Toyota has accelerated its ‘Green Wave Project’ commemorating this year’s environment month. It is aimed at enhancing its nature conservation activity in the community with the company distributing saplings to its employees, under its sixth challenge that is termed as ‘Establishing a Future Society in Harmony with Nature’ and looks to contribute to the Toyota Environmental Challenge 2050. 

While the eco campaign continues to drive active community involvement to promote greenery, through employee engagement, Toyota Kirloskar Motor (TKM) has successfully distributed over 7000 saplings to its employees, marking significant progress towards its 8,000-sapling target set under its plantation activity. 

With TKM employees encouraged to plant and nurture the distributed saplings within their neighbourhoods and submit periodic reports on plant growth, the it is noteworthy to mention about Toyota’s tree plantation activities that are strongly driven by adopting a unique concept namely the ‘Miyawaki Method of Afforestation’ since 2009, and TKM was the first corporate in India to implement such plantation methodology. TKM’s steadfast commitment to sustainability and ecological restoration is yielding remarkable results, as evidenced by the numerous advantages of the Miyawaki approach. A comprehensive study conducted in collaboration with experts from Bangalore University revealed that the Miyawaki method excels in carbon sequestration, capturing an impressive 30.86 tonnes of carbon per acre.

By doing so, TKM not only restored native habitats but also created self-sustaining ecosystem that contribute to a healthier planet. Under the guidance of Late Dr Akira Miyawaki himself, TKM initiated its maiden Miyawaki plantation drive, way back in 2009, marking a significant milestone in its journey towards conservation of greenery and eco-consciousness. Since that momentous day, TKM's plantation drives have continued to evolve and expanded to 112 acres of green cover within the factory premises, out of which 32 acres of afforestation has been developed using Miyawaki method. Today, Toyota’s manufacturing facility, located in Bidadi (on the outskirts of Bengaluru) proudly boasts more than 328,000 trees of over 790 native species planted within its premises. The results have been truly awe-inspiring with a remarkable increase in biodiversity observed over the years. 

From a mere 181 plant species, the count has surged to an impressive 790, while the number of faunal species has risen from 76 to 284. The vibrant ecosystem now encompasses 88 bird varieties, 38 butterfly species, 107 insects, 17 reptiles, 8 mammals, and 6 amphibians, reflecting the successful development of a thriving native forest ecosystem.

In addition, TKM has created an experiential environmental learning centre ‘Ecozone’ (spread across 25 acres with 17 theme parks and home to 65,000 trees with 650 native species) for children, teachers, community members and other stakeholders, within its manufacturing facility aimed at creating the environment leaders and change champions for the future, to usher in desired behavioural change in the communities. This green zone depicts the creation of dense forest within the plant facility using the ‘Miyawaki Concept’ of plantation. The forests are dominantly planted with species of 4 major forest types such as Dry Deciduous, Moist Deciduous, Semi-evergreen and Evergreen Forest, covering 21 different sub-concepts such as Pollination meadows, herbal garden, plants for spices etc. So far, more than 42,000+ students & other stakeholders have been covered through ecozone initiative.

B Padmanabha, Executive Vice President and Director of Manufacturing - Toyota Kirloskar Motor, averred, “At Toyota Kirloskar Motor, we recognise that environmental and social sustainability are just as crucial as economic progression. Guided by Toyota’s Global Environmental Challenge 2050 (six challenges announced in 2015), our sustainability efforts are far reaching that go beyond product zero emissions. While the first three challenges seek to achieve zero carbon emissions covering the entire life cycle of our products, across manufacturing operations as well as our value chain, the last three challenges focus to achieve water conservation, establishing recycled based society and living in harmony with nature.”

“We believe that a sustainable future is built through collective action and community involvement, as exemplified by one of our eco initiatives - Green Wave Program that covers afforestation (plantation drives, distribution of saplings), sharing best practices (e.g. Miyawaki plantation methodology), creating awareness on nature conservation and imbibing good eco behaviour (Toyota Ecozone – Experiential Eco Learning). Together with our employees and other stakeholders, we aim to catalyse positive change in the community to safeguard the environment to the future,” he added. 

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Solid Power, Inc., a U.S.-based developer of solid-state battery (ASSB) technology, has announced a collaboration with Samsung SDI and BMW to pursue the development and validation of a demonstration vehicle powered by ASSB technology.

The collaboration is a key step towards the commercialisation of ASSB technology, leveraging the expertise of the three companies. Under the arrangement, Solid Power will supply its sulphide-based solid electrolyte to Samsung SDI, which will then integrate it into cells. These cells will be evaluated based on performance parameters agreed upon with BMW. The ultimate goal is to develop and supply ASSB cells for integration into a demonstration vehicle.

John Van Scoter, President and CEO, Solid Power, said, “We are excited to partner with Samsung SDI and BMW to progress the development of all-solid-state batteries. Our solid electrolyte technology is designed for stability and conductivity, and by working closely with global leaders in automotive and battery innovation, we strive to bring ASSB technology closer to widespread adoption.”

Martin Schuster, Vice-President Battery Cell and Cell Module, BMW Group, said, “With Samsung SDI joining our partnership with Solid Power, we gain significant momentum on our path advancing the development of new battery cell technologies. This global collaboration is another proof point of our overarching goal: to be always in a position to offer our customers state of the art battery technology.”

Stella Joo-Young Go, Executive Vice-President of ASB Commercialisation Team at Samsung SDI, said, "Technological competitiveness in batteries would ultimately lead to innovation in electric vehicles. Samsung SDI will work closely with strategic partners such as BMW and Solid Power to take the lead in commercialisation of ASSB.”

ASSB cells are said to have the potential to offer improved energy density, battery life and safety performance by replacing liquid electrolytes with solid materials. The collaboration supports Solid Power’s objective to manufacture and sell electrolyte to Tier 1 battery manufacturers and automotive OEMs.

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Ather Energy has begun rolling out multi-language dashboard support for its Rizta scooter, enhancing accessibility for a wider audience in India.

The multi-language interface, first announced for the Rizta, will eventually support eight regional languages: Hindi, Marathi, Gujarati, Bengali, Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam and Kannada. The rollout commenced with Hindi, followed by Kannada, with the remaining languages set for introduction in the coming months.

Swapnil Jain, CTO & Co-founder, Ather Energy, said: “Karnataka has been home for us since the beginning. It’s where much of Ather was built, our teams, and our early community. In a state where culture and language are deeply rooted, adding Kannada to the Rizta Z dashboard felt like a natural step to make the experience more personal and accessible for our riders here. As technology becomes part of daily life, it should also feel familiar and easy to use, that’s exactly what this update aims to do.”

The Rizta, Ather’s first family scooter, is available in two models and four variants: Rizta S and Rizta Z. The variants offer an IDC range of 123 km and 159 km. The scooter features a large seat and a storage space of 56-litre, including a 34-litre under-seat capacity and an optional 22-litre frunk accessory.

Safety features include SkidControl, Fall Safe, Emergency Stop Signal (ESS) and Tow & Theft Alerts. The Rizta has found a strong connection with riders, crossing 100,000 unit sales in June of this year.

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Hindustan Zinc, a global integrated zinc producer, is advancing its mining strategy with a fleet intelligence system powered by Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT). Through monitoring of Heavy Earth Moving Machinery, the company is capturing real-time data on equipment uptime, reliability and energy consumption to optimise operations, enhance machine lifespan and elevate productivity.

The data-driven approach has led to measurable improvements across equipment categories over the last three fiscal years FY2024 to FY2026:

• Jumbo drilling machines achieved a 28 percent improvement in reliability and uptime.
• Load Haul Dumpers recorded a 24 percent rise in uptime.
• Low-Profile Dump Trucks showed an improvement of over 27 percent.
• Efficiency has also improved, seen in the Power Pack to Percussion ratio for Jumbo machines, which decreased from 3.8 to 3.4, indicating better energy use for equivalent output.

This transformation is managed by Hindustan Zinc’s Collaboration Centre, which serves as the central nerve for real-time data integration and decision-making. Data from sensors and IIoT devices, deployed in collaboration with Machine Max (a Vedanta Spark startup partner), is processed and analysed into insights for both frontline teams and strategic leaders.

Arun Misra, CEO, Hindustan Zinc, said, “With stronger data capture, cutting-edge IIoT integration and advanced analytics, we’re moving from reactive to predictive operations. The optimisation of our heavy earth-moving fleet has been a game-changer for our uptime and efficiency. This project is a clear step towards smarter, real-time decision-making and building a high-performance, energy-efficient mining ecosystem.”

The digital initiative is integral to the company’s strategy for automation, smart mining and sustainability. Hindustan Zinc is also deploying other technologies, including an AI-powered camera surveillance system that has resulted in an almost 50 percent reduction in manual intervention for safety and compliance. The company is currently working with over 20 technology startups on more than 50 projects through Vedanta Spark.

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Tier 1 automotive supplier Lumax Auto Technologies (Lumax) has inaugurated its new Technology Centre in Bengaluru, christened the ‘Smart Hub for Innovation and Future Trends’ (SHIFT).

The new facility will focus on accelerating the company’s electronics engineering and digital capabilities amid the global transition toward software-defined vehicles (SDVs).

The inauguration saw participation from Lumax’s key customers and partners, including leaders from Daimler India Commercial Vehicles, Hero MotoCorp, Mahindra & Mahindra, Maruti Suzuki India, Tata Motors and TVS Motor Company.

The new centre aims to serve as a nucleus for advanced research and product development in key areas such as in-cabin experiences, ADAS (Advanced Driver Assistance Systems), connectivity and embedded electronics.

Anmol Jain, Managing Director, Lumax Auto Technologies, said, “This centre marks a major step toward our Tier 0.5 vision, enhancing our strengths in electronics, mechatronics and digital systems. We aim to lead the transformation toward intelligent, connected and sustainable mobility and Bengaluru’s dynamic tech ecosystem provides the ideal environment for this journey.”

The tier 1 supplier stated that the component industry is undergoing a profound transformation, driven by electrification, digitisation and autonomous technologies. As vehicles become increasingly software-centric, Lumax Group is working to integrate intelligent systems and deliver seamless user experiences.

Deepak Jain, Promoter Director, Lumax Auto Technologies, said, “The launch of our Technology Centre reaffirms our long-term commitment to customer-centric innovation and technological leadership. As the industry transitions toward software-defined vehicles (SDV), the future of mobility will increasingly be driven by intelligence, connectivity and digital integration. SHIFT will enable Lumax Group to accelerate innovation, strengthen collaboration and shape intelligent mobility solutions of the future.”

The SHIFT Technology Centre is equipped with advanced electronics labs for hardware-in-the-loop (HIL) testing, rapid prototyping and product validation, enabling end-to-end innovation from concept to commercialisation.

Satish Sunderesan, CTO, Lumax Auto Technologies, said, “With SHIFT, we aim to converge talent, technology and transformation to engineer software-defined and digitally driven vehicles and evolve from smart systems to autonomous intelligence.”

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