COMMERCIAL VEHICLE INDIA APRIL 2022 by Next Gen Publishing Pvt Ltd

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Volume 16 Issue 07 • April 2022

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608, Trade World, 6th floor, C wing, Kamala Mills compound, Senapati Bapat Marg, Lower Parel (W), Mumbai - 400013, India. Tel +91 9321546598 Email us at cv@nextgenpublishing.net Editor

Ashish Bhatia

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Correspondents

Deepti Thore, Prateek Pardeshi, Sumesh Soman

Head-Design & Production Ravi Parmar

The Heat Is On

With ~40-45 per cent of the three-wheeler market known to have transitioned to EVs, a nextgeneration product by a leading startup featuring a liquid-cooled battery pack could be an approach for maximising performance, reducing battery pack size and ensuring better thermal management.

he last month was packed with travel to felicitate the stakeholders at various OEMs across the country. To put together this 13th Apollo CV Awards 2022 special, we handdelivered the trophies to the winners of the respective categories. Cities particularly Delhi greeted us with record soaring temperatures. At 40.1 degree Celsius, we braved through what was the hottest day of March, in 76 years as per Indian Meteorological Department (IMD). If March is any signs of what is to come, the city must brace itself for a hot summer ahead. Add to it, the news of EVs particularly the twowheelers catching fire has forced OEMs to rethink. With the Niti Aayog asking the industry to recall the suspect batches, OEMs have begun a voluntary recall as a precautionary measure. Some have blamed it on an “evident case of short circuit due to negligence in charging the vehicle.” While the results of the probe come out, MoRTH is also known to have ordered a probe into the incidents and roped in the Centre for Fire Explosive and Environment Safety (CFEES), a unit of the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), to constitute an independent team and carry out an investigation into the incidents. With ~40-45 per cent of the three-wheeler market known to have transitioned to EVs, a next-generation product by a leading startup featuring a liquid-cooled battery pack could be an approach for maximising performance, reducing battery pack size and ensuring better thermal management. There is a breed of electric tippers that hold the potential of revolutionising trucking with the likes of Olectra and Volvo Trucks in India known to be working on projects besides global introductions from OEMs like Volvo Trucks Corporation, and Scania AB. Electric buses as early adopters have attained a certain maturity too that can serve as a case study for new entrants looking to offer cutting edge technology with an assurance of safety. Don’t let your guards down with the spurt in cases, especially when travelling to the Northern regions. Ashish Bhatia ashish@atashishbhatia.com a.bhatia@nextgenpublishing.net

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This Month In CV

APRIL 2022

Cover story

13th Apollo CV Awards 2022 The 13th Edition of Apollo CV Awards 2022 held in partnership with Apollo Tyres recognised the efforts of the CV industry in 2021.

THE BOTTOMLINE Ashish Bhatia

Trends In Commercial Mobility At the 13th Edition of Apollo CV Awards 2022, Anil Valsan, Director Knowledge Leader - Advanced Manufacturing and Mobility Industry Market, Ernst & Young LLP, and Global Automotive & Transportation Lead Analyst gave a keynote address.

Write to us at cvonline@nextgenpublishing.net with your feedback and suggestions or visit us at www.commercialvehicle.in to access the digital first content.

Commercial Vehicle April 2022 | www.commercialvehicle.in

NEWS  Green hydrogen and ammonia policy  CV Price Hike  Daimler Chief is Chairman CII  Bajaj Auto appoints new CFO  New appointments at Altigreen  ISUZU hosts a Service Camp  Switch Mobility milestone  Ola appoints Georgina Owens  Uber Driver Advisory Council  Pinnacle Industries caters to electric 3Ws  Log9 collaboration  Oye Rickshaw plans expansion

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This Month In CV

New Ecomet Star 1415: Ashok Leyland is strengthening its offerings to the tipper segment.

          

IndoSpace Industrial Parks Oorjaa raises funds for development Feeder bus services in Pune Delhi gets dedicated bus lanes APSRTC plans to boost revenue Exicom achieves new milestone OSM’s strategic alliance Adani Total Gas forays into EV charging C.R. England bags ZF order Volvo Trucks bags order from WattEV Navistar’s new plant in San Antonio

EKA E9 Bus: EKA launched EKA E9 its first battery electric bus.

25 ACE Veer Compact Tractor Range: ACE Tractors launched the Veer series of compact tractors.

Refurbishing Industry To Bounce Back In an Industry Talk CV session, we speak to Nippon Paint India spoke head.

Influencing CV Tech: Commercial vehicle technology firms the world over continue to break new technical grounds.

56 Plugged-In: Social media Highlights.

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48 Invest In Rajasthan The Government of Rajasthan is conducting road shows across the country . Step 1 : Open the Camera app or a QR Code scanning app Step 2 : Hold your device steady for 2-3 seconds pointing towards the adjoining QR Code Step 3 : A notification with a url will appear Step 4 : Click to visit the content as shown on the right hand side. Commercial Vehicle www.commercialvehicle.in | April 2022

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Green hydrogen and ammonia policy The Government of India (GoI) has initiated a green hydrogen and ammonia policy. The policy is aimed at encouraging investment as the groundwork for a net-zero-carbon economy. Green hydrogen and ammonia could help India meet its Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) targets by reducing emissions in hard-to-abate sectors such as refineries, chemicals, and fertilisers. Welcoming the policy, Vikram Kirloskar, Past President, Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) and Chairman, CII Task Force on Green Hydrogen, said, “The requirement of time-bound clearances for these projects would spur investment while grid connectivity on priority will ease operational processes. The waiver of interstate power transmission charges for 25 years for those putting up projects before June 30, 2025, will also encourage early investment by manufacturers.” As per the policy, the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy

CV Price Hike An increase in prices of commodities such as steel, aluminium and other precious metals, among higher costs of other raw materials have prompted an increase in commercial vehicle(CV) prices. While the companies have taken steps to absorb a significant portion of the increased costs, the steep rise in overall input costs necessitates passing on some residual proportion by a minimal price increase at various levels of manufacturing. Tata Motors has recently hiked prices across the entire range of Commercial Vehicles (CVs). An increase of 2-2.5 per cent is expected depending upon the individual model and variant. Also, while the supply of semiconductors has greatly improved, logistics have suffered as a result of the Russia-Ukraine conflict. Other CV manufacturers including VE Commercial Vehicles (VECV) are also set to announce a price hike. VECV is looking at an increase of price by two to four per cent. The CV industry has already dealt with the rising steel prices in 2021 and the current hike is another means to stay afloat. The industry as a whole is therefore looking at increasing the price of its CV range effective from April 01, 2022.

Commercial Vehicle April 2022 | www.commercialvehicle.in

will develop a portal for project clearances following a single-window process. Green hydrogen and green ammonia production units will be encouraged in close proximity to manufacturing zones. Furthermore, constructing bunkers for fuel storage will promote export. The policy has taken a twopronged approach to encourage the use of renewable energy while also encouraging the production of hydrogen and ammonia from it.

Daimler Chief is CII Chairman Satyakam Arya, Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) at Daimler India Commercial Vehicles Pvt. Ltd., and a member of SIAM Executive Council has been appointed as the Chairman of Confederation of Indian Industry (CII), Tamil Nadu State Council for FY2022-23. Having worked closely with the CII in the past, Arya served as Vice Chairman of the CII Tamil Nadu State Council in 2021-22. In 2020-21, he was also the Chairman of the Tamil Nadu CEO Forum and Co-Chairman of the Manufacturing Sub-Committee of the CII Southern Region. His key focus areas in the new role as the Chairman of CII would be to collaborate with the industry stakeholders and drive the heft of Tamil Nadu in its contribution towards the country’s economy, led by efforts on fronts like sustainability, skilling, digital transformation and equitable growth.

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Bajaj Auto appoints new CFO Bajaj Auto Ltd. has appointed Dinesh Thapar as the new Chief Financial Officer (CFO). Prior to joining Bajaj Auto, Thapar worked with Reliance Retail where he was CFO for the past three years. A fellow Chartered Accountant, a Gold Medallist Cost and Management Accountant, Thapar holds a Diploma from Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA). He also has a work

New appointments at Altigreen

Altigreen, the Bengaluru-based EV manufacturer, has made new additions in its leadership team to elevate its manufacturing capabilities. The company has appointed Prashant Sankeshwar as National Head- Network Development; Indranil Bhattacharyya as General Manager, Vehicle Dynamics; Girish Lobo as Head-HR. Prior to joining Altigreen, Sankeshwar has worked with MercedesBenz India, Toyota Kirloskar Motors, and BPL Limited and has acquired extensive knowledge of the automotive retail and wholesale industries. Bhattacharyya, on the other hand, is an industry veteran with over 28 years of experience in vehicle engineering, CAE simulation, and project management, and is well-versed in the production of hydrogen-powered cars. He has previously worked with FEV India, TATA Technologies, Mahindra & Mahindra, Maruti Udyog among others. Lobo has worked with Robert Bosch, Delta Electronics, Essilor India, Toyota Boshoku, and Kirloskar Ferrous in the past. He has been appointed by the company to implement innovative human capital practices, enhancing the company’s overall strategic plans and directions across segments, driving agility and efficiency in HR policies, and shaping dynamic environments with robust development frameworks.

Commercial Vehicle April 2022 | www.commercialvehicle.in

experience of almost two decades with Hindustan Unilever Limited (HUL), where he held a range of leadership roles across Corporate Finance, Business Finance, Investor Relations, managing JVs, and Supply Chain. He brings along an experience in the areas of business partnering, performance management, governance, strategic initiatives, engaging with the Board, and external communication.

ISUZU hosts a service camp Isuzu Motors India conducted a nation-wide ‘ISUZU I-Care Pre-Summer Service Camp’ for its range of Isuzu D-MAX Pick-ups and SUVs. This service camp is aimed at offering customers exciting benefits and preventive maintenance checks for a hassle-free driving experience during the season across the country. An initiative of ‘ISUZU Care’, the Pre-Summer service camp was organised across all ISUZU authorised dealer service outlets, between March 21-30, 2022 (both days inclusive). During this period, customers availed special offers and benefits for their vehicles. Customers visiting the camp also received a free 37-point comprehensive check-up, free top wash, 10 per cent discount on labour, five per cent discount on parts, and a five per cent discount on lubes and fluids.

16 - 21 June 2022, Bengaluru, India Organiser

Venue

Entry Only for Fully Vaccinated (2 Doses) Pre-Registration Mandatory

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Switch Mobility milestone Switch Mobility is all geared up to attain another milestone. It is expecting the first set of buses to be produced at its Spain facility in a matter of 12 months. The 35-acre site at Valladolid, in Spain, comprises of two state-of-the-art production lines. It is entirely carbon neutral from inception. According to Dheeraj Hinduja, Chairman, Switch Mobility, who laid the foundation stone for the facility, with a rich automotive history, strong supply chain and availability of engineering talent, Valladolid

Ola appoints Georgina Owens Ola has appointed Georgina Owens who will join the Ola UK board as an Independent nonexecutive Director. Georgina brings decades of senior technology and IT leadership experience from high-growth and major established businesses across multiple sectors. Bringing forth her significant expertise, she will provide corporate governance and strategic guidance to the board. Georgina is currently Chief Technology Officer at Liberis Capital, a UK fin tech company focused on business finance for SMEs, where she focuses on supporting the company’s international growth and developing the product portfolio. Mike Rake, Chairman of the Ola UK Board said, “Georgina joins us at a high growth phase and I believe her deep experience working with fast moving companies combined with insights on technology will be instrumental as we scale our businesses and double down our focus on building future technologies for the world.”

Commercial Vehicle April 2022 | www.commercialvehicle.in

is an ideal location for the facility. Expected to create 7000 direct and indirect jobs

in the region, the advanced manufacturing, and Research & Development (R&D) facility is supported by an investment of around Euro 100 million over the next decade. As reported by the company, phase one of the new development involves production of Switch’s new 12m bus designed for the European market. In phase two and phase three, battery assembly capabilities and production of Switch’s zero net carbon LCV will progress 2024 onwards.

Uber Driver Advisory Council Uber has launched the National Driver Advisory Council (DAC). Aimed at bringing drivers’ voice to the table through an independent board monitored forum, the council, which the company claims to be first in India, will address all critical issues and improve drivers’ platform experience. The DAC has a third-party review board led by Aapti Institute, a Bengaluru-based think tank. This board will provide independent oversight on the Council’s work and anchor the initiative from helping build the DAC to moderating discussions, surfacing actionable insights to follow-ups. More than 35 drivers chosen from six metros will be a part of this council. Commenting on the occasion, Prabhjeet Singh, President, Uber India, and South Asia, said, “Drivers are the backbone of Uber. The Driver Advisory Council is our earnest attempt to listen directly to drivers and stay 100 per cent focused on their needs.” Ashish Jain, driver at Uber in Delhi NCR for over two years, said, “I am happy to be a part of the Council and will work towards communicating issues that matter to drivers with Uber and would like to relay back the progress that Uber is making to the driver community.”

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Pinnacle Industries caters to electric 3Ws Pinnacle Industries introduced a range of precision electric vehicle components for two and three-wheelers. The company aims to become an exclusive destination for end-to-end electric vehicle component requirements and solutions for both the segments. Pinnacle Industries with its capabilities shall produce and market precision electric vehicle components including, sheet metal and tubular pipe components, body parts, seat, and battery packs for 2W/3W, certified

New Log9 collaboration for the last-mile Log9 Materials has announced signing of a strategic Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Jitendra New EV Tech Pvt. Ltd. This MoU will pave the way for a longterm collaboration between Log9 and Nashik, Maharashtra-headquartered EV manufacturer, that would mainly encompass rolling out an e-scooter named ‘JMT 1000HS Rapid’ InstaCharged by Log9’s cuttingedge InstaCharge technology. The JMT 1000 HS e-scooters, manufactured by Jitendra New EV Tech and InstaCharged by Log9’s RapidX batteries, have been designed and introduced to transform the last-mile logistics and delivery segment in India by bringing forth the market superior technology and features claimed to deliver superior profitability for the fleet operators. These scooters claim to ensure full charge in 15 minutes with a 10 years life claim, best-inclass safety and proven reliability throughout the complete life of the vehicle. The scooter offers a maximum range of up to 82 km and an up to 150 kg. payload capacity.

Commercial Vehicle April 2022 | www.commercialvehicle.in

by ISO/TS 16949, ISO 14001, OHSAS 18001, for major brands worldwide. Speaking on the latest development, Bharat Pritmani, Head of Sales & Business Development, Pinnacle Industries Limited, highlighted, “The EV ecosystem is building up fast with many two-wheelers and threewheeler manufacturers coming up in different parts of the country besides major OEM’s making huge expansions in this segment. India is the largest market globally and we foresee significant growth of

EV penetration in this sector.” Acknowledging Government of India’s encouragement towards local manufacturing of components and battery assemblies, he said, it will help the growth of the ecosystem. “We are also completely in line with India’s goal to achieve 80 per cent of EV adoption in two and three-wheelers by the year 2030, and we believe given our design, manufacturing, engineering and supply chain capabilities, we are positioned well to make it a success,” he added further.

Oye Rickshaw milestone Completing over 3.5 million deliveries with major e-commerce players in 2021, Oye Rickshaw has partnered with e-retailers. It currently fulfils approximately 40-45 per cent of daily deliveries across its client base. Rickshaw has partnered with Bigbasket Daily, Udaan, Flipkart, Dealshare, Jiomart Blinkit (formerly grofers), to name a few. The revenue generated from these partners amounts to 30-40 per cent of Oye Rickshaw’s total delivery business. Further to the recent expansion plans announced by Oye Rickshaw in 25+ cities by 2022, the brand aims to achieve 15-20 million deliveries by 2022. Commenting on the milestone, Co-founder and CEO, Mohit Sharma said, “We see this as a great turning point for the logistics and e-commerce industry as last-mile delivery has been a pain point in terms of cost that affects overall pricing of the products. We are also mindful of the impact that it will create on the environment owing to our operations wherein we are taking the important steps to make our journey more sustainable.” Oye Rickshaw has evolved into an end-to-end solution for businesses and end-users by managing B2B and B2C deliveries for large e-commerce and e-grocery platforms.

Bulletin

IndoSpace Industrial Parks Indospace has launched two Industrial Parks at Becharaji and Bavla near Ahmedabad, Gujarat. Spanning across 90 acres, these parks are ideal for the development of industrial, warehousing, and logistics facilities. Indospace Park in Becharaji is strategically located on the outskirts of the Mandal Becharaji Special Investment Region (MBSIR), adjacent to state highway SH-19, and easily accessible to industrial and transit hubs. Whereas the park in Bavla, is located on the

Oorjaa raises funds for development

Oorjaa, a B2B logistics tech platform, has raised approximately nine crores in a Pre-Series A round led by Inflection Point Ventures. A number of highnet-worth individuals (HNIs) also participated in the round, both personally and through Vinners’ angel investing platform. The funds will be used to focus on product and technology development, geographic expansion, and working capital requirements. Since its launch in 2019, Oorjaa has expanded to 15+ cities, 30+ Hub locations, conducting 4000+ orders per day with 200+ vehicles inclusive of EV Cargo Vehicles. Mitesh Shah, Co-Founder, Inflection Point Ventures says, “The company has well-established brands as a part of its clientele like Flipkart Wholesale, Jio Mart, Udaan, Zomato Hyperpure, amongst others. We look forward to extending our expertise in their growth journey.” Commenting on the fundraise, Sandeep Patil, CEO & Co-Founder, Oorjaa says, “Our experience of interacting with IPV has been very fulfilling with complete handholding during the entire process. With this fund raise, we target to grow multi- fold across geographies and offer logistics solutions to our clients”. The Intra City Logistics market is USD 3.5 billion and is expected to grow by 2x by 2025.

Ahmedabad-Rajkot National Highway (NH) 47, is close to the Changodar-Bagodara industrial belts. Commenting on the launch, Rajesh Jaggi, Vice Chairman-Real Estate, Everstone Group, said “Gujarat is one of India’s important industrial hubs, and we aim at serving companies in the automotive (including Battery Electric Vehicle (BEV) and BEV batteries manufacturing), e-commerce and retail industries. IndoSpace with a commitment of approximately Rs.600 crore, launched over

two million square feet of industrial warehousing and logistics parks in Gujarat. We plan to leverage on the manufacturing growth in the state and provide our world-class Grade A logistics infrastructure to customers across industries.” Company claims logistics parks have demonstrated enhanced transport efficiency, optimised lead time, greater storage space utilisation, reduced greenhouse gas emissions, biodiversity promotion, and better safety and security.

Feeder bus services in Pune

Pune Mahanagar Parivahan Mahamandal Limited (PMPML) has started the feeder bus service catering to the newly launched metro stations. To be made available from six Metro stations in Pune and Pimpri Chinchwad, the service has been initiated two weeks after the new mode of transport was launched in the city. To avoid getting stuck in traffic on the road, PMPML has decided to use midi-buses on routes ensuring faster travels. In the initial phase, 20 trips are known to be planned from each station and expected to be further increased depending upon the commuters’ feedback and changes in the schedule of metro services. Initially, the bus fares would range between Rs. five- to Rs.10 depending upon the distance travelled. PMPML recently celebrated the bus day. Commercial Vehicle www.commercialvehicle.in | April 2022

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Delhi gets dedicated bus lanes Delhi Government has enforced dedicated bus lanes for buses and goods carriers in the city April 01, 2022 onwards. The announcement was made by Kailash Gehlot, Transport Minister, Delhi on social media recently. Drivers seen violating the lane discipline will be fined an amount of Rs. 10,000. In addition to the fine, violators will also be penalised with six months of imprisonment. This enforcement, claimed Gehlot, will help tackle traffic congestion in the city and increase commuters safety. In the initial phase, the move will be enforced on 15 selected locations. The directions for the same have been issued to Delhi

Transport Corporation (DTC) & Cluster for driver sensitisation, PWD for earmarking bus lanes & Transport, Police enforcement teams. The Public

Works Department has been directed to identify and mark the dedicated corridors and place warning boards and signs at proper places.

APSRTC plans Exicom achieves new milestone to boost revenue

Andhra Pradesh State Road Transport Corporation (APSRTC) has planned to convert garages and depots into service centres for private vehicles to boost its revenue. To carry out the tasks, the RTC has also appointed a committee of officers. It is doing so with the aim of utilising the valuable lands of the RTC for commercial purposes across the state. As per the reports, the servicing will be made available for the heavy vehicles in the first stage. It will be further extended to other vehicles. To accomplish this, RTC is providing technical skills to its staff and purchasing the required machinery and infrastructure. It is also maintaining a separate store room for records of RTC vehicle spare parts and private vehicle spare parts so that there is no room for any manipulation. RTC will be offering services including general servicing, all kinds of repairs, body painting, water servicing etc. at a lower cost and in a better way than private servicing centres, claimed reports.

Commercial Vehicle April 2022 | www.commercialvehicle.in

Exicom has crossed the milestone of installing over 5,000 EV chargers including AC and DC chargers across 200 cities in India. The milestone installation was a 200KW charger for Tata Power at a transport depot in Delhi. As per the company, it has achieved this milestone in four years since its first installation after winning India’s first EV charging tender by EESL from among over 10 players in the fray in 2018. Anant Nahata, Managing Director and CEO, Exicom Group said, “The deployment of 5,000 EV chargers is just a stepping stone towards achieving the bigger vision of supporting a charging network for EVs for our country with products that are reliable and industry leading in terms of performance.” The chargers have been deployed at strategic locations, and are spread across 200 cities in 20 states with majority of installations at bus depots, fleet operators, public charging stations, residential communities and households. These EV chargers comprise approximately 3,600 AC chargers and 1,400 DC chargers.

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OSM strategic alliance Omega Seiki Mobility (OSM) and MAW Vriddhi Commercial Vehicle announced a strategic partnership for retailing OSM’s range of Made in India Electric Vehicles in Nepal. The agreement will see OSM vehicles being sold via MAW Vriddhi Commercial Vehicle in Nepal. The company’s touch points will also serve as service centres for the vehicles. OSM is now the first Indian Electric Vehicle maker to mark its presence in Nepal. Electric vehicles have been plying on Nepalese roads for nearly three decades now but they comprise of just about one per cent of the total vehicle registrations in the country. As per a survey by the Government of Nepal, 80 per cent of these are threewheelers. This association will enable Omega Seiki Mobility to meet the evolving needs of a customer base which is

rapidly looking for a sustainable and a zero emission last-mile transportation solution in the growing Nepalese market. Omega Seiki Mobility will be offering an entire range of Rage Plus electric three-wheeler vehicle: Rage Plus, Rage Plus Rapid, Rage Plus 125, Rage Plus FROST and ADM REXA exclusively to MAW Vriddhi Commercial vehicle. Omega Seiki Mobility has also entered into a partnership with Rabbit Express, an Egyptian company to enter the African market. As a part of the bond, the company will supply around 20,000 electric two and threewheelers, said Deb Mukherji, MD, Omega Seiki Mobility. Rabbit Express which is one of Egypt’s largest last-mile delivery companies has a fleet of 5,000 vehicles and caters to the e-commerce sector. Both partners are also planning to set

up a full-fledged manufacturing facility as part of the JV that will see Rabbit Express holding 76 percent stake and the remainder with the Indian entity. The JV will look at sales in Egypt, Tunisia and Morocco market. Rabbit Express is 40 percent owned by Ibnsina pharmacy, one of the biggest pharma distribution company in Egypt region, which has a market cap of $2.2 billion (Rs.16,783 crore). It serves more than 35,000 customers with more than 375,000 orders each month through its warehouses, distribution and logistics fleets. “In phase 1, we will deliver 100 vehicles to them in CKD route. We will also begin localisation by next year,” said Mukherji. The JV is expected to see a total investment of USD 50 million (Rs.381 crore) to start with where Omega will invest around Rs.100 crore.

Adani Total Gas forays into emobility Adani Total Gas (ATGL) has forayed into the electric mobility segment by launching its first electric charging station in Ahmedabad. Located at ATGL’s CNG station at Maninagar in Ahmedabad, the new charging station is the first of the company’s planned 15,000 charging stations across the country. Suresh P Manglani, CEO, Adani Total Gas said, “The commencement of EV business with setting up the first charging station in Ahmedabad is yet another milestone for Adani Total Gas to provide choice of newer green fuel to the larger consumer base in India while timely ceasing an emerging business opportunity aligned to our vision to offer sustainable fuelling solutions in all major cities and towns in India.” ATGL draws its strength from the Adani Group’s inherent capacity to generate renewable power and has a strong footprint across the country as a retailer of CNG. Commercial Vehicle www.commercialvehicle.in | April 2022

Bulletin | international

C.R. England bags ZF order C.R. England, North America’s refrigerated transportation company has bagged the ZF Friedrichschafen order. As per the order, the company will equip its entire fleet of 4,000 Freightliner and International trucks with the ZF MAXXUS™ L2.0 Air Disc Brakes. By 2024, the company expects to have converted all of its vehicles. According to Douglas Kading, VP of Maintenance, C.R, WABCO MAXXUS L2.0 Air Disc Brakes are ideal for someone looking to enhance the safety outcomes, lower brake maintenance costs, and be lightweight. “We believe these brakes will also enhance our drivers’ experience with the overall braking system. The simple design and ease of maintenance made this an easy decision for us,” he claimed. Commenting on the partnership, Julien Plenchette, Senior Vice President,

Americas Commercial Vehicle Solutions division, ZF Group, said, “For 50+ years, C.R. England has been a valued customer and we’re excited to expand this partnership to improve the performance and efficiency of their fleet,”. As the single-piston ADB pioneer, MAXXUS L2.0 has fewer parts than double-piston designs and can therefore reduce complexity and lead to faster, easier maintenance.

Volvo Trucks bags order from WattEV

Navistar San Antonio plant

Volvo Trucks has received an order for 50 Volvo VNR Electric trucks from the American startup company, WattEV. To be deployed for the WattEV’s Truck-as-a-Service model (TaaS) over the next several months, these trucks will be a part of WattEVs unique approach of accelerating fleet electrification. According to Peter Voorhoeve, President of Volvo Trucks North America, TaaS model aims to remove potential barriers to adoption so that fleets of all sizes can get access to electric trucks and perform local and regional delivery with zerotailpipe emissions. To further support its TaaS model, WattEV is building a public network of battery-electric truck charging depots to service major transportation corridors in California. Featuring 250 kW CCS chargers, the first public charging depots will provide charging for Volvo VNR electric trucks. As per the company, these chargers will charge 80 per cent of the six-battery packs in 90 minutes. WattEV plans to expand the public charging network across the US and scale its depots to provide 1.2 mW charging capability for ultra-fast charging as well.

Navistar, Inc. has inaugurated its new manufacturing facility at San Antonio in Texas. Spread across nearly one million-square-foot, the manufacturing plant includes a body shop, paint shop, general assembly shop and logistics centre equipped to produce Class 6-8 vehicles, including electric vehicle models. As per the company, it is the flagship facility leading the company’s manufacturing in process optimisation, real-time production management and sustainability in manufacturing operations. Industry 4.0 practices have been adopted at the plant to connect digital and physical technologies, allowing the plant to be more connected and easily make data-driven decisions. Focused on empowering employees, the plant will provide employment to around 600 people. The plant manufactures, both electric and internal combustion engine powertrains at the same facility. The first vehicle off the manufacturing line in San Antonio is known to be the International eMV Series electric truck.

Commercial Vehicle April 2022 | www.commercialvehicle.in

Product Launch

New Ecomet Star 1415 Ashok Leyland is strengthening its offerings to the tipper segment. Prateek Pardeshi looks at the inclusion of the Ecomet Star 1415 tipper in the mix.

@Prateek2101

shok Leyland Ltd. is expanding its tipper range. The Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) recently introduced a new product to its existing tipper mix. Adding to the Intermediate Commercial Vehicle (ICV) segment, the Ecomet Star 1415, the first seven cubic metre sits alongside the five and six cubic metre variants in the range. The tipper range was earlier launched as the Ecomet Star 1015 Tipper (five Commercial Vehicle www.commercialvehicle.in | April 2022

Product Launch Key Specifications Parameter Engine type Maximum power Maximum torque Clutch Gearbox type Brakes Fuel tank DEF tank Tyre GVW Wheel Base Loading capacity

Specification H series BSVI, four-cylinder, CRS with i-Gen6 150 Hp @ 2400 rpm 450 Nm @ 1250-2000 rpm 330 mm dia – single plate, dry type with clutch booster Six-speed synchromesh – cable CSO system Full air dual line. Parking brakes on rear wheels only 105-litre, cross-linked polymer tank (rectangular cross-section) 24-litre capacity 9.00x20 – 16PR and 9R20 -16 PR 14-tonne (14,050 Kg) 3250 mm Seven cubic metre cubic metre) and Ecomet Star 1215 Tipper (six cubic metre). Commenting on the new launch, Sanjeev Kumar, Head- M&HCV, Ashok Leyland Ltd., said, “The ICV tipper segment is seeing a spurt in demand due to the focus on infrastructure in Northeast and hilly regions and an increased construction activity in rural regions pan India.” “The ICV tippers are most preferred due to better manoeuvrability in narrow roads and easy accessibility to loading and unloading

Commercial Vehicle April 2022 | www.commercialvehicle.in

sites,” he explained. The Ecomet Star 1415 supports multiple applications such as transportation of sand,

blue metal, bricks, construction material and road construction to name a few applications. Claimed to be one of the best in the ICV category the range of tipper box body with varied load carrying capacity is backed by claims of performance, fuel efficiency, and low maintenance. The company, to meet the evolving customer needs has featured a fuel-efficient iGen6 H4 engine on the tipper. It is expected to aid operators in increasing their productivity with a 10-15 per cent high load-carrying capability, per trip. Ashok Leyland offers a four years /4000-hour warranty with 24×7 customer assistance through its uptime solution centre fully capable of troubleshooting with remote diagnostics and offering on site assistance through an extensive service network for pan India support. This is claimed to result in a best-in-class Total Cost of Ownership (TCO).

Product Launch Giving it a distinct look is its front fascia with a high approach angle. Further for easy maintenance, the complete front metal fascia offers ease of repair throughout its construction and built. The tyre size on this truck is 9R20 x16 with Nylon tyres offered as optional. On the Interior, the new digital instrument cluster with Advance Digital Driver Assist (ADDA) features

like trip wise distance and mileage, gearshift guidance, driver score, user-friendly tell tales and digital solutions like i-Alert (advanced telematics) attract. Additionally, an on board rear-mounted Power take-offs is available with a torque of 30 Nm. It has an O/P of 0.675 with rotation in a clockwise direction from the shaft end. With a Gross Vehicle Weight (GVW) of 14-tonne, the seven cubic metre box body can be lifted using the dual tipping cylinder built for heavy-duty applications.

The Ecomet Star 1415 is fitted with a twin tipping ram for heavy-duty applications. It is powered by a 150 hp H4 iGen6 engine couple that develops a peak rated torque of 450 Nm and claims to offer a high fuel economy. The engine is mated to six-speed manual synchromesh, heavy-duty Direct Drive (DD) transmission unit. The company assures optimised gear ratios to suit operator requirements for multiple duty cycles. Aggregates are robust too. The tipper is offered with a heavy-duty axle, suspension, and frame among others.

KEY USPs  

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Dual Tipping Cylinder for heavy-duty application Six-speed Heavy-duty DD Gearbox and optimised gear ratios options- to suit all Type of Tipper applications Heavy-duty axle, Suspension, frame and other aggregate offering good durability Tipper body design for higher load carrying Capacity and full side opening 9R20x16 tyres (Nylon tyre optional) Complete Front metal Facia for lower maintenance and ease of repair New digital instrument cluster with advance driver assist features

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Four years/4,000 hrs warranty

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Digital solutions like i-Alert (advanced telematics)

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Supported by 24×7 customer assistance Uptime Solution Centre remote diagnostics Commercial Vehicle www.commercialvehicle.in | April 2022

Product Launch

EKA E9 Bus

EKA launched the EKA E9, its first battery-electric bus. Prateek Pardeshi draws attention to the bundled offering of design and technology.

@Prateek2101

KA, the commercial Electric Vehicle (EV) company and a subsidiary of Pinnacle Industries, has launched its first battery operated electric bus. Christened as EKA E9, the bus shows EKA’s commitment to provide a solid platform for sustainable and efficient public transport in cities around the world, along with reliable and profitable operations for customers. Talking about the bus, Dr Sudhir Mehta, Chairman, EKA & Pinnacle Industries Limited, mentioned, “Electrification of commercial vehicles, public transport, especially the bus sector, is key to India’s decarbonisation strategy. Today, we are excited to launch our first electric bus EKA E9, to empower cities to achieve their zeroemissions targets.” He stated

Commercial Vehicle April 2022 | www.commercialvehicle.in

Dr Sudhir Mehta, Chairman, EKA & Pinnacle Industries Limited. that EKA’s buses are designed and optimised to provide the best ride experience, cleaner environment, and best returns to the customers. “With the new EKA E9, we offer a global platform for clean, efficient, and profitable public transport to meet the rising demand on important markets that are ready for the shift to emobility,” he claimed. Launched at the recently concluded ‘The Pune Alternate

Fuel Conclave (AFC)’, the ninemetre long electric bus is built on a modular concept where its drivetrain can be used on various lengths of buses from sevenmetre to 10m bus variants. EKA mobility is a JointVenture (JV) between Pinnacle Industries and VDL Coaches and bus where Pinnacle holds a majority~ 74 per cent stake and VDL owns the remaining 26 per cent. For EKA E9, software and structure is built by Pinnacle and safety features are brought in by VDL informed Arhinat Mehta, Director, Pinnacle Industries Ltd. “Pinnacle brings in all the tech, the vehicle is build in India, the structure, the chassis and more importantly, the software is completely made in India,” commented Mehta. As customers are moving to electric vehicles, EKA’s E9 pure

Product Launch Key Specifications Parameter Vehicle type Maximum power Maximum torque Brakes Transmission Gradeability Range Charging Tyre GVW(Kg) LxWxH (mm) Seating Capacity

Specification Electric 200 kW 2500 Nm Disc (front & rear) Automatic >17 per cent ~200 Kms Fast Charging, CCS2 (~10hrs for a full charge) Tubeless- 255/70 R22.5 11984 9200 x 2500 x 3200 31+D+Wheelchair electric bus provides a uniquely designed, optimised, indigenous product ‘Made in India’ with innovative monocoque stainless steel chassis that ensures best in class corrosion-free life, low noise, and vibrations, refined composite bus body design and with an emphasis on safety, profitability, efficacy, reliability and performance. The first impression Looking attractive, modern and futuristic with a seemingly smiling front fascia, the E9 certainly leaves behind some of the conventionally designed buses on first glance. Creating a pull with its compact design slated for inter-city travel, the bus can be had in length of 9.2m, a width of 2.5m and a height of 3.2m. The overall weight of the vehicle is 12-tonne courtesy a lightweight stainless steel, monocoque chassis. The bus boasts of high structural strength and durability with claims of composite body panels being rust-free unlike traditional buses. A red line running from the front runs along the side and gels well with the black colour used as the permutation and combination to attract commuters. The front headlight setup has two conventional halogen bulbs

with high beam and low beam, indicators placed over them and fog lights are intelligently placed as low as possible to light up the road at night. A huge panoramic type windshield offers a clear vision to the driver, A-pillars are smaller which eliminates blind spots. On all four corners of the roof, two glow lights are installed for higher safety at night. Move on to the side of the E9, the first thing which caught our attention was the wave like body panel pattern said to enhance the aerodynamics of the bus. It sure does give it an aesthetic look. More than 50 per cent of the overall height is covered by huge glasses, which will be beneficial for passengers allowing more light into the cabin lending it an open layout. Charging point provided on the right hand side of the bus enables the bus driver to get a clear vision of whether the charging socket is plugged in or out. LED indicators placed on the sides and reflectors are mounted alongside the bus. The EKA badge is flaunted by the bus on the front door and on the top right-hand side. An air-con unit has been mounted above the roof sourced from Trans ACNR. The tyres on front and rear are 255/70 R22.5 radials.

After a nine-metre walk, the rear reveals a straight forward design. Keeping it simple, brake lights are conventional halogen bulbs with LED flash screen mounted on the rear and front of the windshield. Though denied access to interiors of the prototype, the seating capacity of 32 courtesy large windows revealed the driver cabin and the passenger seating area that holds a wheelchair for the specially abled. The interiors resemble the low floor tarmac coach interiors. On the driver side, the dash is ergonomically designed with all controls placed well within the driver’s reach. A two spoke steering wheel, with a camera screen mounted on the right, a public address system, cctv for passenger safety are some of the other key inclusions adding to the bus’s appeal. The camera also doubles up and can detect the number of passengers travelling in the bus. The autodrive feature, power-assisted tilt and telescopic steering and all in one central console, provides a modern appeal. The low ingress and digress with kneeling features have the lowest 650 mm floor height, said to make it extremely comfortable and accessible to the elderly, children, women and specially-abled passengers. The mechanics Featuring a new streamlined vehicle design, the EKA E9 generates maximised power and range due to its monocoque stainless steel chassis and complete composite structure. It offers the lowest kerb weight and unmatched TCO in its category. Powered by an electric motor, it is said to generate maximum power of 200 kW

Commercial Vehicle www.commercialvehicle.in | April 2022

Product Launch and torque of 2500 Nm. The bus offers faster acceleration, more horsepower, greater traction power, industry-leading reliability, along with 17 per cent grade ability to tackle any terrain with a regenerative braking system to address range anxiety on the go. With an advanced chemistry powerful Li-Ion battery suitable for city operation, the battery system is safe, durable, and efficient. EKA E9 is also equipped with a vehicle control unit software designed in-house, with an integrated strategy for vehicle features. EKA E9’s best-in-class safety features include Front and Rear Disc Brakes with EBS, Combined Charging System (CCS2) protocol fast charger, four-cameras, emergency stop button, fire extinguisher, Automatic Driver assistance system (ADAS). Designed with lowest centre of gravity, EKA E9 is claimed to offer stability at high speeds and turns, and is easy to drive in the crowded and congested city traffic. The differentiators The E9 has a 200 Km range on a single charge. When it exhausts complete charge, the MultiInformation Display (MID) shows a low battery warning. The bus has a reserve battery with up to 15 per cent charge which gives a range of 20-25 kilometres in case of the bus entering limp mode. The customers can also avail the option of low travel range bus where the initial cost of the vehicle comes down drastically, explained Mehtal. EKA essentially removes one battery out of two and configures the setup as per customer requirements. The body panels are completely made out of composite material, which is

Commercial Vehicle April 2022 | www.commercialvehicle.in

bolted onto the mainframe of the bus, the design of the bus can be customised as per the customers’ needs. The company has also claimed a lower carbon footprint as the painting process is completely skipped and all panels are coloured by using the die method as per the customer’s choice. The company claims all composite components used on the bus provide similar strength of safety of passengers as it has undergone tests at ARAI. A major highlight of the E9 is that most of the other OEMs have been designing the EV drivetrain in a conventional way, where the Center of Gravity (CG) is higher but at EKA, components below the floor make it a low CG bus. Infrastructure support EKA has signed an Memorandum of Understanding (MOU), with Bengaluru-headquartered advanced battery technology startup Log9 Materials. The partnership will focus on providing Log9 fast-charging advanced battery solution RapidX for EKA’s new energy vehicles, including their recently launched pure electric bus range, EKA E9 and soon to be launched range of Light Commercial Vehicles (LCVs). The Log9 RapidX batteries are based on the InstaCharge battery technology which enables charging time of less than 30 minutes on both the LCV and ebus platforms of EKA. As a part of the collaboration EKA and Log9 will be targeting to deploy at least 10,000 InstaCharged LCVs and 200+ ebuses within a year. The vehicles will be deployed initially in Mumbai and Pune Metropolitan regions, and later rolled out across other metros and geographies.

What’s next EKA mobility has more than six patents out of which some are already granted, especially the software used which is also the USP of this bus. As per the product development team that gave us a tour of the bus, the company is looking forward to building new partnerships and signing MoUs to expand its business. Few companies are planning to use this bus for staff movement or as a shuttle service. The commercial vehicle manufacturer is in talks with various State Transport Undertakings (STUs) as public transport happens to be a major target group. The vehicle has covered a distance of more than 10,000 Kms during the testing phase. All other aesthetic components used in the bus are out sourced with the design done by EKA. As far as exports are concerned, EKA eyes expansion of their technology in many other countries with South Africa being one of the key markets Additionally, the manufacturer is one of the only manufacturers approved under the Champion OEM PLI scheme and EV component manufacturing scheme of the Government of India. With a Rs.2000 crore investment, and a benefit of 15 per cent subsidy from the government on products made by EKA, the company is already planning a LCV truck to cater to the last-mile in this financial year. “We are very fortunate, we are recognised as the champion OEM, it gives us a very strong opportunity to grow. We are a 100 per cent made in India product and we just don’t want to make it for India but for the globeld. Infact, our tag line is ‘Bharat ki EKA’ - Dr Mehta concluded.

Product Launch |farm equipment

ACE Veer Compact Tractor Range ACE Tractors launched the Veer series of compact tractors. Sumesh Soman brings out key product differentiators aimed at helping small farm landholders mechanise.

@SumeshSoman

ction Construction Equipment Ltd. (ACE) launched the Veer series of compact tractors. Aimed at the small farming segment, sub one-acreage, under the series, the company launched its first model. The ACE Veer 20 , in the 35 hp segment shows India’s efforts to gain ground in the sub 35 hp compact tractor segment. A leading market barring this category, globally, the sub 20 hp segment was driven by China make tractors until a few years ago. Till February 2022, the Indian tractor industry produced 133,800 tractors, and sold 125,595 tractors including exports at 20,875 units. Developed based on

the feedback of its customers, the new addition from ACE is claimed to cater to the demand for a compact tractor range that is affordable. At the launch, while handing over the tractor to the first set of customers, Ashok Anantharaman, the Chief

Operating Officer, ACE has stated that the product’s USP is its high power and torque and low Total Cost of Ownership (TCO). The company has kept the price under the sub three lakh range to appeal to this segment.

Commercial Vehicle www.commercialvehicle.in | April 2022

Product Launch |farm equipment

Addressing market gaps The ACE Veer 20 comes loaded with side shift levers, clear lens headlamp, mobile charging point, digital instrument cluster, disc brake, and an extra port for the tipping trolly. It also comes with Pc Do side levers on fenders enabling extra comfort, heavy duty S.G from front axle support, oil bath aircleaner, 90-degree adjustable silencer for an orchard and inter-row cultivation, Automatic Draft and Depth Control (ADDC) hydraulics for quick turnaround, a factory fitted bumper, comfortable driver seat with ergonomically designed levers, footboard and pedals as noteworthy inclusions. The company with this launch has taken the first step in the direction of addressing the market gaps in the farm equipment sector. The ACE Veer 20 launched with the tagline “Kam Lagat, Zayada Takat”, signifies a value for money proposition. Veer 20, the first product offering in

Commercial Vehicle April 2022 | www.commercialvehicle.in

Key Specifications Parameter Engine Bore Stroke Engine capacity Engine cooling Gear box Top speed Reverse speed Steering type Rear haul capacity Weight Length Width Height Ground Clearnce Wheelbase Brake type Battery Alternator Clutch typre Clutch size

Specification Single cylinder 4-stroke engine 100 mm 110 mm 863.5cc Water-cooled Nine-speed (6F+3R) 28 kmph 6.3 kmph Mechanical 600 kgs with three linkage points (0.840-tonne) w840 kg 2550 mm 1220 mm 1800 mm 265 mm 1490 mm Disc brake 12V- 50 Ah 12V-43 Amp Dry friction plate 200 mm

the range as per the company claims is high on performance metrics in addition to a host of technical and aesthetic enhancements making it an attractive bundled offering. With applications in orchard and vineyards and compatibility with

multiple implements, the tractor also extends to haulage and other sectoral applications. The company is backing up the product with an well oiled aftersales and service network that includes 250 touchpoints and 15 regional offices to last count.

Product Launch |farm equipment Market penetration The company aims to focus on Gujarat, Karnataka, Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, and Bihar. Given that the regions are expected to require and demand the product more than any other states in the country, the company is also upskilling its stakeholders in these regions. For example, ACE has also built a dedicated training centre at Faridabad. The company is IS0 certified and will leverage its contribution to the ‘Make in India’ and ‘Skill India‘ programs as it aligns to the ‘AtmaNirbhar Bharat’ vision. One hears that an air-conditioned cabin tractor is also on the cards. The company hopes to be a direct beneficiary of the government’s vision to double farm mechanisation over the next decade. A crucial part is to help farmers with small landholdings transition to farm mechanisation with products like the ACE Veer range. .

Commercial Vehicle www.commercialvehicle.in | April 2022

Industry Talk

Industry Talk Refurbishing Industry Is Bouncing Back In an upfront conversation, Ketan Girap, General Manager, Key Account Business Unit, Nippon Paint India Automotive Refinishes, speaks to Ashish Bhatia on the refurbishing industry as a whole bouncing back.

@atashishbhatia

Q. At the business end of the FY2022, what is the outlook for automotive coatings across segments from a short to medium-term perspective? A. With the Covid-19 situation improving, accompanied by a favourable market scenario across the automotive sector and the government’s thrust to infrastructure and Electric Vehicles (EVs), the market for automotive paints is expected to observe a decent growth in demand. We expect to reach the pre-pandemic levels in terms of business value. From a long term perspective, we see a lot of positive trends due to various policies such as the new scrap policy and the changing market dynamics. As Covid19 ebbs and normalcy is restored, India’s automotive paints industry is

Commercial Vehicle april 2022 | www.commercialvehicle.in

Industry Talk

poised to bounce back. As per recent industry estimates the Indian automotive paints and coatings market is expected to grow at a Compounded Average Growth Rate (CAGR) of over 30 per cent during 2021-26. Q. Your take on the aftermarket for paint and consumable solutions? A. India’s automotive industry has experienced a sharp rise in the sale of used or second hand vehicles. During the past couple of years, the secondhand market has taken a driver seat and is in fact expected to exceed the new car sales in a few years. As per a recent industry report, the used car

market in India is expected to reach a volume of a whopping 70 lakh units in 2025-26, from 38 lakh units in 202021. This sharp growth across the used vehicle segment will further trigger the growth of automotive paints and consumable solutions as well. Q. What is the outlook for industrial coatings for the coming years? A. The ongoing exodus of

companies from China provides a once in a lifetime opportunity for developing markets like India to emerge as a major hotspot for investment and for setting up their manufacturing bases. Owing to the availability of cheap labour, land and investment-friendly policies, the industrial segment in the Indian subcontinent is poised to experience an upswing in the coming years. We have already witnessed several companies

Commercial Vehicle www.commercialvehicle.in | april 2022

Industry Talk As per recent industry estimates the Indian automotive paints and coatings market is expected to grow at a Compounded Average Growth Rate (CAGR) of over 30 per cent during 2021-26. shifting their base from China to India especially a lot of OEMs and EV manufacturers causing a “ripple effect” across India’s industrial coating market. Q. What would be the capex earmarked for India/Group level for automotive and transportation segments? A. Nippon Paint has invested deeply in the Indian market in all paint sectors including decorative, industrial and auto refinish. We are in India for the long term, not only to cater to the domestic market but also to develop exports from India. In this regard, we will be making investments in capacity building, technology and other fields as necessary. Q. How do you expect to benefit as an ecosystem from the PLI scheme? How do you react to approvals granted under the scheme? A. The recently introduced Production Linked Incentive (PLI) scheme for the auto sector will play a substantial role in strengthening India’s automotive paints and industrial coatings ecosystem. The scheme will help to de-risk the existing supply chains and will further help India to emerge as a world-class automotive manufacturing base. This will surely have a positive impact on India’s automotive paints and coatings market. This will further help to create a vibrant and competitive ecosystem. The scheme will also help to generate an increased number

Commercial Vehicle april 2022 | www.commercialvehicle.in

of employment opportunities for India’s young population giving them an opportunity to learn new skills and become contributing members of the economy. Looking at the ongoing exodus of OEMs from China, the introduction of the PLI scheme has emerged as a great enabler for attracting these OEMs to India, hence turning India into a hotspot for automotive manufacturing. But it will take some time to comprehensively realise the impact of the scheme on the economy and especially on the automotive refurbishing business. Q. How have you as a company added efficiencies in your supply chain both upstream and downstream? A. Nippon Paint is closely working with various OEMs and over time we have understood the needs of respective production lines and devised solutions that will help optimise best-in-class manufacturing process. We are closely working with product managers on the assessment of line plans and thus providing paint and painting solutions that assist with just the right stocking and time deliverable. The overall ecosystem is designed to enable raw material procurement to feed paint production and move them to warehouses which is a feeder to various end customer production lines and retail outlets. Q. How is the product portfolio adapting to new trends from lightweighting to e-mobility and new benchmarks being set on fit and

finish? A. Delivering technology-based, green, productive and efficient solutions are the values that have been thoroughly embedded in our DNA here at Nippon Paints, thus our motto of being “Paint Process Specialists”. Being one of Asia’s most reputed automotive refurbishing companies, we always strive to deliver products that are productive/efficient and overall adds value to our customers. Here at Nippon Paints, we have an extensive and complete range of products and solutions crafted to fulfil the needs of the customers. Apart from the existing traditional products, our product portfolio includes WoW primers, DTM’s, Fastest drying Clears, CyGlaz technology which is self-healing and offer a mirror-like finish. Our WoW systems are known throughout the ecosystem for offering higher productivity than the conventional system which in turn saves cost as well improves productivity. We will soon be launching a DTM system for our customers which will further enhance the overall cost structure, improve productivity giving a better Return on Investment (RoI) for any organisation. Q. In line with these, how are you upskilling your key stakeholders? For instance, the initiatives in Tamil Nadu and Karnataka? A. Here at Nippon Paint, we place a high priority on serving

Industry Talk With CV We have tried to tackle the commodity price hikes by accelerating our efforts to localise supply chains, develop new product formulations and use alternative raw materials. Only when no other choice remains do we resort to price increases. the best interests of society and those who are associated with us. Our commitment runs much deeper than simple philanthropy and charity. We firmly believe that skilling and re-skilling those who are associated with us are key towards not only ensuring the organisation’s growth but also the overall growth of the entire painter community. We have incorporated several programs to address this and one such example is the SEN program, which is a pan India program targeted towards enhancing the living standard of our painter community. We were the first automotive company in India that initiated a program solely dedicated to the uplifting of painters by providing them with better growth opportunities. We are also planning to launch initiatives that are focused on generating funding opportunities for the painters so that they can move up the value chain by opening up their own garages. Upskilling them by introducing better products which would not only help to make their jobs more streamlined but will also help to increase their overall income. Q. A word on the industryacademia collaboration concerning R&D initiatives at the Group/company level. A. We are exploring such potential tie ups with reputed academic institutions. Our R&D centre in Manesar is a global facility and focused on various key international projects. Developing synergistic ties with the scientific community and academia in India is part of our plan.

Q. How far have you come on the cradle-to-cradle approach of sustainable development? A. We are walking the talk on sustainability. As we enter 2022, we at Nippon Paint are setting new goals to build a more sustainable business while keeping our customers at the core of everything we do. With ever-increasing environmental awareness, Nippon Paint is proud to take on the responsibility of being environmentally friendly. We have recorded major achievements in cutting down pollution, reducing energy consumption and minimising waste. Nippon Paint stays committed to the protection of the environment in every step it takes − from product development and manufacturing to work procedures. In terms of coatings, we are championing the concept of ‘Green Efficiency’. Coatings that are green don’t have to be less efficient. With this concept in mind, we are promoting our waterborne paint along with low VOC series of ancillary products and offering it to more and more customers.

Q. How have you tackled the commodity price hikes and balanced them with the need for stricter compliances that add to opex? A.We have tried to tackle the commodity price hikes by accelerating our efforts to localise supply chains, developing new product formulations and using alternative raw materials. Only when no other choice remains do we resort to price increases. Our margins are under tremendous pressure, and we naturally keep stronger control over our overheads. The pandemic has taught us a lot and we remain committed to being frugal, agile and lean. Q. To sum up, what are your growth areas and challenge areas for the foreseeable future? A. Covid19 is arguably one of the biggest challenges for the industry so far owing to its unpredictable nature. Except for the significant downfall in the sales of automobiles due to semiconductor shortage supply-related constraints is also a significant hurdle within the growth trajectory of India’s automotive refurbishing industry. But the good news is the overall rise in middle-class income and young population accompanied by positive policy interventions such as the PLI scheme, scrappage scheme etc. and the increased adoption of EV vehicles, India’s automotive refurbishing industry is poised to flourish in the coming years. Commercial Vehicle www.commercialvehicle.in | april 2022

cover story

Apollo CV Awards 2022

Apollo CV

Awards 2022

The 13th Edition of Apollo CV Awards 2022 held in partnership with Apollo Tyres recognised the efforts of the CV industry in 2021. Every stakeholder both from the fleet and non-fleet ecosystem impressed the jurors with their invaluable contribution to modernising the CV industry.

Award 2022

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Apollo CV Awards 2022

elebrating the performance of Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs), fleet operators, dealerships and the ancillaries of the CV ecosystem, the 13th Edition of Apollo CV Awards 2022 concluded on a high note. Held in partnership with esteemed partner Apollo Tyres Ltd., the virtual edition for the second year in a row was conceptualised to steer clear of any unforeseen

Ashish Bhatia, Executive Editor, CV Magazine.

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Hoshang Billimoria, Founder & Mentor, Next Gen Publishing Pvt. Ltd.

pandemic induced disruptions. The successful edition of the Awards was made possible by an unparalleled support from the industry. Every stakeholder of the Commercial Vehicle (CV) ecosystem including on the fleet side, from small to large fleet operators to the dealership community gave a snapshot of their performance in the year 2021. Our partners Metric Consultancy compiled the data gathered on ground. Exclaimed Hoshang Billimoria, Founder & Mentor, Next Gen Publishing Pvt. Ltd., the industry was worthy of an applause for its sustained efforts in driving a recovery and eventually growth two years after the industry witnessed a prolonged slowdown that creeped in pre-pandemic. He acknowledged the efforts of the staff of Next Gen Publishing Pvt. Ltd. for their unwavering efforts in a recovery period alike for the publishing industry. Mr. Billimoria also took the opportunity to thank Apollo Tyres and especially Mr. Satish Sharma, President - Asia Pacific, Middle East & Africa

Satish Sharma, President - Asia Pacific, Middle East & Africa (APMEA), Apollo Tyres Ltd.

(APMEA), Apollo Tyres Ltd. for extending an unstinted support even in the most testing of times over the last two pandemic marred fiscals. In an exhaustive process that commenced in December 2021, Next Gen Publishing Pvt. Ltd. through CV Magazine reached out to the industry and began the process of compiling the nominations to put forth to the esteemed Jurors, a jury dossier. The dossier would showcase the all-around operational efforts and the journey from recovery to growth at each of the nominated companies. The process that lasted for nearly three months, had the industry with their able corporate communication teams do their due diligence to comply with the standard nomination and methodology process put in place over the years for the participating companies to make the cut. It also meant that some companies unfortunately missed out for failing to comply despite having performances to show for it in the calendar year 2021. We look forward to these

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companies making the cut in the next edition of the awards. For those who made the cut this year, the jury dossier drew to the jurors attention supporting and crucial metrics like product, place, price, promotion and people in the context of the product’s contribution to the Group revenues as a whole, and in the respective segment. This was found to be in line with the company’s long-term vision as a testimony of sustained efforts in the direction. Classified on the basis of the Gross Vehicular Weight (GVW), from the lowest end of the spectrum in the ‘EV of the Year’ to the Intermediate and Light Commercial Vehicles (I&LCVs) and higher up to the Heavy Commercial Vehicles (HCVs). Notably, the nearly ~40-45 per cent share of EVs in the Small Commercial Vehicle (SCV) segment of threewheelers meant that the old

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Apollo CV Awards 2022

category gave way to a new ‘EV Of The Year’ category. EVs clearly impressed and told a tale of things to expect from the segment lower down the tonnage. From cargo to tipper, including the ‘Special Application CV of The Year’ to awarding the ‘Special Application CV Builder Of The Year’, the Awards commemorated the operational excellence demonstrated by both the fleet and non-fleet side of the CV ecosystem. After staging a recovery and coming off a tough fiscal FY2021 judged as the toughest year in the history of the Indian CV industry, the industry has shown how resources that were allocated for sustenance were gradually freed up for recovery leading to a sequential Month-over-Month (MoM) and Quarter-on-Quarter (QoQ) growth.

If March 2022 is any indication to go by, the industry expects a sustained growth over the next couple of quarters to come the industry’s way before it can reach the pre-Covid19 levels off by an estimated (-) 26.11 per cent in FY22 compared to FY20. On being invited by Freishia Bomanbehram, Master of Ceremonies at the 13th Edition of the Awards for his ‘Keynote Address’, Satish Sharma drew attention to the green shoots in the CV industry. The new elect Chairman of Auto Tyres Manufacturers Association (ATMA) spoke of growth in the upcoming quarters being in sight for the industry. He lauded the efforts of the OEMs and the ancillaries alike in modernising the industry and seeing through a volatile period with pressure known to be on the supply-side. Despite these setbacks, the entries were testimony to the

Apollo CV Awards 2022

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Freishia Bomanbehram, Master of Ceremonies hosting the 13th Edition of the Awards

industry far from shying away from innovation. It continues to fill the white spaces to meet customer requirements. Ashish Bhatia, Executive Editor, CV Magazine in his address paid respects to the martyrs of the Russia Ukraine War crisis and called for prayers for peace and healing from an event that has shaken the world. He also committed to the publication standing by businesses reeling under a direct bearing of the losses from the war crisis. From losing physical assets to having to withdraw from multi-year agreements! CV Magazine stands by these companies looking to make a stronger comeback as Ukrainians show a conviction to rebuild and restart, he expressed. As per Juror Shyam Maller, Former Executive Vice President - Sales &

Marketing, and Aftermarket, VE Commercial Vehicles Ltd. going forward, the construction and mining segment is expected to lead the resurgence of M&HCV growth in the coming two to three years. Higher tonnage MAV haulage trucks are also expected to lead the way. The entries this year were a testimony of the industry preparing to leverage this potential. Connected CVs and a host of services supporting digitisation will also grow, he opined. In the short term, supply-chain challenges, the industry stakeholders conveyed to us, in our face-to-face meets, that the ripple effects of the western sanctions on Russia in the aftermath of the Russia-Ukraine war, natural gas price hikes and the fuel price hikes are forcing the industry to resort to controlled hikes.

A CV major shared how a CV model was priced at a ~24 per cent premium to its cost in the pre-Covid19 era. From offering products, the industry is today working on delivering “Transport As A Solution” to justify the high acuisition costs over the vehicle lifecycle. Others are offering guarantees on mileage and aggregates to operators for kickstarting their operations from day one of purchase. The Dealership community, as the customer’s face, continues to go all out to ensure operational uptime with both remote and onsite assistance to get the CVs back on road with Turn Around Times (TATs) of up to 48 hours failing which the customer will be paid for every day of delay. The withdrawal of excise duty on fuel and the call for reconsideration of VAT by

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Anil Valsan, Director Knowledge Leader - Advanced Manufacturing and Mobility Industry Market, Ernst & Young LLP, and Global Automotive & Transportation Lead Analyst.

the States came in as muchneeded relief to the industry albeit diesel crossing the Rs.100 per litre mark post elections remains a huge concern area for the industry that is dominated by diesel vehicles in the overall mix. This picture is likely to remain unchanged and diesel is expected to dominate for the next decade and a half going by industry inputs. Not just threewheelers but four-wheeler cargo solutions could dominate next year. If the order books are an indication to go by, this is one segment to watch out for. CNG penetration in Light & Medium Duty (LMD) trucks is expected to rise from nine per cent of the TIV to about 30 per cent by 2030. We could see levers of conversion from diesel to LNG in the case of large trucks and tipper fleets too, shared Maller. The silver lining for buses could be STUs looking at shifting to greener options like CNG in a PPP model. The year also highlighted the slow and painful recovery of the bus segment being nowhere close to its preCovid19 sales. Having registered a drop of ~80 per cent for most OEMs it is expected to be the cornerstone of growth in the coming quarters. Especially the awfully underperforming staff bus segment (led by the

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Apollo CV Awards 2022 drop induced by IT companies prefering to work from home or in a hybrid arrangement). The school bus segment this year too forced the jury to drop the category altogether owing to lack of substantial sales and no breakthrough product nominated in the pool. Among other categories to be dropped were the ‘ICV Tipper Of The Year’ and the ‘M&HCV Cargo Carrier Of The Year’ for lack of nominations and new ground up products not being nominated to the pool. The Industry hopes to benefit from the growing demand for clean powertrains, gas and pure Battery Electric Vehicles (BEVs) with hydrogen fuel cells for the long haul taking the centre stage again, almost over half a decade of being inducted in the product mix by a leading CV major. By 2023-24 or 202425, Hydrogen could establish itself as the fuel of choice for long-haul trucks and buses and could make for an interesting assessment in the future editions of the awards. The industry is hopeful that the infra for both gas-based solutions and BEVs grows in parallel for the industry to realise the unit economics. It is hoping to benefit from the incentives under the FameII outlay, Production Linked Incentive (PLI) scheme for Champion OEMs wherein 20 OEMs (with their 12 subsidiaries) of the 115 companies that applied got their approvals. The companies had applied to be eligible for incentives applicable under the scheme for the determined sales of Advanced Automotive Technology (AAT) products (vehicles and components) manufactured in India from April 01, 2022, onwards for

the next five years. Tippers, ICVs and MAVs are especially expected to continue to aid the total industry volumes and the nomination pool was a testimony. The jury process like in the past editions made plenty of room and time for constructive debates in the over two hours and fifty eight minutes of its duration. Each juror brought along domain knowledge and vast experience that were put to test like in the past editions. Different perspectives and opinions were exerted to arrive at a result for a common consensus at times and with discretion for a unbiased and well-rounded voting effort. Like the past editions, this year too, the key parameters resorted to were (a) fitness for application, (b) quality of aggregates, (c) fuel efficiency and drive-ability (d) option to have a vehicle better suited for the purpose, (e) price, and (f) sales and contribution to the modernisation of the industry as a whole in comparison to the previous edition (held in 2021). The goal of going a notch higher was attained. Metric Global vet the fleet and dealer categories by putting them through the paces. It used the Journey of Excellence parameter derived from the British Quality Foundation. On the following pages is a synopsis of the keynote ddress by by Mr Anil Valsan, Director Knowledge Leader - Advanced Manufacturing & Mobility Industry Market, Ernst & Young LLP and Global Lead Analyst - Automotive and Transportation that set the tone of the ceremony. Below are the nominations and the winners.

Apollo CV Awards 2022

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EV OF THE YEAR Nominees: Euler HiLoad EV, OSM Rage+Rapid EV, Piaggio Ape’ E-Xtra FX

he first category draws attention to a growing share of commercial Battery Electric Vehicles (BEVs) in the small commercial vehicle segment. At ~ 45 per cent of the Total Industry Volume (TIV), the shrinking market of the three-wheeler segment is coming to be dominated by BEVs that claim to offer higher performance and lower Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) compared to their Internal Combustion Engine (ICE) counterparts. The winning product (LtoR): Ms Ellora Dasgupta, Associate Publisher & General Manager (North & East), Ashish Bhatia, Euler HiLoad EV impressed the jurors with its Executive Editor, CV Magazine and Chanchal Arora, strong performance credentials that have many Chanchal Arora, Deputy GM North (1st from right), at Next Gen Publishing Pvt. Ltd. handing over the trophy to segment firsts and a strong order book as a Team Euler Motors. testimony to its market acceptance as a cargo carrier. Averred Saurav Kumar, Founder and CEO at Euler Motors, “It’s been a long on-road journey of four years in the making. We thank our customers for their support as it’s their feedback that eventually went into developing the product, shaping it to its present form.” “I would like to thank the sales, service, charging station personnel, manufacturing and supply-chain teams for contributing to this win and giving us the faith,” he expressed. The Euler HiLoad EV, claimed Kumar, has come good on testing across different demographics and in different climatic conditions. It’s performance credentials matches if not surpasses every three-wheeler commercial vehicle on Indian roads.

Winner: EULER HILOAD EV

THE PICKUP OF THE YEAR

ickup trucks continue to find favour with their haulage and heavy-load transporting capability. They continue to address the growing Utility Vehicle (UV) segment. This year, the competition was between two warriors, aptly so. The Tata Yodha 1700 VX was up against the Tata Yodha 4x4. Add a 4x4 to the mix and you have increased traction and stability at your disposal. And so this category had the jurors adjudge an outright winner. The Tata Yodha 4x4 Winner: comes in as a lighter option with TATA YODHA a GVW of 2.9-tonne (2,990 Kg) in 4X4 comparison to the 3.49-tonne (3490 kg) 1700 VX. It offers a higher gradeability of 62 per cent making it apt for hilly terrains. With its assurance of excellent manoeuvrability both on and off-road, at its price point of ~Rs.9.05 lakh (Ex-showroom), it emerged as the worthy winner.

(LtoR): Marzban Jasoomani, Publisher, and Ashish Bhatia, Executive Editor at CV Magazine at Next Gen Publishing Pvt. Ltd. handing over the trophy to team Tata Motors Ltd. Commercial Vehicle www.commercialvehicle.in | April 2022

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Apollo CV Awards 2022

LCV CARGO CARRIER OF THE YEAR Nominees: BharatBenz 1917R, MAHINDRA FURIO 7 (FOUR-TYRE CARGO), MAHINDRA FURIO 7 TIPPER, MAHINDRA FURIO 7 HD Cargo, SML ISUZU PRESTIGE GS 3335 DUAL CABIN 10ft, TATA 407g SFC CNG, TATA T.6 Ultra, EICHER PRO 2049 CNG

oming out of steep degrowth in the pandemic marred fiscal, Light Commercial Vehicles (LCV) continue to evolve. Driven by demand generation from segments like e-retail, this segment is seeing a fast shift towards alternative fuels like CNG. As per All India Vehicle Retail Data from FADA for FY22, the segment registered a YoY growth of 31.23 per cent en route to bridging the (-) 26.81 per cent gap from FY20 levels. A reason to believe it is that the vehicles in this category continue to be moulded to meet customer requirements. One product stood out as the manufacturer filled an industry white

(LtoR): Ashish Bhatia, Executive Editor, CV Magazine at Next Gen Publishing Pvt. Ltd. handing over the trophy to Jalaj Gupta - Business Head, Commercial Vehicles Business Unit, M&M Ltd. Team M&M Ltd. with the trophy on the right. space while establishing its presence in the six- to 7.5-tonne segment with a modular platform suited to diverse duty cycles. From a four-tyre cargo to tipper to a Heavy Duty (HD) cargo variant, the jury was compelled to look at the Mahindra Furio 7 as a complete range and not a product in isolation before adjudging it the winner. Jalaj Gupta - Business Head, Commercial Vehicles Business Unit, M&M Ltd. shared that the company was convinced of the double guarantee and customer value proposition including the mileage and the buyback guarantee on the Furio range being a testimony of its deep-rooted understanding of the LCV customer.

Winner: MAHINDRA FURIO 7 RANGE

LARGE TRUCK FLEET OPERATOR OF THE YEAR Nominees: ALLIED ICD SERVICES LTD, V-Trans (India) Ltd, M. P. ENTERPRISES AND ASSOCIATES Ltd

ighting the rising diesel price hikes, they have dealt with higher input prices especially since OEMs have passed on the hikes by raising vehicle costs intermittently. To add to the cost pressures, third party insurance and toll prices have seen a round of hikes too making operations challenging. The winning company Allied ICD Services Ltd. (AISL) was found to fare better despite the odds and ajudged the winner. With a fleet of over 100 trailers and over 15 heavy equipment, AISL provides in house handling and movement of EXIM containers between ICD Durgapur and gateway ports as well as land customs stations. Allied ICD Services Ltd. has ‘ISO 9001:2015’ certification from Bureau Veritas as well as an ‘Authorized Economic Operator’ certification from Indian Customs. The company is recommended by the Indian Banks Association. It has also been certified for having the highest creditworthiness in relation to other MSEs by ‘SMERA’.

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Apollo CV Awards 2022

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SMALL FLEET OPERATOR OF THE YEAR Nominees: B.M. Roadlines Pvt. Ltd, PDP International Pvt Ltd, Rishabh Bus Pvt. Ltd.

Small fleet operators vowed to impress the jurors with their business excellence practices and overall management. From the pack, the winning company B.M. Roadlines Pvt. Ltd. with over four decades of experience behind it has clients in both the public and private sectors. Over the past year, the company has purchased 65+ cargo vehicles. The company, impressed on the whole as a specialist bulk transporter of petroleum products and speciality chemicals with its performance in 2021.

Winner: B.M ROADLINES PVT. LTD.

ICV CARGO CARRIER OF THE YEAR Nominees: ASHOK LEYLAND ECOMET 1415 CNG, ASHOK LEYLAND ECOMET STAR Range, TATA 1512g LPT CNG, TATA T.12 ULTRA, EICHER PRO 2095XP PLUS CNG, EICHER PRO 2114XP CNG, EICHER PRO 3019

Winner: EICHER PRO 2114XP CNG

s a pioneer of CNG conversion (LtoR): Sumesh Soman, Correspondent, CV Magazine, Chanchal Arora, Deputy GM North, in the Intermediate Commercial Next Gen Publishing Pvt. Ltd. handing over the trophy to Vishal Mathur, Senior VP - LMD, Eicher Trucks and Buses. Vehicle (ICV) segment, the winning product from Eicher Trucks and Buses this year is a reminder of the industry’s transition to CNG. The sheer volume of sales and customer acceptance helped it make a strong case for itself! According to Vishal Mathur, Senior VP - LMD, Eicher Trucks and Buses, the company partnered with its customers as a provider of clean mobility solutions backing products with innovative value additions like connected services and next-generation features.

HCV TRACTOR HEAD OF THE YEAR Nominees: ASHOK LEYLAND AVTR 5525 4x2 TRACTOR, ASHOK LEYLAND AVTR 4825, BHARATBENZ 4028TT, BHARATBENZ 4228R MCAB, EICHER PRO 6041,EICHER PRO 6055/1 TATA SIGNA 5530.S 6X4 WITH 36 CU. M. TIP TRAILER, BHARATBENZ 5428TT, ASHOK LEYLAND AVTR 5525 4x2 TRACTOR, VOLVO FM 420 4x2 TRACTOR MAHINDRA, BLAZO X 55 4x2 TRACTOR

Winner: BHARATBENZ 5428TT

H (LtoR): Pradeep Kumar Thimmaiyan, Vice President - Product Engineering and Satyakam Arya, MD & CEO at DICV receiving the trophy from Ashish Bhatia, Executive Editor at CV Magazine.

ere torque matters the most! The winning entry BharatBenz 5428TT boasts of a BSVI 7.2-litre, six-cylinder, in-line engine that develops 281 bhp at 2200 rpm and develops a peak torque of 1100 Nm at 1200-1600 rpm. The 18.5-tonne GVW tractor head with 54-tonne Gross Combination Weight (GCW) features a soft cruise control for better driver comfort and delivering better fuel efficiency through intelligent gradient monitoring. Satyakam Arya, Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer at Daimler India Commercial Vehicles (DICV) called it a momentous occasion as the win coincides with the 10th-Anniversary celebrations of BharatBenz in India. “These awards make the celebrations at DICV even more special. We have only one mission that is to make our customers successful, and this product is helping us make it possible day after day,” he expressed. Commercial Vehicle www.commercialvehicle.in | April 2022

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Apollo CV Awards 2022

TIPPER OF THE YEAR Nominees: ASHOK LEYLAND AVTR - 2825 AMT TIPPER 6X4 ASHOK LEYLAND AVTR 2820 6x4 RMC TATA PRIMA 2830. K REPTO 9 Cu. M. DRUM FBV

he Ashok Leyland AVTR 2820 6x4 RMC edged past the first runner up after a close fight to emerge victorious. Deemed apt for the market requirement, the tipper of the year is powered by a BSVI, 5.3-litre H-series engine with i-Gen6 that develops a peak rated power of 200 hp at 2400 rpm and a peak rated torque of 700 Nm at 1200-2000 rpm. The engine is mated to a six-speed,

(LtoR): Salma Jabbar, Regional Marketing Manager, Ashish Bhatia, Executive Editor handing over the trophy to Sanjeev Kumar, Head - M&HCV and team at Ashok Leyland Ltd.

Winner: ASHOK LEYLAND AVTR 2820 6X4 RMC

manual synchromesh Eaton transmission unit. The 28-tonne GVW vehicle offers a 23.95 per cent gradeability and comes with a seven cubic metre capacity drum with six and eight cubic metre RMC drum chassis as optional. Sanjeev Kumar, Head - of M&HCV at Ashok Leyland Ltd., acknowledged the contribution of the engineering teams in creating such path-breaking products. With significant sales establishing its market acceptance, the tipper was hailed by the jurors for heavy-duty aggregates, better drive ability, fluid efficiency and low operational costs on offer.

M&HCV TIPPER OF THE YEAR Nominees: ASHOK LEYLAND AVTR - 4825 BGS TIPPER 10x4 DTLA, ASHOK LEYLAND AVTR - 4825 BGS TIPPER 10x2 DTLA, EICHER PRO 8035XM 26 BOX BODY, VOLVO FMX 460 8x4 20.3, VOLVO FMX 460 8x4 33, TATA SIGNA 3525.K ULTIMAAX- 23 Cu. M. BOX AC THU

he AVTR 4825 BGS TIPPER 10x4 DTLA helped Ashok Leyland score a second win. Found to be an ideal fit for the long-haulage needs of the customer, the mass appeal of the winner comes from a BSVI 5.3-litre A4 series engine that delivers 250 hp at 2200 rpm and a peak rated torque of 900 Nm at 1100-1800 rpm. It is mated to a nine-speed, ZF manual synchromesh transmission unit ZF9S1110. The 47.5-tonne GVW tipper offers a grade ability of 26.65 per cent and comes with

Team Ashok Leyland Ltd. with the winning product trophies. a 38T bogie suspension robust single-piece cast bracket to suit heavy payloads and offers higher durability. It offers a lower DEF consumption and compact EATs design backed by mid-NOx for a low TCO. The 12.5T Dual Tyre Lift Axle (DTLA) with patented parallelogram technology offers better tyre life. Operators can look forward to new generation air brakes with ABS and ASA and a spacious WIM Sleeper cabin (AC Optional) that is crash codecompliant. The full metal front jacket enhances the ease of driving and ease of maintenance.

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Winner: ASHOK LEYLAND AVTR 4825 BGS TIPPER 10X4 DTLA

Apollo CV Awards 2022

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L&ICV PEOPLE MOVER OF THE YEAR Nominees: FORCE MOTORS TRAVELLER MONOBUS (41-SEATER), TATA CITYRIDE PRIME LPO 1315/57 TURBOTRONN, TATA STARBUS 4/12 LE EV, TATA ULTRA 10.2 CNG BUS, EICHER SKYLINE 2090 L, EICHER SKYLINE PRO 3011 L, EICHER SKYLINE PRO STAFF 3010 L CNG, EICHER SKYLINE PRO E (Electric)

he Eicher Skyline Pro Staff 3010 L CNG impressed the jurors’ with its market acceptance driven by industrial units that were operational to emerge victorious in a congested and highly competitive category. Made available in both factory-built and chassis options, it also serves the school and RP applications. The strong Domex chassis is coupled with a stainless steel CNG pipe structure and durable company fitted CNG tanks with 540L capacity for a 400-450 km certified range. It offers customers a wide range of seating options from 32+D to 72+D. It offers five per cent higher mileage over the competition with the auto MBooster+ technology and Eicher Live telematics solution. On receiving the award, Akash Passey President, Bus Division, VE Commercial Vehicles Ltd. (VECV) said that the win is a testimony of the company reading the market well to focus on CNG as a challenger brand, addressing the shift from diesel. Known for school buses, the winner has helped VECV gain market share in the staff bus segment.

(LtoR): Team CV Magazine handing over the trophy to Akash Passey President, Bus Division, VE Commercial Vehicles Ltd.

Winner: EICHER SKYLINE PRO STAFF 3010 L CNG

COACH OF THE YEAR Nominees: TATA MAGNA LPO 1822/69 13.5m EICHER INTERCITY 4x2 SLEEPER COACH VOLVO 9400 B8R 4x2 COACH 13.5m VOLVO 9400 B11R 6x2 SLEEPER COACH

he winning product Volvo 9400 B8R 13.5m 4x2 coach with a 7200 mm wheelbase can seat 47 (w/o c/s + D + 1) passengers. Bringing in the European trend of 13.5m coaches prevailing for a few decades now, to Indian roads, Akash Passey, President, Bus Division, VECV, mentioned, “We are setting new standards for the coach segment with the winning product, especially after the integration of Volvo Buses India into VECV. The product is an outcome of a larger strategy at play. To create new offerings on both the Volvo and Eicher bus platforms to make a meaningful difference to the commuters looking to travel safely and with comfort from point A to point B.” “The 13.5m segment was missing in India and a long time in waiting and we are happy to be among the first ones with few buses already running with customers over the past few months. The market in long-haul will shape itself around

(LtoR): Akash Passey, President, Bus Division, VECV receiving the trophy from Rajat Kataria, Head (OE & Inst. Business), Ruchir Mathur, Group Manager – Product Marketing – M&HCV(APMEA) and Abhishek Dawar – Product Manager (APMEA) – LCV at Apollo Tyres Ltd.

the 13.5m coach and not the 12m coach like in the past,” Passey concluded.

Winner: VOLVO 9400 B8R 13.5m 4X2 COACH

Commercial Vehicle www.commercialvehicle.in | April 2022

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Apollo CV Awards 2022

SPECIAL APPLICATION CV OF THE YEAR Nominees: EICHER PRO 6035 TM, TATA 1109g LPT CNG (CASCADE APPLICATION), FURIO 11 FUEL BOWSER, TATA I&LCV TRUCKS For COVID VACCINE TRANSPORTATION, TATA ANTI-SMOKE GUN/ FOGGER - 1212 LPT, EICHER SKYLINE AMBULANCE, FORCE MOTORS AMBULANCE, ASHOK LEYLAND MITR AMBULANCE

pecial Application CVs continue to fulfill purpose in niche segments. The winning entry beat all the odds. Force Motors was able to develop and deliver triple-digit quantities in multiple guises to comply with the varying requirements and at short notice. Averred Ashutosh Khosla President - Sales, Service & Marketing, Force Motors Ltd, “The ambulance range played a crucial role in providing invaluable service, especially during the golden hour which is a matter of life and death for the patients.” It drew attention to the need to enhance per capita availability of ambulances and build a robust healthcare ecosystem in the country.

(LtoR): Marzban Jasoomani, Publisher, CV Magazine handing over the trophy to Ashutosh Khosla - Sales, Service & Marketing, and Prasan Firodia - CEO at Force Motors Ltd

Winner: FORCE MOTORS AMBULANCE RANGE

SPECIAL APPLICATION BUILDER OF THE YEAR Nominees: ARYAN PUMPS AND ENVIRO SOLUTIONS PVT LTD., RANDHAWA MOTORS

pecial Application Builder Of The Year, Aryan Pumps And Enviro Solutions Pvt Ltd. impressed the jurors with its state-of-the-art body building facility in Indapur, on the outskirts of Pune. The acceptance of its products both in the domestic and the export markets like the special purpose vehicle mounted machines in the field of municipal liquid waste, solid waste handling, sewer cleaning, firefighting and rescue, municipal solid waste and sewer management, and special applications pumps is a testimony. In the global markets, the company has adhered to global standards and stood out despite competition from local established players. The company has sold products to highly technologically advanced markets like the Western European Countries, and North America. Its simplified global solutions have also found takers with municipal corporations in India where it is a flag bearer of the Government’s ‘Make In India’ and ‘AtmaNirbhar Bharat’ vision programmes with indigenously developed products. Its products like the Euro recycler on a Volvo FH84TR3HA 35T chassis and Cana Cycler on the FreightLiner 28T 114SD are amongst standout efforts.

Winner: ARYAN PUMPS AND ENVIRO SOLUTIONS PVT LTD.

CV DEALER OF THE YEAR Nominees: KAMAL MOTORS, TVS MOBILITY PVT. LTD., HORA MOTRARS PVT. LTD., RANDHAWA MOTORS

andhawa Motors (A Div. Of Randhawa Automobile Engg. Pvt. Ltd.) won the ‘CV Dealer Of The Year’. With a state-of-the-art dealership in Mumbai for Mahindra Truck & Bus Division (MTBD) across Mumbai, Navi Mumbai and Raigad, Randhawa Motors has spared no effort to fast track growth. With accolades like the number one dealership in Heavy Commercial Vehicles (HCVs), the dealership has been credited with increasing MTBD volumes. The company is working to attain its 2018-19 peak. Its focus on delivering high customer satisfaction standards with the added capability of designing and manufacturing an array of vehicular bodies helped the dealership stand out.

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Winner: RANDHAWA MOTORS

Apollo CV Awards 2022

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CV Maker Of The Year Nominees: TATA MOTORS LTD, ASHOK LEYLAND LTD, VE COMMERCIAL VEHICLES LTD, DAIMLER INDIA COMMERCIAL VEHICLES

Mr. Girish Wagh, Executive Director at Tata Motors Ltd. receiving the trophy from Mr. Marzban Jasoomani, Publisher, CV Magazine.

ata Motors with the highest nominations this year continued its winning spree. It provided comprehensive support to its customers and channel partners to avoid interruptions in their freight operations, thus, supporting the continuity in economic activities. With its BSVI-compliant vehicles across the range (sub-one-tonne to 55-tonne to a 10 seater van to 69-seater bus), the company received a good market acceptance for its products in 2021. Repeat purchases and an improved market share are a testimony of the superior product performance delivered by the all-new BSVI range in line with the promise of the ‘Power of

Team Tata Motors Ltd. celebrating the wins with key team members who joined in virtually. 6’. Girish Wagh, Executive Director, Tata Motors Ltd. expressed his gratitude on behalf of the entire team for the fourth year in succession. “We must thank all our customers who have reposed their faith in our BSVI products as well as the new set of services under Sampoorna Seva. All channel partners, dealers and distributors, and suppliers have put in an equal amount of effort to contribute to this win,” he averred. “We have improved in areas like TCO, comfort and convenience or connectivity. It has helped customers manage the fleet, freight and the business as a whole,” he concluded.

CV Man Of The Year Nominees: GIRISH WAGH, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, TATA MOTORS LTD, SATYAKAM ARYA, MD & CEO, DAIMLER INDIA COMMERCIAL VEHICLES, VINOD AGGARWAL, MD & CEO, VE COMMERCIAL VEHICLES LTD.

irish Wagh was elevated as an Additional Director and Executive Director of Tata Motors w.e.f. July 01, 2021. Under the leadership of Mr Wagh, Tata Motors has gained market share across all segments with the highest one-year increase of (+) 03 per cent, since 2007.

Mr Hoshang Billimoria, Founder & Mentor at Next Gen Publishing Pvt. Ltd. handing over the plaque to Mr Girish Wagh, Executive Director at Tata Motors Ltd.

The jurors took notice of the company crediting him with the focus of Value Analysis and Value Engineering (VAVE) and in the digital transformation witnessed at the OE. Mr Wagh holds

the distinction of winning the award twice, having won the title at the Apollo CV Awards 2020. Drawing inspiration from Mr. Natarajan Chandrasekaran Non-Executive Director and Chairman of the Board of Tata Sons, Mr Wagh credited him for pushing everyone to realize the art of possible and guiding the team towards attaining the Groups’ aspirations. As per SIAM data for April-Dec’ 21 in comparison to FY2020-21, Tata Motors witnessed an improvement for fifth consecutive year in the M&HCV segment with a (+) 2.2 per cent gain. In I&LCV, the market share improved by 3.6 per cent. In SCV PU, it gained a ~ two per cent share. In the bus segment, the OEM gained a three per cent share under Wagh’s leadership. Commercial Vehicle www.commercialvehicle.in | April 2022

cover story

Apollo CV Awards 2022

CV Of The Year Nominees: EULER HILOAD EV, TATA YODHA 4X4, EICHER PRO 2114XP CNG, ASHOK LEYLAND AVTR 2820 6X4 RMC, AVTR-4825 BGS TIPPER 10X4 DTLA, BHARATBENZ 5428TT, EICHER SKYLINE PRO STAFF 3010 L CNG, FORCE MOTORS AMBULANCE RANGE, VOLVO 9400 B8R 4X2 COACH 13.5

he winner of the coveted ‘CV Of The Year’ title is a testimony to the direction in which the wind is blowing. Keeping operator profitability and productivity as the foremost objectives, the Eicher Pro 2114XP CNG became the most awarded CV this year. Leading the transition of the industry to CNG brought upon by SDGs and the hike in diesel prices, the winner found favour with the jurors who zeroed upon it from a strong lineup of nominations this year. On receiving the award, Mr Vinod Aggarwal, MD and CEO, VE Commercial Vehicles Ltd., drew attention to the win being in line with the company’s motto of shaping the future of the truck and bus industry. “We are modernising both the truck and the bus industry. This award is dedicated to all our teams especially the product development teams for taking the lead in developing the CNG portfolio. It gives us immense pride that we as pioneers of the CNG transition have been able to make a difference.” he expressed. “Today 40-45 per cent of the industry has migrated to CNG. We at VECV also have the widest engine range from CNG (two base

Winner: EICHER PRO 2114XP CNG

engines) to diesel (five base engines),” he informed. To conclude, he also thanked the manufacturing, sales and marketing and brand and

communications team for having played their part in the company winning the prestigious ‘CV Of The Year’ award.

(LtoR): Mr.Vinod Aggarwal, MD & CEO at VE Commercial Vehicles Ltd., receiving the trophy from Mr. Rajat Kataria, Head (OE & Inst. Business), Mr. Ruchir Mathur, Group Manager – Product Marketing – M&HCV(APMEA) and Mr. Abhishek Dawar – Product Manager (APMEA) – LCV at Apollo Tyres Ltd.

Commercial Vehicle April 2022 | www.commercialvehicle.in

cover story

@atashishbhatia

he 13th Edition of Apollo CV Awards 2022 had a special guest. Anil Valsan, Director Knowledge Leader - Advanced Manufacturing and Mobility Industry Market, Ernst & Young LLP, and Global Automotive & Transportation Lead Analyst as the keynote speaker brought along with him an immense passion for data, analytic and knowledge management where he is known to constantly seek innovation, implement bestin-class practices and make change palatable. Currently leading a multicultural team of Analysts and Knowledge Managers spread across the US, Europe and Asia, serving clients and EY practitioners (a 40k+ community) in sectors as different as chalk and cheese but somewhere with a common

connect - business. From aerospace and defence, industrial products, chemicals, automotive, transportation and Mobilityas-a-Service (MaaS), over the last decades he has delivered thought-leading data-driven research, analysis and strategy projects for the professional services as well as advanced manufacturing and mobility sectors, globally. He set the tone of the awards by sharing insights on the trends in commercial mobility, to be closely watched. Beginning his speech by thanking Next-Gen Publishing Pvt. Ltd. and the Commercial Vehicle Magazine, he was quick to highlight the two key themes that his address focused on. What’s trying to change across the mobility and transportation sectors and what does it mean for companies

across the ecosystem? “We are living in unprecedented times, facing uncertainty on multiple fronts. We are still learning to live with the pandemic that has totally transformed our ways of living, working and consuming products and services,” he expressed. Drawing attention to the mobility sector still reeling from the economic costs and the horrors of the war in Ukraine, he pointed at globalisation as we have come to experience it in the last number of decades, stalling as a consequence of protectionist measures from developed as well as emerging countries. “Sustainability has become a top priority with pressures from consumers, governments investors and advocacy groups,” he averred. Citing governments the world over, announcing their

Commercial Vehicle www.commercialvehicle.in | April 2022

cover story and storage capacities,” he mentioned.

commitments to a zeroemissions future either in law or draft legislation as also reaffirmed at the Conference Of Parties (COP26), he explained that these factors meant that while we are witnessing demand spikes from consumers around the world between Covid19 waves, it had also surprised and surpassed supply across many sectors. “Companies across the value chain are struggling to ramp up fast enough to meet demand, a result of inflationary price pressures across the board, from energy to raw materials, a shortage of key components like semiconductors, and bottlenecks to logistics and transportation infrastructure to name just a few of the challenges,” he cited. Impact on mobility and transportation Thinking as an optimist, Valsan urged stakeholders to set aside threats and instead focus on the significant opportunity it presents in the short and medium-term with a market projected to grow well over 10 per cent globally, in 2022 alone. “The significant gap between demand and supply has actually

Commercial Vehicle April 2022 | www.commercialvehicle.in

created room for a variety of products and services for instance changing consumer preferences and the demand for instant delivery is driving the growth of quick commerce or hyper local delivery platforms,” he opined. Adding that last-mile delivery has grown exponentially, and consumers and customers are willing to pay a premium fee for prompt and efficient deliveries, he explained the flip side as e-commerce volumes continue to grow. Product returns are also rising at a rapid pace, he pointed. Drawing attention to the trend of significant growth in cross-border shipping as an outcome of better logistics, digital payment options make it easier and more secure. According to Forrester, cross product purchases will actually comprise 20 per cent of the worldwide e-commerce market in 2022 with sales of over USD 627 billion. “However, there is a significant capacity constraint all around from severe container shortages, port infrastructure bottlenecks, trucking capacity constraints, driver shortages to the unavailability of warehousing

Responding to the market dynamics Valsan shifted focus to the ways companies across the transportation ecosystem are responding to these market dynamics. Admitting to leading companies adopting various strategies, he underlined the four broad themes emerging in his opinion. The first is about the focus on building enterprise resilience; the second is about accelerating digitalisation in products services and across the enterprise; the third is about catching up on sustainability and last but not the least, speeding up innovation on resilience in the short term. “We see commercial vehicle manufacturers working really hard to try and keep their plants running and securing their supply chains clearly, for instance, the war in Ukraine has meant that a number of manufacturers have had to suspend their sales and production operations in Russia. They’ve had to adapt their sourcing strategies and minimise their exposure to tiers of supplies that are coming from the region,” he shared. He added that there was another strategy wherein manufacturers are adopting cross-sourcing where they look to supply vehicles or parts from any of their production facilities to any of their target markets. To tackle lead time, for instance, some manufacturers are also adopting a postponement strategy where control units chips are being removed from finished vehicles that are not yet sold and installed in vehicles on order. “We are also seeing a greater willingness of auto

cover story makers suppliers, logistics companies and governments to share more data to improve visibility across the supply chain,” he said. He added that companies were also passing on the increase in logistics and transportation costs to customers. Logistics providers, for instance, are including a war surcharge on shipments to Asia, Latin America and Africa among other regions as the cost of manufacturing increases. Adding to it, Valsan explained that there is also greater demand for aftermarket support including connected services. A majority of the

“We also see the commercial vehicle manufacturers increasing sticker prices, for instance, in India, we’ve seen some companies that have announced price increases in the range of 2-2.5 per cent but globally in off-road commercial vehicles we’ve seen that go all the way up to ten per cent,” VALSAN informed. fleet managers, dispatchers and truck drivers in the US, China, and Europe already have some level of connected services in their trucks. He cited fleet operators emphasising service level agreements that guarantee product uptime and that OEMs find value in bundling services that can proactively support their fleets and their equipment. He moved to the adoption of digitalisation across the organisation wherein logistics and transportation companies are said to be pilot testing technologies like digital twinning to stress-test supply chains and also applications

of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and machine learning being put to good use to predict capacity needs, optimise routes and improve last-mile delivery efficiency. He drew attention to more block chain applications coming online to give stakeholders greater visibility and even eliminate intermediaries on fronts like sustainability. Almost all the major logistics companies have actually pledged to achieve carbon neutrality between 2040 and 2050. This directly translates into how they are adopting electrification to transform their fleets so the demand for sustainable and alternate fuel vehicles is higher than ever before now. In the short term, opined Valsan, there was a clear push for commercial vehicle manufacturers to have in place a portfolio of powertrains to meet the diverse needs across geographies and applications. He gave examples of markets like Asia and Latin America projected to see a phase of strong demand for alternate fuels such as natural gas and flex-fuel vehicles demand. Battery Electric Vehicles (BEVs) will grow in these regions over the medium term, he stated. In North America and Europe on the other hand, opined Valsan, the regions were witnessing an appetite for both BEVs and hydrogen-powered vehicles, driven by the cost of ownership, better infrastructure incentives and even disincentives for fossil fuel-based vehicles. “The significant increase in energy costs is also likely to accelerate the demand for electric and hydrogen vehicles across markets,” he added. Citing how major manufacturers around

the world including most Indian manufacturers have committed to a road map to shift product portfolios dramatically toward electrification within the next decade. Valsan also gave an example of the transportation sector innovating. A testimony to it is the commercial vehicle manufacturing witnessing a significant number of new entrants in just the last decade, from new products or services to intermediating or even disintermediation in new business models. In comparison, traditional auto makers are mostly self-reliant or partner with peers for developing electric or hydrogen powertrains. He urged them to look at the growing need for collaborating with startups, and technology companies for autonomous vehicles and networks. “We have certainly seen a proliferation of pilots for autonomous vehicle use cases such as automated last-mile delivery services platooning, retrofitting autonomous technologies and also for transfer hubs. Now the pandemic induced growing driver shortage, the introduction of regulations such as hours of service are also driving interest in autonomous trucking and delivery services,” he opined. In conclusion, Valsan stated that companies would actually need to learn to survive and thrive despite the uncertainties as we’ve seen with some practices by leading companies. Despite all of these challenges, a number of these companies are announcing good levels of profit margins, a reflection of the opportunities such times present. He congratulated all the winners and nominees from the various award categories. .

Commercial Vehicle www.commercialvehicle.in | April 2022

Conference

Invest In Rajasthan

The Government of Rajasthan is conducting roadshows across the country to draw investment in its transportation ecosystem and automotive manufacturing. Prateek Pardeshi draws the attention of investors to the largest state of the country.

R @Prateek2101

ajasthan is the largest state and seventhlargest economy in India! The states’ transport system has been its economic growth driver and the backbone of its development. As per the data released in the ‘Statistical Year Book’ by the Transport Department of Rajasthan, Government of India(GoI), the count of Commercial Vehicles in the state of Rajasthan upto FY2020-21 stood at nearly 14 lakhs(13,99,823 precisely) and during the year FY2020-21 it stood at 42,518. The data also hinted that the demand for freight and passenger

Commercial Vehicle April 2022 | www.commercialvehicle.in

movement in the state of Rajasthan has increased over years. Based on the analysis, the state has proved to be investors’ paradise in terms of transportation and automotive manufacturing. Deemed as a developed ecosystem for tier suppliers and ancillaries looking to expand their manufacturing footprint or geographical reach, those willing to turn to the Northern state can take confidence from the presence of Commercial Vehicle majors like Ashok Leyland, TAFE Tractors, JCB, followed by other automotive major manufacturers such as Hero Motors, Honda Cars, Honda

Two-Wheelers in the state. Construction equipment manufacturers like JCB India have recently expanded their presence in Rajasthan. Mayank Equipments, one of the dealers of JCB in Jodhpur, has opened its second facility in the region for sales, service, and spares(3S). This new facility, which is about 30 kilometres from Jodhpur, is 22,000 square feet in size and offers the entire product and service portfolio of JCB India to customers. On the other hand, TAFE’s popular JFarm Services platform’s Free Tractor Rental Scheme benefited thousands of small and marginal farmers

Conference pre-recorded Audio Visual (AV) echoed at the road show’s leg.

across Rajasthan. Despite the severe distress caused by the second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic and the subsequent lockdowns, the scheme enabled farmers to save their crops and continue with their agricultural operations. JFarm Services’ Free Tractor Rental Scheme was widely popular and received an overwhelming response from the farming community, and 90,000 hours of free tractor and farm implement rental services were provided throughout Rajasthan within 60 days. As more and more CV makers and associations are eyeing the north Indian market, the State Government of Rajasthan is looking at investment from prospective investors from India and the world over. Invest in Rajasthan To make a strong case for investing in the state, through initiatives like the ‘Invest Rajasthan Roadshow’, Chief Minister of Rajasthan, Ashok Gehlot is doling out incentives and drawing attention to the strategic and distinctive advantages that elevate the status of the state as a strategic

Ashok Gehlot, Chief Minister, Rajasthan investment haven. For example, investors turning to the state can look forward to attractive financial incentives, access to India’s largest industrial land bank, unparalleled market access and an emerging industrial powerhouse. “Rajasthan is the manifestation of our commitment to building enduring partnerships with private enterprise for the development of the state and prosperity of our people. It is an important milestone towards delivering on the commitments made by us to investors,” read a statement from Gehlot. “I invite you to experience and benefit from the bouquet of exciting opportunities Rajasthan has to offer, and to join us in building a promising future for all of us,” a

Investors Connect The Rajasthan Government had organised the ‘Investors Connect Programme’ a part of the Invest Rajasthan Roadshow, in SoBo. Held in collaboration with National Partner CII, to attract investments in the automotive sector among other key sectors in the State, this was well represented on the ground by the participation of representatives from across sectors like automotive manufacturing, MSMEs, Startups and Energy and Petroleum. Shakuntla Rawat, Minister of Industries, Government of Rajasthan in her keynote positioned Rajasthan as a haven to potential investors. “Rajasthan has abundant natural resource reserves. It offers adequate infrastructure including power supply, water resources, roads and other necessary infrastructure that connects it to neighbouring states,” she averred while also drawing the proximity to the country’s capital. The Chief Minister assured investors of a reformist approach to maintaining law and order in the State. With this prelude of a state-level investors summit, the state, in Mumbai alone, successfully secured a Memorandum of Understanding (MoUs) worth Rs.1,27,459 crore and Letters of Intents (LoIs) worth Rs.67,379 crore amounting to an over Rs.1,94,800 crore of total investment commitments. The State has attracted investments of over INR162.5 billion in two -wheeler, car, truck, bus-body building and off-road vehicle manufacturing

Commercial Vehicle www.commercialvehicle.in | April 2022

Conference The location is also a major advantage, in terms of around 40 per cent of the country’s market being accessible from within the state.

from companies such as Honda, JCB, Ashok Leyland, Hero MotoCorp, et. Rajasthan produces almost everything that goes into making an automobile.With investment commitments across the board and 40 proposed projects, it is estimated that approximately 1,44,000 new private-sector job opportunities will be directly created, further boosting the state’s economy. Plug and play For every manufacturing business to be successful with a quick turnaround time, a plug and play set-up in a state is preferred over having to build a ground-up ecosystem. It is crucial to realise Returns on Investment (RoI) quicker. In the case of Rajasthan, natural resource availability, a skilled pool of labour and a developed infrastructure look promising. With 3.42 lakh sq. km. land expanse, the Rajasthan State Industrial Development and Investment Corporation Ltd. (RIICO) account for an industrial area of ~ 48,399 acres which is claimed to be a developed industrial land

Commercial Vehicle April 2022 | www.commercialvehicle.in

parcel. Investors who want to build a facility from the ground up too, have abundant options to choose from a land bank of 20,000+ acres. Additionally, natural resource availability is abundant in the state, reiterated in multiple instances, which is an assurance for crucial raw material availability made available to the automotive sector including the commercial vehicle sector as an important sub-segment. Rajasthanis also boasts of 82+ universities and the state has gained National recognition for its skilling initiatives. Additionally, supply chain and transportation play a vital role for those operating businesses out of the state. As far as supply chain and logistics are concerned, the state boasts eight inland container depots and one air cargo complex. The multi-modal connectivity is enhanced with Rajasthan as the second-largest NH network. About 60 per cent of the Delhi Mumbai Industrial Corridor (DMIC) influence zone at 38 per cent of the Dedicated Freight Corridor (DFC) is known to pass from the state.

Helping attain SDGs Rajasthan is deemed as a state with the potential to help investors attain their Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). For example, the State wants to lead in the Electric Vehicles (EVs) space. In a written reply in the Rajya Sabha, Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari shared information of total number of EVs in the country accounting 870,141, as of December 2021. EVs have gained attention from the State like its peers with 46,8620 already plying on road. Rajasthan ranks in the top five states, in EV adoption which hints at the scope of the EV component suppliers and ancillaries opting to set up base here. Admitting the initial high cost of acquisition is a big deterrent for consumers, the state, pitched the CM, can help lower costs of acquisition for customers through supplyside benefits it can provide. With batteries accounting for 40-50 per cent of the total cost of EVs, Rajasthan has wellstocked reserves of lead and zinc as crucial input materials for the manufacture of lead-acid batteries. These could open the doors for manufacturers looking to lower the acquisition costs of e-bikes and e-rickshaws for example as a suitable import substitute. To boost the ecosystem and create a level playing field for charging solutions providers, the state, as per the Investor pitch, can offer leverage to companies looking at setting up a solar-powered charging ecosystem. Rajasthan,

Conference

for the record, contributes the highest solar energy in the country with a current installed capacity of 2.2 GW. K Nandakumar, Member of the CII National Council and Chairman and Managing Director of Chemtrols Industries Pvt. Ltd., drew from his 15-year relationship with the State of Rajasthan. The development of the first waste energy plant for the Jaipur Municipal Corporation ten years ago was a remarkable achievement, he shared. Chemtrols has automated three major petroleum terminals in Jaipur, Jodhpur, and Chittorgarh as a testimony to the scope of advancement. Arun Nanda, currently the Chairman of Mahindra Lifespace Developers and Mahindra Holidays & Resorts (I) Ltd., shared his 25-30 years of experience working with the State Government. He cited Mahindra Group’s presence in the state across four large segments including spare parts and logistics. Nanda also emphasised that the state’s literacy rate is impressive. He stated one-third, or approximately 36 per cent, of the country’s accountants, are graduates of the state. While

establishing the Mahindra spare parts facility, in a case study presented by Nanda, he used the palm to emphasise the tactical location of the state. All fingers represent the gateway to the country’s northern states, he quipped before hailing the state’s infrastructure. Be it the DMIC or proximity to ports crucial to logistics. Current success rate With a focus on numbers and the Invest Rajasthan Roadshow around the world, Ashutosh Pednekar, Secretary Industries and Managing Director, RIICO, Government of Rajasthan, stated that a parallel show was taking place in Ahmedabad, Gujarat giving a glimpse of the push from the state. In Ahmedabad, MoUs worth Rs. 41,590 Cr crores were signed. In the National capital, MoUs worth 79,000 crores are known to have been signed. MoUs worth Rs.45,000 crore are said to have been signed-in Dubai. He also associates the number of investments with the Rajasthan Investment Promotion Scheme for 2019. Building on the 2019 draft of the policy, Rajasthan as a one-stop-shop, offers investors access to 14 departments

under one roof. A testimony to ensuring a seamless tendering process, digitisation has paved the way for investors to submit their investment proposals. In agreement with Ashutosh, Subodh further cited the MSME act. The investors in the state, it is claimed, require no permission under any state law, in effect. The act is known to have been in place since May 2019. The Act also states that no inspector from any state government department may visit, check, or inspect investors setting up business in the state for three years. “You have three years of freedom. If the business is successful, take all of the permissions, if not, feel free to opt-out,” he claimed. Following this move, nearly 12 states are said to have turned to the Rajasthan model to adopt the mechanism in their respective states. Like any other state, there could be teething issues to address and improve the success rate with investors. The Government of Rajasthan has the solution. It is ready to handhold investors who turn to it with an assurance that it will not disappoint them. Regions like Barmer, Alwar, Chittorgarh, Bhilwara, Udaipur, Jodhpur, Jaipur, and Banswara are some of the fast-emerging investments hubs.

Commercial Vehicle www.commercialvehicle.in | April 2022

Around the Globe

Influencing Tech

Commercial vehicle technology firms the world over continue to break new technical grounds. Deepti Thore draws attention to select offerings that may influence a mass adoption.

@DeeptiT9

ith the advent of advanced and electric powertrains, autonomous driving technology and connectivity, the commercial vehicle technology firms are gearing up to embrace the change and introduce influencing technology. At the recently held CES 2022 show at Las Vegas, vehicle technology took the centrestage where more than 190 automotive companies exhibited innovation across artificial intelligence and vehicle technology. Companies including John Deere, Paccar, Blink charging, Capte telemetry, Cube tracker, Naio technology, TuSimple among others showcased vehicle and transportation technologies.

Commercial Vehicle April 2022 | www.commercialvehicle.in

Gary Shapiro, President and CEO, Consumer Technology Association (CTA) TM, Owner and Producer of CES on the last day of the show commented, “Innovation came to life this week at CES 2022 – with technologies that will reshape industries and provide solutions to pressing worldwide issues from healthcare to agriculture, sustainability and beyond.” According to Nakul Duggal, SVP & GM, Automotive, Qualcomm Technologies, Inc., a growing customer demand for unique features and use cases for next-gen automobiles and transportation solutions is steadily increasing, creating tremendous opportunity for modernisation that is led by electrification and battery

electric vehicles, advanced semiconductors and software, always-connected vehicle platforms and automated driving. With features like adaptive cruise control, collision prevention and lane guidance, technology is paving the way to safer roads. Vehicle technology is driving the innovation behind connected vehicles, autonomous mobility and concept cars. It addresses the requirements of navigation, road safety, IT security, vehicleto-vehicle(V2V) connectivity, driver monitoring among others. The transportation industry, on the other hand, is also rapidly evolving. As per the study presented by McKinsey for the future of CV industry, there will be fast

Around the Globe John Deere

Gary Shapiro, President and CEO, Consumer Technology Association (CTA) TM, Owner and Producer of CES.

Nakul Duggal, SVP & GM, Automotive, Qualcomm Technologies, Inc.

adaptation of latest ADAS or autonomous technology until 2030, there will be an increase in e-truck penetration (potential regulatory push could increase penetration further) and more than 80 per cent of rolling fleet in Triad will be connected by 2030. Gartner, on the other hand,. predicts that by 2025, 50 per cent of the top 10 automotive OEMs will design their own chips and establish direct, strategic, long-term working relations with chip companies, while giving up JIT inventory management practice. By 2028, 70 per cent of vehicles sold will utilise Android Automotive operating system, up from less than one per cent today. Adoption of open-source vehicle architecture operating systems and open electric vehicle (EV) platform will result in the increase of new partnership models in the automotive sector in 2022. Gartner analysts predict that by 2023, half of the top 10 automakers will offer unlocks and capability upgrades through software updates that can be purchased after the sale of the vehicle. Gartner analysts also predict that by 2030, there will be four times as many Level four autonomous robotaxis operating globally than there are taxis in 2022.

John Deere revealed a fully autonomous tractor at CES 2022. The machine combines Deere’s 8R tractor, TruSet-enabled chisel plow, GPS guidance system, and new advanced technologies. Available to the farmers later this year, the autonomous tractor has six pairs of stereo cameras, which enables 360-degree obstacle detection and the calculation of distance. Images captured by the cameras are passed through a deep neural network that classifies each pixel in approximately 100 milliseconds and determines if the machine continues to move or stops, depending on if an obstacle is detected. The autonomous tractor is also continuously checking its position relative to a geofence, ensuring it is operating where it is supposed to, and is within less than an inch of accuracy.

General Motors General Motors last-mile electric delivery wing BrightDrop, announced Walmart as new EV customer and expanded its collaboration with FedEx at CES 2022. It also introduced the BrightDrop EV600, an all-electric light commercial vehicle purpose-built for the delivery of goods and services. The EV600, built on GM’s Ultium Platform, was conceived in just 20 months prior to initial deliveries to FedEx, making it the fastest vehicle to market in GM’s history. Another addition headlining GM’s CES 2022 was 2024 Chevrolet Silverado EV. Developed from the ground up, the full size pickup leverages the power of GM’s Ultium Platform. Available in two configurations, an RST First Edition and a fleet-oriented WT model, each will offer a comprehensive suite of standard and available safety technologies. RST First Edition includes four-wheel steering, automatic adaptive air suspension, Multi-Flex Midgate that expands the truck’s cargo capability, available Multi-Flex Tailgate with power release, Large, 17-inch-diagonal LCD freeform infotainment screen, trailering-capable Super Cruise. The WT will be launched first for fleet customers and offer impressive capability to meet the needs of organisations with sustainable transportation goals, including 510 hp and 615 lb-ft of torque. The WT version will offer 8,000 pounds of towing and 1,200 pounds of payload. After initial launch, Chevrolet will introduce a fleet model with up to 20,000 pounds max trailering with the max tow package. Commercial Vehicle www.commercialvehicle.in | April 2022

Around the Globe ZF Friedrichshafen AG

REE

At CES, ZF showcased intelligence in advanced safety, automated driving and electrification across the mobility spectrum including passenger cars and automated shuttles. By leveraging Microsoft’s comprehensive set of cloud, Artificial Intelligence, Internet of Things, and data technologies, ZF is becoming a cloud-native mobility services provider, delivering clean, safe, convenient, and affordable mobility solutions to its customers. One example of this is the greater scalability and modularity ZF brings to e-drive inverter technology through its highly intelligent software and semiconductor expertise. It showcased advanced sensor technologies and intelligent functions that add value for consumers. During the demonstration, ZF also announced expansion of ZF ADAS sensor business and arrival of Next generation radar, camera and LiDAR systems in the market.

REE showcased disruptive tech on full display. FlatFormer from HINO Motors & REE unveiled their joint modular EV platform, the basis for endless commercial EV applications and geared for multiple target markets. Leopard AV Reveal, their fully autonomous last-mile delivery concept vehicle was unveiled for the first time. Its Ultra-Modular EV Platforms offer up to 35 per cent greater interior space for passengers, cargo & batteries. REECORNER™ LIVE, REE’s revolutionary EV tech packs critical vehicle components into a compact module between chassis and wheel.

NXP

TuSimple

NXP showcased semiconductors which enable the safe and secure software defined car with groundbreaking new applications and services. NXP and partners also showcased scalable radar portfolio including radar imaging capabilities which will allow cars to “see” at an amazing accuracy, precisely classify objects and therefore enhance safety for drivers and vulnerable road users. It enables smart data access to real-time vehicle data. The company also showcased Next-gen connected eCockpit for safer experiences that inform and entertain. It introduced industry’s first monolithic tri-radio family to support Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth® 5.2 and 802.15.4 which supports simultaneous transmit and receive for higher performance in smart solutions. The company also demonstrated it’s radar capabilities via an imaging radar sensor built in collaboration with radar platform and ADAS application expert CubTEK, showcasing enhanced 4D sensing capability with its ability to deliver image-like sensing and sub-degree angular resolution.

TuSimple announced its expansion of collaboration with chipmaker Nvidia at the CES show this year. Aimed at developing an advanced autonomous domain controller (ADC). the collaboration will help extending Tusimple’s ability to put self-driving trucks on the road through its Autonomous Freight Network (AFN), a system the company created last year to commercialise Level 4 autonomous trucks in the U.S..The ADC will use Nvidia’s Drive Orin system-on-chip (SoC) which delivers 254 trillion operations per second (TOPS) and is the brains for intelligent vehicles and powering autonomous capabilities.

Commercial Vehicle April 2022 | www.commercialvehicle.in

Around the Globe Blink Charging Co.

Lilee Systems

Blink Charging Co. launched seven new products at the CES 2022.The new products include the MQ 200, HQ 200 (Smart and Basic models), Vision IQ 200, and 50kW DC Fast Charger, which offer next-generation EV charging technology across the EV ecosystem, including home, fleet, multifamily, and retail. Some charging products also feature a new vehicle-to-grid technology capable of dynamically balancing energy demand with supply. In addition, Blink is launching two new apps., Blink Mobile App and the Blink Fleet portal, to empower a more seamless, efficient, and affordable charging experience for both consumers and fleets.

LILEE Systems showcased its new autonomous vehicle and fleet management software ‘LILEE SafeRide’ at CES 2022. The complete autonomous solution includes an ADA-compliant shuttle, LILEE’s self-driving system, and a cloudbased platform enabled by LILEE SafeRide for remote monitoring and management. LILEE’s autonomous vehicles operate fixed route and on-demand services that are monitored and controlled by LILEE SafeRide from the operations control center (OCC) for greater operational awareness, efficiency and safety.

Doosan Bobcat ELMS Electric Last Mile Solutions, Inc. (ELMS) showcased all-electric model line-up of commercial vehicles at CES. It’s New Urban Delivery model was highlighted in vehicle display. The new model has an impressive suite of state-of-the-art safety systems including a patent pending energy absorbing front bumper system, a full suite of driver side airbags, and advanced seat belt pre-tensioners. It is targeted at customers looking to electrify their fleets and meet their ESG goals. The ELMS Urban Utility is slated for production in the second half of 2022, and it is targeting more than 5,700 pounds of max payload and 125 miles of range. The Urban Delivery’s cab-over chassis design can be configured to cover a wide variety of customer use cases including delivery, construction, landscaping, towing and refrigeration.

The Bobcat T7X was honoured with two 2022 CES Innovation Awards in the categories of Vehicle Intelligence & Transportation and Smart Cities. The T7X is completely battery powered and equipped to outperform its dieselpowered counterparts. The heart of the T7X is its powerful, 62-kilowatt lithium-ion battery. Each charge can support common daily work operations for up to four hours of continuous operation time and a full day of operation during intermittent use. After a recharge, the T7X is ready to do the tough work again. Unlike other compact loaders, the T7X doesn’t rely on a hydraulic system to transfer power to the machine’s work group. Instead, it features an electrical drive system consisting of electric motors and ball screw actuators. Together, the battery plant and electrical powertrain generate incredible performance characteristics, with instantaneous torque that’s as much as three times greater than traditional loaders.

Commercial Vehicle www.commercialvehicle.in | April 2022

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