Autocar Professional - Latest Articles

Safer Roads Need Systems That Act Before the Impact

Autocar Professional Bureau — Sat, 18 Apr 2026 19:57:55

Road safety is still too often treated as a problem to be reviewed after the damage is done. But on high-speed freight corridors, risk does not wait for hindsight. It builds in seconds, through fatigue, distraction, shrinking following distance, and delayed reaction. By the time a crash is recorded, the real opportunity has already passed.

A government-commissioned estimate pegged the socio-economic cost of a road fatality at around ₹91 lakh. For fleets, the impact of a major crash rises even further once downtime, claims, legal effort and missed deliveries are added. In practical terms, a single serious incident can wipe out months of operational gains. That is why road safety needs a new operating logic. It cannot remain a reporting exercise. It has to become a prevention system.

The Real Cost of Hindsight: Shifting Road Safety from Reporting to Prevention

The reality on the road is that risk forms in seconds. Under speed and time pressure, fatigue shows up before failure does. Micro-sleeps and attention loss do not announce themselves. They surface briefly, then turn into late braking, drift or poor judgment. This is exactly why prevention needs to work as a live loop. Systems must detect early cues in milliseconds and respond while the moment is still recoverable.

That is where the shift to edge intelligence becomes decisive. Road dynamics do not wait for cloud round trips. On live routes, latency and inconsistent connectivity can consume the only window that matters, which is the moment before impact. Safety systems need to process what they see in the vehicle, at the edge, and in real time. This is particularly relevant in India, where operating conditions are dynamic, road environments are uneven, and connectivity cannot always be assumed.

But speed alone is not enough, and context matters just as much. The most useful systems are the ones that can explain the “why” behind the risk, not just the “what.” It can distinguish between hard braking due to a cut-in and a distraction event." It can read following-distance changes, unstable traffic flow, drowsiness cues and shifting road conditions in context. The goal is not to generate more alerts. It is to generate the right alerts. Precision matters because nuisance alerts erode trust, and once trust goes, driver engagement tends to go with it.

Validating Technology for the Complexity of Indian Corridors

This is also why ADAS in India is moving into a more meaningful phase. For years, the conversation was centred on promise, but now it is shifting toward proof. ARAI’s Government-backed ADAS test environment in Pune signals an important move from ambition to validation. A controlled proving ground matters because it allows active safety systems to be tested in repeatable, India-relevant conditions rather than being judged only in ideal or imported scenarios.

That distinction is important. Indian roads present a complexity that cannot be reduced to lane markings and clean traffic flow. There is mixed vehicle density, variable road quality, vulnerable road users and a constant negotiation of space. A system that performs well in controlled conditions but fails under real pressure is not deployment-ready. The next stage of this conversation, therefore, is not simply about feature readiness but also about operational readiness. Can these systems hold up over long-haul routes, under glare, at night, in dense traffic and across high-mileage commercial use cases? That is the benchmark that matters.

Physical AI: Closing the Safety Loop

The economics support this shift as well. Crash-avoidance technologies are increasingly being seen not as optional features but as part of safety infrastructure. The commercial ADAS market is growing rapidly, and with good reason. Evidence for closed-loop intervention is becoming harder to ignore. When systems act before impact, outcomes change. That is the larger lesson behind the growing focus on automatic emergency braking and related technologies. The future of road safety will belong to systems that do not just observe risk but reduce it.

This is where the idea of physical AI becomes especially useful. In simple terms, physical AI is AI that perceives, reasons and acts in the physical world in real time. For mobility, that means moving beyond passive recording and towards a closed-loop safety model. Analyse the scene, estimate the risk and then trigger an intervention while the moment is still reversible.

Additionally, it also learns from the outcome. Road safety needs that control-loop mindset because risk on the road does not wait for analysis cycles. It requires systems designed to operate in the moment.

Building a Human-Centric Safety Culture

Yet technology alone will not improve outcomes at scale unless fleets also rethink the human side of safety. Telematics has already become the operating layer for many fleets. The next layer has to be behavioural. Too often, safety systems are still built around gotcha logic. They highlight what went wrong, issue repetitive alerts, and leave drivers feeling judged rather than supported. That approach may create visibility, but it rarely builds lasting engagement.

Positive driving recognition offers a better path. When systems acknowledge safe behaviour alongside risky behaviour, coaching becomes more balanced, more credible and more actionable. It feels fairer, and it earns more trust. In high-mileage, deadline-driven operations, that matters more than many leaders realise.

Drivers are far more likely to engage with a system that reflects the full picture of their performance rather than one that notices them only when something goes wrong. Recognition does not dilute accountability; it strengthens adherence by making the feedback loop more human and more durable.

That, ultimately, is the direction road safety needs to move in. Not toward more footage, more dashboards, more alerts for their own sake. It needs to move toward systems that can detect risk early, understand it accurately and act in time. Safer roads will depend on technologies that work under real driving constraints and on safety cultures that drivers can trust. The real breakthrough will not come from knowing more after a crash. It will come from preventing the crash in the first place.

Ajit Nair is the Director of Product Management at Netradyne. Views expressed are the author's personal.

Myth vs. Reality: What Indian Consumers Still Get Wrong About Refurbished Two-Wheelers

Autocar Professional Bureau — Sat, 18 Apr 2026 19:49:22

India has always had a lively market for used two-wheelers. For years, buying one was a fairly informal exercise. Buying a used bike in India followed a familiar routine. A prospective buyer would drop by a neighbourhood dealer, check in with a trusted mechanic, or simply rely on word of mouth: friends, family, someone who knew someone selling a bike. The decision, more often than not, came down to personal judgement and how credible the seller seemed.

What many people don’t fully realize is the sheer scale this market has reached. Industry estimates suggest India’s pre-owned two-wheeler segment could approach 55.8 million units by 2027, placing it among the country’s largest mobility categories. And yet, perceptions haven’t quite caught up with that reality. For a lot of consumers, refurbished bikes are still viewed through the lens of the old second-hand market.

On the ground, though, the ecosystem has changed. Refurbishment today is far more organised than it once was. Structured inspections, digital documentation and clearer transaction processes are becoming part of the system. Even so, older impressions have a way of sticking around, and they continue to influence how buyers think about refurbished vehicles.

Rethinking trust and ownership history

The first hesitation many buyers express is about the vehicle’s past. How many owners did it have? Was the registration transferred correctly? Could there be unresolved issues attached to the bike?

Not long ago, these were reasonable concerns. Information about a vehicle’s history was not always easy to verify, and buyers often had to rely on the documents shown to them by the seller.

Things are gradually becoming clearer. Many organised refurbishment networks now check registration details and ownership records before a bike is listed. Access to digital vehicle databases has made it easier to confirm whether the paperwork is in order. For buyers, this step removes a large part of the uncertainty that once defined second-hand purchases.

On the selling side, too, the process is becoming more structured. Many platforms now carry out a detailed inspection before listing a vehicle, which helps arrive at a more accurate price and reduces the chances of a seller or buyer being misled during the transaction. Faster payment cycles have also made a difference, giving sellers greater confidence and a sense of closure once the deal is completed.

Moving beyond the spare parts misconception

Another common belief is that refurbished bikes are repaired with random or inferior spare parts. This perception largely comes from the traditional repair ecosystem where the quality of work could vary widely depending on the workshop.

In organised refurbishment facilities today, servicing tends to follow more consistent standards. When parts need replacement, certified or compatible components are typically sourced through verified suppliers. The intention is not just to make the bike functional again but to ensure that it remains dependable for everyday use without any quality compromises.

Simplifying documentation and RC transfers

Paperwork has long been one of the most frustrating parts of buying a used vehicle. RC transfers in particular were often slow, confusing and difficult to track.
Digital systems are gradually easing this process. Another noticeable change is the way information is presented online. Listings now usually spell out documentation details more clearly, which makes it easier for buyers to understand what they are getting into. Digital workflows have also simplified the ownership transfer process, guiding users through each step.

Compared with how things worked earlier, the overall experience feels much more straightforward.

Understanding pricing and depreciation

Pricing is another area where perception gaps frequently emerge—when a refurbished bike is priced attractively, it can sometimes trigger skepticism rather than confidence.

In most cases, the price difference is a reflection of natural depreciation, as two-wheelers typically shed a significant portion of their value in the early years of ownership. Refurbishment aligns with this lifecycle—through rigorous inspection, servicing, and the replacement of worn components where required, these vehicles are restored to deliver reliable performance for a second owner at a fair value.

Another factor increasingly shaping purchase decisions is the availability of financing. While some organised players have introduced accessible credit options for refurbished two-wheelers—expanding access for buyers who prefer not to make an upfront payment—there remains significant scope to further simplify and scale financing solutions.

Refurbishment is more than cosmetic work

There’s a fairly common belief that refurbishing a bike is mostly about improving how it looks. Repaint the panels, polish the surfaces, make the vehicle appear new again. In practice, structured refurbishment operations often take a deeper look.
In more organised setups, this process is often backed by extensive inspection protocols, sometimes covering hundreds of checkpoints.

Buyers are also provided with upfront quality reports for each vehicle that enhances transparency, offering clear visibility into its condition as well as any repairs or replacements undertaken, thereby building greater buyer confidence. This level of transparency makes it easier to understand what to expect in terms of performance.

Technicians typically work through the essentials before a bike returns to the market — the engine, braking systems, suspension and electrical setup. And in many cases the inspection doesn’t stop at what the eye can see. Digital diagnostic tools are now being used to flag issues that might otherwise slip past a basic visual check.

Not too long ago, the refurbished two-wheeler market in India functioned mostly in an informal way. That is beginning to change. Structured inspections verified paperwork and technology-backed checks are gradually bringing more consistency into the system.

For buyers, the shift is becoming increasingly evident. Evaluating a refurbished bike is no longer the uncertain exercise it once was—information is more accessible, and the overall process feels far more transparent. As familiarity with the category grows, perceptions are gradually evolving, with what was once considered a risky purchase now emerging as a practical mobility option—and, for many, The Right Choice—especially in a market like India, where affordability continues to shape buying decisions.

Devesh Taparia is the CEO of DriveX. Views expressed are the authors’ personal.

India’s Ethanol Boom Is Outpacing Its Cars, Why Flex Fuel Vehicles Are Now an Economic Imperative

Autocar Professional Bureau — Sat, 18 Apr 2026 19:36:36

India has successfully engineered a significant transformation in its energy sector. The nation has effectively converted its agricultural foundation into a robust biofuel powerhouse. Driven by ambitious decarbonisation goals and a strategic pursuit of energy independence, installed ethanol production capacity has recently surged to an unprecedented 18 billion litres.

The economic dividends of this transition are already irrefutable. As of February 2026, more than 353 crore litres of ethanol have been mixed into the current supply year alone, making an average of 20 per cent ethanol in petrol. This acceleration has protected the national treasury, saving more than ₹1,70,560 crore in foreign exchange and replacing more than 289 lakh metric tonnes of crude oil.

This project has also led to a huge transfer of wealth to the rural agrarian economy, which has allowed farmers to get paid quickly—over ₹1,50,925 crore since 2014–15. Simultaneously, the programme has delivered a net carbon dioxide reduction of approximately 869 lakh metric tonnes. Yet, this remarkable supply-side triumph has exposed a critical structural vulnerability.

The domestic automotive fleet is restricted by standard engine tolerances and is fundamentally incapable of absorbing this expanding fuel bounty. The reality is straightforward. India’s ethanol boom is unequivocally outpacing its cars. Resolving this supply and demand mismatch is no longer merely an environmental aspiration. It has become an urgent macroeconomic imperative.

The trajectory toward E20 stands as a masterstroke of policy-driven industrial growth. It effectively repurposed surplus and damaged agricultural feedstock, ranging from sugarcane and molasses to maize, into a viable substitute for imported crude oil. Concurrently, distilleries are operating with vast capabilities underwritten by heavy capital expenditure.

Without a corresponding advancement in the vehicles operating on national highways, this significant increase in production is at risk of resulting in a localised supply glut. Such stagnation would invariably threaten the financial viability of the farming communities and manufacturing facilities that catalysed the green transition in the first place.

Breaking past this structural barrier necessitates the aggressive commercialisation of flex-fuel vehicles. Unlike conventional automobiles, these vehicles feature robust, specialised powertrains. They are designed to operate seamlessly with any fuel ratio, accommodating up to eighty-three per cent ethanol or even pure bioethanol.
Integrating these vehicles into the mainstream market fundamentally alters the economic landscape.

They act as shock absorbers for the energy grid that change over time. This creates a domestic market for homegrown fuel that is almost limitless, allowing oil marketing companies to buy ethanol in amounts never seen before.

The macroeconomic benefits of a mature flex-fuel ecosystem go far beyond just cutting down on emissions. For consumers, it gives them real choices for fuel. It protects the cost of everyday travel from the political instability that comes with international crude markets.

For the economy as a whole, speeding up adoption is a practical, low-friction way to achieve deep decarbonisation. This approach utilises extensive existing infrastructure for the production of internal combustion engines and liquid fuels. It completely bypasses the immediate, prohibitive capital shocks associated with a purely electric vehicle overhaul, which often requires significant investment in new infrastructure and technology.

It functions as a highly effective, complementary strategy that connects legacy fossil fuels with future mobility solutions.

Realising this immense potential demands a synchronised, cross-sector strategy. Automakers bear the primary engineering costs of upgrading fuel lines, sensors, and engine calibrations. This transition requires decisive fiscal foresight from policymakers.

Rationalised taxation and targeted production incentives on flex-fuel models are absolutely essential to bridge the initial purchase price gap for buyers. Simultaneously, energy retailers must be motivated to modernise their dispensing networks. Ensuring E85 and E100 pumps become as ubiquitous and accessible as standard petrol stations is a necessary step.

The national dialogue surrounding alternative energy has shifted fundamentally. Ethanol is no longer just a marginal additive; it has matured into a mainstream domestic fuel. The infrastructure to distil it is operating at an unprecedented scale, officially elevating agriculture into a cornerstone of national energy security.

The automotive industry, regulatory bodies, and energy distributors are now in charge of making sure that consumer demand matches this plentiful, renewable supply. Accelerating the rollout of flex-fuel vehicles is the definitive mechanism to unlock the next phase of industrial growth. The fuel is already waiting at the pump. The vehicles simply need to catch up.

Bharati Balaji is the Deputy Director General of All India Distillers’ Association. Views expressed are the author's personal.

Why Tomorrow’s Cities Need Cognitive Mobility, Not Just Better Roads

Autocar Professional Bureau — Sat, 18 Apr 2026 19:15:22

Urban mobility is poised at a pivotal juncture, one that goes beyond merely adopting electric cars, robot taxis, and megablock transit routes. The true revolution will come in how a city thinks about, understands, and reinvents the flows of its citizens. The mobility network of tomorrow will not operate like clockwork but rather like a living brain that senses, predicts, negotiates, and adapts.

For over a decade now, “smart mobility” has been synonymous with dashboards, sensors, and optimization algorithms. But mere optimization is no longer sufficient. Megacities function like turbulent ecosystems. Their dynamics evolve constantly, subject to the whims of human psychology, digital conversations, environmental pressures, and economic patterns. Any city that only analyzes past traffic trends will inevitably fall behind its citizenry.

Flow Net 2.0 introduces an innovative cognitive architecture for urban mobility—that reimagines the city as a living entity capable of self-evolution rather than just infrastructure. The approach presents seven novel frontiers that may shape urban operations for the next fifty years.

1. Urban Psychophysics Understanding the City as a Cognitive Entity
Traditional urban theory revolves around highways, cars, densities, and transportation engineering. With Flow Net 2.0, there is an emerging field called Urban Psychophysics, which explores how the city feels and thinks about its surroundings.

With this framework, the city acquires cognitive powers:

Perception – detection of pressure, imbalance, and latent mobility demand
Attention – allocation of computational power to important nodes
Memory – storage of behavioural patterns and chronic congestion points
Learning – reinforcement of successful patterns that generate consistent mobility flows

The road network is akin to the brain’s neural circuitry, intersection junctions to synapses, and mobility pulses to sensory stimuli. Traffic congestion becomes a city’s pain signal, and mobility flow represents a state of balance.
Unlike present-day urban systems that respond to live traffic signals, cognitive cities anticipate mobility disruptions weeks or even months in advance.

Example:

Demographic changes, business districts, childcare registrations, or delivery frequencies may predict future traffic burdens well before traffic sensors start blaring.

This is a city that gets to know itself through social changes long before it happens.

2. Metamorphic Corridors - Roads That Adapt Their Form

Fixed road geometry is characteristic of our cities at present. Metamorphic mobility corridors are conceived of in Flow Net 2.0, streets that transform their function depending on anticipated behavioral patterns.

Such metamorphic corridors would enable:

Car lanes becoming bus spines and cycle superhighways
A distinction between self-driving cars and other manual-driven ones
Transformation into night logistics corridors
Becoming pedestrianized during ultra-low traffic periods
Reallocation of kerbside space depending on changing incoming flows

Not reacting to congestion but rather being a result of long-term anticipation – migration flows during festivals, behavioral changes due to hybrid work practices, online event, weather-based changes, or economic activity seasons.

Mobility adapts to humans' evolving needs before humans themselves recognize them.

3. Crowd-Shadow Modelling - Predictive Avatars Inside a City-Scale Digital Twin

Flow Net 2.0 introduces an innovative prediction engine called Crowd-Shadow Modelling.

Every individual, delivery network, commercial area, or civic entity has a behavioural shadow within the digital avatar of the city, linked not by identity but by patterns. The shadows react to:

Micro-behaviours (transportation schedules, recreational patterns)
Collective triggers (working hours, vacations)
Macro indicators (economy, weather, policy changes)
Sentiments (emotions inferred from digital conversations)
These shadows predict how millions will behave under new circumstances.

Applications:

If 40,000 shadows switch from automobiles to metro because of rumours about rising fuel prices, the frequency of transport services is immediately boosted.
If an upcoming sporting event causes late-night crowds, the system allocates pedestrian paths, cycling tracks, and dynamic bus routes.
Urban mobility starts being planned based on behavioural probabilities rather than reactionary measures.

4. Multi-Agent Negotiation, Mobility Systems That Can Talk to Each Other

Today’s mobility system issues orders without negotiations. The Flow Net 2.0 system, however, creates an Urban Negotiation Layer, in which each element in the system becomes an agent with their own agenda.

These agents might be:

Bus networks wanting green wave priority
Freight transporters asking for night delivery windows
Bicycle lanes requiring safe passage
Environmental models needing slower speeds with reduced carbon emissions
Pedestrians wanting more walking time following major events
Energy networks trying to stabilize electric vehicle charging

An AI-based arbiter mediates these requests in real-time, aiming to achieve the most beneficial result for the greater good of the city.

Mobility is transformed from a strict manual into an intelligent ecological system, similar to how different species negotiate their survival in a forest environment.

5. Emotional Mobility Index (EMI) - The Mood of the City

It is not the delay that makes transport systems collapse, but rather the emotional effects of the delays themselves:

Nervousness about unreliable arrival times
Angst about congestion
Feelings of inequality regarding traffic light control
Worries about missing out on commitments
Annoyance about chaotic traffic lights/queue management

The Flow Net 2.0 solution comes in the form of the Emotional Mobility Index (EMI), which is a composite measure of the emotional state of the city through the following factors:

Commuter sentiment
Social media trends
Transport complaints
Sound profiles
Crowd stress on public transport services
Journey chain reliability
Walking environment comfort levels

This is followed by optimization of policies, lane allocations, and transport schedules based on efficiency and psychological well-being.

6. Temporal Mobility Sculpting - Shaping Time as a New Urban Resource

Space is limited. So are vehicles. Time, however, can be made infinite by proper planning.

With Flow Net 2.0, time itself becomes the ultimate infrastructure layer for cities to manipulate.

Urban space can be crafted via:

Staggering work hours
Allowances of time-dependent lanes
Window deliveries
School timings based on AI calculations during peak stress periods
Transit cycles that emulate biological systems
It is not about road width but width of time slots.
Temporal urbanism thus emerges as a new domain.

7. Mobility as a Cooperative Game, Citizens as Active Designers

In FlowNet 2.0, citizenship is viewed as a participatory component of urban flow. Through the use of micro-credits and verifiable proof of mobility:

Delaying non-essential journeys yields incentive for individuals
Changing the timing of deliveries earns tax credits for retailers
Carpooling creates mutual mobility credits
Self-driving cars incur “attention costs” when they strain the system
Tele-presence during wave peaks earns mobility credits for employees

The city becomes a collaborative environment where even small behaviors can make a difference for overall flow optimization.

Mobility becomes a game of civic participation where everyone’s rational self-interest creates global advantage.

Conclusion

The concept of Flow Net 2.0 represents a move from conventional ideas about "smart cities" towards sentient cities wherein mobility is not reactive but rather interpretative, predictive, and collaborative.

A vision where:

Roads act as adaptive tissues
Digital doppelgangers predict collective movement
Negotiations are conducted like intelligent agencies
Mood determines urban policies
Time can be manipulated as an engineering element
Citizens actively create mobility solutions

What this isn’t, an incremental step towards better transportation planning; what it is – the evolution of a new living stratum in the urban organism.

Harilal Bhaskar is the Chief Operating Officer, and National Coordinator at I-STEM, Principal Scientific Adviser (P.S.A.) Government of India. Views expressed are the author's personal.

How Radar And Lidar Work Together To Make Autonomous Vehicles Safer

Autocar Professional Bureau — Sat, 11 Apr 2026 19:11:06

Autonomous vehicles are advancing at a remarkable pace, but their true promise lies in one thing above all: safety. For self-driving cars to operate reliably, they must perceive their surroundings under every possible condition, from bright sunlight to dense fog, from crowded city streets to open highways.

No single sensor can do this alone. That’s why modern autonomous systems rely on multiple sensing technologies working in concert, with radar and LiDAR forming the foundation of vehicle perception. Together, they create a robust safety net that enables machines to make smarter, faster, and safer decisions.

Building a Layered Perception System

At its core, vehicle perception is about understanding both movement and context. Radar and LiDAR excel in different areas, and their strengths counterbalance each other’s limitations.

1. Radar: Radar (Radio Detection and Ranging) uses radio waves to sense objects. These radio waves are largely unaffected by rain, fog, snow, or darkness, giving radar a distinct reliability advantage. In real driving scenarios, radar provides consistent measurements of distance and relative speed, even when lighting and visibility are poor, conditions that challenge optical and laser‑based systems.

This reliability has translated into broad adoption. Industry data shows that radar sensors accounted for roughly 55 % penetration across autonomous vehicles in 2023, reflecting their foundational role in perception systems.

Because radar directly measures velocity using the Doppler effect, it is especially valuable for tracking moving vehicles, cyclists, and other dynamic hazards—a critical capability for collision avoidance and adaptive cruise control systems. This strength makes radar a vital part of sensor stacks even as other technologies evolve.

2. LiDAR: LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging) uses pulsed laser light to generate a dense 3D point cloud of the vehicle’s surroundings. Millions of laser pulses per second allow it to map objects with high spatial resolution, capturing shape, size, and precise location. This level of detail enables LiDAR to distinguish complex objects, such as a pedestrian’s posture or a cyclist’s orientation, far more reliably than radar alone.

In 2024, approximately 1.5 million LiDAR units were installed in passenger vehicles, pushing global LiDAR penetration to about 6 % of all new vehicles. While this may seem modest compared with radar’s broader use, LiDAR’s role is growing rapidly, especially in higher levels of autonomy where precise environmental context matters most. Its ability to produce a 360‑degree spatial map enhances decision-making in tight urban environments and during intricate manoeuvres like lane changes and turns.

Why Sensor Fusion Is Critical

Autonomous vehicles use sensor fusion to combine radar, LiDAR, and camera data into a single, reliable view of the environment. Instead of relying on one input, the system continuously prioritises the most dependable data in real time.

Reliable Detection Across Conditions: When visibility drops due to rain, fog, or low light, radar maintains consistent detection while LiDAR or cameras may lose clarity. This ensures stable object tracking in changing environments.

Better Understanding of Movement: LiDAR maps the surroundings with high precision, while radar measures speed and direction. Together, they enable accurate prediction of how vehicles, pedestrians, and obstacles are moving.

Redundancy for Safety: If one sensor underperforms or is obstructed, others compensate. This built-in redundancy helps maintain continuous situational awareness and supports safer decision-making.

Market Momentum and Future Potential

The autonomous vehicle sensor market is expanding steadily, driven by the growing need for reliable perception systems. The global market, spanning radar, LiDAR, and related technologies, is projected to grow from USD 14.4 Bn in 2026 to over USD 36.25 Bn by 2035, reflecting a CAGR of approximately 10.8%. This growth signals a clear shift toward multi-sensor architectures becoming standard across both passenger vehicles and autonomous fleets.

LiDAR, in particular, is entering a high-growth phase. As solid-state designs reduce cost and improve durability, adoption is accelerating across advanced driver assistance systems and higher levels of autonomy.

What Lies Ahead

The next phase of development is being shaped by advances in 4D imaging radar and next-generation LiDAR systems that are more compact, efficient, and cost-effective. These improvements are strengthening sensor fusion capabilities, enabling more accurate perception in real-world conditions.

As these technologies mature, they are pushing the industry closer to Level 3 and Level 4 autonomy, where vehicles can handle most driving tasks independently within defined environments.

Prashanth Doreswamy is the President & CEO of Aumovio India. Views expressed are the authors' personal.

India’s Road Safety Imperative: How Helmet Innovation and Premiumization Can Save Thousands of Lives

Autocar Professional Bureau — Sat, 11 Apr 2026 11:36:48

India’s mobility story is expanding at an unprecedented pace. Two-wheelers remain the backbone of personal transportation for millions of Indians. From daily commuting in cities to essential mobility in rural markets, motorcycles and scooters enable livelihoods, education and economic participation.

Yet the growth of mobility brings with it a critical responsibility. Safety must keep pace with scale.

In January 2026 alone, India recorded more than 19.25 lakh two-wheeler sales, representing a 26 percent increase compared to January 2025 and the highest-ever January performance for the segment. As this mobility ecosystem expands, improving road safety outcomes becomes an urgent national priority.

Two-wheeler riders remain among the most vulnerable road users in India. While infrastructure, enforcement and rider behaviour all influence accident outcomes, one fact remains clear: Among all safety interventions, wearing a certified helmet remains the single most effective line of defence against head injuries.

India’s road safety challenge therefore rests on three pillars: scale, safety and innovation.

1. India’s Two-Wheeler Reality: Mobility at Unprecedented Scale

India today has one of the largest two-wheeler ecosystems in the world. Scooters and motorcycles dominate the country’s vehicle population and remain essential for commuting, employment and daily mobility.

More than 2.02 crore two-wheelers were sold in calendar year 2025, representing the largest share of India’s mobility market. Growth is increasingly driven by expanding rural mobility as well as riders upgrading from entry-level motorcycles to premium commuter and lifestyle bikes.

This transformation reflects the scale of India’s mobility expansion. At the same time, it increases the number of riders exposed to road risks, making the adoption of safety equipment even more critical.

2. The Safety Gap: Why Two-Wheeler Fatalities Remain High

Despite improvements in vehicle safety and road infrastructure, two-wheeler riders remain disproportionately exposed in road accidents.

A significant proportion of these fatalities are linked to either the non-use of helmets or the use of substandard helmets, resulting in severe head injuries that could otherwise have been prevented.

Road accident data presented in Parliament in December 2025 highlights the scale of the issue. Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways Shri Nitin Gadkari stated in the Rajya Sabha that speeding and the non-usage of helmets and seatbelts together accounted for nearly 39 percent of road deaths in India.

Independent road safety analyses further show that tens of thousands of two-wheeler fatalities every year involve riders who were not wearing helmets at the time of the accident.

Improving helmet usage therefore remains one of the most immediate and effective interventions available to reduce road fatalities in India.

3. The Fake Helmet Crisis

Another challenge is the widespread presence of counterfeit or substandard helmets in the market.

In India, motorcycle helmets are required to comply with the BIS safety standard IS 4151 and carry the ISI certification mark. This ensures that helmets undergo prescribed tests for impact absorption, penetration resistance and retention system strength. However, enforcement gaps have allowed substandard helmets that falsely display certification marks to enter the market.

The United Nations Special Envoy for Road Safety recently warned about the prevalence of fake helmets in India and called for stronger enforcement of helmet laws.

Substandard helmets may appear visually similar to certified products but often fail during impact.

4. Innovation in Helmet Technology

Helmet technology has evolved significantly over the past decade. Modern helmets increasingly incorporate multi-density EPS liners, advanced thermoplastic or composite shells, improved aerodynamics and enhanced ventilation systems. High clarity visors with anti-scratch and UV protection improve usability and comfort for riders.

International safety standards such as ECE and DOT require more rigorous testing protocols and higher performance benchmarks.

Continued innovation in helmet engineering therefore remains critical as India’s mobility ecosystem evolves.

5. Premiumisation and the Cultural Shift in Safety

India’s motorcycle market is undergoing a structural shift. Riders are increasingly upgrading from basic commuter motorcycles to premium commuter bikes, adventure motorcycles and performance scooters.

As India moves up the motorcycle value chain, safety equipment must evolve alongside.

Helmets are gradually transitioning from being viewed merely as a regulatory requirement to being recognized as essential protective gear.

Premium helmets typically offer improved impact protection, better ventilation, lighter weight and stronger structural integrity. These features enhance safety and comfort, encouraging riders to wear helmets consistently.

Encouraging riders to adopt better engineered helmets rather than only cheaper alternatives can significantly improve safety outcomes at scale.

6. Policy and Ecosystem Support

Technology alone cannot solve the safety challenge. Stronger enforcement against fake helmets, wider public awareness campaigns and improved accessibility of certified helmets are necessary.

There is also growing discussion around the GST mismatch between vehicles and helmets where two-wheelers have received tax relief while helmets continue to remain taxed at higher rates.

Addressing such policy gaps can encourage greater adoption of certified helmets and improve road safety outcomes.

India’s mobility expansion represents opportunity, connectivity and economic progress for millions of citizens. However mobility growth must be matched by a stronger commitment to safety. Improving helmet adoption, eliminating counterfeit products, investing in technological innovation and encouraging premiumisation of safety gear can together create a safer road ecosystem.

If policymakers, industry and consumers align on these priorities, India can significantly reduce two-wheeler fatalities while ensuring that the country’s mobility revolution remains inclusive and safer for millions of riders.

Sidhartha Bhushan Khurana is the Managing Director of the STUDDS Accessories Ltd. Views expressed are the authors' personal.

How Code Is Powering the Cars of Tomorrow

Autocar Professional Bureau — Mon, 06 Apr 2026 14:13:45

Historically, a car's worth was defined by its powertrain and physical body, but today, value is dictated by the software that powers it. Reports indicate that by 2026, software will comprise 50% of a vehicle's total value, and revenues from software-driven mobility services are projected to double by 2035.

This shift is driven by the rise of Software-Defined Vehicles (SDVs), which offer levels of personalization, convenience, and intelligence impossible to achieve through hardware alone.

Software as a primary source of long-term value creation in modern vehicles

Modern infotainment systems serve as central digital hubs, supporting personalized user experiences, media, connected services and app ecosystem. By leverage cloud AI to these digital hubs, they can learn user routines and suggest destinations based on behaviour, such as your preferred food locations, restaurants, and regular stops.

Advanced AI algorithms learn driver preferences to automatically adjust HVAC (climate control), seating, lighting, and music playlists. Automakers are increasingly offering vehicle capabilities through digital subscriptions or one-time purchases. Drivers can activate features such as advanced driver assistance, heated seats, performance boosts, or enhanced navigation services through software updates without needing hardware changes. This allows manufacturers to generate recurring revenue while giving customers flexibility to enable features only when needed.

Beyond comfort and convenience, advanced AI and software are the foundation of modern vehicle safety. Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS) heavily rely on sophisticated software algorithms that combine inputs from cameras, radar, LiDAR, and ultrasonic sensors. Through sensor fusion, the vehicle processes and interprets multiple data streams simultaneously to support safe decision-making.

These systems generate real-time environmental models that enable safety functions such as automatic emergency braking, lane-keeping assistance, obstacle detection, and blind-spot monitoring.

Ultimately, software creates long-term value because it decouples functionality from static hardware. Through Over-The-Air (OTA) updates, automakers can continually upgrade a vehicle's AI models, enhance sensor fusion capabilities, HVAC performance, and update infotainment features even after the vehicle is sold.

Role of cloud-native infrastructure and OTA capabilities in reshaping automotive product lifecycles

Traditional automotive product development typically followed a fixed multi-year hardware lifecycle. Today, cloud-native infrastructure and OTA capabilities are enabling a shift towards continuous integration and deployment (CI/CD) model. This transforms vehicles into platforms that can receive new features and capabilities long after they leave the factory floor.

Traditionally, software teams had to wait for physical prototypes before testing could begin. Today, cloud-native infrastructure breaks this bottleneck through the virtualization of vehicle hardware and software components, including the use of lightweight virtual electronic control units (vECUs). These virtual development environments, supported by high-performance computing, allow engineers to perform Software-in-the-Loop (SiL) and Hardware-in-the-Loop (HiL) testing earlier in the development cycle, accelerating design and validation processes for vehicles that do not even physically exist.

Manufacturers are establishing cloud-based data meshes capable of processing exabytes of telemetry from connected fleets. This single-point-of-truth democratizes data access across engineering, manufacturing, supply chain, and sales, allowing massive data-driven experimentation and behavioural analysis.

Linux-based containers (Red Hat OpenShift/Podman) allow software applications to be completely decoupled from the underlying vehicle hardware. Thus, engineers can rapidly develop and deploy lightweight updates to the vehicle's edge gateway without needing direct access to the target hardware

The continuous, wireless evolution fundamentally alters automotive economics and recall management. In traditional recall scenarios, software defects often required dealership visits for updates, increasing cost. With OTA capabilities, manufacturers can remotely push fixes directly to the affected ECUs.

Critical role of agile software engineering and CI/CD in accelerating automotive innovation

The shift toward SDV requires automakers to adopt agile, platform-based approaches driven by CI/CD. Traditional vehicle development relied on sequential hardware-driven processes where software integration occurred late in the development cycle, leading to delays and integration challenges. CI/CD changed this dynamic by automating software delivery, adopting a “software-first" approach that operates on a continuous platform lifecycle rather than a static, multi-year program lifecycle.

Automotive software involves vast complexity across multiple interconnected subsystems, from infotainment to powertrain control, where manual dependency management often leads to integration delays. CI/CD solves this by automatically integrating, building and testing every code change. Using cloud-based virtual engineering workbenches, engineers can build, simulate, validate software as well as facilitate SiL and HiL validation, performance testing, and integration testing long before the physical vehicle is assembled.

A unique challenge in automotive agile development is the need to maintain strict public safety and regulatory compliance while accelerating delivery. Integrating safety activities directly into DevOps workflows has led to the concept of “DevSafeOps”. CI/CD platforms are utilized to automatically enforce vital compliance standards during development, such as:

ISO 26262 and ASPICE: Automated compliance checks ensure that code changes remain aligned with the international safety and development standards.
Security Scanning: Automated Static Application Security Testing (SAST) and Dynamic Application Security Testing (DAST) scans are embedded directly into the pipeline to detect cybersecurity vulnerabilities early in the development cycle.

Modern vehicles contain many complex ECUs that must be updated without latency. CI/CD provides the orchestration required to safely deploy updates across the vehicle architecture. It enables phased rollouts to test vehicles and coordinated updates to manufacturing systems. If OTA update or manufacturing system deployment encounters an error, CI/CD pipeline ensures automated rollbacks that revert the system to a safe state, minimizing risk and financial impact

Reimagining R&D and innovation pipelines for next-generation mobility

R&D must move away from static "program" lifecycles to continuous "platform" lifecycles. This technological shift requires a cultural transformation. Traditional, multi-layered bureaucratic matrices must become leaner and flatter to empower engineers and speed up decision-making. In fact, many automotive organizations acknowledge that a software-driven strategy demands a complete overhaul of their organizational models, processes, and skill sets.

Internally, R&D must utilize cloud-based data meshes which enable seamless collaboration between engineering, manufacturing, and sales through shared telemetry and analytics. Externally, automakers are forming alliances with hyperscalers, semiconductor companies, and technology partners to build open, standardized platforms instead of isolated proprietary stacks.

As software becomes a central differentiator in vehicles, automakers are increasingly investing in patents. Protecting intellectual property is becoming a critical part of R&D strategy because it allows companies to secure technological advantages and create licensing opportunities. A strong patent portfolio strengthens competitive positioning in a rapidly evolving mobility ecosystem and safeguards innovation.

Automation and security-by-design in software-defined automotive ecosystems

The expansion of SDVs dramatically increases cybersecurity challenges. With AI-driven autonomy, multi-supplier software ecosystems, OTA updates, and V2X connectivity, the attack surface becomes significantly broader. Ensuring operational resilience requires security-by-design and extensive automation across the entire lifecycle.

Through Architectural Isolation and Future-Proofing Operational, modern SDV architectures isolate safety-critical and non-critical domains from each other. This prevents attackers from exploiting low-priority systems as entry points into essential vehicle controls. Automotive-grade hypervisors and containerized platforms enforce strong logical separations across vehicle functions. Distributing workloads across High-Performance Computers (HPCs) limits the blast radius of failures or cyber intrusions.

Researchers are exploring the use of advanced automation, such as using Large Language Models (LLMs), to automate time-intensive safety design processes like Hazard Analysis Risk Assessment (HARA) and requirements engineering. Utilising AI-based threat detection systems to analyze patterns and identify anomalies within the vehicle's network traffic in real time. Ensuring these automated detection and fail-safe systems operate instantly without introducing computational latency that could jeopardize safety-critical driving tasks is a major challenge.

OTA updates are the most critical cybersecurity challenge in SDVs; a single compromised or faulty update can paralyze millions of vehicles simultaneously. Operational resilience absolutely requires resilient recovery mechanisms, such as secure failsafe modes and automated rollback procedures, to instantly revert a vehicle's systems to a known safe state if an update fails or corrupts.

Conclusion:

The shift to software‑defined mobility is not a future scenario but a present reality. Our responsibility as leaders is to treat every vehicle as a dynamic platform continuously enhanced, inherently secure, and enabled by a culture of rapid, disciplined innovation. Those who master this shift will not just build better cars; they will build enduring customer relationships and create resilient, high‑margin businesses.

Gilroy Mathew is the COO of UST. Views expressed are the authors' personal.

Is India Ready for Long Distance Electric Touring?

Autocar Professional Bureau — Sat, 04 Apr 2026 13:12:07

In 2020, I bought my first electric car. At roughly ₹20 lakh, it made absolute sense for city use. For daily commuting, it was a no-brainer - quiet, efficient, and significantly cheaper to run than an internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicle.

But long-distance touring was a different story. It was possible, but it demanded planning. Range was limited, charging infrastructure was sparse and often unreliable, and multiple charging standards created confusion for early adopters.

Two years later, in 2022, I bought my second electric car. It cost about the same but offered 25% more range and noticeably faster charging. The ecosystem had started maturing. The industry was converging on more unified charging standards, and infrastructure was improving. Touring became easier, though still not quite comparable to ICE vehicles.

Fast forward to 2026, and the transformation is striking. Today, you can buy an electric car with significantly higher range, much faster charging speeds, and at nearly half the price of what early adopters paid just a few years ago. Charging infrastructure has expanded and stabilised to a point where electric cars are not just viable, but often the default choice even as the only car in a household. In many cases, they are as affordable as, if not more affordable than, entry-level ICE cars.

This is what rapid technological and ecosystem evolution looks like. Over a span of five years, each incremental improvement better products, wider infrastructure, clearer standardsbrought in new segments of users. That, in turn, accelerated adoption and investment, creating a self-reinforcing cycle. Today, approximately 1 in 13 cars sold in India is electric.

A similar evolution has already played out in the scooter segment. Between 2018 and now, awareness increased, product quality improved, and consumers were offered a wider range of choices. Electric scooters moved from being niche products to mainstream mobility solutions. Today, 1 in 4 scooters sold in India is electric.

Motorcycles, however, are at a very different stage in this journey, especially when it comes to long-distance touring. As of today, roughly 1 in 1,000 motorcycles sold in India is electric. This isn’t due to a lack of interest or awareness, but largely because the category itself has not yet seen meaningful product evolution. For a long time, there simply haven’t been compelling electric options that meet the expectations of motorcycle users.

And that’s an important distinction - motorcycles are not scooters. The way people buy and use motorcycles in India is fundamentally different. Motorcycles are often associated with performance, longer commutes, and touring. They are expected to handle sustained high speeds, varied terrains, and longer distances. The emotional and functional expectations from a motorcycle are significantly higher, which makes electrification more complex.

Manufacturers today are exploring different architectures to solve for this gap. The challenge is not just about achieving range, but about delivering sustained performance, managing thermal loads, and enabling practical long-distance usability. One of the key learnings from the electric car journey is the role of high-voltage architectures. High-voltage systems enable more efficient power delivery, better thermal management, and faster charging, all of which are critical for performance-oriented vehicles.

For electric motorcycles aiming to match the expectations set by ICE counterparts, sustained performance is the ability to maintain consistent speeds over extended periods without any drop in power, which is essential for highway riding. Equally important is thermal reliability, where efficient heat management ensures that performance remains stable even under continuous load. Infrastructure access completes the equation, allowing compatibility with widely available charging networks, particularly those designed for cars, making long-distance touring practical and dependable.

To understand where India stands today, it is important to look at real-world usage. Recently, we undertook a 7,500 km journey across India on an electric motorcycle. The trip was completed in roughly the same time it would take on an ICE vehicle. More importantly, it was completed without breakdowns and without reliance on improvised charging solutions.

Experiences like these indicate two important shifts. First, charging infrastructure across key routes in India has reached a level of readiness that can support long-distance electric travel. While gaps still exist, especially in remote regions, the backbone is now in place. Second, electric vehicles, when built with the right architecture, are capable of handling long-distance touring without compromising on reliability or usability.

That said, the transition is still in its early stages for motorcycles. Unlike cars and scooters, the category is only beginning to see products that are engineered from the ground up to meet its unique demands. Adoption will follow a familiar curve - early adopters first, followed by broader segments as confidence in the product and ecosystem grows.

The next few years will be critical. As more manufacturers introduce purpose-built electric motorcycles, and as infrastructure continues to expand, we are likely to see a tipping point similar to what played out in cars and scooters. Standardisation, cost reduction, and user confidence will together drive this shift.

So, is India ready for long-distance electric touring? From an infrastructure standpoint, India is closer than ever before. From a technology standpoint, the building blocks are now in place. What remains is the wider availability of products that can fully leverage this ecosystem and meet the expectations of motorcycle users. In many ways, this is where electric motorcycles stand today

Dinesh Arjun is the Co-Founder and CEO of Raptee.HV. Views expressed are the authors' personal.

From Batteries to Chargers: Copper's Indispensable Role

Autocar Professional Bureau — Sat, 28 Mar 2026 14:29:36

At the heart of the electric vehicle (EV) revolution lies copper given its critical role in the entire value chain of the new global automobile revolution. Its strategic importance encompasses not just the production of electric vehicles, creation of charging infrastructure but also developing energy storage. Copper’s value in EV’s ecosystem stems from its low cost compared to alternate metals, coupled with high durability, malleability and conductivity.

EVs consume 80-100 kg of copper: much more than traditional internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicles (20-25 kg) and hybrid electric cars (40kg). Copper’s unmatched electrical conductivity at 59.6 MegaSiemens per meter (MS/m) at room temperature compares favourably with aluminium's 37.8 MS/m, copper’s closest alternative. This allows automobile manufacturers to pack in smaller copper components tightly ensuring higher efficiency as less power is lost through poor conductivity.

Although cheaper than copper, aluminium cables suffer from a disadvantage. It needs to have a double cross-sectional area than copper to conduct the same amount of electricity, thereby taking up more space. Additionally, copper is 100% recyclable, meaning it can be used time and time again without any loss of conductivity.

Copper windings are key in EV motors because it creates strong magnetic fields for better torque and speed. More copper in motors means smaller, tighter designs, reduced resistance and hence less wastage on producing heat —providing more energy for quick acceleration and long highway drives.

Similarly, EV inverters and controllers use copper busbars-- solid metallic strip or bar that distributes electrical power in a variety of systems to handle high-voltage power smoothly-- cutting losses by up to 20% compared to other materials. Hence, EVs with more copper get 10-15% better energy efficiency, which means longer real-world range even in tough conditions like cold weather or heavy loads.

Battery Boost

Lithium-ion batteries use copper foil in the anode to ensure better conductivity. Stronger, purer copper improves the electron flow by cutting internal resistance which results in super-fast charging—like 80% in just 20 minutes. Its higher thermal conductivity dissipates heat well ensuring that batteries remain safe from degradation and retains more than 90% capacity even after thousands of cycles. Optimised copper content in EVs sees 5-10% gains in battery efficiency, directly boosting how far an electric vehicle (EV) can travel on a single charge.

EV infrastructure

Additionally, copper also plays an important role in electric vehicle infrastructure. In fact, Wood Mackenzie, a leading global research, analytics, and consultancy firm tracking energy, renewables, metals, and mining industries estimates that the EV sector will need 250% more copper by 2030 just for charging stations alone. This growth is dependent on the belief that there will be more than 20 million EV charging points globally. Charging stations alone contain 0.7 kg of copper (for a 3.3 kW charger) or 8 kg (for a 200-kW charger).

Wiring and Durability Edge

Copper's low resistance ensures that EV wiring harnesses continue to handle massive currents-- more than 400 volts-- without voltage drops and fires. Thicker copper cables up to 370 kg ensures greater safety and performance in trucks or buses. Coppers corrosion resistance properties prolong its longevity: it can last for 20 to 30 years even in the most adverse conditions—lowering maintenance and total ownership costs.

Despite India’s focus on the electrification of its transport system, the copper’s supply crunch has the potential to derail India’s ambitious EV rollout target, inflate costs, and strain India’s foreign currency reserves. Geopolitics and breakdown in existing global supply chains can exacerbate the situation given Indonesia's ban on copper concentrate and China’s refining dominance.

India's copper consumption touched 1,878 kilotonnes in FY25, witnessing a 9.3% year-on-year, driven by EVs, renewables, and infrastructure. Analysts predict total demand reaching 3.24 million tonnes by FY30 in conventional sectors, plus 2,74,000 tonnes from energy transition—including EVs and battery storage.

Domestic production, however, continues to lag with the country producing approximately 497,000 metric tons of refined copper and importing 90% of its copper concentrates, a figure expected to touch 97% by 2047.

India’s challenge is not only rising demand but also constrained domestic refining capacity. Sterlite Copper, once India’s largest copper smelter and a major supplier to the power, infrastructure, and automotive sectors, played a critical role in supporting the country’s copper ecosystem and reducing dependence on imports. As EV adoption accelerates and copper demand surges, strengthening and restoring such domestic refining capabilities will be essential for securing affordable supply and ensuring that India’s green mobility ambitions are not constrained by global supply disruptions.

However, decisive reforms like streamlining mining auctions, clearances, and exploration via the National Mineral Exploration Trust—can unlock greenfield sites. There is also a need to incentivise private investment with FDI reforms and reopen earlier smelters. These initiatives can turn crunch into opportunity—securing jobs, energy security, and EV leadership. India must act swiftly to smoothen its green future.

Dilip Chenoy is the Former Secretary General, FICCI and Director General of the Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers. Views expressed are the authors’ personal.

The Local Blueprint: How India Is Rewriting the Rules of Micro-mobility

Autocar Professional Bureau — Sat, 14 Mar 2026 18:52:31

By 2030, India will likely be home to one of the world’s largest micromobility markets. But the real story is not scale, it is how India is building this transition, and what it reveals about the future of industrial policy in the Global South.

Over the past two decades, the global automotive industry has experienced multiple waves of disruption. Some were incremental, driven by efficiency gains; others were cyclical, shaped by regulatory shifts or commodity cycles. What is unfolding in India’s two- and three-wheeler ecosystem today, however, is fundamentally different.

It is not merely a technology transition. It represents the emergence of a new industrial logic rooted in utility, decentralisation, and livelihood economics.
Recent data suggests that India's micromobility story is no longer derivative of global trends. Instead, it is increasingly becoming a reference point in its own right.

India’s Moment

For years, China has been viewed as the benchmark for scale in electric mobility. The distinction lies not only in volume, but in approach. China’s electric two-wheeler expansion was largely mandate-driven, propelled by regulatory direction and manufacturing scale. India’s adoption, by contrast, has been more organic driven by everyday utility, favourable cost economics, and fragmented consumer demand while also being supported by a positive policy framework that incentivises adoption rather than enforcing it through strict mandates.

This bottom-up adoption pattern has turned India into a global laboratory for high-utility micromobility. In contrast to Europe’s urban micro mobility narrative or China’s manufacturing-driven electrification, India’s transition is being written by delivery riders, small traders, and informal workers who view mobility not as a lifestyle choice, but as economic infrastructure.

The Economic Engine: TCO and the Gig Economy

India’s transition is powered by a fundamental shift in Total Cost of Ownership (TCO). For India’s rapidly expanding gig economy estimated at 15 million workers today and projected to reach 23.5 million by 2030 mobility is not discretionary. It is a livelihood infrastructure.

The economics are stark. Electric alternatives deliver a 40–50% TCO advantage over a three-year ownership cycle. For commercial users, this difference is not abstract; it is the difference between subsistence and savings

Picture a typical Indian petrol station: idling engines, the smell of exhaust, a slow-moving midday queue. In the lane next to the cars, a young delivery partner on an electric two-wheeler rolls in, swaps two batteries in under 90 seconds at a modular cabinet, and rides off before the vehicle at the front of the line has finished refueling.

That moment captures the new industrial logic—speed, decentralisation, and cost efficiency over centralised fuel infrastructure.Industry observations suggest that delivery and logistics workers transitioning to electric vehicles, particularly through battery swapping models, can increase monthly take-home income by close to 20%. In many cases, recurring fuel expenses are being converted into household savings, quietly reshaping urban economic mobility.

Rethinking What Scale Really Means

If electric two-wheelers capture roughly 25–30 % of India’s total two-wheeler market by 2030, a plausible scenario under current industry forecasts annual EV 2W sales could reach around 6.5–9 million units. At typical average selling prices for electric two-wheelers in India, this translates into an annual market opportunity on the order of roughly $10–$14 billion in today’s dollar terms.

The downstream effects are even larger. Supporting a fleet of this scale will require an estimated 2.5 million public charging and swapping touchpoints nationwide, giving rise to a parallel energy services economy. In effect, India is not merely electrifying vehicles; it is building a distributed energy grid, one parking lot and depot at a time.

The Green-Collar Shift: Micromobility is also reshaping India’s labour market.
Policy-level projections from the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways estimate India’s EV market could create a significant number of new jobs across the value chain.This transition is creating a “green-collar” workforce that extends far beyond assembly lines. High-tech R&D roles, battery gigafactory operations, telematics specialists, swap-station operators, and fleet managers are emerging as new occupational categories.

Importantly, these are not low-value roles. EV-linked positions may command a salary premium over traditional internal combustion engine jobs due to specialised skills in power electronics, software integration, and data-driven fleet optimisation.In a country where demographic dividend risks turning into demographic liability, micro mobility could become a rare industrial sector that simultaneously drives decarbonisation, employment, and skills upgrading.Dual-Track Infrastructure:

Swapping and Fast Charging

India’s energy infrastructure strategy is evolving along two parallel tracks: battery swapping for commercial fleets and fast charging for broader consumer adoption.Battery swapping has emerged as the new standard for delivery and logistics use cases. India’s swapping networks now conduct over 300,000 swaps daily, with more than 100 million lifetime swaps completed.

Battery swapping is increasingly gaining traction in last-mile delivery and logistics, where uptime and total cost of ownership are critical. Industry estimates suggest India’s swapping ecosystem already supports large-scale daily swap volumes, with cumulative swaps in the tens of millions.

For fleet operators, Battery-as-a-Service models can materially lower operating costs versus petrol, while reducing upfront vehicle prices by separating battery ownership from the vehicle, improving capital efficiency and accelerating fleet electrification.

De-Risking the Asset: Uptime and Financing

The final barrier to mass adoption has historically been financing. The sector is now addressing this by shifting focus from ownership to utilisation.Digital credit models are leveraging vehicle telematics as a form of “digital credit score,” enabling lenders to offer competitive green loans to drivers without formal financial histories.

Meanwhile, fleet economics are increasingly measured in uptime rather than mileage. Predictive maintenance, decentralised service networks, and real-time diagnostics are pushing fleets toward 97%+ uptime benchmarks, ensuring vehicles stay on the road, not in workshops.This shift from asset ownership to service economics mirrors broader global transitions in aviation and computing—but is happening at the level of scooters and rickshaws in India.

Early Signals

Electric two-wheeler sales crossed 1.2 million units, with established manufacturers reinforcing the enduring importance of service networks and distribution reach. Early 2026 data indicates continued growth despite tax structure changes, suggesting that demand is increasingly driven by intrinsic value rather than fiscal incentives.Equally important are signals of financial discipline. Also on 3W, as of 2026 feb, EVs comprise around 30+ percent market penetration.

As EV penetration rises, narrowing operating losses and improving margins among manufacturers suggest the industry is moving beyond scale-at-all-costs experimentation towards commercially viable models. After all, India’s micromobility narrative will be defined not just by how quickly adoption grows, but by whether these businesses can build enduring, profitable models.

Managing the Headwinds

Large-scale industrial transitions inevitably encounter structural and operational challenges. Grid readiness, battery lifecycle management, supply chain concentration, and regulatory uncertainty remain key variables for India’s micromobility ecosystem.

As the sector evolves, emphasis is increasingly moving from rapid market expansion towards long-term system resilience and scalability.

Policy predictability, alongside infrastructure development, will play a role in sustaining growth. While India’s micromobility adoption has been driven primarily by economic fundamentals, ongoing coordination across industry and policy stakeholders will be important to maintain momentum.

The Bottom Line

India’s micro-mobility moment presents a generational opportunity. The shift ahead will not be shaped by startups or legacy players alone, but by an ecosystem that recognises mobility as core economic infrastructure, supporting jobs, productivity, and resilient cities.

The real prize lies in aligning the plug, the pipeline, and the pump vehicles, energy systems, and policy frameworks. What makes this moment remarkable is the distinctly Indian pathway emerging: bottom-up, utility-led, and closely tied to everyday livelihoods. In doing so, India is not simply catching up with global mobility trends, it is starting to set them.

Nagesh Basavanhalli is the Transformation & Growth Partner. Views expressed are the authors’ personal.

Top Innovations in the EV Industry to Anticipate in 2026

Autocar Professional Bureau — Sat, 14 Mar 2026 15:55:30

With climate change concerns and stricter emissions policies driving EVs’ adoption and the growing global demand for cleaner, smarter mobility solutions, the electric vehicle (EV) industry is growing in remarkable ways. Global EV sales exploded in September 2025, hitting 2.1 million units in just one month, up 26% from the year before. Experts now estimate that the total number of 2025 will easily top 20 million.

Over in India, the story's just as electric. We went from a humble 50,000 units back in 2016 to over 2 million by 2024-25. The rise of Electric Vehicles (EVs) is being driven by government incentives, new models at dealerships, and the installation of more charging stations across the nation.

By mid-2026, EVs will reach an estimated 5% of the overall market share of new passenger vehicle sales. This will represent the transition from a niche product to a mainstream family vehicle. Globally, the EV industry was estimated at $764 billion (in 2025) and will reach approximately $2.78 trillion by 2035.

Here's What 2026 Has in Store for the EV Industry

Charging technologies are evolving to address range anxiety and enhance charging convenience, which are pain points of EV users. To address these effectively, wireless charging solutions are progressing towards dynamic, in-motion charging and easy “park-and-charge” experiences that eliminate cables.

Moreover, Vehicle-to-Grid bidirectional charging technologies will enable electric vehicles to serve as distributed energy storage, enhancing grid stability while allowing owners to supply electricity back to the grid during peak demand periods.

Also, ultra-fast charging networks deployed throughout the world will reduce the charge time for electric vehicles to that of refueling gasoline-powered vehicles. By 2030, electric vehicles are set to replace 5.3 million barrels of oil every day worldwide, which will go a long way in aiding reducing emissions.

Commercialization of solid-state batteries that can hold much more energy than regular lithium-ion batteries and charge faster due to their flame-resistant solid electrolytes will provide increased safety and convenience for everyday drivers. The solid-state battery provides benefits beyond the current lithium-ion battery technology and will allow automotive manufacturers to produce electric vehicles with greater range and reduced fire risk for consumers, thus increasing consumer interest in owning an electric vehicle.

Solar-integrated EVs represent another promising trend to look out for. As the name suggests, by integrating photovoltaic cells into vehicle surfaces, these EVs can generate supplementary energy, reduce grid dependence, and extend ranges in sunny environments. Reportedly, propelled by decreasing solar panel costs and supportive policies worldwide, the solar EV sector will touch USD 3.15 billion by 2034.

Modular vehicle architectures are gaining popularity for lowering production costs and accelerating model updates by enabling easy swapping of standardized components. This trend is being complemented by the growing trend of the circular economy, which emphasizes battery recycling, the reuse of materials, and environmentally sound manufacturing processes in order to address environmental concerns.

There is also growing diversity in the range of electric vehicle offerings in the market, exceeding 785 models in 2024 and projected to reach over 1,000 by 2026, providing customers with a wider range of vehicle types and features.

Advancements in autonomous driving technology continue to grow, with Level 4 autonomous driving technology anticipated to debut in luxury electric vehicles. These Level 4 autonomous vehicles will operate independently within certain areas, allowing consumers to have a safer and more convenient method of transport.

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is an important factor in smart energy management systems to optimise vehicle charging schedules and to create vehicle dispatch fleets. Predictive Maintenance Technology (PMT) uses AI and real-time sensor information to predict how long components will last and therefore allows manufacturers and fleet operators to manage their vehicle's lifecycle, providing them with a longer sustainable lifecycle.

Final Thoughts

In addition to the above, European Union’s 2035 ban on combustion engine vehicles and China’s expanding EV mandates, are pushing manufacturers to focus more on sustainable, safe options that meet consumer expectations and stricter standards equally well. This year one can look forward to consumer experience enhancing EV innovations that will bolster EVs' role in reducing transportation emissions globally.

Akshit Bansal is the Founder & CEO of Statiq. Views expressed are the authors’ personal.

The Real Cost of New: Why Verified Pre-Owned Two-Wheelers Are Shaping Smarter Mobility Choices

Autocar Professional Bureau — Sat, 28 Feb 2026 11:39:41

There’s a quiet shift happening in the way Indians think about mobility. For years, spotlight remained on shiny new bike launches. But increasingly, it’s no longer the only point of attraction. More people are stepping back and asking a different set of questions:

Does this vehicle really fit my everyday routine? What will it cost me over the next few years, not just on the day of purchase? And what’s the environmental footprint of constantly choosing a new bike over durable?

Because of this shift, pre-owned two-wheelers especially the verified and refurbished ones are no longer treated like a fallback option. They’ve become part of a more mature, intentional way of thinking about personal transport. What earlier got clubbed under a slightly dismissive “second-hand” tag has grown into a formal, dependable ecosystem, where consumer can walk in, compare models, and pick up a bike that feels almost new and comes with cost benefits.

A new mindset: What today’s consumers want

Urban riders today are not just buying a two-wheeler; they’re doing the math in their head about how that decision will play out month after month. It’s as much about comfort and convenience as it is about cost.
This new generation is value-driven, but not in the bargain-hunting sense. It’s more about stretching each rupee intelligently. They’re careful about EMIs, they want breathing room in their budgets, and they’re not shy about switching to a better option if it fits their life better. The idea of being tied down to long-term payments doesn’t appeal to them, especially when life — jobs, cities, priorities — changes so quickly.

Sustainability is a priority

There’s also a growing environmental awareness that wasn’t as strong a decade ago. People are more open to choosing a verified pre-owned bike because it reduces waste, keeps a perfectly good vehicle in circulation, and avoids the unnecessary carbon footprint of manufacturing something new.
That doesn’t mean the charm of a new scooter or motorcycle has faded. Far from it. It simply means the definition of a “smart choice” has widened. Today, being practical, responsible, and financially sharp often sits right beside aspiration — and verified pre-owned two-wheelers happen to fit neatly at that intersection.

Depreciation: A practical consideration, not a negative one

Every vehicle, no matter how premium or well-built, depreciates over time. It’s simply a part of how mobility economics works. What’s changing is the awareness around it. Consumers today understand that the first few years carry the steepest depreciation. This realisation is influencing the way people view pre-owned options. A verified pre-owned bike has already passed that initial phase, making its value more stable and predictable. For many riders, this makes ownership feel more balanced and financially sensible.

The evolution of pre-owned: From informal to trustworthy

Consumers who have bought or even explored pre-owned two-wheelers a decade ago, they will remember how uncertain the whole process felt. It was mostly word-of-mouth, a seller’s promise, and a quick test ride to decide whether the bike was in good shape. There wasn’t much structure — and definitely not much transparency.
That picture looks very different today.

The pre-owned space has slowly but steadily organised itself, and one can feel the shift the moment they step into a verified outlet. There are quality standards, documented checks, AI-inspections, and a clear understanding of what they are getting for money. In other words, trust isn’t assumed anymore; it’s built into the process.

Refurbished two-wheelers today aren’t patched up just enough to be sold. They’re restored with a level of care that makes them genuinely ready for everyday use. From the engine condition to safety components, everything goes through defined inspections. When a bike is verified, it truly means someone has taken the time to make sure it performs the way it should. For the buyer, that takes away the biggest worry — Will this hold up once I start using it?

This evolution has done more than just formalise the category. It has made consumers comfortable enough to consider pre-owned as a first choice and the right choice, not a fallback. That, in itself, is a huge shift.

A smarter way forward

The broader conversation around mobility in India is also changing. People aren’t simply debating “new versus old” anymore. They’re asking what makes sense for their financial health, their daily routine, and even the planet.

Verified pre-owned two-wheelers sit right at that crossroads. They’re budget-friendly without being compromises, dependable without unnecessary features, and far more sustainable than buying new every time. For many riders, they strike a balance that feels right — both for today’s needs and tomorrow’s plans.
As more consumers look for choices that support their lifestyle and their long-term goals, this segment is quietly becoming a central part of how India moves. Not a trend, not a temporary shift — but a smarter, more thoughtful way forward.

Devesh Taparia is the CEO of DriveX. Views expressed are the authors’ personal.

Top Highlights for January 2026 for Car Sales in India!

Autocar Professional Bureau — Tue, 10 Feb 2026 19:15:51

1. Indian car sales are close to 4.6 million now in Trailing 12 Month sales. We had the tallest January ever by a huge 13% over last January. Even a 10% growth over last year will end up in over 5 million cars this year. October was up 17%, November was up 19%, December was 26%, and now January is up at 13%.

Hatches are back to showing negative growth. As usual it’s the UVs showing much of the volume growth with over 80% of all volumes credited to SUVs alone.

Tatas are up by almost 50% over January last year. Mahindra is a good 25% up. With new models like Sierra for Tata and XEV9S for Mahindra in the pipeline, the party has only begun for the Indian OEMs.

Ranking over the year

In the monthly sales stakes, Mahindra and Tata are fighting cats and dogs over the No 2 rank.

Ranking over the year (Trailing 12 Months)

In the TTM numbers Mahindra has been consistently at Rank 2

Tata is at No 2 with a good 70,222 (Up 46.1% YoY) cars dispatched and Mahindra is at No 3 with 63,510 (Up 25.4% YoY). Hyundai is at No 4 with 59,107 (Up 9.5% YoY). Maruti has sold an amazing 174,529 numbers which is marginally up by 0.5% over January last year

2. Tata has crossed 600k in TTM sales for the very first time and is performing very strongly with new brilliant models in place. Last January TTM sales were 556k. They have gained almost 50k in TTM sales just in 12 months. For context Hyundai actually are down from 600k to 576k

With models like the Sierra being brought in, Tata should go to greater heights. Tatas fortunes this year will be completely dependent on the Sierra. If that car can bring it an additional 10-15k extra sales on a monthly basis, Tatas will give Mahindra a very tough fight. In fact my take is that this year 2026 will be the year of the BIG Fight between Mahindra and Tata.

3. The top selling model this month has been the Nexon from Tata which at 23,365 is also its lifetime high sales.

4. The Creta was topping the TTM sales at a model level for the first 6 months of this financial year. Since then its been taken over by Maruti Dzire thanks to its brilliant fuel average and demand in the cab segment. This month the Tata Nexon overtook the Creta to stand at Rank 2 in the TTM Sales numbers.

5. Market Share in January

Maruti back in the below 40% market share this month. This is despite the brilliant performance of the newly released Victoris. This is because of the huge fall in sales MoM in the Baleno, Fronx, and also the Grand Vitara.

Niranjan N Prabhu is Head of Analytics and Data Insights Specialist at Cargraphical Analytics Solutions. Views expressed are the author's own.

Automotive Lighting: From Functional Necessity to Strategic Differentiator

Autocar Professional Bureau — Sat, 07 Feb 2026 15:52:51

For decades, automotive lighting was viewed primarily as a regulatory and functional requirement—illuminating the road ahead, signalling intent, and ensuring basic visibility. Today, that perception has fundamentally changed. Lighting has emerged as one of the most powerful strategic differentiators in modern vehicles, shaping safety outcomes, brand identity, energy efficiency, and customer experience.

Globally, and increasingly in India, lighting is no longer just about seeing—it is about being seen, being recognized, and being safer.

The LED-First Revolution

The most defining shift in automotive lighting has been the industry-wide transition to LED-first architectures. LEDs have rapidly replaced halogen and HID technologies across headlamps, DRLs, and rear lamps. Their advantages are well established: higher energy efficiency, longer life, faster response times, compact packaging, and significantly greater design freedom.

More importantly, LEDs have unlocked the next generation of intelligent lighting systems. Modular and segmented LED designs form the foundation for matrix lighting and Adaptive Driving Beam (ADB) technologies. These systems dynamically shape the light distribution by selectively dimming or switching off individual light segments, allowing drivers to use high beams continuously without causing glare to oncoming traffic.

For India—where night-time driving conditions remain challenging and a disproportionate number of serious accidents may occur after dark—such technologies have the potential to deliver a meaningful safety impact. Indian OEMs are increasingly embracing adaptive lighting, not only in premium vehicles but progressively in upper-mid segments as well.

Lighting as a Brand Signature

Beyond safety, lighting has become one of the strongest visual identifiers of a vehicle brand. In many cases, a car is recognized instantly at night by its light signature alone. This has elevated lighting from a purely engineering domain to a core element of brand strategy.

Digital rear lighting is at the forefront of this transformation. Advanced surface LEDs and OLED-inspired technologies enable ultra-thin, homogeneous light surfaces and animated signatures. These designs are not merely aesthetic; they reinforce perceived quality, emotional appeal, and technological sophistication.

Looking ahead, digital lighting will increasingly serve as a communication interface, conveying vehicle intent to pedestrians and other road users—an especially relevant capability as vehicles move toward higher levels of driver assistance and partial automation.

The Rise of Opto-Mechatronic Systems

Modern automotive lighting is no longer a standalone component. It is a complex opto-mechatronic system integrating optics, electronics, thermal management, embedded software, electromagnetic compatibility, and vehicle networking.

As a result, lighting development cycles are now closely linked to vehicle software architectures and validation processes. OEMs must either develop these multidisciplinary capabilities internally or collaborate with Tier-1 suppliers capable of delivering fully integrated lighting solutions.

From a supply-chain perspective, this shift is driving investments in LED module assembly, precision optics, electronic drivers, and software-defined lighting functions. While advanced lighting systems increase initial system complexity, localisation, scale, and reduced lifecycle costs are steadily improving overall value economics.

Interior Lighting: The Next Frontier

As Indian OEMs place growing emphasis on cabin experience, interior and ambient lighting is emerging as a new growth area. Intelligent interior lighting enhances comfort, perceived quality, and emotional engagement, while also supporting functional needs such as driver focus and user interaction.

This convergence of interior and exterior lighting under a unified design and software philosophy will further strengthen lighting’s role as a holistic vehicle experience enabler.

Value Beyond Cost

For end customers, value is no longer defined solely by purchase price. Advanced lighting systems deliver tangible everyday benefits: improved visibility, reduced driver fatigue, enhanced confidence in poor weather or low-light conditions, and long-term reliability.

In electric vehicles, lighting efficiency plays an even more critical role. Reduced power consumption directly contributes to improved driving range, reinforcing the business case for LED-based and intelligent lighting solutions.
Automotive lighting has evolved from a compliance-driven necessity into a cornerstone of vehicle differentiation. It now sits at the intersection of safety, design, software, and sustainability.

For India’s rapidly maturing automotive market, intelligent lighting represents not just a technological upgrade, but a meaningful opportunity to improve road safety, elevate brand identity, and deliver greater long-term value to customers. In the years ahead, the vehicles that stand out will not only move efficiently—but shine intelligently.

Jeneeson Jeevamani is the Head of Engineering, Lighting R&D at Varroc. Views expressed are the authors’ personal.

V2X Technology and Edge AI: The Future of Smart Mobility is Here

Autocar Professional Bureau — Mon, 02 Feb 2026 17:02:56

Traffic congestion, unpredictable driving behavior, and preventable accidents have long defined our transportation systems, responding to failure and incidents instead of avoiding them. While we stand on the brink of advanced safety features and connected infrastructure, legacy architectures simply cannot keep up with the demands of a connected world.

That equation is now shifting. With Edge AI powering V2X (Vehicle-to-Everything) communication, vehicles are evolving into proactive decision-makers. They can anticipate hazards, instantly communicate with their surroundings, and ease traffic flow—without relying on distant cloud servers.

This shift in connectivity and intelligence doesn’t just enhance the way we travel—it is redefining mobility itself. We are moving toward predictive accident avoidance, safer roads, and the next era of autonomous driving. V2X and Edge AI are paving the way for roadways that are safer, smarter, and faster.

The Four Pillars of V2X Communication

Vehicle-to-Everything (V2X) is a next-generation wireless communication framework that allows vehicles to exchange real-time data with their surroundings, significantly enhancing safety and efficiency on the road .

At its foundation, V2X relies upon four forms of communication.

Vehicle-to-Vehicle (V2V), which enables vehicles to communicate speed, brakes, and position to one another, both reducing accidents and enabling eco-friendly vehicle platooning.
Vehicle-to-Infrastructure (V2I), which connects vehicles with traffic signals, road sensors, and smart signage to reduce congestion and identify roadway hazards. A prime example is Audi’s Traffic Light Information System, which synchronizes vehicles with traffic signals and is capable to reduce stop-and-go traffic, cutting wait times. V2I efficiency is driven by edge computing, which processes data locally instead of relying on distant cloud servers. This reduces delays, ensuring traffic updates reach vehicles instantly.
Vehicle-to-Pedestrian (V2P) technology enhances pedestrian safety by allowing vehicles to detect and communicate with mobile devices or smart wearables in use by individuals in the vicinity around them. One key implementation is Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) technology, which detects pedestrians within a 50-meter radius. This is particularly useful in high-risk areas such as crosswalks, parking lots and busy streets, where pedestrian visibility is limited.
Vehicle-to-Network (V2N), the connection between vehicles to the cloud to optimize predictive maintenance, smart electric vehicle (EV) charging, and mass coordination. For example, GM’s OnStar system can predict mechanical issues weeks in advance, allowing drivers to schedule maintenance before problems escalate, reducing downtime and repair costs.

Together these four forms of communication, integrated with AI, 5G, and edge computing, comprise a real-time intelligence layer that transcends a vehicle's on-board sensor capability, setting in motion a path to increased levels of safety, awareness, and eventually autonomy in the mobility space.

Edge AI: The Real Power Behind V2X Communication
V2X may be redefining how vehicles communicate, but none of it works without Edge AI. Even the simplest autonomous driving functions depend on it for real-time decision-making. Here’s why:

Instant Decisions
Edge AI processes data inside the vehicle or at nearby nodes, cutting out cloud delays. This enables instant responses for collision avoidance and emergency braking.
Smarter Bandwidth Use
Autonomous vehicles generate up to 19 TB of sensor data per hour. Instead of overloading networks, Edge AI filters and processes data locally, sending only what matters—ensuring seamless communication.
Stronger Security & Privacy
By keeping sensitive data (like GPS and braking patterns) within the vehicle or local edge nodes, Edge AI minimizes exposure to cyberattacks, unlike cloud-only systems.

In short, V2X runs on Edge AI. Without it, the road to autonomy doesn’t move forward.

Inside the Edge AI Systems That Make V2X Possible

1. Hardware components
Edge AI powers V2X by relegating intelligence on-board while weaving vehicles into nearby intelligent infrastructure, like roadside units and 5G towers. At the hardware level, vehicles use specialized AI chips to process high volumes of sensor data in real-time. For instance, the NVIDIA DRIVE Thor provides 2,000 TOPS of performance to fuse LiDAR, radar, and camera inputs, while the Qualcomm Snapdragon Ride, at 5W/TOPS, is an energy-efficient way to deliver the performance needed for autonomous driving–for processes that require both demanding power and energy efficiency.

2. Communication Protocols in V2X
The wireless communication protocols are as important for V2X as the processors and chips that process the data. The two primary approaches to wireless communication for V2X vehicles are: Cellular V2X (C-V2X) and Dedicated Short-Range Communications (DSRC). C-V2X and DSRC can enable direct vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) communication, vehicle-to-infrastructure (V2I) communication, and vehicle-to-pedestrians (V2P) communication. C-V2X can also be operated in two modes.

The PC5 direct mode utilizes the 5.9 GHz spectrum for low-latency V2V communication, V2I communication and this communication can happen without a cellular tower. The 5G NR-Uu mode supports non-real-time functions, such as AI model updates, fleet diagnostic updates, etc. DSRC uses IEEE 802.11p as its base system while OFDM is used for the channel access. DSRC is highly reliable in clear line of site but, if there is no line of site, or additional lanes of travel between vehicles, there is a question of reliability, which may be better suited for non-dense urban areas.

3. Layered Architecture of C-V2X
C-V2X operates through a layered architecture, with each layer handling a distinct function in the communication process. The top layer is the application layer where safety-critical use cases exist, such as collision avoidance scenarios and traffic coordination. The next layer down is the transport layer, which includes packet segmentation, error correction, and ensuring Quality of Service (QoS) requirements are met.

The network layer manages routing between vehicles and external systems like IoT platforms or cloud services, while the data link layer controls Medium Access Control (MAC) protocols to efficiently schedule LTE/5G transmissions. At the foundation, the physical layer modulates and demodulates signals over the 5.9 GHz spectrum, ensuring robust wireless communication. Together, these layers enable seamless, secure, and low-latency V2X interactions.

4. Privacy and Performance: Why Edge AI Leads the Way
To balance privacy with efficiency, Edge AI also utilizes advanced techniques to keep sensitive data secure without compromising powerful model training. Federated learning is a method where cars can collaboratively learn a AI system without ever transmitting the raw data. This is the approach used in Tesla’s 4D auto-labeling system. In fact, there are many ways Edge AI can leverage federated learning as well as homomorphic encryption, as in the case of securely storing customers’ data by only providing encrypted data which would comply with certain regulations (like GDPR).

Why Edge AI is Outpacing Cloud AI for Smart Vehicles
Edge AI outperforms Cloud AI in smart mobility primarily due to its ultra-low latency (1–10 ms), lower bandwidth requirements, and ability to operate autonomously. In contrast, Cloud AI typically experiences higher latency (50–500 ms), requires high bandwidth, and depends heavily on continuous wireless connectivity.

Because Edge AI processes information locally, within the vehicle, it is also less exposed to cyber threats, making it inherently safer. While Cloud AI remains valuable for fleet-level analysis, long-term diagnostics, and aggregated insights, Edge AI is becoming the preferred choice for safety-critical, real-time decisions such as traffic optimization, collision avoidance, and other rapid response functions essential for efficient smart mobility.

Conclusion: Driving Towards an Intelligent Future
V2X powered by Edge AI is more than a technology happening in real time; it is becoming the network of intelligent transportation. By enabling vehicles to talk in real time, process large amounts of sensors data in the clouds or edge, and operate securely with ultra-low latency, the ecosystem outlined in this document is paving the way for safer roads, improved traffic flow, and embraced mobility of the future (drone deliveries, autonomous vehicles and ridesharing). In the decade ahead, innovation will be enabled by frontier technologies including 6G, quantum computing, and much more, allowing paradigms of precision, connectivity, security, and predictable intelligence to expand exponentially.

However, the unlocking of connected mobility is not only an innovative opportunity; it will also require a collaborative effort where automakers, governments, and technology leaders align to build infrastructure, develop common standards, and be security and privacy conscious. The decisions made today will determine how we move in the future!

And the future of mobility is not even a question of 'if'... it is a question of 'are we ready?' The possibilities are limitless. Now, the question is: are we prepared to lead the change?

Nikhil Goel is the Senior Director of Engineering at embedUR. Views expressed are the authors’ personal.

Every Seat Matters: Closing the Safety Gap for Rear-Seat Passengers

Autocar Professional Bureau — Sun, 01 Feb 2026 20:41:05

It is a scene most Indian commuters will recognise: the driver and front passenger buckle up, while those in the back sit more casually. A child may sit on an adult’s lap or move between seats, reflecting the belief that the rear seat is safer and needs less restraint.

Yet real-world crashes tell a different story. Unbuckled rear-seat passengers are often seriously injured, and children without proper restraints are especially vulnerable. In several high-profile crashes, rear-seat occupants without seat belts have died even when others survived — showing that protection, not seating position, determines safety. The real issue, therefore, is uneven protection across the vehicle, with rear-seat belt use still treated as optional and non-use remaining a major contributor to fatalities.

In 2023 alone, 16,025 people died in road crashes due to seat belt non-use. Studies also show that seven out of ten rear-seat passengers do not wear seat belts, while awareness remains low — only about a quarter know rear-seat belt use is mandatory. Together, these figures point to a simple truth: a car is only as safe as the protection its occupants actually use.

Seated But Not Safe: Understanding Passenger Vulnerability

Crash risk depends on how the body responds in a collision, not seating position. Yet rear-seat occupants, especially children and the elderly, often travel without proper restraints or well-fitting seat belts, increasing their vulnerability.
This is particularly concerning because adult seat belts are designed for adult bodies, not children.

The lap belt may ride up into the abdomen, and the shoulder belt may press across the neck or face instead of resting on the shoulder, increasing the risk of injury. Consequently, in a collision, these forces shift onto vulnerable organs and the neck, raising the likelihood of internal injuries, spinal trauma, and excessive head movement. Apparent compliance can therefore still be unsafe.

The scale of the issue underscores the urgency. More than 9,500 children lost their lives in road crashes in 2022 alone. Child restraint systems, including rear-facing seats and booster seats, are designed to correct this mismatch by positioning the child properly and directing impact forces safely as the child grows. Moreover, globally, safety regulations treat children as a distinct occupant category, requiring dedicated restraints rather than relying on adult seat belts.

If this distinction remains unclear, safety progress risks becoming uneven, as advanced vehicle technologies may coexist with basic gaps in occupant protection. As India advances in frontal airbags, electronic stability control, NCAP protocols, and pedestrian protection, resolving this ambiguity is the next logical step in the country’s road safety transition.

At the same time, rear-seat reminders arrived later than front-seat alerts in many vehicles, and comfort and usability issues continue to limit consistent belt use. Persistent myths that back seats are safer or that short trips and low speeds do not require restraints still shape behaviour, even though low-speed crashes can cause severe or fatal injuries.

Closing the Gap with Risk-Led Design, Clear Policy, and Enforcement

India’s legal framework provides a foundation, but gaps in interpretation and enforcement limit its impact. Section 194B covers both seat belts and child restraints, yet they are often treated as equivalent rather than distinct safety requirements.

In practice, enforcement usually relies on a visual check for a belt without assessing whether it is appropriate. As a result, children using adult belts or travelling without child restraints may go unnoticed, creating a policy-to-outcome disconnect between legal compliance and real-world safety. The problem is less about awareness and more about classification: children require different safety solutions than adults, and enforcement must reflect that distinction.

International evidence shows that strong enforcement of seat belts and mandatory child restraints substantially reduces fatalities. Correct CRS use can cut infant deaths by up to 71 percent and deaths among children aged one to four by 54 percent, while seat belts reduce overall occupant fatalities by up to 50 percent.
Looking ahead, rear-seat safety must shift from compliance-led to risk-led design. As Bharat NCAP evolves, rear-seat protection, including belt effectiveness and CRS compatibility, will face sharper scrutiny.

For manufacturers, this means improving belt comfort and positioning, expanding rear-seat safety features, and ensuring easy child-seat integration, giving rear occupants the same attention as front seats. OEMs that do so will be better positioned as safety expectations rise.

For too long, the rear seat has been assumed safe without being made safe. Without stronger engineering standards, legal clarity, and enforcement prioritising rear-seat occupants, especially children, risk will remain part of everyday travel. Treating every seat equally is essential to closing this gap.

Saurabh Verma is the Co-Founder- Synergie and Member of Road Safety Network. Views expressed are the authors’ personal.

Beyond GPS: Why Indian Fleets Are Rethinking What “Connected” Really Means

Autocar Professional Bureau — Sat, 31 Jan 2026 19:03:12

A large fleet operator in North India runs several hundred trucks across highways, mines, and industrial corridors. Like most organised fleets today, every vehicle is GPS enabled. Locations are visible, routes are mapped, and reports are generated weekly.

Yet the business is under pressure.

Fuel costs continue to rise. Breakdowns still occur mid route. Delivery commitments slip. Drivers complain of unrealistic expectations. And every quarter, the same question comes up internally.

“We have had GPS for years. Why are operating costs not coming down?”

This question is increasingly being asked across India’s commercial vehicle ecosystem, and it points to a deeper shift underway in how fleet technology is being understood.

The GPS plateau

For over a decade, GPS tracking defined what it meant for fleets to be connected. In the Indian context, this was a major step forward. Tracking helped reduce theft, curb route deviation, and bring basic discipline to fleet operations.

But today, GPS alone is no longer improving profitability.

The biggest challenges Indian fleets face now are different. Volatile fuel prices. Thin operating margins. Driver shortages. Higher expectations around safety, uptime, and compliance. Assets operating across vastly different environments such as highways, cities, construction sites, and mines.

GPS answers a narrow question. Where is the vehicle?

It does not explain why identical vehicles show 20 to 25 percent variation in fuel efficiency. Why breakdowns cluster after certain duty cycles. Why tyres, brakes, or clutches wear faster in specific operations. Or why the same route behaves very differently across seasons.

Visibility, in other words, has reached its limit. The next gains lie in understanding how vehicles are being operated, not just where they are.

An enterprise blind spot

This limitation becomes even clearer in large enterprises running captive or semi captive logistics.

In one such case, an enterprise believed its primary problem was route delays. A closer look revealed something else entirely. Excessive idling at plant entry points. Poor load distribution stressing suspension systems. Aggressive driving on short stretches wiping out fuel efficiency gains elsewhere.

None of this was visible in GPS dashboards.

The solution was not more monitoring. It was redesigning operating conditions. That shift from tracking movement to understanding behaviour is what many Indian fleets are now beginning to recognise.

Predictive maintenance moves centre stage

Another area where GPS has clear limitations is maintenance.

Most Indian fleets still operate reactively. Vehicles are serviced after breakdowns or on fixed schedules that do not reflect how hard an asset is actually being used. This leads to higher downtime, avoidable failures, and rising maintenance costs.

OBD based diagnostics are beginning to change this.

By continuously monitoring engine parameters, fault codes, temperature patterns, and operating stress, fleets can now detect early warning signs of failure. Issues such as injector degradation, abnormal engine load, or overheating can be flagged well before they result in roadside breakdowns.

For fleets operating in remote locations or on tight delivery schedules, this shift from reactive to predictive maintenance can make a material difference. Uptime improves. Workshop visits become planned rather than disruptive. Parts are replaced based on condition rather than guesswork.

For OEMs, this also opens the door to lower warranty costs and more data backed service strategies in real Indian operating conditions.

The India cost problem

India’s logistics costs are estimated at 13 to 14 percent of GDP, significantly higher than global benchmarks. Infrastructure gaps play a role, but a large portion of the problem lies inside daily operations.

Time lost at loading points. Fuel burned while idling. Maintenance done too late or too early. Assets used harder than they were designed for.

These are non balance sheet losses. They are difficult to see, harder to measure, and devastating at scale. Traditional GPS systems were never designed to surface them.

As fleet sizes grow and margins tighten, these hidden inefficiencies matter more than ever.

What this means for OEMs?

For commercial vehicle OEMs, this shift has important implications.

Fleet buyers are no longer evaluating vehicles only on upfront cost, payload, or brochure mileage. Increasingly, they are asking tougher questions. What will my cost per kilometre look like over five years. How predictable is downtime. Can efficiency and safety claims be validated in real Indian conditions. How easily does vehicle data integrate with my operational systems.

Vehicles are being judged not just as mechanical products, but as long term operating assets supported by intelligence.

OEMs that enable deeper analytics, either natively or through open ecosystems, stand to reduce warranty costs, improve service outcomes, and differentiate on lifetime value rather than specifications alone.

Safety as support, not surveillance

Indian drivers operate under immense pressure. Long hours. Unpredictable roads. Tight delivery schedules. Pure surveillance often creates resistance and fatigue. Predictive and context aware systems, by contrast, can act as on road assistants. Flagging fatigue risk, unsafe driving patterns, or route specific hazards before incidents occur.

In a market facing chronic driver shortages, technology that improves working conditions rather than simply enforcing compliance becomes a genuine advantage.

The quiet shift underway

Across India’s logistics, construction, and enterprise fleets, a quiet shift is underway. The conversation is moving from tracking vehicles to running operations better.

GPS is not going away. It remains essential. But on its own, it is no longer sufficient.

The real value now lies in platforms that combine vehicle health, energy use, driving behaviour, and operating context, and translate that data into decisions fleet operators can act on.

Several Indian companies working closely with large fleets are seeing a consistent pattern. Once operators move beyond location data, they uncover inefficiencies they did not even know existed.

That insight, more than any dashboard, is what ultimately improves margins.

As commercial mobility in India evolves towards higher utilisation, alternative fuels, and stricter safety norms, the fleets and OEMs that succeed will be those that look beyond GPS and treat analytics not as an add on, but as core operational infrastructure.

Pali Tripathi is the CEO of Taabi Mobility. Views expressed are the authors’ personal.

Budget Expectations: Turning EV Momentum into Manufacturing Strength for India’s Auto Sector

Autocar Professional Bureau — Sat, 31 Jan 2026 19:03:04

India’s auto and electric mobility sector has crossed an important psychological milestone. Electric vehicles are no longer a niche category or a pilot experiment. With EV registrations crossing 2.3 million units in 2025 and accounting for close to eight percent of total vehicle sales, the transition is clearly underway. The more relevant question now is not whether EVs will scale, but whether India’s manufacturing ecosystem can keep pace with that scale in a stable and sustainable way.

As the Union Budget approaches, expectations within the auto and EV industry are notably pragmatic. This is no longer a phase where headline-grabbing incentives alone can move the needle. What the sector is looking for is policy continuity and execution-focused support that strengthens manufacturing fundamentals across vehicles, batteries, and the broader mobility supply chain.

From adoption to execution

The early phase of electric mobility was driven largely by demand-side measures. Purchase incentives, tax benefits, and pilot programmes helped build consumer confidence and kick-start adoption, especially in urban markets. That phase has largely served its purpose.

Today, manufacturers are dealing with a very different set of challenges. As volumes rise, the complexity of operations increases. Battery and EV manufacturing are capital-intensive, long-cycle businesses where success depends on yield optimisation, quality consistency, safety validation, and cost control over time. These are issues that only surface once factories begin operating at scale.

What this really means is that the next phase of growth will be determined less by how many vehicles are sold, and more by how efficiently they are made.

Public investment and mobility demand

For the auto sector as a whole, demand remains closely linked to public investment in infrastructure. Continued spending on roads, highways, logistics corridors, and urban transport systems has a direct impact on vehicle utilisation and replacement cycles. Better connectivity reduces operating costs for fleet operators, improves turnaround times, and strengthens freight movement, all of which support sustained demand across passenger, commercial, and shared mobility segments.

This linkage becomes even more important as EVs gain traction in commercial use cases such as last-mile delivery, public transport, and shared mobility. These segments are highly sensitive to operating economics, and infrastructure-led efficiency gains play a key role in making electric mobility viable at scale.

Tax alignment and affordability gaps

While EV adoption has accelerated, affordability remains a constraint, particularly outside major cities. Earlier fiscal measures, including income tax benefits on eligible EV purchases, demonstrated how targeted incentives can expand the user base. However, structural inconsistencies continue to affect pricing models.

One of the most persistent issues is the GST mismatch between electric vehicles and batteries. EVs are taxed at five percent, while lithium-ion batteries attract a significantly higher rate of 18 percent. This disparity complicates cost structures and creates friction for emerging ownership models such as battery swapping and Battery-as-a-Service.

These models are increasingly important for commercial fleets, logistics operators, and shared mobility players who are expected to drive the next wave of EV adoption. Aligning GST rates across vehicles and essential components would directly lower upfront costs and improve the viability of these models without introducing new subsidies.

Manufacturing scale brings new risks

As EV volumes grow, battery demand is set to rise sharply. Industry estimates suggest that India’s lithium-ion battery market could grow at a compounded rate of 35 to 40 percent through the end of the decade, driven by electric mobility and stationary energy storage.

This surge in demand puts pressure on domestic manufacturing capacity to stabilise quickly. Delays in achieving steady-state production increase reliance on imports, exposing manufacturers to currency volatility and global supply disruptions. In that context, budgetary support that helps plants ramp up faster can have a meaningful impact on long-term competitiveness.

Access to long-term, affordable capital is a critical part of this equation. Battery manufacturing requires large upfront investments and has longer payback periods compared to conventional auto components. Financing mechanisms with longer tenures, lower costs, and predictable terms can significantly reduce execution risk and encourage capacity expansion.

Supply chain resilience and strategic materials

The push for electric mobility has also brought supply chain security into sharper focus. Certain critical materials, particularly rare earth elements used in high-performance traction motors, remain heavily import-dependent. China continues to dominate global supply, creating strategic vulnerabilities.

The government’s initiative to develop a domestic rare earth permanent magnet ecosystem has been welcomed by the industry. What manufacturers are now looking for is clarity on timelines and sustained policy support to translate intent into capacity. Reliable access to critical materials is essential not just for EVs, but for the broader automotive and manufacturing ecosystem.

Approvals, infrastructure, and skills

Manufacturing timelines are often influenced as much by non-technical factors as by technology itself. Delays in land acquisition, power connectivity, environmental clearances, and product testing can significantly slow projects and increase costs. Streamlining approvals and strengthening industrial infrastructure can meaningfully reduce time-to-production.

Workforce readiness is another area that deserves attention. Advanced battery and EV manufacturing require specialised skills that are not always readily available. Process engineers, quality specialists, and safety professionals play a critical role in stabilising operations. Industry-aligned skilling programmes can improve productivity and reduce early-stage inefficiencies.

A realistic budget outlook

From the perspective of the auto and EV manufacturing sector, Budget 2026 is not expected to deliver sweeping changes. Nor is that what the industry is asking for. The need of the hour is continuity, predictability, and incremental alignment that reduces execution risk.

Measures that support capital access, harmonise tax structures, strengthen supply chains, and improve infrastructure readiness can help convert strong adoption numbers into durable manufacturing capability. If policy and execution move in sync, India’s EV transition can be built on stable factories and resilient supply chains, rather than short-term momentum alone.

That shift will define the sector’s trajectory in the years ahead.

Pratik Kamdar is the Co-founder & CEO of Neuron Energy. Views expressed are the authors’ personal.

EV Financing as a High-Growth Lending Segment for Green NBFC’s

Autocar Professional Bureau — Sat, 24 Jan 2026 14:21:44

What was once an emerging trend is now clearly visible across the mainstream news cycle: electric vehicles are rapidly gaining ground in India. The evolving customer preferences for EVs are fueled by their desire for environmental sustainability and long-term cost efficiency. This invariably coincides with the measures deployed by the government to achieve its sustainability targets by 2030.

Mass sustainable adoption is well on its way towards becoming a critical part of India’s future, with shifting customer preferences dictating the direction in which the market is headed. In 2025 alone, EV sales hit a record high of 2.3 million units, accounting for 8% of all new vehicle registrations. 72% of these sales come from electric two-wheelers alone. Overall, future EV forecasts look bright for the country.

A USD 200 Billion Opportunity Backed by Scale

India’s electric mobility transition represents a USD 200 billion economic opportunity by 2030, spanning vehicles, batteries, charging infrastructure, and financing, creating a substantial long-term lending opportunity for green-focused NBFCs across consumer, commercial, and fleet segments. So, what does all this indicate? That the potential of mass sustainability in India is tremendous.

However, for this potential to be fully realized, a robust and scalable capital infrastructure is essential. While policy support has helped catalyze early adoption, the next phase of growth will depend on the private sector stepping in with deeper financial products, innovative lending structures, and risk-calibrated schemes to support EV adoption at scale.

This is where important financial institutions like NBFCs have risen to the challenge. With a rising need for EV loans and capital for both private and commercial, NBFCs like Ecofy that offer innovative green financing solutions and flexible financial models for both individuals and enterprises can fill this gaps.

EV Adoption Is Accelerating Faster Than Perception

According to the NITI Aayog’s 2025 report on India’s electric mobility transition, domestic EV sales have surged significantly, rising from just 50,000 units in 2016 to 2.08 million units in 2024, with total EV stock reaching 5.45 million vehicles. While this represents only about 7.6% of total vehicle sales, it underscores the rapid acceleration of electrification across segments and highlights the scale of capital and financing needed to achieve the national target of 30% EV penetration by 2030.

E-commerce being as huge as it is, the most prominent adopters within the e-commerce and food delivery space are transitioning to electric vehicles. At the same time, a growing number of mid-sized logistics companies, urban freight operators, and shared mobility platforms are actively electrifying their delivery and transport fleets to reduce operating costs, improve asset utilization, and meet sustainability-linked procurement requirements.

All-in-all, commercial demand is emerging as one of the strongest drivers of EV adoption in the country. And EV and sustainability-linked loans, especially in commercial and fleet segments, have demonstrated strong utilization, predictable cash flows, and improved risk profiles.

Improving Risk Profiles Are Strengthening the Lending Case

As EV adoption scales across use cases, risk dispersion improves and portfolio performance becomes more stable. Higher utilization, predictable operating cash flows, and growing borrower familiarity with EV assets are steadily improving the risk-return profile of EV-linked lending.

With demand-side momentum accelerating, the availability and depth of capital markets are becoming equally critical to sustaining EV adoption at scale.

Green Capital Markets Are Deepening in Parallel

As highlighted by the Climate Bonds Initiative, India’s sustainable debt market has expanded rapidly in recent years, reflecting growing investor appetite for climate-aligned assets. By the end of 2024, cumulative issuance of green, social, sustainability, and sustainability-linked debt crossed USD 55.9 billion, driven largely by green bonds aimed for clean energy and transport.

The issuance of sovereign green bonds totaling INR 477 billion has played a critical role in setting pricing benchmarks and strengthening market confidence, creating a more supportive funding environment for lenders and platforms focused on electric mobility and sustainability-linked financing.

How is this translating into action? Financial institutions and corporations are increasingly using sustainability-linked and green finance instruments to fund electric mobility, clean energy, and climate-aligned infrastructure projects, where asset visibility and cash-flow predictability are improving. At the same time, clearer regulatory oversight from SEBI and the RBI, along with the development of green taxonomies and disclosure frameworks, is helping build a more credible, transparent, and investable ecosystem for lenders focused on sustainability-linked assets.

NBFCs Are Moving from Pilots to Core Portfolios

Meanwhile, several Indian NBFCs have already begun integrating green lending into their core portfolios, particularly in electric vehicle financing, renewable energy, and sustainability-linked enterprise loans. Several large and mid-sized non-banking financial institutions have expanded their exposure to electric vehicles and clean-energy assets, particularly across consumer and commercial segments, while maintaining stable asset quality and healthy margins. This trend signals growing lender confidence in EV-linked portfolios as underwriting models mature and asset performance becomes more predictable.

From Policy-Led Adoption to Scalable Lending

As EV infrastructure matures, the risk in EV investment is reduced and opportunity is increased.

Expect clearer asset performance data, stronger operating economics across commercial EV use cases, and greater standardization in underwriting and risk assessment. As these fundamentals strengthen, the perceived risk in green lending will continue to decline, and what was once seen as a policy-driven or concessionary segment is increasingly emerging as a scalable, profitable lending opportunity that extends well beyond traditional asset classes.

Sustainability and EV-linked finance are all but inseparably linked at this point. And all of it is backed by policy support, commercial demand, and a widening market. Ultimately, EV financing is no longer a question of intent or ideology; it becomes a question of execution. The demand is visible, the policy direction is clear, and the economics are steadily improving.

The next phase of green lending will belong to the institutions that can build repeatable, transparent, and scalable models around EVs, without losing discipline on risk.

Signals from the Ground Point to Long-Term Viability

Across the EV ecosystem, closer engagement between lenders, OEMs, and mobility operators is translating into faster adoption cycles, stronger borrower intent, and improved clarity on asset performance. Together, these fundamentals signal a lending environment that is increasingly resilient, scalable, and environmentally sustainable.

NBFCs that build early expertise in underwriting, partnerships, and product innovation within this space are likely to play a defining role in financing India’s transition to a greener economy. That’s the direction in which things are headed, and it’s for the best.

Kartik Gupta is the Head of Autovert. Views expressed are the authors’ personal.