Auto Testing Infra to be Upgraded for New-Tech Vehicles

Officials privy to the development told ET that the focus is on developing infrastructure that is equipped to test vehicles with the latest technology, including ones that are internet-enabled, and one that entails lower wait time for approving military vehicles.

Improving electric vehicle (EV) testing and assessing the impact of radiation due to electrical components in vehicles is also on the cards.

“There are many new technologies that are now being introduced in cars,” a senior government official said. “Almost 40% of all new vehicles are just electronics and the testing infrastructure needs to be upgraded to better rate them.”

Manish Raj Singhania, president of the Federation of Automobile Dealers Associations (FADA), said the Indian car and two-wheeler market has seen the advent of tech-enabled vehicles that are more connected with the internet. “We need to make vehicles safer in every aspect for the consumer. The menace of electric vehicles (EVs) catching fire is a recent incident where it was established that better testing standards are required,” he said.

Stricter compliance and testing norms were introduced last year for EV two-wheelers after instances of spontaneous combustion in the vehicles were reported.

According to Rahil Gupta, co-founder and chief technology officer (CTO) of two-wheeler seller HOP Electric, the number and nature of sensors and electronics used in vehicles has evolved considerably. “But the regulations and testing infrastructure are trying to play catch up,” he said.

Besides EVs, two- and four-wheeler majors in India have been launching connected vehicles in the country.

“We also want to assess how the new vehicles are communicating with each other and want to nullify any potential hazards from the features,” the official said.

Regulations for new technologies being adopted by vehicles is a subject being globally deliberated upon.

According to Ravi G Bhatia, president of JATO Dynamics, an automotive market research company, internet connectivity features in cars and two-wheelers are a fairly new aspect. He said that instances of hackers taking control of internet-connected vehicles are being flagged globally, raising concerns about robustness of infrastructure that links to cars or two-wheelers.

Another issue is related to data being shared through internet-connected vehicles. Bhatia said that original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) want to monetise information related to driver behaviour and vehicle location. According to him, the ethics of the exercise need to be examined. “Guard rails should to be developed around this,” he said.