Optimism surrounded the panel discussion at the start of Automotive Megatrends India 2015. Speaking about the trends governing the commercial vehicle (CV) market in India, senior executives observed that expectations for growth in the market are high. As Jean Pierre Verge Salamon, President, Volvo Group Truck Sales, highlighted, “We are extremely positive for the outlook of India’s CV market. It is on the verge of transformation, which will take place in the next ten years.”
As a result, demand for the ongoing development of powertrain technologies is increasing, and government legislation as well as consumer expectation are shaping the way in which propulsion is delivered. These were discussed at length in the Truck Powertrain Innovation track.
But several experts believe that global trends, rather than those that are country specific, are affecting the future of India’s CV powertrain. Jinal Shah, Manager South Asia Operations, Power Systems Research, described the future development of powertrains used in the medium- and heavy-duty CV markets as wholly dependent on “large trends that govern the entire truck industry. These include the low cost of diesel fuel, which has changed the picture, but so too has the impact of CO2 and NOx.” He also touched on the impact of common, shared platforms used across product portfolios – an approach that OEMs are favouring to reduce costs and lead times.
“The Indian market is no longer secluded from the global trends, which are having a growing impact on the country’s powertrain development,” he told Automotive World. A number of these ‘large trends’ will make an impression on vehicle development as a whole, with areas like lightweighting and aerodynamics coming into play. Discussing the specifics of the powertrain, he believes that engines will be the focus area as India looks to meet the demands of these trends. “Modern diesel engines have become highly efficient and powerful. Basically, the engines are satisfying the joint desire for increased power density and decreased fuel consumption,” he observed.
The Indian market is no longer secluded from the global trends, which are having a growing impact on the country’s powertrain development
Although Shah is confident that diesel will remain the dominant fuel of choice, he described a bright future ahead of liquid petroleum gas (LPG) and compressed natural gas (CNG) in India. “They are gaining market share, displacing gasoline but not at the cost of diesels, which will remain the dominant choice of engines.”
Paul Sowerby, Chief Technical Officer at Cummins, posed the question: “Are alternative fuels attractive or not? Our conclusion is that fuel has to be readily available and easy to handle. It has to be technically feasible.”
While he notes progress in developing flex-fuel engines that have the capability of using a number of different fuels, Sowerby thinks the most exciting area for engine development can be found in electrification: “What is the future of powertrain – is it in the internal combustion engine (ICE), a combination of ICEs and another technology, or not with ICEs at all? In terms of acceptance, electrification is still falling short. But as we go forward, the technology will improve and the market has the potential to expand.”
With the ongoing development of powertrains for India’s CV market in mind, Kishore Rao, Managing Director, MathWorks, believes that design methods must advance. “There are three key points to the future of powertrains. The first one is technologies are fusing together to transform products and industries. This is creating new opportunities in our industry to innovate and create new lines of business, which is the second point. Thirdly, design methods are helping companies realise these opportunities.”
He thinks that the simulation-based development of powertrains is another global trend that is becoming increasingly important in markets across the world, and India’s CV segment is no exception.
Michael Nash
