On Wednesday, Tata Motors Ltd (TML) launched a new facility for advanced power system at its Engineering Research Center (ERC) in Pune. This new unit will play an important role in engineering, testing and development of powertrain solutions to prepare for several new technology requirements such as BS-VI emission norms, real driving emissions, CAFÉ II (corporate average fuel economy) norms, hybrid and electrification of vehicles, the company said. All the new powertrain development would be carried out at the unit at ERC, thereby bringing in synergies across commercial, passenger and electric vehicle business verticals, company said.
“This facility will act as a hub to develop class-leading powertrain solutions for our vast product portfolio across ICE (internal combustion engines) and electric,” Guenter Butschek, chief executive officer and managing director, TML said.
According to the company’s statement, the new R&D unit, which is spread over 12,000 square meters and was set up in 15 months, is equipped to meet the development, calibration and type approval requirement for light and heavy-duty powertrains. It is also capable of testing range, power, drivability and durability of electric vehicles.
Rajendra Petkar, president and chief technical officer at TML said the new facility will support the homegrown vehicle manufacturer in the development of new technologies to stay aligned with new disruptions such as connected, electric and shared mobility.
Tata Motors’ ERC in Pune houses several world-class vehicle engineering and R&D facilities including full climate test facility, vehicle crash test unit and others. Notably, the crash test facility helped the company develop the Nexon compact SUV, which bagged 5-star safety rating from the UK-based Global New Car Assessment Programme (Global NCAP) last year.
