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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Delhi-NCR-based smart parking and mobility solutions provider ParkMate has rebranded itself as Blyp, which it stated is part of its vision to become a tech-driven urban mobility ecosystem that goes far beyond parking.

Dhananjaya Bharadwaj, Co-Founder & CEO, Blyp, said, “The name Blyp represents speed, precision and simplicity – exactly what we want to deliver to every urban commuter. This rebrand is more than just a new look. It’s a reflection of our expanded mission – to reimagine urban movement through data, design and deep tech. We’re excited to introduce Blyp as the mobility companion of tomorrow’s India.”

With a new identity, Blyp aims to become an enabler of intelligent urban navigation, offering users real-time parking discovery, smart routing, EV compatibility and partner integration across both public and private sectors.

Abhimanyu Singh, Co-Founder & COO, Blyp, said, “ParkMate was our beginning – a product born out of a real problem. Blyp is our evolution. Over the years, we’ve grown from a parking solution into a full-fledged mobility tech platform. This rebrand allows us to think bigger, move faster and build deeper value for individuals, businesses and governments alike.”

Going forward, the company will roll out new features, expand into new cities and aims to build new infrastructure collaborations.

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Dover India, part of USD 7 billion Dover Corporation, has joined with RV College of Engineering (RVCE), Bengaluru, to set up a laboratory in Materials and Component Reliability Testing under the Centre for Hydrogen and Green Technology, a Centre of Excellence at RVCE.

The facility will focus on research in the area of hydrogen technologies and advanced material reliability under extreme environments. The idea is to explore emerging areas in hydrogen technology such as sustainable materials, Internet of Things (IoT) and Industry 4.0 solutions. The lab will be housed within the RVCE campus.

The partners state such facilities, designed according to global standards, are first-of-their-kind in India and are available only in a handful of countries globally. It will bring over 20 technologists from Dover and RVCE to work on next-generation research focusing on generation, storage, transportation, handling, safety and end-applications for hydrogen.

Established in 2021, Dover India’s R&D arm in Bengaluru, is claimed to have emerged as a leading Innovation Centre focusing on prognostics, tribology, corrosion and coatings, polymer synthesis and material characterisation.

Vivek Srivastava, R&D Head, Dover India, said, “Collaborating with RVCE enables us to foster a strong academia-industry partnership that will fuel the next wave of clean energy innovation and cover the entire spectrum of basic and applied research in this area.”

The Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) formally signed between the two organisations saw participation from Dover India’s Tushar Banerjee, Vice President & Managing Director and Prashanth Santhanam, Senior Director – Finance. Dr M P Shyam, President – Rashtreeya Sikshana Samithi Trust (RSST), Dr K N Subramanya, Principal – RV College of Engineering and Dr Geetha K S, Vice Principal – Strategic Higher Education Leader, Expert in STEM Curriculum Development, Research & Innovation and Dr Ujwal Shreenag Meda, Coordinator, Centre for Hydrogen and Green Technology represented RVCE. 

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The Ministry of Road Transport & Highways (MoRTH) has introduced the Motor Vehicles Aggregator Guidelines, 2025, a revamped policy aimed at modernising the ride-hailing sector with a focus on safety, driver welfare and transparent operations. Under the new guidelines, a structured fare system and clear cancellation penalties are now in place.

The policy states that the State Government's notified fare will serve as the base fare, wherein aggregators can charge a minimum of 50 percent below during non-peak hours and a maximum of two times the base fare during peak demand (as compared to 1.5x). A base fare for a minimum of 3km is chargeable to compensate for dead mileage.

Drivers are guaranteed at least 80 percent of the fare, with daily, weekly or fortnightly settlements. For aggregator-owned vehicles, drivers receive at least 60 percent of the fare.

A penalty of 10 percent of the fare (up to INR 100) may be imposed for unvalidated cancellations by either the driver or the passenger. No charge for dead mileage will apply unless the ride distance is less than 3km, the fare will only be charged from origin to destination.

The new policy introduces important provisions for aggregators:

Passenger Insurance: A minimum insurance cover of INR 500,000 for passengers is now mandatory.

Aggregators cannot prevent drivers from working with multiple platforms. A mandatory in-app rating system for both drivers and passengers is required to ensure quality service.

Furthermore, a comprehensive mandatory 40-hour Induction Training Programme is now compulsory for drivers, covering app usage, legal provisions, first responder training, safe driving and sensitivity towards gender and Divyangjans.

Drivers must undergo mandatory medical examinations, psychological analyses and police verification. Aggregators will also need to provide a Health insurance (minimum INR 500,000) and term insurance (minimum INR 1 million) for each driver, with annual increases.

Annual refresher training is now mandated, with quarterly training for drivers with low ratings. Aggregators are not allowed to onboard vehicles older than 8 years from their initial registration. The app and website (aggregator) must disclose the proportion of fare and incentives provided to drivers.

To ensure accessibility, the aggregator apps must now include special features for Divyangjans, which also provides for divyangjan-friendly vehicles mandated by State governments.

Aggregators must maintain a 24x7 control room and call centre with the vehicles requiring functional tracking devices linked to government control centres, with in-app mechanisms to detect route deviations and alert authorities.

The aggregators are responsible for the safety of all passengers, particularly children, women and Divyangjans.

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Bengaluru-headquartered engineering R&D services company L&T Technology Services (LTTS) has been selected by the Traton Group, one of the world’s leading manufacturers of commercial vehicles housing iconic brands such as Scania, MAN, International and Volkswagen Truck & Bus, as a strategic engineering partner.

As per the understanding, Traton Group will leverage LTTS’ Mobility segment to build a unified, future-ready product-development platform that delivers scale, speed and sustainable mobility solutions.

The automotive major recently consolidated its global R&D ecosystem to unlock cross-brand synergies while expanding the share of battery-electric vehicles in line with its 2029 profitability and sustainability targets.

On the other hand, LTTS’ will provide engineering support, from mechanical and software engineering to digital systems integration - across key development hubs in Sweden, Germany, the United States, Poland and India.

The collaboration will focus on software-defined vehicle architectures, electrified powertrains, autonomous & ADAS feature development and advanced digital engineering toolchains.

Alind Saxena, Executive Director & President - Mobility & Tech, L&T Technology Services, said, “Being selected by Traton Group is a testament to LTTS’ leadership in next-generation Mobility engineering. This collaboration underscores our commitment to delivering cutting-edge solutions that align with Traton’s vision of sustainable and intelligent transportation. With our proven track record in engineering transformation, we are excited to help Traton achieve its ambitious goals of electrification, autonomy, and digital innovation while redefining the future of commercial mobility.”

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