Autocar Professional magazine – January 1

In this fortnight’s Autocar Professional – the first of the new year – we examine the impact of vehicle electrification on the automotive value chain. And follow it up with an in-depth report on a Scandinavian country which is going all-electric from 2025 and driving there rather smoothly with a host of incentives to motorists.

As the shift from internal combustion engines to electric motors accelerates, it will have a major impact on the vehicle bill of materials. In the changing automotive world, the role of the traditional auto OEM is set to transform drastically. One of the biggest constituents of the OEM value addition to the vehicle is the outgoing IC engine and some powertrain components.

In a world without IC engines, the auto OEM’s value addition would shrink, limited to chassis, body and vehicle assembly (unless battery and motor manufacturing are retained in-house). The shift will be in favour of certain new entrants in the automotive value chain such as the lithium-ion battery manufacturers. Producers of other EV powertrain components such as motor and controller are also expected to gain a share of this value addition.

Indian industry will have to dive deep into its current business to identify potential threats and opportunities from vehicle electrification and those who begin work soon could well ride the EV wave of the future.
 

Among the countries pushing electrification aggressively is Norway which is phasing out sales of new petrol and diesel cars with a ‘polluter pays’ tax system. Importantly, it offers a battery of incentives to EV buyers and generates clean energy too. Clearly, there are a good number of learnings for India – plug into this analytical feature to know more about Norway’s eco-friendly initiatives and what’s needed to drive electrification in India.

For India to be more progressive, a strong culture of innovation and the power of youth will have to be harnessed. Ati Motors, a Bangalore-based start-up and its teenage co-founder promise both. Find out how 15-year-old Saad Nasser along with Dr V Vinay and Saurabh Chandra are developing an autonomous cargo carrier.

Ongoing as well as upcoming disruptions in the automotive industry are set to impact staffer skill sets substantially but new-age manufacturing calls for new skill sets. We offer a close look at the threatened jobs, the changing nature of jobs and the skill sets needed, and the new opportunities in India Auto Inc.

New manufacturing also means robotics. Universal Robots’ collaborative robots or cobots, work in conjunction with humans to handle some of the more mundane, repetitive and physically demanding manufacturing with aplomb. Now the company is targeting MSMEs, which are keen to enhance productivity and worker skills.

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