PUNE: The Automotive Research Association of India (ARAI), the autonomous body with the Ministry of Heavy Industries, Government of India for close to six decades, has been instrumental in enabling the automotive industry to usher in new technologies that are more sustainable and safer in nature. From ensuring the safety of the vehicles to strategizing standard formulation, ARAI has provided unwavering support to the industry and the Government in bringing the Indian auto industry to par with its global counterparts.
Established on 10th December 1966, ARAI has grown from a testing agency to a technology deployment research organization. ARAI offers integrated services spanning three areas – R&D, Certification, and Skill Development. On its 58th Annual Day, ARAI showcased its achievements in the mobility domain and its contribution to making the industry safe, smart,t and sustainable through various activities like certification, Standard Formulation, and developing technology solutions through research and development. Some of the recently established facilities at ARAI are the Airbag Deployment Facility, Advanced Accelerated Sled, Advanced Photometry & Optics Laboratory, and Advanced Noise Vibration & Harshness Developmental Centre. To promote Vehicular safety with Global standards, ARAI is equipped with comprehensive facilities for the evaluation of vehicles as per New Car Assessment Programme (NCAP) Protocols.
The proposed facilities at its new Mobility Research Centre (MRC) in Takwe will include the ADAS Smart City test Track, Cylinder Test Facilities & Certification Centre, Hydrogen Test Facility, and a High Energy Impact Test (HEIT) Facility. This High Energy Impact Test Facility (ISO 17025 Accredited) will be the first of its kind in India / Asia. Also, MRC will be the first of its kind in the country to enable cylinder manufacturers to test products indigenously to support Aatmanirbhar Bharat. An Advanced Battery Safety Testing Facility is also being established at ARAI’s Chakan center to ensure the safety of Electric Vehicles in India as per the futuristic standards.
ARAI, in the recent past, has undertaken various R&D projects in the domain of Electric Vehicles, Autonomous Driving, and Engine Development. Some of these projects prominently include:
AC/ DC Charging Station, LEV AC Charge Point, Acoustic Vehicle Alerting System (AVAS), Battery Management Systems, Drive-by-wire Platform, 600 hp Engine, Seat Validation, BS-VI HCV CNG Engines for Heavy Duty Application, Lightweight Aluminium Extrusion Profiles, Dummy Kinematics Assessment based on Ergonomics (i.e. SIZE India – Indian Anthropometry Database), Hydrogen PEM based Electric 3W for Range Extension, Battery Management System (BMS) Training Trainer Kit, Diesel Engines for Tractor Application.
ARAI has established an Alternate Fuel Centre to cater to alternative fuels like Methanol, Hydrogen, HCNG, DME, Ethanol, LNG, Bio-CNG, Biodiesel, Bio-CNG, Diesel-CNG in addition to CNG and LPG.
Speaking on the account, Dr. Reji Mathai, Director, ARAI said, “We at ARAI are in constant endeavour to address the growing requirements of the automotive industry. The transformation has been the essence of ARAI’s Progress. Apart from Automotive, ARAI is also diversifying and offering its services to the Aerospace and Railway sectors. ARAI offers various platforms such as TechNovuss (Technology Innovation Platform), ARAI-AMTIF – a Section 8 company of ARAI, along with a Technical Support Cell for providing service support to MSMEs and Startups. Skill Development is one of the prime objectives of ARAI; through ARAI Academy, we conduct various programs for students and industry professionals. We try to disseminate the research knowledge through our flagship event SIAT. Initiatives like Mobility Hackathons and BAJA are also vital tools for us to promote innovation.”
ARAI is committed to Creating and facilitating SAFE, SUSTAINABLE, and SMART Mobility Solutions. To ensure our commitment towards a green planet, ARAI is also taking care of its surroundings and environment through various sustainability initiatives.
V.A. Pankhawala – Senior Deputy Director, A.A. Badusha – Senior Deputy Director, Dr. N.H. Walke – Senior Deputy Director and A.A. Deshpande – Senior Deputy Director were present on the occasion.
