ARAI works in four areas to develop the e-mobility ecosystem in India

Ms. Rashmi Urdhwareshe is Director at Automotive Research Association of India (ARAI), Pune, India. She posses over 35 years of experience as an automotive industry expert. She has handled various national and international leadership positions in the areas of automotive safety and emission regulations. In a recent conversation with WRI India, she explains the role of ARAI in developing the e-mobility ecosystem in India. Here are excerpts:

ARAI is involved in the setting of automotive standards, along with offering testing and certification services to manufacturers. Given its expertise, what is ARAI’s vision of the electric mobility ecosystem in India?

Ms. Rashmi Urdhwareshe: At ARAI we work in four areas to develop the e-mobility ecosystem. First and foremost is preparing the industry and manufacturers to expand their research and development capabilities. We are doing it on a large scale in India and accordingly, it requires a very special development process. The second pillar is enabling testing development and validation capabilities that can scale-up at the vehicle, component and charging infrastructure level. The third pillar is certifying all those vehicles, on a continuous basis, as well as certifying the charging infrastructure to meet local regulatory requirements. And the fourth pillar is developing the right skill sets for the country - varying from power electronics to power train design and safety.

In your opinion, what are the benefits of setting standards for electric vehicles, batteries and charging infrastructure? Especially given the nascency of this market which needs security and economies of scale to grow, coupled with the need for rapid innovation, to arrive at locally beneficial vehicle technologies.

Ms. Urdhwareshe: We look at it from two standpoints - one is standard making and the other is standardisation. Standards offer a common approach to evaluation and development along with minimum technical and performance requirements that every product has to comply with. These are drawn keeping in mind usage patterns, duty cycles and the actual utilisation of the new technology that is brought into the market. These standards are usually notified under what is called the Central Motor Vehicles Rules (CMVR) and it is mandatory for all manufacturers to comply with the same. Standardisation, on the other hand, is usually done at the component level - such as batteries – and the effort is to standardise in a manner that achieves a scale of manufacturing. It is possible to work on standardisation of critical components such as battery design and controllers and motors. The first activity that is related to standards is usually governed by regulatory bodies. Standardisation is more or less governed by the component developers themselves and usually, in such cases, a consortium approach always helps. Standardisation also helps in reducing the time to market and, once the project is in the market, it helps in better maintainability because the designs are standardised.

Consumers have several doubts about the safety of EVs. For example, can the batteries withstand the high temperatures of Indian cities, the supply of excess of electric charge while charging vehicles, the safety of retrofitted EVs, etc. In your opinion, how should these consumer concerns be alleviated?

Ms. Urdhwareshe: I think it’s a very valid point especially when we are talking about penetration of EVs at a large scale. We are not limited to personal vehicles but must consider three-wheelers, buses, two-wheelers and taxi segments. Safety is a consideration not just in operating an EV but also in charging. Essentially, we are looking at high power coming and going into the battery power trains. Therefore, the standards that get developed look into the duty cycle. Obviously, the duty cycle is dependent on how the vehicle runs, how many times the charging happens, what are the ambient temperatures and other conditions such as poor roads and monsoon flooding. At ARAI we look at these requirements as well as the duty cycle requirements keeping in mind global regulations. We work with the local requirements while looking at how the rest of the world has defined their standards. It’s a long-drawn-out process; it took us 5-6 years to arrive at sound technical standards. These standards are put to very rigorous validation in the laboratories before they are made mandatory. After making them mandatory, we also look at the test data. We sit with the vehicle manufacturer to compile their use cases and then it’s a continual process through which the standards are upgraded. We are also mindful that users see the product as their own with hands-on knowledge of the technology at their disposal. For any new technology, it is always desirable that the user refrains from tampering with the controls and this is especially valid for electric vehicles. It is imperative that the user refrains from entering into the control systems or tampering with the batteries and power train. On the topic of retrofitment, if at all India is wanting to move ahead with this solution, we have to be extremely careful that the retrofitment kits are designed as per quality standards. They must be approved as per the notified standards and the implementation and the conversion should happen as per the stated norms.

Can you briefly discuss the process of designing and implementing standards, and testing an electric vehicle for adherence? Which all institutions are involved in this process? How do you ensure that India’s testing methods and certification are at par with global practices?

Ms. Urdhwareshe: Designing of new standard lags behind the introduction of new technology. For example, when CNG was to be introduced, the vehicles were readied first and then came the standards. Similarly, for electric vehicles there was already one product which was in the market many years ago. So, the process was started about 15 years ago through a committee called the Automotive Industry Standards Committee. The committee was appointed by the Government of India under the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH). The task of this committee is to look into the technology that is to be introduced and also to have stakeholder consultations with Tier 1 suppliers, OEMs, test agencies, transport authorities, the Government of India and research institutes like us. We also counsel user groups to listen to, and cater to, the consumers’ needs while formulating standards. So, the procedure followed is the technical requirements are put out in the form of a draft and are run through various committees with experts from different stakeholder groups. Once the drafts are ready, they are circulated widely. Another review is then conducted and simultaneously we begin testing the standards in a laboratory setting. That test data is used for shaping the final standards. Once the standard is ready, post approvals from the committee, it is given to the Government of India to make it mandatory and send out a notification. While MoRTH is the main ministry a few other institutes are also involved. Upon notification, manufacturers and testing agencies are given sufficient lead time so that they can get their vehicles and equipment certified. And then comes the mandatory certification after which the vehicle goes for registration.

How are the standards and development of test facilities for electric vehicles different from those of Internal Combustion Engine (ICE) vehicles?

Ms. Urdhwareshe: With the advent of electric mobility the test facilities that were necessary were primarily covering the component level development, transmission and complete control systems development. Our test facilities to this effect were established five years ago. Under the FAME scheme, ARAI was identified as the centre of excellence for electric mobility. Several facilities specific to motors, chargers and controllers have been put in place. The goal is not just testing but also helping the manufacturers in product development. The main difference arises because of the distinction between electric and ICE vehicle powertrains. The vehicle controls are different. Additionally, one has be mindful about the operational safety of electric vehicles. Testing for crash performance in EVs has different criteria from that of an ICE vehicle.

The automotive industry needs a step-change to create a workforce that can participate in making electric vehicles. What steps are you taking at the ARAI Academy to overhaul education and training modules in line with the emerging EV market?

Ms. Urdhwareshe: In our view, it is very important that we enhance skilling of human resources at all levels. First and foremost, we look at research and development capabilities. In fact we need specific skill sets even here at ARAI, for testing purposes, for example. This is an interdisciplinary field, so it includes power electronics, control systems, digital electronics etc. So truly speaking, a different skill set is required. Therefore, we design specific training programmes at the graduate level, the post-graduate level and even at the PhD level - these programmes are run through our partner universities. In addition, we collaborate with various academies of OEMs and deliver to them programmes for their own captive use. Because we only have limited capacity in our academy, we partner with others. The purpose of these partnerships with OEMs, automotive institutes and organisations is to broaden our reach and scale-up the skilling programme across the country.