Tata Motors deploys Wabco’s ADAS on Prima and Signa range

After becoming the first OEM to deploy Electronic Stability Control (ESC) for its medium and heavy duty commercial vehicles last year, Tata Motors has announced deployment of a range of new safety technologies. The commercial vehicle market leader is offering Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS) which include a Collision Mitigation System (CMS) and a Lane Departure Warning System (LDWS) for its Prima and Signa trucks.

This move, according to the company, is aimed at reducing the number of road accidents and increasing vehicular as well as occupant safety, in a broad range of visibility conditions in the country. Offering enhanced operational efficiency, the ADAS solutions will also help reduce operating costs for fleets. 

Working in collaboration with long-time technology partner Wabco India, Tata Motors will implement Wabco’s  pioneering technologies which have been optimised for India’s operating conditions. Designed to help mitigate some of the most common causes of accidents involving commercial vehicles, ADAS solutions enhance vehicle safety, driver comfort and effectiveness.

Through this partnership, Tata Motors becomes the first OEM to provide a host of specific safety technologies in its vehicles, including Electronic Stability Control (ESC), Automatic Traction Control (ATC), Hill Start Aid (HSA), a Collision Mitigation System (CMS) and a Lane Departure Warning System (LDWS).

Commenting on this development, Girish Wagh, president - Commercial Vehicles, Tata Motors, said, “The introduction of Advanced Driver Assistance System solutions is yet another example will benefit operators and drivers through cutting-edge safety capabilities, which help reduce the risk of accidents. We highly value Wabco’s global technology leadership and ongoing commitment to strengthen the safety performance of our medium and heavy commercial vehicles. Helping us deliver sustained value for our customers, we will continue to partner with Wabco to develop industry-leading safety and efficiency technologies.”

Speaking about the partnership, P Kaniappan, Wabco India’s managing director, added, “We are proud to continue our strong partnership with Tata Motors with the introduction of Wabco’s industry-leading portfolio of Advanced Driver Assistance Systems to India’s dynamic growth market. It will play an important role in helping to reduce road accidents as well as enhancing operational efficiency. Tata Motor’s adoption of Wabco’s ADAS is also an important milestone in the technology roadmap towards autonomous driving for India’s commercial vehicle industry.”

How ADAS can help improve safety
ADAS for medium and heavy duty CVs relies on sensors, such as radar and camera, to provide enhanced vehicular and occupant safety. Helping to mitigate driver error, these systems are capable of identifying a variety of different road traffic hazards to enhance driver and vehicle safety.

Furthermore, integration of advanced driver assistance systems in the vehicle can help ensure the on-time delivery of goods by improving driver comfort and effectiveness as well as reducing accident downtime and related costs.

Research conducted by India’s Ministry of Road Transport and Highways on Indian expressway and highway accidents reveals that the majority of road fatalities are caused by loss of vehicle control resulting in rear-end collisions, unintended road departures and vehicle rollovers. Helping to reduce driver error, Collision Mitigation Systems, Lane Departure Warning Systems and Electronic Stability Control will significantly enhance commercial vehicle safety on India’s roads.

Wabco's Collision Mitigation System 
The OnGuardASSIST system implemented by Tata Motors on its Prima and Signa trucks alerts the driver to potentially critical driving situations via acoustic, visual and haptic signals. Should the driver fail to take corrective action, the system provides active braking on moving and stopping vehicles to mitigate or prevent impending rear-end collisions.

The system utilises a powerful 77GHz radar sensor that maintains the system's high performance in all weather conditions. Its superior performance is particularly vital in poor visibility situations such as heavy rain, dense fog, blinding sunshine and night-time driving when camera-based sensors used on other collision mitigation systems may be impaired.

Key advantages:
- Warns of moving, stopping and stationary vehicles ahead even in poor visibility conditions.

- Active braking on moving and stopping vehicles when the system detects an impending collision.

- Helps mitigate or avoid impending rear-end collisions to enhance safety.

- Helps avoid fatalities, injuries and accident-related costs.

- High bandwidth enables accuracy in object detection.

- Improves driver effectiveness across all levels of experience.

- Optimises vehicle uptime with less maintenance and repair requirements.

Wabco's Lane Departure Warning System
The OnLaneALERT system will help prevent unintentional lane departure, one of the most common causes of accidents involving commercial vehicles.

The system uses a forward-looking, windshield-mounted camera to monitor and calculate the vehicle’s position within the lane. When OnLaneALERT detects the vehicle crossing lane markings without the turn signal being activated, the system sounds an audible warning. This alerts the driver to take corrective action to prevent potential collisions and lane departure related road accidents.

Key advantages: 
- Helps vehicle drivers to remain within road lanes.

- Recognises lane markings and evaluates vehicle position.

- Warns the driver with an audible alarm.

- Alerts the driver to take corrective action to prevent unintentional lane drift.

- Helps avoid potential collisions and lane departure road accidents.

- Supports the driver in maintaining their attention levels and encourages the use of turn signals.

Also read: 1,317 accidents and 413 deaths on Indian roads each day in 2016