Concept Note # 01 of ARAI, Pune, Maharashtra State, India



1.Name / Organisation The Automotive Research Association of India (ARAI), Pune, Maharashtra State, India (Research Institute – Indian not-for-profit organization)2.Email address / Phone numberName: Mr. Rahul MahajanEmail: mahajan.eds@ Mobile: +91 9422041906Landline: +91 20 676214913.Title of ProjectDesign and Development of Lightweight Composite City Bus Superstructure on Drive-away chassis4.Application for ICF ClusterFuture Mobility, Maharashtra5.Co-Members of the Consortium *(Type – Indian Academia, Indian Business, International Academia, International Business, Indian non-commercial organisation, International non-commercial organisation, Other - specify)* Information not mandatory for the concept note stage.#posite Material ManufacturerIndian Business2.Bus Body BuilderIndian Business6.If you do not already have agreed consortium members, please indicate here the kind of partners you would like to hear from. Advanced Manufacturing Research Center (AMRC), UKTechnology Partner for providing expertize on composite joining methodology, composite material characterization etc.7. Are you content for us to publish your concept note on our web platform in order to encourage potential consortium members to reach out to you? Yes8.Funding Requested (up to ?250k)?180 k9.Co-funding provided (if any) and sourceNo10.Please summarise your Innovation Challenge Fund research project in one sentence. 350 character limitTo provide promising lightweight solution for city buses through design and development of lightweight Composite superstructure that can be extended to public transport for improving fuel economy and will act as step taken towards greener environment. 11.Please describe your project further. What problem does your pilot seek to address?Pollution is contributed towards transport sector especially heavy vehicles & hence need arises to reduce the pollution level by burning lesser fuel for transport application. Use of composite materials for light weighting of public transport buses in order to address carbon emissions is promising potential solution as composites are 30% lighter compared to aluminium. Composite bus manufacturing techniques are far less complex than metal bus manufacturing process. Number of parts are also very less as everything is integrated at the design stage itself. Composites are corrosion resistant & impervious to chemicals which is very beneficial for Indian weather conditions. Composite bus body is Scratch and Dent Resistant and exhibit higher potential of a long-term public transport mode, buses are cost-effective in terms of fuel economy (12-15% improvement), lifespan and upkeep.Who are the potential beneficiaries and other stakeholders? Potential beneficiaries are Transport Authorities/Units and Bus fleet operators due to operational cost reduction. Environment will directly get benefitted due to reduction in GHG emissions in the tune of 22 to 25 ton of carbon emission reduction in bus life span. Common people are also potential beneficiaries by inhaling pollution free air with reduced atmospheric pollutants, known to cause asthma and hypertension increasing the susceptibility to lung infections. This technology will be also beneficial for EV and HEV applications to compensate increased weight of EV powertrain.What are the inputs and activities, and what are the outputs? Input involves overall bus dimensions, bus type & applicable regulatory norms. Activities involve, design and development of bus superstructure and its strength assessment, integration of composite super structure with chassis and prototype development & its validation. Deliverables of the project are a) manufacturing process establishment for composite superstructure, b) Composite bus Prototype, c) Methodology document for development of joining process, integration of dis-similar materials. What does success look like after 12 months of funded research? Success will be in the form of validated composite bus prototype with TRL Level -8 alongwith objective data measurement related to fuel economy improvement, durability performance and field performance. Lightweight superstructure can also have direct application for EV & HEV buses. How will your solution reach the market place? Validated prototype and objective data will be showcased to different STUs, City Transport Units and the work can be publicised through conferences, exhibitions and technology events. Adoption of composite bus technology by city transport units will have profound and widespread impact in spreading the technology nationwide. 12.What is ‘technological’ about your proposed solution and why might this be appropriate to the challenge areas?1000 character limitDesign of bus superstructure using composite material to meet regulatory and durability requirements alongwith Process design, tool design and manufacturing involve technological challenges. Dis-similar metal joining viz. composite bus superstructure to drive-away-steel chassis is another challenge area. Development of technology by addressing these challenges will significantly reduce air pollution and reduce fuel import bill for India. 13.Is your proposed solution a response to the impacts of COVID-19, or an effort to contain the pandemic? If so, please explain. 1000 character limit Indirectly Yes. Innovative seating layout considering social distancing norms will be developed. Also improved ventilation system will be developed to curb spread of infection within passenger compartment.Further, due to fuel economy improvement there will less fossil fuel burning and less pollution which has direct relation to human respiratory organs like lungs. Healthy respiratory system stands better chances of fighting infections like COVID-19 and other similar types.14.Does your proposed solution contribute to combatting climate change or promoting a greener planet? If so, please explain. 1000 character limitDefinitely yes. 23% of global emissions are contributed to transport sector and Commercial vehicles has larger share. Lightweighting is the most pragmatic and measurable way of improving fuel economy and reducing GHG emissions. Project aims at improving fuel economy by 12-15% compared to existing steel buses of similar class and reducing GHG emissions by 22-25 Ton in bus life span of 10 years. This is certainly a step towards greener environment.15.How is your proposal relevant to the development challenges of India? 1000 character limitIndia imports more than 80% of fuel required for transportation. Lightweighting of public transport buses has a potential of saving ~3500 ltrs of fuel per year per bus. Bus life span is of 10 years. Significant fuel saving can be achieved by a single bus. Spread of technology promises large quantity of fuel saving and thus reduction in fuel import/foreign exchange. Fund so saved can be used for building smarter infrastructure for better public transport encouraging shared mobility and reducing emissions and traffic congestion all over Indian cities/towns. 16.What consideration have you made of gender in developing your concept? Could your project address gender inequality or other kinds of inequality? 1000 character limitTechnology developed in this project is beneficial to all persons irrespective of financial status or social background and has no gender bias.Notes: Please be kindly reminded of the primary criteria: relevance to the environmental and/or C19 agenda. See boxes 13 and 14. Except box 5, all boxes require mandatory response.In the interests of fairness, proposals that exceed the character limits will not be considered. ................
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