The Autonomous BAJA SAEINDIA 2024 (aBAJA) kicked off with great fanfare, marking the first day of the one-of-a-kind student competition centred on autonomous all-terrain vehicles (AATV).

This 3-day competition (from 4 to 6 October 2024) is hosted by the Automotive Research Association of India (ARAI), Pune, and marks a milestone for BAJA SAEINDIA as autonomous vehicle technology was introduced to the engineering competition. Five teams from throughout the country compete in the event, each of which must complete a unique set of tasks meant to evaluate the performance of their vehicles and teamwork.

Pre-event preparation tests were carried out at ARAI, Kothrud, Pune, from 30 September to 3 October, in the run-up to the tournament. Among these were comprehensive technical examinations, in which vehicles' electrical, mechanical and autonomous systems were carefully assessed to make sure they complied with competition regulations. Assessments of team preparedness and safety briefings were also conducted. To help teams test and improve their autonomous vehicles and make sure they matched the competition's rigorous requirements, trial run tracks were built up for the dynamic events such as Object Detection, Classification and Tracking (ODCT) and Remote Driving System (RDS).

On the first day, static events like the design evaluation and business presentation took main stage. These occasions gave the teams a chance to showcase their creative approaches and intricate designs, emphasising the intricacy and foresight required to create autonomous systems. Teams will test their vehicles' capabilities in real-world scenarios on the second day, which is expected to feature exciting activities that highlight engineering ingenuity and expertise.

Highlighting the significance of hosting the event at ARAI during the welcome address on behalf of ARAI, Ujjwala Karle, Joint Convener, Phase 3 of aBAJA SAEINDIA 2024 & Deputy Director, Technology Group, ARAI, said, “It is an honour for ARAI to host Phase 3 of aBAJA SAEINDIA 2024. This event highlights our commitment to bridging academia and industry. It is inspiring to witness students exhibit the passion and boldness necessary to tackle the complexities of the automotive landscape. BAJA SAEINDIA serves as a vital ‘Introduction to Industry’ (i2i), providing hands-on experience with real-world challenges. Furthermore, initiatives like the iNTELLIMOBILITY Ideathon empower participants to address pressing mobility issues with innovative solutions. We at ARAI are proud to support BAJA SAEINDIA and wish all participants great success in this year’s event.”

Emphasising the importance of technological innovation in shaping the future of mobility, the Chief Guest for the event, Umesh Shah, Managing Director, Autoliv, said, “aBAJA represents a confluence of creativity, engineering, and technology. It is through such initiatives that we inspire the next generation to think beyond conventional solutions and tackle real-world problems with courage and a spirit of innovation. I congratulate the participants for taking up this challenge and encourage them to bring forward their passion and ideas that will shape the mobility landscape in India and beyond. The efforts of the organising committee and all those involved in this competition are commendable. Their dedication ensures that aBAJA continues to be a platform where emerging engineers are not only tested but also encouraged to innovate and grow. I wish all the participants the very best in their endeavours and extend my best wishes to BAJA SAEINDIA as they continue to break new ground with aBAJA SAEINDIA 2025."

Shahkar Abidi, Assistant Editor at Autocar, graced the occasion as the Guest of Honour. Stressing the importance of continuous learning and practical exposure for engineering students, he said, “Autonomous driving and intelligent mobility are no longer just concepts; they are the future. BAJA SAEINDIA has always been ahead of the curve in providing hands-on experiences to students, and aBAJA is a testament to this vision. The passion and drive I see among these students will surely propel them to become future leaders in the automotive industry.”

The grand inaugural ceremony also saw the presence of esteemed dignitaries from both industry and academia, including Ganesh Rao, Director of R&D at Continental; Shantanu Sonar, DGM at Daimler Truck Innovation Centre India (DTICI); Dr P Rajalakshmi from TiHAN, IIT Hyderabad; Balraj Subramaniam, Chairman of the Organising Committee of BAJA SAEINDIA and Saurabh Chitnavis, Joint Convener of aBAJA SAEINDIA 2024.

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  - Dr Kamal Vora October 06, 2024 06:55 AM

  Autonomous BAJA SAEINDIA 2024 is a great initiative of SAEINDIA and I would like to congratulate BAJA Committee members, ARAI, Ajeenkya DY Patil University and all the sponsors & supporters for this initiative. The registration of BAJA SAEINDIA 2024 with early bird incentive starts on 6th Oct 2024 from 8 to 10 pm. For sponsorship or registration, please contact vorakc04@gmail.com

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Taiwan-headquartered Delta Electronics has announced a collaboration with NVIDIA aimed at developing autonomous driving systems for next-generation vehicles.

The partnership combines Delta’s automotive energy management, electric powertrain systems and in-vehicle high-performance computing system integration with the NVIDIA Hyperion reference platform and NVIDIA Halos safety system.

NVIDIA Hyperion serves as a sensor and compute architecture for Level 4 autonomous vehicles and robotaxis, utilising dual NVIDIA DRIVE AGX Thor processors to enable production-ready vehicle autonomy.

James Tang, Executive Vice-President of Mobility Business Category, Delta, said, "Autonomous driving requires years of technology development, continuous innovation, and strong system integration. Our commitment to the EV sector began several years ago, developing strong expertise in power electronics and key automotive technologies, and accumulating extensive development experience with world-class automakers. We are honoured that NVIDIA recognises Delta’s automotive expertise and strategic direction. Through this joint endeavour, we will further integrate AI and HPC capabilities into the enhancement of advanced autonomous driving functions, turning next-generation smart vehicles into real-world applications while pursuing new opportunities in the fast-growing smart mobility market."

Rishi Dhall, Vice-President of Automotive, NVIDIA, said, "Level 4 autonomous driving requires powerful in-vehicle computing, a comprehensive sensor architecture and close collaboration across the automotive ecosystem. By combining Delta’s automotive and system integration expertise with NVIDIA Hyperion, we can accelerate the development of safe, intelligent and scalable autonomous driving systems for the next generation of mobility."

Under the agreement, Delta will work alongside NVIDIA’s engineering teams to integrate its system technology into the Hyperion architecture, while leveraging NVIDIA's international network to broaden commercial engagement with global automotive manufacturers.

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Stellantis and Wayve will participate in the Wave by Vento event in Turin from 7 to 9 October 2026, featuring executive sessions, technical presentations and demonstration rides focused on artificial intelligence in mobility.

A keynote session titled ‘Technology Made for Humans’ will feature Stellantis CEO Antonio Filosa and Wayve Co-Founder and CEO Alex Kendall on 9 October. Moderated by Adam Jonas, global embodied AI and robotics strategist at Morgan Stanley, the discussion will focus on AI-powered mobility and strategic partnerships for technology deployment at scale.

During the event, Stellantis and Wayve will conduct demonstration rides in Fiat 500e and Maserati Grecale development vehicles equipped with the STLA AutoDrive platform powered by Wayve.

The system integrates the Wayve AI Driver to demonstrate hands-free, door-to-door supervised automated driving, categorised as Level 2++, in real-world driving conditions. The integration follows the Jeep Grand Cherokee development vehicle displayed at Stellantis' Investor Day in May, applying the same core AI driving software across three vehicle architectures without model-specific software re-engineering.

Announced in May 2026, the strategic partnership between Stellantis and Wayve focuses on supervised automated driving software for highway and urban environments. Stellantis targets its first commercial product launch using the technology in North America in 2028.

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Energy In Motion (EIM Ltd) has inaugurated a heavy-duty battery swapping-cum-charging station at Rewari, Haryana, expanding its energy infrastructure along the NH-48 Delhi-Mumbai freight corridor.

The facility was inaugurated by Dr. Hanif Qureshi, IPS, Additional Secretary, Ministry of Heavy Industries, Government of India. The event was attended by representatives from cement and logistics companies, fleet operators, financial institutions, and transport providers, including Mahendra Singhi, Board Member and Advisor at Dalmia Cement, Arun Kumar Khurana, Joint President and Head of Operations Logistics at UltraTech Cement, Manav Bansal, Co-Founder and CEO at Drivn and Narendra Murkumbi, Managing Director at Energy In Motion.

The Rewari station joins existing EIM facilities at Palwal and Kotputli along the NH-48 corridor. Each station operates with a connected load of 2.5 MW to supply power directly along key transit routes. The infrastructure utilises a battery-swapping model designed to replace depleted heavy-vehicle batteries with charged units, reducing vehicle idle time compared to stationary plug-in charging methods.

Narendra Murkumbi, MD, EIM, said, “The Rewari station is dedicated to support Green logistics more economically. The facility can swap a discharged battery of an Electric Heavy commercial vehicle (e-HCV) typically in 7 minutes, against 55-60 minutes of charging time through a conventional charger, there by yielding a significantly higher fleet availability and better economics for any fleet owner or transporter. The station has the capacity to serve over 150 vehicles a day. EIM’s Battery Swapping, together with its larger capacity battery of 350 kWh, can result into a 10 percent increment in the No. of monthly return trips on any corridor for any Logistics Service Provider (LSP). We plan to set-up 40 such stations across India in the current financial year, of which 8 are already operational and 7 more in various stages of installation. EIM, in its pursuit of creating value for its customers through innovative solutions, has already gained large traction across India through its ‘Maitryi’ model (Battery as a Service or BaaS) where a customer’s upfront capital deployment stands reduced by 40 percent while buying a heavy-duty electric truck, a capital-intensive item.”

EIM offers its infrastructure under a Battery as a Service (BaaS) commercial structure, designated as the 'Maitryi' model. The arrangement separates the vehicle purchase price from the battery unit, lowering initial capital expenditure for logistics providers purchasing heavy-duty electric trucks. The company plans to deploy 40 heavy-duty swapping-cum-charging stations across India during the current financial year, with eight facilities currently in operation and seven in development.

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Japanese tier 1 supplier Toyoda Gosei Co’s regional headquarters in China, Toyoda Gosei (China) Investment Co., has inked a partnership agreement for safety standards and technical innovations with CATARC Component Technology (Tianjin) Co., a group company of the China Automotive Technology & Research Center (CATARC).

The agreement focuses on safety standards and technical developments as China Automotive Technology & Research Center formulates vehicle safety regulations and industry standards in China.

As per the understanding, Toyoda Gosei (China) Investment Co., aims to accelerate product development by increasing the deployment of computer-aided engineering technology and creating safety products tailored to local requirements.

The partnership comes amid market shifts in China driven by the adoption of electric vehicles and the entry of new automotive manufacturers. Toyoda Gosei plans to leverage its engineering resources to supply safety components to carmakers operating within the Chinese automotive sector.

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