On October 12-14, 2022, SAE India organised the 10th edition of the SIIMC (SAE India International Mobility Conference). Short for Society of Automotive Engineers India, it’s a 25-year-old organisation whose members include experts from the mobility ecosystem. SAE India is not a trade association, i.e. it does not influence government decisions, but on the technology front it offers recommendations to the government and policymakers. During the SIIMC 2022, Rashmi Urdhwareshe, president, SAE India, told FE’s Vikram Chaudhary how SAE India has been contributing to the mobility ecosystem. Excerpts:
The 10th edition of the SIIMC was delayed due to the pandemic, during which the mobility ecosystem has seen a massive technology transformation…
Yes, there have been three definitive changes in the mobility ecosystem.
First, mobility is going electric the world over; even though the percentage share of electric vehicle (EV) sales to total vehicle sales is very low, the interest in EVs is at an all-time high.
Second, policies of central and state governments on electrification have supported the ecosystem in a big way. India is one of the few countries that has an EV policy (FAME I in 2015, and now FAME II).
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The third major change is on the technology front—where SAE India plays a major role. Today, there is a thin line between mechanical or automobile engineering and other branches of engineering. Previous editions of the SIIMC were all about mechanical or automobile engineers building vehicles, but now you cannot design a car without the help of tech experts. Software is playing a major role in the automotive ecosystem; a modern car features millions of lines of code.
Also, some of the most famous car and two-wheeler companies are not traditional ones. The world’s largest carmaker by market capitalisation is a start-up. The world’s largest electric scooter plant is run by an aggregator.
Some studies have found that a large percentage of engineering graduates produced by India isn’t job-ready. How can bodies like SAE India help?
During the last 25 years, we’ve built marque events like BAJA, SUPRA and AWIM, which give a chance to engineering students to design, develop and race prototype vehicles on a challenging terrain. Right before Covid-19, we had over 486 collegiate clubs. These events make students industry-ready, make them more employable.
What is the standing of SAE India within the SAE International ecosystem?
SAE India is the largest strategic ally of SAE International.
In which all ways does SAE India contribute to the industry?
We are very proud of our volunteers or subject-matter experts; we have about 310 subject-matter experts. The beauty is that they are not from one company but from competing organisations. At events like the SIIMC and others, they present a storehouse of data that directly and indirectly contributes towards knowledge-creation within the industry. For example, the SIIMC 2022 saw participants presenting more than 180 papers and 543 abstracts on engineering innovations, focusing on promoting sustainable and multimodal mobility in India and globally.
