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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Marelli presented ORION, a data cloud artificial intelligence platform for motorsport intelligence, at the Professional MotorSport World Expo 2026 in Cologne, Germany.

The platform is engineered to integrate disparate motorsport data sources, structure information in the cloud and apply artificial intelligence (AI) to support analytics, decision-making, fan engagement and auditable services for teams, federations, promoters and media organisations.

Alongside the platform, the company exhibited technologies including the HSC 130 high-speed camera featuring 500 frames-per-second full high-definition recording, the SA-140 LTE smart antenna telemetry system, and the IPS 290 six-axis redundant inertial platform with real-time kinematic multi-band global navigation satellite system.

The display also featured the vehicle edge controller family – including the VEC 480, VEC 200 and VEC 320 – alongside electronic control units, data loggers, dashboards, telemetry systems, fuel systems, ignition technologies, power electronics and the REV-500 electric front powertrain.

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Horse Powertrain, a global player in low-emission and innovative powertrain systems, has unveiled its first production-ready V8 engine, the HORSE W40. Developed for high-performance hybrid vehicle platforms, the 4.0-litre eight-cylinder unit ranks among the market's most power-dense V8 offerings, weighing just 200 kg while producing over 500 kW and 800 Nm. That blend of strong low-end torque and high peak power makes it suited to sports cars, pick-up trucks and off-road vehicles alike.

The engine is laid out longitudinally with twin top-mounted turbochargers in a hot-V configuration, and it borrows advanced direct fuel injection, extensive lightweighting and a shortened turbo intake path from across the company's portfolio to achieve its power and torque density. Complementing it is the HORSE 8LDCT, an eight-speed transmission with a sportscar-grade wet dual clutch that delivers a pre-fill time below 50 ms and shift response under 20 ms, plus a silicon carbide control system, power module, variable-displacement mechanical pump and support for up to 1,050 Nm.

Both components will make their world debut as an integrated set in Lotus's upcoming Type 135 supercar, the brand's first entry into the category. The pairing is intended to cement the W40's position as the leading hybrid engine for top-end vehicles, combining high output with hybrid-ready efficiency. Horse Powertrain says the integrated package demonstrates how its portfolio technologies can be brought together to serve demanding performance applications.

Matias Giannini, CEO, Horse Powertrain, said, “The HORSE W40 marks another landmark achievement for Horse Powertrain’s engineering teams, with our world-class technology powering one of the most power-dense V8s in automotive history. This hybrid-first engine has been built with our company’s full-powertrain perspective and expertise, designed for integration from the outset with our landmark HORSE 8LDCT transmission. In powering the Lotus Type 135, Horse Powertrain is both advancing the state of the art of automotive engineering while making a historic contribution to the world-renowned Lotus brand.”

Feng Qingfeng, CEO, Lotus, said, “We are excited to partner with Horse Powertrain to bring its advanced V8 engine and hybrid transmission technology to the upcoming Lotus Type 135. The HORSE W40 V8 engine and 8LDCT hybrid transmission represent significant advances in powertrain engineering, combining exceptional power and torque density with a highly integrated design. By bringing these technologies together with Lotus’ expertise in lightweight engineering and chassis dynamics, we aim to deliver a new generation of supercar performance, combining outstanding power, efficiency and the precise, engaging driving experience that defines Lotus.”

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US-headquartered Ten-Nine Technologies has entered a market development partnership with Tokyo-based Rune Nordgaard Consulting (RNC) to expand the evaluation and commercialisation of its 'TENIX' battery additive across Japan's battery value chain.

Headquartered in Tulsa, Oklahoma, Ten-Nine Technologies is said to have developed proprietary nano-scale materials that improve battery performance, longevity and stability across lithium-ion chemistries. The company claims its flagship technology, christened TENIX, is a cathode additive engineered to extend cycle life, improve thermal performance and unlock more value from every cell.

TENIX is a powder additive blended into cathode active materials during manufacturing at 0.5 to 2 percent of cathode weight without requiring equipment modifications or battery redesigns. In third-party evaluations across nickel-manganese-cobalt (NMC) and lithium-manganese-oxide (LMO) chemistries, the additive increased charge-discharge cycles by over 75 percent, extending electric vehicle battery lifespans from 150,000 to over 265,000 miles while reducing cost per kilowatt-hour by approximately 40 percent, lowering resistance by 10 percent and decreasing lifetime heat output by around 40 percent.

Under the agreement, RNC will act as Ten-Nine's representative in Japan, facilitating engagement with automotive original equipment manufacturers, battery makers, cathode producers, trading houses and research institutions.

Since May 2026, RNC has introduced TENIX to battery manufacturers, automotive firms, and cathode materials producers in Japan to support technical evaluations and customer qualification processes.

Paige Johnson, CEO, Ten-Nine Technologies, said, “Japan has played a foundational role in the development of the global lithium-ion battery industry. RNC’s deep understanding of the Japanese battery ecosystem and extensive industry network make them an ideal partner as we continue expanding our global presence.”

Rune Nordgaard, Founder, Rune Nordgaard Consulting, said, “Japan is one of the world’s most important battery markets, but success here requires trust, technical understanding, and strong local follow-up. TENIX has demonstrated excellent performance in NMC and LMO cathode chemistries, with strong potential for all-solid-state batteries as well, and I believe it will be of real interest to battery and battery-related companies across Japan. We’re pleased to support Ten-Nine, whose professionalism, technical rigour, and commitment to customers give us confidence in introducing TENIX to potential partners in Japan.

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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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