Return With A Bang

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After three years, the Automotive Testing Expo will return to India in April 2023. The show will avail the platform to host the most up-to-date technologies in ADAS and autonomous vehicle testing, NVH measurement tools, test rigs, simulation packages, durability testing technologies, crash testing, dynamometers, emission measurement systems and dynamic assessment tools, as well as countless service providers such as proving grounds and test facilities. The German edition, which will take place between 13 and 15 June 2023 in Stuttgart, will be hosted on a bigger scale with expected exhibitors of more than 450.

In light of the evolving dynamics of the automotive testing industry, organisers of the upcoming Automotive Testing Expos in Germany and India are placing big bets on the events.

The Indian edition of the Automotive Testing Expo will take place between 18 and 20 April 2023 in Chennai, while the German edition will happen between 13 and 15 June 2023 in Stuttgart. Apart from these two editions, the show will be hosted in Korea, China and US.

Tony Robinson, Founder and CEO of UKIP Media & Events, said, “After three years, we are once again hosting the Automotive Testing Expo in India. It is a long gap. We received a terrific response when we announced a few weeks ago that we would return to Chennai in April 2023. Many very excited companies want to exhibit their new and existing technologies. We will find people in India who haven’t had a chance to see the new things available in the automotive testing industry. They will be very keen to come out and look at everything that’s on show in April next year. So we are excited.”

Automotive Research Association of India (ARAI), Automotive Test Systems, DEWESoft India Pvt Ltd, Keysight Technologies India Pvt Limited, MTS Systems Corp and National Instruments are others who have confirmed their participation. In 2020, the Indian edition of the Automotive Testing Expo hosted 125 exhibitors and the same number is expected for the upcoming edition.

The Germany show did not take place in 2020 and 2021 thanks to the Covid pandemic. However, the show came back in 2022, which Robinson terms as a ‘fantastic show’. “Visitors came to the show for three days to see the latest technology in action and to learn about their uses and advantages. I would expect it’ll be even more fantastic in 2023. We expect to see more people come in because this year there has been a transition between the pandemic and people coming out and feeling comfortable,” added Robinson.

The Stuttgart Automotive Testing Expo, which takes place concurrently with a show on ADAS and autonomous vehicle technology, is expected to include between 450 and 500 exhibitors. “As a result, all major players are back in operation and prepared to display. There will also be numerous new businesses and start-ups along with the established major automakers,” said Robinson. The last edition in Stuttgart witnessed over 300 exhibitors.

Leading companies such as Anthony Best Dynamics; Applus+ Laboratories; DEKRA; DEWESoft GmbH; Diversified Technical Systems, Inc.; dSPACE GmbH; Keysight Technologies; Link Engineering Company; MTS Systems Corporation; National Instruments Germany GmbH; Robert Bosch; Rohde & Schwarz GmbH & Co KG; Siemens AG; ZF Friedrichshafen AG; SGS; TUV SUD Product Service GmbH; Michigan Scientific; Photron and others will exhibit at the Stuttgart show.

Despite the challenges brought on by the Covid pandemic, the organisers are closely monitoring the shifting trends in the automobile and automotive testing industries, which aids in their show planning. “Our job is to make sure we keep an eye on the developments and track down the new businesses that are entering the market. And we always act in that way. We take care to stay in touch with the important figures in the field of automotive testing engineering. We are dealing with a highly specialised community, so it’s essential that we are tracking and communicating and discussing with the automotive testing teams that cover many different facets of engineering. Our responsibility is to establish connections with all of the new businesses that are entering the sector. When marketing an event, we are in touch with the right people. It’s not frightening; it’s just what we do,” explained Robinson.

The shifting focus of the global auto industry from ICE vehicles to electric, autonomous and shared vehicles presents a wide range of opportunities and challenges, and this transition reflects on automotive testing as well. “The automotive testing market is exciting and in transition. We have been in the automotive testing world for nearly three decades, and any industry will have a transition. There’s no evidence that the big players are dropping by the wayside. Companies that are very ICE testing-oriented are not likely to come out exhibiting. This is not a great period for them. But then again, the rise of the battery car and battery testing (and range testing) and a lot of other things that we’ve been talking about, like AI and simulation, are things that are bringing new companies in,” added Robinson.

Robinson asserts that the complexity of automobile testing technologies and systems is drastically increasing, pushing the industry for automotive testing very hard. The newest products, services and technology are displayed at the automotive testing expos to help test, development and validation projects move more quickly. Robinson further explained, “The word I tend to use is fidelity. Automotive testing is a relatively young industry; if you go back even to the 1960s and 1970s, a lot of automotive testing was done in real life – physical testing of cars, natural crash testing of cars with human drivers. As the computer and IT industry developed and blossomed, a fascinating automotive test and development engineering industry grew. Higher and higher levels of fidelity are required in automotive testing for infinite and finite environments. We’re in an environment where everything is pushing automotive. Obviously, the electric and hybrid vehicles and batteries themselves need a lot of testing. The range needs a lot of testing. Autonomous vehicles push the boundaries to a completely new level. The growing penetration of software, sensors and AI is giving rise to a whole new range of companies that can enter the industry.”

“In a number of our shows, we have low-cost, smaller booths to enable starts-up and innovation companies, new companies to come to the event without having to spend a lot of money,” added Robinson.

Recyclekaro Secures Government Eligibility For Critical Mineral Recycling Expansion

Recyclekaro

Recyclekaro, an e-waste and lithium-ion battery recycling firm, has been cleared for eligibility under the Incentive Scheme for Promotion of Critical Mineral Recycling. The scheme is administered by the Ministry of Mines under the National Critical Minerals Mission.

The company has committed an investment of approximately INR 3 billion to expand its operations. This brownfield expansion aims to increase total processing capacity to 50,000 metric tonnes.

Its targeted waste streams for mineral recovery include spent lithium-ion batteries, electronic circuit e-waste, rare earth magnets and spent catalytic converters.

The project is designed to increase the domestic recovery of lithium and rare earth elements, reducing reliance on mineral imports for the electric mobility and renewable energy sectors.

Recyclekaro plans to invest over INR 5 billion over the next five years into a research and development facility. This centre will focus on technologies for the recovery of rare earth and critical minerals. The objective of the expansion is to align with national resource security and circular economy targets.

Rajesh Gupta, Founder and Managing Director, Recyclekaro, said, “We are proud to have secured eligibility under the Government of India’s Critical Mineral Recycling Incentive Scheme and sincerely commend the Ministry of Mines for instituting a visionary and robust framework under the National Critical Minerals Mission. This marks a decisive step toward strengthening India’s energy security that relies on securing critical minerals domestically. This will support India’s net zero goals. Over the past 15 years, we have built world-class in-house technologies, conducted thousands of pilot-scale experiments, and are now investing over INR 5 billion next 5 years in our newly developed R&D facility. It is going to be amongst the biggest privately owned facilities in India dedicated to rare earth and critical mineral recovery. At Recyclekaro, we remain deeply committed to this national movement and invite researchers, innovators, and technology partners to collaborate in accelerating India’s clean energy and circular economy transition.”

RoshAi Raises INR 220 Million Funding Led By IAN Alpha Fund

RoshAi

Kochi-headquartered deep-tech company RoshAi has raised INR 220 million in funding, which was led by IAN Alpha Fund, part of the IAN Group.

The capital is designated for product development, expansion of deployments and scaling operations across international industrial markets.

RoshAi develops autonomy solutions that can be retrofitted to existing heavy vehicles in sectors such as ports, mining and logistics. This approach allows operators to implement driverless operations without the requirement for new fleet investments.

The technology stack comprises three primary components:

Retrofit Hardware: Physical kits to enable autonomous control of conventional vehicles.

In-Vehicle Autonomy System: AI-powered software and sensors for navigation and obstacle detection.

Cloud-Based Fleet Management: A platform for remote monitoring and operational coordination.

The company reports that its systems have completed over 100,000 km of testing with no safety incidents.

The global industrial autonomous vehicle market is projected to reach USD 162.8 billion by 2030, up from USD 47.6 billion in 2024. RoshAi aims to capture this growth by targeting the United States, Australia and Southeast Asia. It currently collaborates with Tier 1 original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) and industrial operators on pilot projects.

Sarika Saxena, Managing Partner, IAN Alpha Fund, said, “RoshAi is solving industrial autonomy through a retrofit-first approach, enabling operators to upgrade existing fleets rather than invest in new infrastructure. With strong early validation, repeat customer engagement, and a scalable autonomy platform, the company is well-positioned to build a globally relevant deep-tech business from India.”

Roshy John, Founder & CEO, RoshAi, added, “Our focus is to make industrial operations safer and more efficient by enabling existing fleets to operate autonomously. This investment allows us to accelerate product development, scale deployments across global markets, and continue building a robust autonomy platform for industrial use cases. We are glad to have IAN’s support as we move into this next phase.”

Yuma Energy Partners Quantum Energy For Battery Swapping Integration

Yuma Energy - Quantum Energy

Yuma Energy, a battery-as-a-service (BaaS) and infrastructure provider, has partnered with Quantum Energy, an Indian electric two-wheeler manufacturer. The collaboration enables battery swapping compatibility for the Quantum Bziness, an electric scooter designed for commercial and last-mile mobility applications.

The partnership aims to address vehicle downtime by integrating Quantum’s vehicle engineering with Yuma’s energy network. Yuma Energy reports a network uptime of 99.9 percent, allowing users to exchange depleted batteries for charged units.

The collaboration will focus on fleet operators, businesses and independent commercial riders. The aim is to maximise vehicle uptime by removing the requirement for stationary charging.

The collaboration is intended to lower operational costs and environmental impact for commercial EV users. By providing a scalable energy infrastructure, the companies seek to remove barriers to adoption in the high-utilisation transport segment.

Muthu Subramanian, MD & GM, Yuma Energy, said, "Electric mobility must work for the people who depend on their vehicles every day. Our partnership with Quantum Energy ensures that riders using the Quantum Bziness can operate without interruptions. By making battery swapping as fast and simple as refuelling, we are enabling productivity, improving earnings potential, and accelerating India’s transition to sustainable mobility."

Chakravarthi C, Managing Director, Quantum Energy, added, "At Quantum Energy, we design and manufacture vehicles that solve real mobility challenges. Integrating Yuma’s battery swapping solution with the Quantum Bziness enhances convenience and operational efficiency for commercial users, reinforcing our commitment to delivering practical and scalable EV solutions."

BMW Group Partners With Rimac Technology To Power All-Electric i7 With Gen6 Battery System

BMW Group Partners With Rimac Technology To Power All-Electric i7 With Gen6 Battery System

The BMW Group has entered into a cooperation with Croatia’s Rimac Technology to equip the new all‑electric BMW i7 with advanced battery systems. This collaboration focuses on integrating BMW’s in‑house developed Gen6 technology into the flagship electric sedan, aiming to deliver superior range and faster charging capabilities.

At the heart of this project is the Gen6 lithium‑ion cylindrical cell, specifically the 4695 format, which offers a 20 percent higher volumetric energy density than the prismatic cells used in the previous Gen5 system. By combining the Gen6 cell technology with the established Gen5 module design, the high‑voltage battery enables a significantly increased driving range for the BMW i7. Additionally, the new setup boosts charging capacity and cuts charging time, greatly benefiting customers. The world premiere of this model is scheduled for 22 April at Auto China 2026 in Beijing.

Rimac Technology, a Tier 1 supplier within the Rimac Group, produces these high‑voltage batteries using state‑of‑the‑art equipment at its Croatian facility. The batteries are then delivered ready for assembly to the BMW Group Plant Dingolfing, the sole production site for the BMW 7 Series. Known for its in‑house development of battery systems, e‑axles, electronics and software, Rimac offers highly customisable electrification solutions. This long‑term partnership with BMW marks Rimac’s evolution from a niche supercar supplier to a Tier 1 provider for high‑volume vehicle projects.

Dr Thomas Engelhardt, Senior VP Development High-Voltage Storage and Charging, BMW Group, said, "We are quickly rolling out the technologies of the Neue Klasse across our entire model portfolio – including, of course, in our all-electric luxury sedan. The teams of both companies have developed a tailor-made solution for the new BMW i7. The excellent collaboration with Rimac Technology is a good example of European innovative strength."

Mate Rimac, Founder and President, Rimac Group, CEO and CTO Bugatti Rimac, said, “BMW has always been known for pushing engineering to the highest level, which made this collaboration especially exciting for us. Together, we developed a high-voltage battery system that unlocks the full potential of the new cylindrical cells in record time, delivering significant improvements in energy, range and charging performance. We are proud to now see this system being produced at scale at our new Rimac Campus.”