Green Industry Special : Tata’s green march

The Megapixel, displayed at last month’s Geneva Motor Show, represented but a microcosm of Tata’s efforts to walk the talk on green issues. Apart from that, the OEM is also working with its vendors to enable them to lower their carbon footprint.

Tata Motors has taken steps in both the passenger car and commercial vehicle sectors to implement a variety of green initiatives. Yet, as with long-term initiatives, it will take time to perfect and stabilise new technologies. For Tata Motors though, the fact that it has alliances in different parts of the world through its acquisitions means it can tap a wide body of available knowledge. Here is the company's response to our annual green survey.

Annual R&D spend

For FY 2010 -11, it was Rs 1,187 crore.

Examples of green technology or initiatives in products

At Geneva this year, Tata Motors displayed the Megapixel, a new four-seater city-smart global range extended electric vehicle (REEV) concept. Combining a lithium ion phosphate battery and an on-board petrol engine generator for recharging on the move, the Megapixel offers a range of up to 900km (with a single tank of fuel), pathbreaking CO2 emission of only 22gm/km and economy of 100km/litre (under battery only power). The Nano 2012’s 624cc engine is now more powerful and delivers 38PS (earlier 35 PS) and 51Nm of torque (earlier 48 Nm). Yet its fuel efficiency, an already high 23.6kpl, has risen to 25.4kpl as certified by ARAI. The high fuel efficiency, with a low 600kg kerb weight, ensures that the Nano at 92.7gm/km has the lowest CO2 emission among cars in India.

The Indica eV2, with 25kpl from its CR4 diesel engine, is the most fuel efficient car in India, also certified by ARAI. The new CR4 engine gives a 32 percent hike in power, 65 percent increase in torque as well as a 46 percent improvement in fuel efficiency. Likewise, the Indigo e-CS VX is the most fuel-efficient saloon in the country, delivering 25kpl.

At Auto Expo 2012 in New Delhi, Tata Motors showcased various green technology concepts and vehicles. The CNG-powered Nano concept, which uses world-class CNG kit components, reveals Tata's capability to develop all kinds of vehicles for CNG application. The sequential gas injection system has been calibrated with the EMS system for smart switching between CNG and petrol. The car comes with software with safety strategies like automatic cut-off CNG supply even in the case of diminutive leakages and automatic fuel quality checks. The CNG fuel system has been packaged in a manner that does not affect the existing luggage space. The Nano CNG has a touring range of more than 150km in addition to the existing 375km range of the Nano 2012, and also reduced emissions.

The Starbus Fuel Cell Concept, another new initiative on alternate fuels, was developed with support from the department of scientific and industrial research under the Technology Development & Demonstration Programme. In fuel cell technology, hydrogen is stored in compressed form. This mechanism involves a fuel cell with gross peak power of 114hp, coupled with a motor with the peak power output of 250hp with motor speed from 600rpm to 2100rpm and torque of 1050 Nm at 800rpm. The maximum speed is 70kph and gradeability is 17 percent, which is very suitable for city application. Meanwhile, the Magic Iris CNG small CV has car-like features and a high touring range. The installation of a larger gas cylinder coupled with high mileage aims to make it profitable for operators. It adheres to Tata Motors’ special CNG safety standards: single-point gas injection, Swagelok joint, solenoid valve on ITVR (integrated tank valve and regulator) and comes with stainless steel pipes instead of mild steel pipes, and a special air venting system arrangement to prevent rusting and gas leakages. It also has tamper-proof ECUs.

The CNG-powered 1613 truck, developed both for intra-city and inter-city operations, has a range of about 450km with one filling, and offers excellent operating economy.

The Xenon CNG, already launched in Thailand, has been configured as a mono-fuel factory-fitted CNG vehicle, thereby offering the customer distinct advantages over an aftermarket CNG-converted vehicle like optimal power and torque, better fuel mileage, smoother ride and higher levels of safety. As regards the hybrid vehicles showcased at the Auto Expo, the Indigo Manza Hybrid Concept has a small carbon footprint thanks to its efficient hybrid architecture.

Powered by a hybrid 1.05-litre DiCOR engine and potent electric motors, it has been designed to deliver excellent performance with less than 90gm/km CO2 emission in city traffic conditions with technologies like high-speed cranking, regenerative braking, auto start/stop, series hybrid mode and limited range pure electric operation.

On the highway, the vehicle delivers best-in-class acceleration performance in the parallel hybrid mode.

In September 2010, the Delhi Transport Corporation used Tata’s CNG-electric hybrid low-floor Starbuses, the first time in India that hybrid buses were used for public transport.

The Hybrid Starbus is powered with a parallel hybrid engine comprising an internal combustion CNG engine and an electric motor using regenerative energy storage system. Parallel hybrid technology uses power generation simultaneously through both the CNG engine and the electric motor to drive the vehicle. The system re-utilises lost braking energy to recharge the battery. The Hispano CNG Hybrid offers substantial improvement in fuel economy and emissions compared to a conventional bus. As a result, the technology leads to lower emissions, thereby contributing to cleaner air. The vehicle chassis is capable of being integrated with pure electric mode, CNG micro turbine and hydrogen fuel cell in the future, all eco-friendly technologies.

On how the automotive sector can play a more active role in protecting the environment

Tata Motors believes that in a country like India this has to be achieved by producing highly fuel-efficient, low CO2-generating vehicles running on conventional fuels as also by employing alternate technologies. The company is developing vehicles that could run on alternate fuels, including bio-fuels, electric and hybrid technologies, both for cars as well as public transportation.

Apart from making vehicles more fuel efficient, Tata Motors also addresses recyclability of materials that are used in manufacturing vehicles. The Tata Vista and Tata Aria meet European emission norms on recyclability and are 85 percent recyclable. The company is also working with its vendors to make products greener by sourcing greener materials. Some key steps towards that include:

• Tata Motors has launched the supplier chain environment management (SCEM) initiative and is reaching out to its vendors through its material procurement function (Environment Division) as well as through its all-India vendor council. The environment division is in process of mapping the carbon footprint of vendors.

• The company encourages vendors to minimise logistics and packaging material, and maximise reuse and recycling of packaging material and the use of recycled materials.

• By adopting a participatory approach to evaluate environmental performance of vendors.

On the need and adequacy of government support for OEMs and vendors to go green

Tata Motors is actively engaged with the government as well as regulatory bodies in setting standards for the industry. It is also developing vehicles that comply with the emission norms both in India and other countries where it exports the cars it manufactures.