be brought down from 18 percent.

(Suyash Gupta Is Director General of Indian Auto LPG Coalition; views expressed are personal)

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Wayve, NVIDIA and Stellantis have announced a joint collaboration alongside the French government at the Assises du Véhicule Autonome to support the deployment of autonomous vehicles in France and across the European Union.

The initiative combines Stellantis’ L4-Ready Platforms with the Wayve AI Driver system, integrating NVIDIA Halos OS on the NVIDIA Hyperion compute and sensor architecture. The collaboration aims to establish an autonomous vehicle value chain in France, spanning silicon development, software integration and vehicle manufacturing.

Local transport partners will engage with trade unions, municipal authorities, and mobility stakeholders to address regulatory alignment, safety requirements, and operational deployment.

Philippe Tabarot, French Minister of Transports, said, "I am pleased to see this collaboration between Wayve, NVIDIA and Stellantis launched at the Autonomous Vehicle Forum in France. France is committed to adapting its regulatory framework to accelerate the development of autonomous vehicles while maintaining strict safety and data sovereignty requirements. By bringing together trade unions, city authorities, and mobility stakeholders, this collaboration embodies the collaborative spirit of the Assises du Véhicule Autonome, as well as the approach required to transition from trials to real-world deployment."

Kaity Fischer, VP Autonomous Mobility & Operations, Wayve, said, "France is leading the way in preparing for autonomous vehicles, and we’re proud to enter this collaboration at such an important moment. By working directly with the French Government and our partners, we can help shape how this technology is deployed safely and responsibly and accelerate its development across the country and entire EU."

Anne Laliron, SVP of Technology Research, Stellantis, said, "This collaboration will help accelerate the delivery of autonomous driving technologies that make mobility safer and more convenient for customers. While its impact is global, France is one of Stellantis’ key centres for engineering and technology development, making it a natural home for advancing the future of AI-powered mobility."

Ali Kani, VP of Automotive, NVIDIA, said, "Bringing safe autonomous mobility to Europe requires deep collaboration across AI, computing and vehicle engineering. NVIDIA Hyperion platform, combined with Wayve’s embodied AI and Stellantis’ automotive expertise, provides a foundation for that ambition. Together with the French Government and local partners, we can help build an ecosystem that brings the benefits of autonomous driving to communities across France and Europe."

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German luxury carmaker Audi has introduced third-generation digital OLED rear lighting technology on the Q91, marking the production debut of three-dimensionally curved digital OLED panels in the automotive industry.

The lighting system incorporates carrier glass measuring 0.1 millimetres in thickness, allowing a bend radius of up to 200 millimetres to match the vehicle's body contours. The Q91 uses six digital OLED panels housing 512 individual segments, including an outer curved panel with 99 segments.

The curved positioning extends light visibility to wider lateral angles and incorporates warning symbols within the communication light system to alert surrounding traffic to breakdowns, emergency braking or accidents. Up to eight digital light signatures are available across static, active and semi-active display settings.

The vehicle also features digital Matrix LED headlights utilising a 13-millimetre micro-LED module containing 25,600 individual micro-LEDs. The headlight system projects high-resolution lane lighting, orientation paths and dynamic turn signal graphics directly onto the road surface to assist lane centring and indicate directional changes to pedestrians and other vehicles.

Audi first introduced OLED technology on the TT RS in 2016, followed by segmented digital OLEDs on the Q5 in 2020 and second-generation panels on the Q6 e-tron in 2024.

Stefan Berlitz, Head of Lighting Development at AUDI AG, said, "At Audi, light means safety first and foremost – seeing and being seen. Digitalisation opens up entirely new possibilities for further enhancing road safety. The curved digital OLED technology in the Audi Q91 impressively demonstrates this technology’s potential. It combines design freedom, personalization, and communication with the vehicle’s surroundings at a new level. Our vision is to gradually transform light into an intelligent means of communication that makes interaction between the vehicle and its surroundings even safer and more intuitive."

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European ride-hailing platform Bolt has selected the NVIDIA Alpamayo Stack autonomous driving software to operate its vehicle fleet in Europe, starting with Lucid automobiles.

The deployment commences in Madrid in 2027, with subsequent deployment planned in Germany and France. The initiative supports the integration of at least 25,000 Level 4-ready Lucid vehicles equipped with NVIDIA Hyperion compute and sensor architecture. The program contributes to Bolt's objective of deploying 100,000 autonomous vehicles across Europe and the UNECE region by 2035. The system integrates reasoning artificial intelligence with perception and planning modules alongside NVIDIA Halos safety controls.

Jevgeni Kabanov, President and Head of Autonomous Driving, Bolt, said, “Autonomous driving will change how people move around cities, and Europe should play a major role in how that future is built. Our ambition isn't to bring autonomous driving to just a handful of cities. We want to make autonomous ride-hailing available at scale across Europe, with 100,000 vehicles on our platform by 2035. We're bringing together some of the best technologies in the world to make that possible. Following our first autonomous mobility launch in Luxembourg, our next step with NVIDIA and Lucid is to begin a programme in Madrid in 2027. The Region of Madrid is pioneering a structured framework for commercial autonomous mobility in coordination with national authorities. Germany will also be a priority for what comes next, with cities already setting out clear ambitions for autonomous mobility.”

Rishi Dhall, Vice-President of Automotive, NVIDIA, said, “Robotaxis will scale when every vehicle is built on a common, safety-engineered foundation. NVIDIA Hyperion standardises the compute and sensor architecture across vehicle platforms, while NVIDIA Alpamayo Stack and Halos provide the driving intelligence and safety foundation. Bolt’s European platform, operational experience and work with cities and regulators make it a strong partner to bring autonomous ride-hailing to market at scale in Europe.”

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French tier 1 supplier Valeo has announced plans to develop and industrialise high-performance compute platforms utilising the NVIDIA Hyperion reference architecture and NVIDIA Halos safety system.

The initiative combines Valeo's vehicle integration capabilities with centralised computing architectures to support software-defined mobility systems. The platform utilises the NVIDIA DRIVE AGX Thor architecture to deliver processing performance and redundancy for Level 4 autonomous driving, commercial trucking and robotaxi applications. The development framework enables automakers to integrate features and deploy autonomous technologies across vehicle models.

Marc Vrecko, Chief Executive Officer, Valeo Brain Division, said, "Our work with NVIDIA marks a significant milestone in our mission to make autonomous driving a safe, scalable reality. By seamlessly integrating NVIDIA’s advanced compute power into our next-generation platforms, we are delivering the flexible, centralised intelligence vehicle manufacturers require to redefine the driving experience and meet the evolving demands of tomorrow’s intelligent vehicles."

Rishi Dhall, Vice-President of Automotive, NVIDIA, said, "Valeo’s expertise in high-performance computing, vehicle integration and automotive-scale industrialisation will help automakers adopt NVIDIA Hyperion and NVIDIA Halos at production scale. Together, NVIDIA and Valeo are providing the AI performance, functional safety and scalability needed to accelerate the development of Level 4 autonomous vehicles and robotaxis."

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