ICAT sets up new start-up incubation centre at Manesar campus

The international centre for automotive technology (ICAT), which is the nodal automotive testing, validation and development body in North India established a new start-up incubation centre at its Manesar campus near Gurugram.

The new start-up Incubation and Acceleration Centre was inaugurated by Union Minister for Heavy Industries Dr Mahendra Nath Pandey on February 4 during ‘Towards Panchamrit – Conference and Exposition’ event that was organised by ICAT to showcase the Indian automotive industry’s readiness towards the clean mobility transformation, and to drive adoption of the 5 clean propulsion alternatives – hydrogen, ethanol, biodiesel, biogas and electric vehicles.

While the first-of-its-kind incubation centre for automotive products will nurture and hand-hold start-ups in developing future products that are ready for the market, the Union Minister emphasised that in line with the Prime Minister’s announcements at COP26 to take measures to become a carbon-neutral country by 2070, the Ministry of Heavy Industries is taking comprehensive efforts to move towards fulfilling this vision.

Dr Mahendra Nath Pandey said that in order to drive localisation, the government has abolished duty on vehicles brought by international automakers for testing purposes in the country. He said this will attract automakers from more countries to avail the testing facilities available in the country. The minister sought support of the auto industry in the efforts of the government towards making India a clean and green country. 

Minister of State, Power and Heavy Industries, Krishan Pal Gujjar, highlighted initiatives taken by the Ministry to promote clean and green mobility. He said these initiatives will give a boost to domestic manufacturing, help in employment generation, reduce dependence on exports, promote growth and development of the industry and thereby help in achieving vision of ‘Atmanirbhar Bharat’ in the automotive industry.

The conference also focused on the heavy industry ministry’s green initiatives and implementation of various policies such as production-linked incentive schemes for automotive and advanced cell chemistries (ACC), capital goods Phase-II and FAME Phase-II. These schemes focus on creating a robust ecosystem of innovation that are set to enable development of clean mobility solutions and reduce carbon foot print in the country. 

According to Kamran Rizvi, secretary, MHI, “The Ministry of Heavy Industries through its schemes PLI ACC, PLI auto, FAME-II is taking directed action towards driving India towards cleaner mobility.” He further highlighted that in the last five years India has adopted EV technology at a very fast pace. He called for the automotive industry to avail benefits of the several MHI schemes and expressed confidence that Indian automotive industry is poised to become a global powerhouse.

While the event was attended by automotive industry professionals, senior government officials from MHI, NITI Aayog, MoRTH, MoP, MoP&NG, as well as senior academicians, startups and students, the exposition was a breeding ground for companies working towards future technologies such as fuel-cells, EVs, biodiesel and ethanol-powering solutions. There was product showcase from over 84 companies which included 33 component manufacturers, 11 companies from testing equipment manufacturers and 36 vehicle manufacturers.

Furthermore, the event saw various technical sessions on developing technologies for hydrogen, EVs, biofuels and gas-fuelled vehicles, which were organised on the side lines.

Industry experts and researchers presented cutting-edge technologies which showcased the way forward for driving sustainability in the Indian automotive industry. A dedicated session was also organised where representatives of automotive industry discussed and shared suggestions with officials for successful implementation of these schemes. 

The day-long event which saw over 1500 footfalls also gave a guided tour of the facility which comprises crash test lab, electromagnetic compatibility testing, NVH and tyre-test facility at this full-fledged testing and validation centre.