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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Artificial intelligence software developer Helm.ai has launched two foundation models, GenSim-3 and VidGen-3, establishing a native Full HD (1920x1080) resolution standard for generative simulation across a 6-camera, 360-degree surround-view suite.

The architecture delivers 5x the pixel density of industry benchmarks to assist automotive developers facing the limitation where physical collection of edge cases becomes logistically restrictive.

Traditional generative world models typically cap resolution at roughly 0.4 megapixels per camera. Helm.ai’s platform outputs a native 2 megapixels per camera, yielding a synchronised 12-megapixel synthetic canvas per timestep. This specification matches the hardware parameters of production-grade vehicle cameras to reduce the domain gap for SAE Level 2 through Level 4 autonomous vehicle development.

The platform functions as a virtual sensor twin by mathematically replicating physical constraints and hardware anomalies, including lens flares, sensor banding patterns, and exposure blinding. To accommodate different neural network training routines, the pipeline can be configured to a high-speed validation mode using a three-camera setup at 30 frames per second, or a spatial context mode generating a six-camera surround view at 5 frames per second.

Data generation is split into two operational pipelines. GenSim-3 focuses on data augmentation by modifying environmental parameters such as weather, lighting, and object surfaces across real-world video segments at native 2MP resolution. VidGen-3 focuses on data creation, synthesising driving sequences from scratch by simulating environments, agent behaviours, and traffic logic without baseline video to patch geographic data gaps.

Helm.ai achieved the 2MP standard using a cluster of a few hundred GPUs rather than the thousands typically required for sub-HD video generation. This framework reduces the GPU infrastructure footprint for vehicle manufacturers and provides a method for compressing autonomous driving software onto mass-market on-vehicle compute chips.

Vladislav Voroninski, CEO and Founder, Helm.ai, said, "We are moving the industry from standard 'AI video' to authentic, hardware-accurate sensor emulation. By leading with a Full HD (2MP) standard and a 12-megapixel total aggregate capability per timestep, we have solved the resolution bottleneck that has historically limited the utility of generative AI in safety-critical systems. By optimising our compute architecture, we are giving our partners a high-performance platform to validate their autonomous stacks using synthetic data that perfectly matches the fidelity of their actual production sensors."

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Global automotive technology supplier Marelli has marked the 30th anniversary of its flagship electronics manufacturing plant in Guangzhou. Established in 1996 as Marelli’s inaugural manufacturing investment in China, the facility has transformed from a baseline assembly outpost into a major smart manufacturing and hardware-software validation centre.

Over the past three decades, the facility has expanded from a single operational production line with approximately 100 technicians into a 30,000-square-meter automotive electronics campus.

Today, the facility employs nearly 1,000 people and runs 66 active production lines, manufacturing components for both localised Chinese vehicle programs and global vehicle architectures.

The campus houses an adjacent, fully integrated Engineering Center that holds more than 100 registered patents. The manufacturing framework integrates high-precision assembly lines, automated optical bonding modules and site-wide rooftop solar arrays designed to manage factory energy overheads and lower operational carbon density.

The Guangzhou plant functions as a strategic industrialisation hub focused on low-cost, scalable architectures suited for the industry transition toward connected, software-defined vehicles (SDVs). The facility specialises in several high-growth hardware and display segments like advanced display solutions based on Mini-LED and MicroLED technologies. Additional key platforms include electronic control units (ECUs) for body and seat systems, zone control units, as well as digital cockpits, digital instrument clusters, and 5G telematics systems.

Ravi Tallapragada, President of Marelli’s Electronics business unit, said, “Our Guangzhou plant is a cornerstone of Marelli’s Electronics business in China and a powerful example of how innovation and advanced manufacturing can drive sustainable growth. Over the past 30 years, the team has continuously evolved its capabilities, developing advanced technologies and scalable platforms that address the rapid transformation of the automotive industry, building on long-standing collaboration with customers and partners. I’m proud of our team in Guangzhou and confident that the plant will continue to play a key role in shaping Marelli’s future globally.”

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Bosch MC Battery Service Innovations, a 50:50 joint venture established by Bosch and Mitsubishi Corporation, has secured its first commercial customer for its ‘Battery-as-a-Service’ (BaaS) solution. The platform has officially gone live with the opening of an automated energy service hub in Chizhou, Anhui Province.

The new logistical hub is owned and operated by Shanghai Lingzhou Technology Co. The site acts as a high-volume transit point configured specifically for heavy-duty electric trucks, allowing operators to either swap out spent battery packs or utilise fast-charging bays within a few minutes. The Chizhou station currently processes more than 100 commercial electric trucks per day.

The commercial roll-out aligns with rapid fleet electrification trends in China, where New Energy Vehicles (NEVs) accounted for nearly 30 percent of all heavy-duty truck sales in 2025. Internal market projections from Bosch indicate that over 50 percent of new truck registrations in the country will be fully electric by 2030.

The joint venture's business model separates the acquisition cost of the vehicle chassis from the battery chemistry, mitigating a core hurdle for corporate logistics fleets: accounting for unpredictable battery degradation and its subsequent impact on total cost of ownership (TCO) and residual vehicle asset valuation.

The operational framework of the joint venture utilises a collaborative technical and commercial division between both partners. As per the understanding, Bosch will provide the core software stack for the platform. Real-time operating metrics – including local ambient temperature profiles, instantaneous current loads and historical charging frequencies – are beamed continuously to cloud servers. The algorithms evaluate the exact state of health (SoH) of individual packs, run predictive wear modelling to catch cell stress anomalies and dynamically manage fast-charging protocols to minimise thermal strain.

On the other hand, Mitsubishi manages localised market deployment, regulatory anchoring and downstream financial underwriting. The data harvested through the tracking platform is being funnelled into integrated aftermarket networks to build commercial products, including predictive hardware maintenance contracts, connected usage-based fleet insurance packages and secondary-life battery storage applications.

Thomas Pauer, President of the Bosch Power Solutions division, said, "With this service, Bosch and Mitsubishi Corporation can create real added value for fleets. Although the state of health can decline due to ageing and many charging cycles, our solution allows fleet operators to keep an eye on the battery condition of their vehicles – a decisive criterion for the everyday suitability and total cost of ownership of a fleet."

Qian Yang, General Manager of the joint venture’s local subsidiary in China, said, "Our service hits a local nerve: We support battery-electric vehicles in the fleet business. This holistic approach accelerates the electrification of fleets and optimises the entire battery lifecycle. The combined expertise of Mitsubishi and Bosch is a perfect match for our customers."

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L&T Electronic Products & Systems (LTEPS) has formed a strategic partnership with Israeli electric propulsion technology firm EVR Motors to co-develop, manufacture and distribute next-generation electric vehicle traction motors for the Indian market.

The collaboration will focus on industrialising traction motors optimised for regional conditions. The designs are engineered for high operational efficiency, compact physical packaging and a reduced reliance on rare-earth materials. The product line will cater to multiple transport segments, ranging from electric two-wheelers and three-wheelers to passenger cars and heavy commercial vehicles.

The traction motors will be manufactured at the LTEPS production facility in Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu. When paired with LTEPS's indigenously designed Motor Control Units (MCUs), the combined hardware will provide automotive original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) with a complete, integrated EV powertrain and drivetrain solution.

LTEPS is a business unit of Larsen & Toubro that specialises in the design, engineering and manufacturing of high-reliability electronic systems across the aerospace, defence, industrial and energy sectors.

EVR Motors specialises in proprietary electric motor topologies, utilising a patented Trapezoidal Stator radial flux architecture designed to reduce weight, size and material volume while maximizing power density.

Prashant Jain, Head of L&T Electronic Products & Systems, said, “This partnership reflects our commitment to developing indigenous, high‑performance solutions that support India’s clean mobility ambitions. By combining advanced motor innovation with indigenous motor control unit, we bridge the gap between cutting‑edge technology and real‑world deployment across India’s EV landscape.”

Opher Doron, CEO, EVR Motors, stated, “Our collaboration with LTEPS enables us to scale innovation responsibly – delivering traction motor solutions that are not only technologically superior, but also manufacturable, reliable and tailored for Indian mobility needs.”

Sajal Kishore, Managing Director, EVR India, added, “India’s electric mobility transformation requires system-level powertrain integration and deep localisation. The collaboration between EVR Motors and L&T will enable next-generation electric powertrain solutions across mobility segments.”

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