Latest news with #ETAutoTechSummit2025
Time of India
12-07-2025
- Automotive
- Time of India
How PLM is powering the auto industry's circularity push
Imagine this: A brand-new vehicle design is nearing completion. The team is holding its breath, brimming with anticipation to unveil the creation to leadership. Suddenly, a prompt from the Product Lifecycle Management ( PLM ) system pops up - a circularity compliance check has flagged gaps. The celebration halts, and the design is pushed back into revision. This might not have been a typical scenario in the past, but not anymore. PLM has evolved. It's no longer a siloed, engineering-centric tool, nor are teams confined to working in isolated digital environments. Today, PLM systems are collaborative, intelligent, and deeply integrated across functions - from design and sourcing to sustainability and compliance. And in the automotive sector, which is among the largest consumers of raw materials and also a significant contributor to waste, the role of PLM has never been more critical. The industry is now expected to not just respond to sustainability goals but to lead them. Circularity has become a foundational principle, shaping decisions right from the concept stage, embedded within every process, and ensured at every lifecycle checkpoint. 'Our aim should be zero waste to landfill,' asserts Rajendra Petkar , President and CTO, Tata Motors , speaking at the ETAutoTech Summit 2025 held recently in Bengaluru. He emphasized that 'circular economy is no longer a distinct goal but an urgent necessity,' underlining automotive industry's growing responsibility in leading the shift towards sustainable practices. India's circular opportunity India is emerging as a global automotive giant with over 30 crore vehicles running on India roads, estimated 28 million vehicles coming every year. 'The industry has attracted foreign direct investment (FDI) of over $36 billion between 2000 and 2024 with major global players either expanding their footprint in India or have a significant plan,' shares Petkar , adding that it is the time to take a strong call of execution of the circularity ambition into action. Petkar sees this as an inflection point, 'It is time to execute the circularity ambition. India is already the largest producer of two- and three-wheelers and a major player in tractors and commercial vehicles. Engineering and innovation must now translate national mandates on scrappage and waste management into action.' Indicating that the regime for scrappage of vehicles is still evolving and at a nascent stage in India, Petkar emphasises that engineering circularity must begin with design and material selection. At the end of a vehicle's life (ELV), the recyclability of its components depends on whether original material properties and part relationships have been preserved. 'Leveraging modular product design, reuse-friendly components, easy dismantling, and sorting at ELV stations, choosing renewable over the natural materials, and avoiding use of toxic materials, and harmful materials like lead and asbestos are key enablers,' he explains. 'We need to build a holistic approach that is broad-based across areas of technologies for waste management, upstream material selection and product development processes. These should be engagement equations of stakeholders for profitable business growth. Organisations need to have a design manual or a PLM kind of IT system that will actually prompt the designers to check whether principles of circularity have been deployed as part of a new design.' Building intelligent circular systems Prof. Deepu Philip , Professor at Department of Management Sciences (DoMS), IIT Kanpur , reinforces the importance of intelligent PLM systems. 'By embedding circularity into PLM systems, the automotive sector can significantly reduce material waste, improve supply chain resilience, build intelligent products, minimize concept-to-market time, and meet increasingly stringent environmental regulations. This leadership will also encourage other industries like semiconductors, pharmaceuticals, industrial goods, etc., to follow, making PLM a key enabler of global sustainability goals.' Traditionally, PLM managed a product from concept through design, manufacturing, and end-of-life. However, in a circular economy, PLM must also support material traceability, responsible sourcing, and the reuse, recycling, and recovery of materials across multiple product lifecycles. 'Today, original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) are increasingly approaching product development with recyclability and reusability in mind from the early concept phase no longer as an afterthought. This shift is driven by sustainability goals, regulatory requirements, and growing consumer awareness,' says Vivek Salvi , Senior Sales Director, Customer Process Experience, Dassault Systèmes India. Adds, Kunal Kulkarni , Vertical Practice Director – Digital, Tata Technologies, 'PLM has developed from serving as a 'single source of truth' to supporting the creation of circular and environmentally conscious products. As customer preferences shift towards products with reduced environmental impact, automotive OEMs are investing in technologies that facilitate recycling and reuse of components, which can lessen the demand for entirely new parts within the supply chain.' Salvi highlights the value of virtual twins - real-time digital representations of products that enhances cross-functional collaboration, allows teams to simulate and analyse the product's performance, material flow, and environmental impact before physical production begins. 'This not only reduces waste and cost but also supports smarter decisions related to design for durability, repairability, and end-of-life recovery.' The regulatory pulse Around the world, regulatory and policy frameworks are evolving to drive circularity practices. From the EU's ELV Directive to state-level mandates and the strengthening of Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) rules, governments are sending strong signals. India has responded with the National Vehicle Scrappage Policy, EPR mandates across six material categories, and Automotive Industry Standard (AIS) 129, which provides guidance for the safe dismantling and recycling of ELVs with a focus on environmental protection. However, execution remains uneven. The ecosystem for ELV recycling is still nascent in India. There is limited awareness, a lack of well-distributed scrapping infrastructure, and inconsistent enforcement. The result is unregulated scrapping, low recycling efficiency, and massive untapped potential in recovering valuable materials. 'Increasing vehicle recycling rate, investment in organised scrapping facilities and execution of various policy initiatives is paramount,' says Petkar. A Circular Renaissance 'Over the next decade, linear models will give way to circular innovations,' says Gilroy Mathew , Senior Vice President & Global Head – Engineering Services, UST. 'Vehicles will re-enter the value chain—tracked, optimised, and reborn. This isn't just evolution. It's a renaissance in how we design, produce, and recirculate mobility.' Today, modern vehicles are a combination of composites, polymers, metals and fluids that are chosen as per their performance and functionality based on strength, weight, cost and safety. 'While many materials are recyclable, others pose challenges that requires industry-academia and innovation labs collaboration to improve recoverability and recyclability across various material types,' says Petkar. Petkar outlines four levels of circularity – L1, L2, L3, and L4. While L1 is about extending the useful life of products through reuse, repair, and maintenance, and it encourages designing products for durability, modularity and easy repair; L2 is about repurposing and remanufacturing wherein repurposing means using a product or material for a different function, or application, than originally intended, and remanufacturing is a process of restoring used products or components to give them a new life kind of a condition. L3 is of recycle and recover that highlights closing of material loops recycling waste into the raw materials. It aims to transform waste streams into valuable inputs for new production cycle, reducing landfill, and resource depletion. L4 is highest in the framework aimed at minimising resource consumption and waste generation from its outset. 'This is about doing more with less, but it should not change the leaner nature of production and consumption,' he exclaims. The Future of PLM Automotive OEMs are developing technical solutions by integrating multiple systems and refining new product introduction (NPI) quality processes to assess environmental impacts and work towards sustainability objectives. These efforts aim to help automotive companies retain competitiveness and deliver products aligned with future sustainability expectations. 'Key parameters in PLM applications that support sustainability include integration of material standards within product design software, enabling designers to select alternative materials that align with carbon reduction targets while meeting cost requirements, connecting digital manufacturing processes to enable 'what-if' analyses and carry out cradle-to-grave lifecycle assessments, and ongoing improvement in design by integrating data from mechanical, electronics, software, and simulation sources with circularity objectives,' says Kulkarni. 'The future of PLM lies in becoming an enterprise-wide, intelligent data platform that not only accelerates innovation but embeds sustainability into every product decision. The automotive industry, with its scale and global influence, is poised to lead the circularity movement by leveraging PLM to manage materials, processes, and partners with sustainability and reuse at the core' exclaims Salvi.
Time of India
26-06-2025
- Automotive
- Time of India
ETAuto Tech Summit 2025: India's automotive tech dreams need a bold R&D reset, industry leaders at the event
The message from the ETAuto Tech Summit 2025 in Bengaluru was loud and clear: if India wants to position itself as a global hub for automotive technologies, it must significantly step up its R&D investments and build a deep, future-ready talent pool. Industry stalwarts expressed concern over India's lagging progress and emphasised the urgent need to capitalise on the growing opportunities already unfolding within the country. 'R&D spending is key to long-term growth. One of our biggest misses has been underutilising opportunities to create IP, drive deep-tech innovation, and foster a strong research culture,' said Kishor Patil , Chairman, NASSCOM ER&D Council , MD and CEO, KPIT Technologies. He added that global growth trends clearly correlate with high R&D expenditure, and it is time for Indian OEMs to move beyond their acquisition mindset and instead embrace grassroots innovation to build a solid base of patented technologies and indigenous products. Drawing comparisons with innovation-driven nations like the US and China, Patil pointed out that those countries follow a well-structured, multi-pronged approach - government-led identification of key focus areas, direct project allocation to OEMs, strong academia-industry ties, and active support for startups. 'India is only beginning to build this ecosystem,' he said. 'We need to treat this as a fire-fighting exercise if we intend to close the gap.' The numbers back his concern. India's R&D investment in the automotive sector stands at just 0.65per cent of GDP, significantly behind China (2.56per cent ), the US (3.59per cent ), Japan (3.41per cent ), and Germany (3.13per cent ). 'We have just 4,552 global patents, while China has 70,160 and the US 54,087,' Patil said. India currently ranks 39th on the Global Innovation Index 2024, while China sits at 11th. Dr. Pawan Goenka, Chairman, IN-SPACe (Indian National Space Promotion and Authorisation Centre), echoed the call for change. 'We must focus on building 'Brand India' by developing technologies indigenously, instead of always looking to acquire them abroad,' he said. 'We have fallen behind in R&D, now is the time to realign and push forward with renewed intent.' Adding further perspective, Dr. Reji Mathai, Director, ARAI, emphasised the need for localised solutions. 'Increasing the localisation of components is critical,' he said. 'We also need India-specific datasets and software solutions tailored to real-world use cases in the country.' Dr. Andy Palmer, global automotive veteran and Chairman, Inobat Auto, captured the shifting paradigm, 'The race in the automotive world today is for technology leadership over market share.' Reflecting on the current geopolitical landscape, he highlighted the importance of strategic alliances and self-reliance. 'India must act now to protect and strengthen its supply chains.'
Time of India
25-06-2025
- Automotive
- Time of India
India's drive toward autonomous, AI-native mobility begins
At the ETAutoTech Summit 2025, the tone was set: India's not just chasing innovation — it's building its own. The event brought together leaders from across the ecosystem to talk AI, autonomy, indigenous IP, and collaboration with unlikely partners like ISRO. Meanwhile, Tesla's robotaxi rollout faces technical and political turbulence, even as Indian AVs quietly inch forward. From IIT Hyderabad's TiHAN to TCS' SDV labs in Europe — it's clear: the road to future mobility is being paved fast, and everywhere. ETAutoTech Summit 2025: Innovation and urgency to scale indigenous capabilities take centre stage India's automotive industry is going full throttle on localisation — from electrification to AI-native platforms . ETAutoTech Summit 2025 became the rallying point for stakeholders who believe India isn't just participating in the EV-autonomous revolution — it's aiming to lead it. Read more ETAutoTech Summit 2025: Pawan Goenka urges ISRO-Auto industry collaboration on sensor tech In one of the event's key moments, Pawan Goenka called for ISRO to team up with automakers to build world-class sensor systems. From GNSS to LIDAR, the pitch is simple — space-grade precision could power the next-gen Indian autonomous stack. Read more Indian autonomous driving tech for India, and the world Autonomy isn't one-size-fits-all — and India's proving it. With unpredictable roads and unique conditions, Indian AV developers are solving edge cases that global players can't. This video explores how our chaos could become our competitive advantage. Watch now How is Tesla expected to remotely control its robotaxis, and what are its limitations? Tesla's approach to robotaxis involves remote operation fallback — think human drivers overseeing fleets through control centers. But real-time decision-making over networks has its risks: latency, liability, and edge-case failures remain unresolved. Read more TiHAN-IITH moots industry consortium for autonomous navigation TiHAN at IIT Hyderabad is building the R&D backbone for Indian autonomy. It now wants to create an industry consortium to leverage its testbeds, labs, and simulation platforms. A collaborative effort to drive standards and scale. Read more TCS expands software-defined vehicle capabilities in Europe with new hub With new centres in Germany and Romania, TCS is doubling down on SDVs — building embedded software, cloud stacks and cybersecurity layers for next-gen cars. The global auto industry is clearly taking Indian IT very seriously. Read more Elon Musk faces pushback as Texas lawmakers urge delay of Tesla robotaxi launch Regulatory brakes are being applied in the US. Lawmakers in Texas want Tesla to pause its robotaxi deployment, citing safety concerns and lack of transparency. The tension between innovation and regulation is on full display. Read more As India accelerates toward a software-first, AI-powered mobility future, the question is no longer 'if' but 'how soon.' The tools are being built, the coalitions are forming, and the ambition is loud and clear. The next lap? Real-world execution — at scale. We'd love to hear what you think about this edition of the newsletter! Your feedback and suggestions help us improve and deliver content that matters to you.
Time of India
19-06-2025
- Automotive
- Time of India
ETAutoTech Summit 2025: Autonomous driving for India, by India - but with global vision, say experts
Bengaluru: India must not just adopt, but lead the development of autonomous vehicle technologies tailored to its unique challenges - technologies that are developed in India, by India, but for the world. This was the recurring sentiment echoed by industry leaders at the ETAutoTech Summit 2025 in Bengaluru. 'Autonomous technologies are the need of the hour for India,' says Dr. K Subramanian , Senior Vice President, Ashok Leyland . Highlighting the complexity and diversity of Indian roads, driving patterns and environments, he emphasises the need for the country to be at the centre stage of development, testing, piloting, and deploying autonomous systems. Dr. Subramanian expresses concern over the current trajectory of ADAS (Advanced Driver Assistance Systems) in India. 'I'm not happy with the way ADAS is panning out in the country,' he says. Instead of aiming for overly futuristic and complex solutions, he suggests focusing on simplicity, both in hardware and software. 'Make the hardware simpler and apply simplicity to the software, which can then be updated over time. As an industry, we must ensure that ADAS doesn't complicate vehicle architecture but rather lays the foundation for simple, efficient autonomous technologies,' he notes. He also urges a relook at how the industry is approaching these technologies, advocating for V2X ( Vehicle-to-Everything ) and V2V (Vehicle-to-Vehicle) integration that enables a robust, communication-led ecosystem. Echoing the sentiment, Debashis Neogi, Managing Director, Renault Nissan Technology and Business Centre India says: 'We cannot just cut-copy-paste global solutions. We need indigenous technologies, developed and tested in India's diverse and dynamic environment.' Neogi stresses on the role of smart road infrastructure in accelerating adoption. 'We need to work closely with the government to unclutter traffic signals and enhance road infrastructure. That will pave the way for V2X and V2V systems to thrive.' Highlighting India's strength in frugal innovation, he adds, 'India has the potential to lead the world in cost-effective, intelligent ADAS and autonomous system development.' Dr. P Rajalakshmi , Cyient Chair Professor and Director of the NMICPS TiHAN Foundation, IIT Hyderabad , says, 'We are confident that autonomous driving will become a reality in India with the right regulations. R&D is already progressing.' Describing autonomous vehicles as cyber-physical systems that operate in a closed-loop without human intervention, she explains, 'The system involves sensors, perception, path planning, and control. The control algorithm is a critical piece in the autonomous tech stack, and we are developing an end-to-end stack validated across various categories of vehicles.'
Time of India
18-06-2025
- Automotive
- Time of India
ETAutoTech Summit 2025: Innovation and urgency to scale indigenous capabilities take center stage
New Delhi: At day 1 of the ETAutoTech Summit 2025 , a convergence of visionaries and leaders from across India's and the world's mobility ecosystem shared a common belief that India stands on the cusp of global automotive leadership. The discussions through the day spanned electric mobility , digital transformation , AI integration , sustainability, and the urgent need to scale indigenous capabilities . In a stirring keynote, Dr. Andy Palmer, Global Auto Industry Veteran and Chairman, Inobat Auto, called on India to reject dependence on external supply chains, especially from China, and instead invest deeply in domestic ecosystems. 'Why would you let your industry be subservient to Chinese supply?' he asked. Reflecting on his 46-year career, which has seen the industry transition from ICE to mass-market electrification, Dr Palmer outlined a three-point strategy for India's leadership in EVs– build domestic battery systems , recycling facilities, and skilled manpower; scale EV charging infrastructure , and pilot synthetic fuel stations; and enforce circularity, advancing end-to-end recycling. Dr. Pawan Goenka, Chairman, INSPACe, traced his journey from auto to space tech, emphasising how India's auto industry has reached a stage where it can lead globally. However, he pointed out that two foundational challenges persist, namely quality and R&D investment. Create your place in the history of Indian auto. Don't just build for the market; build to lead, Dr Goenka said. 'Why would you let your industry be subservient to Chinese supply?'Dr Andy Palmer India's EV ambition India must not chase the cheapest EV, but the smartest one, said R Velusamy, President – Technology & Product Development, Mahindra & Mahindra. He emphasised leveraging large language models (LLMs) and AI for embedded intelligence in EV platforms. Echoing this, Mahesh Babu, CEO, Switch Mobility, underscored India's strength in IT and the opportunity to lead in AI and ML integration. 'Everyone gets the battery and motor. What differentiates Switch is our focus on software and digitalisation.' As the post-COVID landscape drives consumer behavior further into the digital realm, Dr. Tapan Sahoo, Executive Officer – Digital Enterprise, Maruti Suzuki India, noted the rising role of startups. He said, 'Startups bring fresh ideas and tech, but they lack scale. That's where OEMs must step in.' His colleague, Tarun Aggarwal, Head – Engineering, Maruti Suzuki, added that liquid fuels still hold untapped potential in India, warranting attention alongside EVs. "Create your place in the history of Indian auto. Don't just build for the market; build to lead."Dr. Pawan Goenka Data and AI Dr. Calev Munigety, Head, Enterprise-AI, Bosch India, highlighted the untapped potential of Generative AI . 'We are just at the beginning. The possibilities with Gen AI are infinite.' Ujjwala Karale, Senior Deputy Director, ARAI, emphasised that the conversion of data to actionable knowledge, and the collaboration between OEMs, is central to future innovation. Adding a systems lens, Dr. Lokesh Agrawal, CTO, NBC Bearings, said the rise of EVs demands a shift to system engineering, especially as scheduled maintenance becomes obsolete. He stressed the need for lightweighting at the sub-system level for improved efficiency and performance. India is also building a regulatory environment that is uniquely forward-looking. Dr. Reji Mathai, Director, ARAI, shared how India is the only country to implement both E20 ethanol blending and the BS-VI emission regime, emphasising the alignment of sustainability with safety and innovation.
