After four years of intense research and development, Saietta is ready to revolutionise the Indian market with its new partnership with Padmini VNA. The company’s patent-pending Axial Flux Technology (AFT), with liquid cooling, aims to replace the 110 cc IC engines in motorcycles in the country. We talk to Wicher Kist, CEO and Graham Lenden, Chief Commercial Officer of Saietta, to know more about the AFT technology and the company’s plans for the country.

How do you evaluate the Indian two-wheeler market?

Wicher: India’s two-wheeler market is one of the biggest opportunities on the planet. During our visits to India and China, we observed that while in Shanghai people preferred mopeds, we saw car and bike parks full of 110 cc motorbikes in India. We tried to understand his trend and set out on a mission four years ago to develop the perfect motor to replace the 110 cc engines in India. This led us to develop an efficient motor that can ultimately work with swappable batteries. We have used cheap ingredients and chosen what we believe is the right topology. Looking back at the early days of Formula E, we realised Axial Flux technology is the most efficient technology but is extremely expensive. So, Saietta went on a mission to bring AFT to the mass market, and the collaboration with Padmini VNA has assured us that we got it right. For example, if Delhi would switch to eight kilowatts electric motorbikes and scooters with the same swappable batteries, we believe that one could switch batteries for less money than what they pay for fuel per month. This technology has already been proven by Gogoro in Taiwan. The one segment where leading technology solution providers and the government need to work together is to clean up the air in large cities by building docking stations. We need docking stations on every street corner.

India doesn’t have a standard battery technology. Do you think it will be a limitation in the large scale deployment of swappable battery technology?

Wicher: I think we are three years away from achieving the standard battery technology. Companies like Sun Mobility, Greenfuel, Panasonic and many more have already started work in this regard. For example, in Japan, vehicle manufacturers are signing agreements to develop the same battery cartridges. At Saietta, we focus on providing extremely affordable eight kilowatts powertrain solutions to support the electrification with our partner Padmini in India.

Graham: We believe that the recent memorandum of understanding signed between Hero MotoCorp and Gogoro for smaller bikes will fast track the swappable battery solution for India in terms of infrastructure.

Considering the condition of the Indian roads and the high payload Indian households carry on a motorbike, do you think there is a need to offer a customised solution for the Indian bikes?

Wicher: We have fine-tuned the motor to carry higher payloads so that Indian families can still commute like they do today.

Graham: The duty cycle of an Indian motorcycle is less than 25 kilometres in a day carrying heavy payloads in high ambient temperature. So, to answer all these criteria, we created a motor with very high torque and for the first time, with liquid cooling to help keep the motor temperature low and maintain a high continuous power. So, at Saietta, we have managed to engineer water cooling at the right price for the first time in this segment, helping us improve efficiency and allowing us to use a smaller battery to reduce weight and cost. The final thing is the price; we have been rigorous at designing the motors to be manufactured at a price suitable for the Asian market.

The low voltage is a critical aspect of these motors as we believe that these motorbikes will not be serviced by franchise trade but by individuals who are not trained in high voltage. If you deliver high-voltage motors to untrained electrical personnel to service, then you have a real safety problem on your hands. So, we’ve instead designed it at low voltage to deliver the efficiency required at a price needed while maintaining the high torque and constant power, and ease of use and maintenance.

You have moved from a DC motor to an AC motor with the second-generation AFT motor. Can you explain the changes and the advancements made with the second-generation motor?

Wicher: The first-generation DC motor was more of an industrial application motor. So, we looked at the technology and realised that the motors for the Asian market cannot have brushes given the hot climate. So, the first generation was a learning exercise, where we sold small volumes but always knew that we had to start from scratch for mass-market adaptation of AFT, which we have been doing over the last four years.

So, you mentioned liquid cooling and the use of cheap materials. Can you elaborate on the reliability?

Wicher: I’m a big fan of the lean principles. Eighty percent of the cost is defined on the drawing board, and we knew what the market wanted. So, we define the specification and design a product which we believe is capable of low-cost, mass market production. Reliability is number one and will always stay number one. Still, the beauty is because it’s a pancake-shaped motor, so it’s a bit bigger in diameter and a bit flatter, making it easier to integrate into a motorbike. Also, the high torque helps us delete the transmission, which reduces the overall vehicle price.

Graham: Our motors deliver the power and torque required at low rpm compared to our peers which ensures less wear and tear on the motor, helping extend its operating life, and hence reducing cost of ownership. We have developed this technology because this is fundamentally a commuter tool and reliability is key. It’s not just the low-cost materials, but it’s also the way that it goes together. We know that one can assemble this motor in a highly automated way in mass volume.

You mentioned the idea of ‘designed in the UK and manufactured in India’. Can you elaborate on your plans to produce in India?

Wicher: We plan to have a base production plan at Padmini to cater to the smaller players, but we also offer to set up mini plants for the more prominent players based on their requirements. Over the years of working in the industry, we have learnt that when a vehicle manufacturer wants our technology, we add value to them from the first meeting by working together to integrate the product into their bike and help them reduce the overall components. Then the tailor-made designs are prototyped with the demo fleets built for durability testing. Our durability centre in the UK can run the motor 24x7 to build customers’ confidence in the product, helping iron out any possible defects or reliability concerns before the product goes into production. So, in the future, the aim is to have several plants across India producing Saietta’s technology.

We have seen multiple manufacturers moving away from conventional motors and starting development on the axial flux motors. Can you explain the recent advancements made in the axial flux technology contributing to this rise in its adaptation, and how do you plan to stay competitive with it?

Wicher: The ability of the technology to provide a better range from the same battery while being compact in size is the primary reason. At Saietta, we believe that our technology will provide the client with the most cost-effective option while taking them further down the road. This will help in the natural migration of the clients towards our technology. We recently achieved 10 percent more range from a battery pack without regen during one of the application tests. For India, we have the same plan. We are already converting a couple of bikes for a demo. These will be available at Padmini later in the year for 2-wheel OEMs to experience the advantages of our motor and our patent pending technology.

Can the AFT technology be used to create a 200-250 cc replacement motor?

Wicher: We are developing an 800 volts version for a specific client in Asia that is a similar size as an AFT 140 but making more than 160 kilowatts of power. If the client’s application wants high voltage, we can build it to make it feel like a 250 to 350 cc, but the bottleneck is often battery technology. The battery has a certain limitation on current. Therefore, the marriage between the right battery technology and the powertrain can tune the AFT 140 to make it feel like a 250 cc, while with an AFT 110, we can fine-tune it and bring the cost down further for the 110-cc market segment. If you look at the international scene, Saietta focuses on two categories: L3E (Motorcycles) and L7E (Quadricycles).

Has the use of liquid cooling impacted the weight of the motor?

Wicher: As the liquid is heavier than the air, we have observed an increase in weight, but that has not impacted the motor negatively. So, we believe that it is a good compromise to introduce liquid cooling and manage the additional weight for the longevity of the motor and the inverter. Also, an electric water pump is extremely cheap because most Asian motorcycles are already water-cooled with a small radiator and a water pump. As you know, this is also a speciality of our new partner, Padmini.

Are you going to cater to other applications as well?

Wicher: The time has arrived to think about the electrification of vehicles for agricultural and humanitarian applications. We feel that companies need to start thinking about using solar panels to replace diesel generators in the agricultural sector and help purify air quality in big cities and countries. (MT)

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Cognizant hosted Aston Martin Aramco Formula One Team driver Lance Stroll and driver ambassador Pedro de la Rosa at its GAR campus in Hyderabad. The visit was part of 'Celebrating Cognizant', a series of sporting and cultural activities for company associates.

Lance and Pedro met with Cognizant’s leadership team and hundreds of associates, discussing how Cognizant’s digital expertise supports the team, especially ahead of the 2026 regulations.

Lance Stroll, said, "It was a pleasure to visit the Cognizant offices in Hyderabad and meet so many of the team. Hearing first-hand about Cognizant’s technology and services was valuable and we felt incredibly welcomed by everyone we met.”

Rajesh Varrier, President – Global Operations and Chairman & Managing Director, Cognizant India, said, “Today’s celebration with Lance is a proud moment for our associates and a powerful reminder of how far we have come in shaping the future of the Aston Martin Aramco Formula One Team through innovation. I am inspired by what we have achieved together and optimistic about the promise this partnership holds for the future.”

A fireside chat with Lance, Pedro, and Rajesh underscored the role of technology in F1 and the Cognizant partnership. The drivers engaged with associates in a Q&A session.

In addition to the visit, Cognizant hosted a virtual hackathon for nine teams from three organisations supported by its Outreach programme. Participants developed low-code or code-based solutions to make the team’s Ai.lonso avatar into an engaging digital companion for fans. The top two teams won cash prizes and met Lance and Pedro.

Cognizant began its partnership with the Aston Martin Aramco Formula One Team in 2021. The technology company acts as the team’s digital transformation partner, improving IT infrastructure and daily operations.

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Ola Electric, one of India’s largest electric vehicle manufacturers, has announced that it became the first two-wheeler EV maker to get government certification for its in-house developed rare-earth-free ferrite motor.

The company claims that the ferrite motor eliminates its need to import rare-earth motors with permanent magnets.

The certification has been granted by Global Automotive Research Centre, Tamil Nadu, after undergoing rigorous performance verification and mandatory motor power tests as per AIS 041 that is notified by the Ministry of Road Transport & Highways (MoRTH), Government of India.

As per the company, the in-house developed ferrite motor’s performance matched that of the motors with rare-earth permanent magnet motors in terms of net power for 7kW and 11 kW variants.

Ola Electric claimed that the ferrite motor delivers efficiency, performance and durability on par with rare-earth permanent magnet motors, while dramatically lowering costs and de-risking supply chain fluctuations. The company first introduced its ferrite motor at its annual ‘Sankalp 2025’ event in August this year.

With this, Ola Electric is set to integrate the ferrite motor across its product lineup, further enhancing performance, affordability and sustainability.

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BASF and its partners are set to present two technologies at K 2025 that allow for the recycling of polyamides from end-of-life vehicles. While metal recovery from decommissioned vehicles has been standard for decades, about 200 kilograms of plastic per vehicle are often incinerated. The new technologies aim to change this, especially with upcoming requirements from the End-of-Life Vehicle Regulation (ELVR). Pilot projects show how automotive waste can be used as material and returned to a closed cycle for the car industry.

BASF developed a chemical recycling process that recycles used and contaminated plastic parts – including used oil pans from ZF Group vehicles. The core of the process is depolymerisation, where the long polyamide chains break down into their original monomers. The caprolactam monomer obtained from PA6 is then purified. This removes impurities that would have remained with mechanical recycling and potentially reduced the material's quality and safety.

The material is then repolymerised into high-quality polyamide, which is processed into a compound suitable for demanding car industry components, closing the automotive-to-automotive loop.

"What used to be considered non-recyclable is now the starting point for high-quality new products," said Martin Scheuble, Team Leader Circularity Engineering Plastics at BASF.

ZF Group processed the recycled material into a chassis component for Mercedes-Benz. Tests show that depolymerisation allows for polyamide compounds that can be used without compromising performance or other chemical and physical properties.

"This project highlights the potential of recycled plastic - even for technically demanding applications - and underlines ZF's innovative strength in establishing sustainable material cycles," said Dr. Michael Lohrmann, Director Materials Technology at ZF.

Solvent-based recycling of shredder residue

A second pilot project focuses on recycling automotive shredder residue (ASR) – a mixture of materials left after the removal of mostly metals and glass. Close cooperation with a recycling company, using new sorting and processing technology, has allowed the polyamides to be extracted from this mixture in a largely pure form.

This polyamide fraction was the starting material for a solvent-based recycling process. In this process, the polymer chain is selectively dissolved with a solvent, purified and then reprocessed into PA6 compounds.

Poppelmann manufactured and tested a chain guide rail in series production at Mercedes-Benz using this technology.

"The project impressively demonstrates that solvent-based recycling is a practical alternative for plastics that are difficult to recycle mechanically. It makes an important contribution to the holistic circular economy - from the car back into the car," emphasised Steffen Meyer, Team Leader Production Technology at Poppelmann.

Life cycle analyses (LCA) confirm that both the solvent-based and depolymerisation technologies offer substantial CO2 emission savings compared to both conventional polyamide production and traditional plastic recycling methods like thermal recovery.

BASF offers a range of recycling solutions, stating that targets are achieved only if technologies are used in a complementary manner, depending on the type and availability of waste.

Jana Kragenbring-Noor, Head of Sustainability & Environmental Protection at Mercedes-Benz, explained, "Mercedes-Benz is committed to the use of secondary raw materials in its vehicles today and in the future as part of resource conservation and circularity. To continuously increase the availability of such sought-after secondary materials, the expansion of existing and new recycling technologies is essential."

"We are continuously improving the efficiency of physical methods such as mechanical and solvent-based recycling. In addition, we are convinced that complementary technologies such as chemical recycling, which includes depolymerization, pyrolysis and gasification, are necessary to further promote the circular economy and reduce the plastic waste that still ends up in landfills or is incinerated today, as well as the potential to obtain high-quality recycled plastics," explained, Dr. Martin Jung, President of BASF Performance Materials.

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Affordable Robotic and Automation (ARAPL), India’s first listed robotics company, has announced a significant global expansion milestone: its subsidiary, ARAPL RaaS (Humro), has secured its first international order for the newly developed Atlas AC2000 autonomous forklift – a mobile truck loading and unloading robot.

The order, the company shared, was placed by a large US-based logistics player following comprehensive and successful prototype trials over the last three months at the client’s facilities. The initial order comprises two Atlas AC2000 robots, valued at INR 36 million, and leased for a period of three years.

This initial win is strategically crucial, as it offers Humro a unique opportunity to scale deployment substantially. The client owns 15 warehouses across the US, with a potential to deploy around 15–16 mobile robots in each warehouse over the next two years.

Milind Padole, Founder & Managing Director, ARAPL, said, “Considering the scale and competition in the US market, we are thrilled to announce the success of our product with an established logistics player. This order, following stringent approvals and successful prototype performance, not only opens new doors for us but also is a step towards positioning Make In India mobile robots prominently in the global warehouse robotics sector – otherwise dominated by large US and Chinese players.”

The Atlas AC2000 forklift is a sophisticated machine equipped with LiDAR-based navigation, real-time obstacle detection and precision control algorithms, allowing for safe, 24x7 autonomous truck loading and unloading operations. Humro, which specialises in Autonomous Mobile Robots (AMRs), leverages ARAPL’s proprietary i-ware controller and employs AI, navigation and swarm robotics to deliver its solutions.

To fuel its global vision and growth, ARAPL has proposed a USD 8–10 million investment into Humro, including USD 3 million personally committed by Padole, alongside preferential allotments and debt financing. Despite announcing a 10 percent price adjustment from December 2025 to reflect new US tariffs, Humro emphasised that its products will remain 15–20 percent more cost-effective than competitors.

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