Tata Technologies, a leading global engineering and product development digital services company,  and GKN Automotive, a global leader in development and supply of driveline systems and ePowertrain technologies, have opened a new software development hub for e-mobility solutions in Bengaluru. The centre aims to be a world-class hub for engineering talent in the automotive industry. It will be working on the latest and next-gen technologies with some of the leading OEMs across the world.

The center will enable the development of end-to-end powertrain software and also development of various components of the vehicles, including for the combustion vehicles. With this partnership, GKN will bring in its IP (Intellectual Property), its technology and its access to a global customer base. Tata Technologies will bring in its skills, capabilities and knowhow to operate such a centre in India.

Speaking on the opportunities from the growing EV space, Warren Harris, CEO & MD, Tata Technologies, said, “Last year itself, there were 2.3 million electric vehicles sold which represents a penetration rate of 2.4 percent. By 2030, electric vehicles are likely to make up more than 35 percent of all the vehicles sold in the world. This collaboration with GKN Automotive will significantly contribute towards the development of the next generation of electric vehicles that are sustainable and help us achieve a greener world.”

Warren further adds, “The real challenge for electric mobility in India is the prices. Prices are the real driver of consumer sentiments and we need to have the ability to apply frugal innovation or engineering capabilities to the technologies that are being developed in different parts of the world. We have a strong reputation in the EV space, particularly, in terms of lightweighting and vehicle integration. We have strong relations with Chinese OEMs like for the Nio.”

Dr Rainer Link, Vice President Engineering, e-Powertrain, GKN Automotive said, “It brings us immense pleasure to be a part of this software hub. This partnership with Tata gives us access to world-class engineering talents. This is essential for us in our transformation from mechanical to software and electronics. The innovations coming from this tech centre will enable our e-drive technologies to grow further.”

Rainer further adds, “All the global OEMs are making a rapid shift to e-mobility with the government encouraging with incentives and all the legal points over emissions. This new hub would be able to support global automotive manufacturers with future electrification programs.”

Nachiket Paranjpe, Senior Vice President, EU-Sales, Tata Technologies said, “Since we work on a lot of software components, this hub would predominantly deal with gearboxes, battery chargers, inverters and similar others. The skills that are being leveraged at this centre is primarily software development. Many companies have started working with a common software platform called the AUTOSAR. We can implement, configure and test AUTOSAR-compliant software.”

Arun Krishnamurthi, President-Sales, Europe, Tata Technologies, said, “The collaboration combines GKN’s proven expertise in e-drive systems with Tata Technologies’s expertise in the embedded and electrical space. This will place our product engineering capabilities in the embedded space among the European OEMs. It would especially aid in establishing a bigger impression among the German OEMs.”

Dr Christoph Gillen, Director, Product Technology, Electrical Systems, GKN Automotive said, “This partnership with Tata Technologies would enable GKN Automotive to advance its products for electrified vehicles, increase efficiencies and become an even more attractive partner for global automotive manufacturers. ”

Today, the centre has 42 engineers and expects to have more than 100 engineers by the end of the year. Commissioned in March 2020, the centre saw a soft launch on September 2 and has been operational even in these COVID-19 pandemic periods. The centre is equipped with various testing capabilities that ensures that the functions are implemented properly and the features that are developed for a particular component are accurate. 

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Researchers at Chalmers University of Technology, in collaboration with industry partners, have published a study in Nature Communications demonstrating that reconfigurable battery pack architectures can extend electric vehicle battery operational life by more than 20 percent under specific conditions.

In conventional electric vehicle battery packs, cells are wired in a fixed series configuration, meaning the weakest cell dictates the overall capacity, performance and lifespan of the entire pack. The architecture evaluated by the Chalmers engineering team uses integrated electronic switches and a centralised battery management system to monitor individual cells or cell groups. When a cell experiences accelerated degradation or reduced capacity, the system bypasses the degraded unit while electric current continues to flow through the remaining functional cells.

Albert Skegro, a PhD student at the Department of Electrical Engineering at Chalmers University of Technology, said, "They must all move at the pace of the slowest person and stop when that person stops, regardless of how much energy the others have left. With the architecture we have modelled, the battery can instead bypass the cell that is causing problems and continue using the remaining cells."

Changfu Zou, Professor at the Department of Electrical Engineering at Chalmers, said, "Reconfiguration is not an on-or-off choice. It is a spectrum. Where a manufacturer chooses to position itself on that spectrum determines how much of the potential benefit can be realised."

In a representative modelling scenario featuring an 80 kWh battery pack driven 12,000 kilometres annually over an 18.8-year vehicle lifespan, the reconfigurable system deferred battery replacement by approximately 14 months. The researchers noted that the technology yields the highest performance gains in high-voltage vehicles, including 400-volt and 800-volt electric passenger cars and commercial trucks, where higher cell counts in series increase the statistical probability of individual cell variance.

A techno-economic analysis included in the study determined that implementing cell-level switching hardware increases initial pack production costs by approximately nine per cent based on prototype-scale volumes of 1,000 units. The researchers identified an economic break-even threshold at a 12 percent cost increase, noting that volume manufacturing would lower component costs and increase financial viability for fleet operators and private owners. While prototype applications such as Volvo Cars' SmartCell concept and experimental road vehicles exist, mass-production vehicles using reconfigurable battery packs are yet to enter the commercial market.

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Jakson Green Vehicles has selected Dassault Systèmes’ cloud-based 3DEXPERIENCE platform to manage the design and development of its electric vehicles.

The implementation establishes a collaborative engineering framework to maintain digital continuity across the product development lifecycle. By connecting internal teams and external suppliers, the platform automates workflows, standardises component libraries and manages engineering change requests during early-stage product design. Virtual twin capabilities allow the vehicle manufacturer to conduct virtual validation testing to resolve structural and systems design issues prior to physical manufacturing.

Deepak Thakur, CEO, Jakson Green Vehicles, said, "Using Dassault Systèmes’ 3DEXPERIENCE Platform enables us to apply a collaborative approach and re-engineer our product lifecycle from the ground up. Through this transition from legacy environments to a unified digital thread, it enables strong R&D to achieve twin objectives; accelerated time-to-market and mitigated development costs. This partnership is helping us to transform the early-stage innovation and product design processes."

Deepak NG, Managing Director – India, Dassault Systèmes, said, "As India continues its dynamic growth trajectory, virtual twin technology serves as a powerful catalyst for sustainable innovation, empowering industries to rethink how they design, produce and operate."

The software adoption forms part of Jakson Green Vehicles' plan to build urban zero-emission mobility vehicles and infrastructure across India.

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UK-headquartered energy technology company Gelion has entered into a material transfer agreement with a top 15 global automotive original equipment manufacturer to assess its NES cathode platform for future electric vehicle battery applications.

Under the terms of the agreement, Gelion will supply its sulfur-based cathode active material, coated cathodes and liquid electrolyte to the automotive partner. The manufacturer will evaluate the platform in both liquid and solid electrolyte cell configurations, testing compatibility across lithium metal and graphitic anode pathways targeting luxury and mass-market vehicle applications. The technology is designed to serve as a drop-in cathode material capable of integration into existing battery manufacturing lines without re-tooling.

Matt Wood, Chief Executive Officer, Gelion, said, "Our priority markets are commercial & defence drones, EVs and devices. We are honoured to be working with these major global automotive OEMs, and today’s announcement marks further progress towards the adoption of our technology and the generation of commercial revenues via funded programmes and eventually license and royalty revenue in the global EV market, alongside some of the industry’s leading companies."

"The growing engagement from global EV manufacturers reinforces the potential and attractiveness of our NES™ technology. This momentum is also mirrored in our agreements and partnerships across drones and devices, while our work with Tier 1 materials suppliers is advancing the scale-up of our unique, patented battery materials," Wood added.

The agreement expands Gelion’s ongoing industry testing programs with automotive manufacturers, extending the assessment of its sulfur-based cathode platform across liquid and solid battery systems.

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Honda R&D, a subsidiary of Honda Motor Co., has developed underlying technology for a magnetic coupling wireless power transfer road system in partnership with Taisei Corporation and Taisei Rotec Corporation.

The system enables wireless in-motion charging for electric vehicles, including passenger cars and heavy commercial fleets. The partners plan to initiate demonstration testing on public roads starting in FY2027.

The technology integrates high-power-density receiver and transmitter units from Honda with a high-response direct current power supply system from Taisei and road-embedding construction techniques from Taisei Rotec. By supplying power to electric vehicles while in motion, dynamic wireless power transfer reduces the need for stationary charging infrastructure. The initial commercial focus targets logistics and transport operations, where continuous operation offers economic benefits.

The ground assembly embedded in the roadway combines the inverter and coil into a single unit designed to connect via direct current distribution. This design reduces component counts, simplifies wiring and supports installation into existing road surfaces through standard milling methods. The road pavement structures are engineered to withstand continuous traffic loads from vehicles weighing up to 20 tonnes (20,000kg).

Testing conducted at Taisei Group’s T-FIELD facility in Satte verified system stability and structural durability. Starting in late 2026, the companies will build a test roadway at T-FIELD Tamura to evaluate long-term durability under one million wheel-load cycles, measure power transfer efficiency at outputs up to 150 kW and analyse electromagnetic shielding.

The partnership will also join the Tateyama Expressway demonstration project managed by East Nippon Expressway Company starting in 2027.

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