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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German luxury carmaker Audi has detailed the battery architecture and bidirectional charging capabilities of the Audi A2 e-tron, which is available to order in three battery configurations of 52, 61 and 84 kWh.

The EV features Vehicle-to-Load (V2L) functionality to power devices and Vehicle-to-Home (V2H) capability to supply electricity to households when paired with a DC wallbox, with Vehicle-to-Grid (V2G) functionality planned to feed energy into the power grid in the future.

The 52 kWh and 61 kWh variants use lithium iron phosphate (LFP) batteries arranged in a cell-to-pack layout, while the 84 kWh variant uses a nickel-manganese-cobalt battery. Depending on the configuration, direct current charging powers range between 100 and 183 kW, charging the battery from 10 to 80 per cent in 24 minutes for the 52 kWh version, 26 minutes for the 61 kWh version, and 29 minutes for the 84 kWh versions.

The vehicle incorporates an OCDC 2.0 unit that integrates the on-board charger and DC/DC converter, utilising metal-oxide-semiconductor field-effect transistors (MOSFETs) and alternating current output management software. A thermal management system regulates battery temperature, current flow, and state of charge during charging and discharging cycles, while a battery management controller employs an algorithm to track state of charge, ageing, and range calculations across the LFP cells.

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Enmovil Solutions has formed a partnership with Tangentia to provide supply chain orchestration software to manufacturing and automotive enterprises in Canada. The agreement was formalised during the Team Canada Trade Mission to India in October 2026, led by Canada's Minister of International Trade, Maninder Sidhu, which resulted in 34 agreements valued at nearly CAD 300 million.

Under the terms of the agreement, the companies will combine Enmovil's CADDIE supply chain platform with Tangentia's integration and Agentic AI systems. Tangentia will manage go-to-market operations, deployment and customer support in Canada, targeting manufacturers, automotive original equipment manufacturers, electric vehicle and battery producers, defence contractors and supplier networks. Enmovil's platform manages demand, inventory, production, and logistics planning for clients including Maruti Suzuki India, Mahindra & Mahindra, TVS Motor Co, Daimler, Nestle, Hero MotoCorp, Indus Towers and Ashok Leyland.

Ravi Bulusu, Co-Founder and CEO, Enmovil, said, “Canada is a natural next step in Enmovil’s global expansion. Its manufacturing and automotive sectors run on complex, tightly connected supply chains, where faster and better-coordinated decisions translate directly into cost and service outcomes. By combining CADDIE, Industry’s leading Agentic supply chain decisioning and orchestration platform, with Tangentia’s solutions and local expertise, we can offer Canadian enterprises a joint solution that helps them make faster, better-informed supply chain decisions. We look forward to working with Tangentia to bring this to more businesses in Canada.”

Vijay Thomas, CEO, Tangentia, said, “Canadian manufacturers, Retailers and Distributors are under growing pressure to build supply chains that are more resilient and responsive. CADDIE, Enmovil’s supply chain decisioning and orchestration platform, has proven itself at scale with some of the largest manufacturing and automotive companies in India, and it complements Tangentia’s strengths in Supply Chain, EDI, integration and Agentic AI. Together, we can offer our customers a combined solution and a practical path to AI-driven supply chain decisions. This partnership is also a strong example of the growing technology ties between Canada and India.”

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Visteon Corporation and SHINRY Technologies, operating through their joint venture Visteon-Shinry Power Electronics (VSPE), have partnered with Infineon Technologies to develop a single-stage onboard charger for electric vehicles. The announcement was made during the Electronica Trade fair in Munich.

The system combines VSPE's converter hardware topology and control strategy with Infineon's gallium nitride (GaN) monolithic bidirectional switches (BDS). The single-stage architecture consolidates power conversion functions and removes the bulk capacitors used in two-stage onboard chargers to reduce component count, system dimensions, and costs.

The unit supports 22 kW three-phase and 19.2 kW single-phase AC charging alongside vehicle-to-everything (V2X) bidirectional operation. Infineon's GaN BDS devices integrate bidirectional voltage blocking and current conduction into a single semiconductor unit, lowering component requirements in the power stage and shrinking the dimensions of magnetic components through switching frequency operation.

Zilai Zhao, Co-General Manager at Visteon-Shinry Power Electronics, said, “This collaboration brings together complementary strengths in vehicle electronics, power conversion and advanced semiconductors. By combining Visteon’s system expertise and Infineon’s GaN leadership, we’re delivering a transformative solution for next-generation EV platforms.”

Mark Sun, CTO, SHINRY, said, "Integrating Infineon's GaN switches with our proprietary single-stage topology is a game-changer for power density and system cost. Our R&D team is fully committed to validating this innovative architecture to meet the rigorous reliability standards of global automotive customers."

Benoit Rousseau, Vice-President of GaN Automotive, Infineon, said, “Together with Visteon-Shinry Power Electronics we are pushing the boundaries of onboard charging for the next generation of electric vehicles. Our GaN bidirectional switch, recognised as a ‘Global New Energy Vehicle Innovative Technology’ at the 2026 World New Energy Vehicle Congress, combines leading-edge switching performance and efficiency with a new level of semiconductor integration, enabling new power conversion architectures.”

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Dubai Future Foundation has announced DP World as the first strategic partner of SHIFFT, a self-driving logistics joint venture established in collaboration with autonomous vehicle technology company Oxa under the Dubai Research, Development and Innovation Programme.

The partnership focuses on developing and deploying autonomous logistics solutions across ports, terminals and industrial zones, beginning at Jebel Ali Port. The scope includes vehicle integration, autonomous driving functions, safety frameworks, fleet management, routing, digital twins, situational intelligence and operational performance optimisation.

At present, DP World operates more than 900 vehicles at Jebel Ali Port for inter-terminal container movement, alongside thousands of vehicles across its global network of over 60 ports and terminals.

Khalifa Al Qama, Chief of Research, Development and Innovation, Dubai Future Foundation, said, "The selection of DP World as the first strategic partner of SHIFFT marks an important step in developing and implementing autonomous logistics solutions from Dubai. This collaboration brings together world-leading operational expertise and advanced technologies to develop practical solutions that can be deployed and scaled globally."

Ibrahim Al Najjar, Senior Vice-President of Information Technology, DP World GCC, said, "For our customers and partners, autonomous technology translates into more predictable, resilient supply chains that keep cargo moving reliably and at speed. It also creates opportunities for our people to build future-ready skills, while strengthening Dubai’s competitiveness as a destination for trade and investment. By co-developing these technologies here, around real operational needs, we are setting new benchmarks that will benefit the wider industry."

Paul Newman, Founder and CEO, Oxa, said, "This collaboration aims to transform industrial vehicles into an intelligent, autonomous digital workforce capable of operating efficiently in complex, mixed-use environments. By working with DP World, SHIFFT is helping to elevate operational fleet performance and strengthen the long-term resilience of supply chains."

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