iTEC 2015 opens in Chennai, lays roadmap for electromobility in India

iTEC India 2015, the country’s first International Transportation Electrification Conference, was inaugurated today by Anant Gangaram Geete, minister of Heavy Industries & Public Enterprises, government of India. The three-day (August 27-29) conference being held at Le Royal Meridien in Chennai is jointly organised by Society of Automotive Engineers India (SAEINDIA) and Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) Industry Applications Society.

Also present at the inauguration were Ambuj Sharma, patron of the steering committee for iTEC INDIA & additional secretary, Department of Heavy Industries, government of India; Dr Aravind S. Bharadwaj, president, SAEINDIA & senior VP (Advanced Technology and Services, Automotive & Farm Equipment Sectors), Mahindra & Mahindra; Dr David Schutt, CEO, SAE International and Dr Tomy Sebastian, president elect, IEEE Industry Applications Society (IAS) & director of Motor Drive Systems, Halla Mechatronics, Michigan, USA; N Balasubramanian, chairman, Organising Committee for iTECINDIA & deputy VP, Renault Nissan Technology & Business Centre India and other members of ITEC committees.

iTEC India 2015 is supported by the Department of Heavy Industry, government of India under the Faster Adoption and Manufacturing of Hybrid and Electric Vehicles (FAME) scheme, a part of the National Electric Mobility Mission Plan, Confederation of Indian Industries (CII), Society of Manufacturers of Electric Vehicles (SMEV), Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers (SIAM) and Automotive Component Manufacturers Association (ACMA).

EMPOWERING HYBRID ELECTRIC VEHICLES
In his keynote address, Anant Geete said, “The growth and adoption of hybrid electric vehicles will be a major component of the government’s FAME India scheme. These vehicles will reduce CO₂ emissions and fuel consumption, in turn positively impacting the foreign exchange situation in the country, since 90% of our crude oil is imported. India is unique and there are huge cost and environmental challenges. Solutions which work abroad may not work as is in India. iTEC India 2015 will provide the opportunity to deliberate on these technical challenges and come up with solutions required for India’s future.”

Dr Aravind Bharadwaj said, “iTEC India 2015 is a first of its kind conference in the country, which will outline the roadmap to help the industry reach the  government of India’s challenging target of 6-7 million sales of hybrid and electric vehicles year on year from 2020 onwards. While monetary incentives and investments are important to realise this ambition, technology innovation and advancements are even more crucial at this stage to shape the growth trajectory of electro mobility adoption in the country.” 

Ambuj Sharma said that the Department of Heavy Industry is determined to achieve the NEMMP goals through FAME and accelerate the growth of automobiles in the country in a sustainable manner. He also invited technocrats and entrepreneurs to come forward to support this initiative.

Also read: India to produce sufficient electricity to drive vehicle electrification

Dr Tomy Sebastien, president elect, IEEE IAS, said: “Cooperation of SAE, whose focus is on mobility systems, and IEEE, which is the largest professional association for the advancement of technology focused on electrical and electronic technologies, is probably the most efficient way to address the technical challenges associated with the integration of electrical technologies into automotive systems.”

CATCHING ‘EM YOUNG
Also in a bid to create a strong technology base to promote environmentally friendly vehicles in the country, SAEINDIA has announced ELECTRA, a student competition to stimulate technology exploration and evaluation for students from engineering institutes across India. This event provides a real-world engineering challenge for the SAEINDIA student members allowing them to experience the entire process from design and engineering to production, marketing and endurance testing for a two seater electric vehicle.

The Virtual ELECTRA, a qualifier for ELECTRA, is scheduled on August 28 along during iTEC 2015, where 12 teams from all over India will present their plans and designs for a prototype. Qualifying teams will compete early next year to demonstrate the performance of their vehicles.

LITHIUM PROJECT LAUNCHED
iTEC India 2015 also saw the launch of the ‘Lithium’ project. Lithium is the world’s first service provider with a hundred percent zero emission electric car fleet for corporate transport. It provides an integrated transport management system for corporate including a fleet of connected cars manned by trained and certified drivers and supported by qualified professionals, working in the backend.

Some EVs including the Nissan Leaf and Mahindra e2o are showcased at iTEC India 2015. Over a hundred technical papers by students and professionals from seven countries have been selected for presentation at this conference.

TOP-NOTCH SPEAKERS 
The three day conference features an exceptional line-up of speakers including Dr Mahesh Krishnamurthy, Illinois Institute of Technology;  Dr. Yu Yuan, chair of ITEC Asia; Patric Mccarren, executive director, IEEE IAS, US; Michael Poznanski, chief technology officer, Volkswagen India; Naritomo Higuchi, Honda R&D, Japan; Brian McMurray, director, General Motors; R K Shenoy, senior vice-president, Robert Bosch Engineering and Business Solutions; Steven Dom, manager (Global Automotive),  Siemens; Wensi Jin of Mathworks; Mahesh Babu, chief operating officer, Mahindra e2o; IV Rao, executive advisor, Maruti Suzuki India; Dr Chalasani Rao, director (retd) General Motors; and Rashmi Urdhwareshe, director ARAI, amongst  others.