The narrower, bigger diameter tyres of electric vehicles are encouraging innovation around them. Supporting lower rolling resistance, the tyres are pushing suppliers and OEMs to explore new technological innovations. A leading German auto supplier for example has developed a ‘mechanical’ technology to ensure superior manoeuvring with near 180 degrees turn of the steered wheels. 
This is a development that could be applied to ICE rear-wheel drive vehicles as well. Even, light-duty commercial vehicles such as the Tata Ace/1000 or the Switch Iev3/Iev4 that are aimed at the last mile delivery segment were backing up into a tight parking spot or navigating through a narrow lane is part of the job. 
As designers and engineers toy with the idea of larger wheel wells and the ability of the steered – front – wheels to turn as much as 180 degrees, the use of narrower, bigger diameter tyres with low rolling resistance in electric vehicles is spurring yet another round of innovation, albeit as a part of the entire platform architecture that is rather software driven and subject to much virtual development in the interest of ‘time-to-market’ and a differentiated user experience. 
With over 14 million small electric vehicles sold in 2023 the world over, the push has been to develop tyres that enhance operation and performance. Provide a typical ‘family’ car the ability to transform into a sports car given the wave of high torque available from the word ‘go’ in an electric vehicle. 
With electric vehicle sales poised to increase 17.5 percent year-on-year globally to bridge 41.2 million units in 2029, electric vehicle tyres are expected to facilitate a further drop in rolling resistance while employing sustainable raw materials, technologies and manufacturing processes. 
A sustainable EV tire design should consider the whole lifecycle of the product. Tires can be composed of well over 100 different raw materials. These are mixed and the rubber compounds are machined resulting is several components of the tire construction. EV tires are expected to be stronger and lighter, with less rolling resistance due to its importance in CO2 emissions and fuel consumption. 
A key challenge being the development of tyre formulations for electric vehicles with the tread compound that is more resistant to abrasion, it is the instant torque availability that is necessitating tyres that may look like ICE vehicle tyres but are quite different in the way they handle traction and aid a longer drive range. There is the issue of kerb weight as well, not to overlook the new environmental pressures for durability and abrasion resistance. 
Interestingly, new opportunities are being created on the vehicle engineering and dynamics side as well as on the side of electric vehicle tyre development and manufacture. 
Starting with materials that are broadly classified as ‘renewable’ (can be sustained on time) and as ‘recycled’ (re-used and made from recovered end-of-life tyres), it is the tandem mixers that are producing more homogeneous rubber compounds, including tread compounds that employ optimised silica fillers.
Tyres for electric vehicles are demanding the use of triple or quadruple extruders for treads and sidewalls as per the vehicle weight, application and dynamics. Roller head or roller die units are also being used to produce inner liners as a single or multilayer sheet
In terms of textile coating of steel cord components in e-vehicle tyres, four-roll and Z-type calendars are used. Also, full tyre assembly machines that can produce tyres to tighter tolerances, higher specs such as superior uniformity and sans operator invention. 
With electric vehicle tyres and ICE vehicle tyres being tested and validated differently primarily because of the higher load bearing capacity and low rolling resistance, electric vehicle tyres are made up of a different (softer) rubber compound than regular tyres with an eye on less noise, mentioned a testing expert at an OEM that is increasingly producing electric vehicles in India. 
Pointing at an electric passenger vehicle the company launched in India recently, he averred, “Softer compounds are used to ensure less rolling noise and better transmission of torque from the motors to the road.” 
With finer tolerances in need, optical machine vision systems for end-of-line quality inspections, including new technologies such as X-rays to check steel belts, cords and bead reinforcement are increasingly used. 
They are used to check for air bubbles in inner liners as well. Advances in tyre design and manufacture include new developments in simulation software to model the performance of new designs quickly. This is without material input cots. 
AI is being increasingly used to ensure superior analysis. AI is also used to automate manufacturing process as part of Industry 4.0 workflows. 

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Toyota Motor North America has announced an investment of 3.6 billion USD in its plant in San Antonio, Texas. The project will add 2.5 million square feet to the campus and double its size by 2030. The expansion includes a second vehicle assembly line and will create 2,000 jobs, bringing the local workforce to approximately 6,000 people.

As part of this transition, the production of the Tacoma will move from the Toyota Motor Manufacturing Baja California plant to the Texas site over a four-year period. Once the expansion is complete, the San Antonio plant will assemble the Tundra, Sequoia, and Tacoma. The expansion will increase the annual production capacity of the plant by 150,000 units. Furthermore, the production of the Tacoma mid-size pickup will move from the Baja California plant in Mexico to the San Antonio facility over a period of four years.

Ted Ogawa, President and CEO, Toyota Motor North America, said, “Toyota’s continued investment in North America is a testament to our confidence in the region’s workforce, innovation and long-term growth potential. By expanding our San Antonio plant, we are deepening our commitment to American manufacturing, creating meaningful and sustainable jobs, while advancing our mission to deliver high-quality vehicles that meet the changing needs of customers today and into the future.”

Greg Abbott, Texas Governor, noted, “Texas is where the world builds bigger, and Toyota shows it once more with a USD 3.6 billion expansion in San Antonio that doubles their factory footprint and creates 2,000 new jobs. This Texas-sized investment reflects the strength of our workforce and the unmatched business advantages found only in our state. Supported by the Texas Enterprise Fund and JETI program, this expansion will deliver economic opportunities to generations of San Antonio families and further cement Texas as the premier destination for world-class advanced manufacturing.”

Frank Voss, group vice president of truck manufacturing at TMNA and president of Toyota Texas, added, “We are so proud of Team Texas and what they have accomplished over the past two decades. The 2,000 acres of South Texas ranchland our plant stands on today was purposefully selected for its ability to scale with vehicle demand, and today marks the first step toward realising that potential. We’re excited to add the beloved Tacoma to our existing award-winning lineup, and we thank the State of Texas, Bexar County and City of San Antonio for their longstanding support.”

This investment brings Toyota’s total spending at the San Antonio site to USD 8.3 billion since 2003. The facility currently supports 23 on-site suppliers and produced over 197,000 vehicles last year.

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Tata Motors has signed a Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) with Welspun Renewable Energy to develop an 86 MW wind-solar hybrid project. The project will supply power to Tata Motors' manufacturing plants in Jharkhand, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand and Karnataka.

The project is expected to generate 200 million units of energy annually and offset 140,000 tonnes of CO2 emissions each year. This initiative supports Tata Motors' goal to meet its RE100 target by 2030 and its ambition to achieve net-zero emissions.

Vishal Badshah, Vice-President – Operations, Tata Motors, said, "This project reflects Tata Motors’ continued focus on building greener and more energy-efficient manufacturing operations. The scale and integrated nature of this wind-solar hybrid solution will help us secure a reliable supply of renewable energy for key commercial vehicle manufacturing facilities, while meaningfully reducing carbon emissions across operations on a sustained basis. Collaborations like these are critical as we progress to fulfil our RE-100 commitment and net-zero aspirations."

Kapil Maheshwari, MD & CEO, Welspun Renewable Energy, said, “This partnership with Tata Motors represents a defining milestone in Welspun New Energy's journey. We are not merely signing a PPA, we are co-creating a model for how India's largest manufacturers can decarbonize and achieve net zero and sustainability goals. We thank Tata Motors for their trust and look forward to making this one of many long and successful partnerships. At Welspun New Energy, we remain committed to building resilient, future-ready renewable energy infrastructure for both Utilities and C&I consumers”

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Maruti Suzuki India, the country’s largest passenger vehicle manufacturer, has further expanded its capacity with its new manufacturing facility at IMT Kharkhoda, Haryana, going on stream.

The facility was inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the Prime Minister of Japan, Sanae Takaichi, via video conferencing. The site represents an investment of INR 350 billion and is expected to create 21,000 jobs. Once the facility reaches its capacity of one million units per annum, it will be among the largest vehicle manufacturing sites globally.

Toshihiro Suzuki, Representative Director & President, Suzuki Motor Corporation, said, “It is a great honour for Suzuki group today as its most advanced car manufacturing facility at Kharkhoda, Haryana has been inaugurated by PM Narendra Modi and Sanae Takaichi. From current capacity of half a million units, the plant will be further scaled to one million units, making it one of the largest car plants in the world. It is a testament to the success of India-Japan partnership and ‘Make in India’ initiative. With favourable policy environment under PM Modi’s leadership, Suzuki is accelerating investments, employment, exports and technologies towards Viksit Bharat journey.”

“Over the years, India’s importance has grown significantly within the Suzuki Group. Suzuki’s first Battery Electric Vehicle, the e VITARA, is manufactured exclusively at Maruti Suzuki’s Gujarat plant, for exports to 100 countries globally. Thanks to exports of Made in India cars, Suzuki has become the largest car importer in Japan, one of the most demanding automobile markets. This shift is a strong reflection of how ‘Make in India, Make for the World’ is unfolding in practice, demonstrating growing global trust in India’s quality, capability, and advancement in manufacturing,” added Suzuki.

The Kharkhoda facility operates as a ‘Suzuki Smart Factory,’ utilising digital technologies to monitor operations and Industry 5.0 practices, such as the use of collaborative robots (COBOTS).

Interestingly, 100 percent of the facility’s electricity is sourced through renewable methods, including an installed solar capacity of 20 MWp, which is planned to reach 70 MWp by 2030. The site also includes a biogas plant and a Battery Energy Storage System.

The plant functions as a zero liquid discharge facility, with water requirements met through recycling and rainwater harvesting.

Furthermore, an in-plant railway siding will be established to manage vehicle transportation.

The company is also conducting community development projects in 10 nearby villages and continues to operate Japan-India Institutes for Manufacturing (JIMs) to develop a skilled workforce. Maruti Suzuki currently operates manufacturing plants in Gurugram, Manesar, Hansalpur, and now Kharkhoda, with a target capacity of 2.9 million units by the FY2026-27.

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Hindustan Zinc has expanded its Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) license to include Hindustan Zinc Die-Casting Alloy 5 (HZDA 5). The company now holds BIS certification for both HZDA 3 and HZDA 5, which are used in sectors including automotive, engineering and infrastructure.

The BIS certification confirms that products meet standards for quality, safety and reliability. This development is intended to provide customers with assurance regarding product consistency and performance.

Arun Misra, CEO & Whole Time Director, Hindustan Zinc, said, “The extension of our BIS license scope to include HZDA 5 is an important step in strengthening customer confidence in our certified product portfolio. For us, certification is not only about meeting standards, but also about assuring customers of dependable quality and long-term value. As industries increasingly look for high-performance and responsibly produced metals, Hindustan Zinc remains committed to delivering products that customers can trust.”

The company manages quality through processes including raw material sourcing, production, and testing. It uses systems such as the Laboratory Information Management System and Agile Quality Circle to monitor production. In addition to BIS, the company maintains certifications such as REACH and LBMA.

Hindustan Zinc produces zinc, lead, silver and alloys, including low-carbon offerings. The company also manages customer engagement through its digital platform, Vedanta Metal Bazaar.

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