The collaboration with NATRAX will allow CAAR to further advance its goals to lead technological development in areas of vehicle dynamics, road safety, vehicle performance, control systems, and so on."NATRAX (National Automotive Test Tracks) and the Centre of Excellence in Advanced Automotive Research (CAAR) of the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Madras signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to collaborate on cutting-edge projects in vehicle dynamics, tyre mechanics, EV testing, road safety, and advanced automotive research.
NATRAX and CAAR plan to work together in road safety by taking up pilot projects with a larger aim of zero fatalities. As part of the agreement, NATRAX and CAAR will collaborate to work on automotive research, innovation, skill development, and knowledge exchange.
Dr Manish Jaiswal, director of NATRAX, said, "NATRAX is looking forward to building its research and technology development footprint, and collaboration with premium institutes such as IIT Madras will bring the much-needed impetus towards collaborative industrial research."
NATRAX expanded its footprints from vehicle dynamics and proving ground to newer areas such as ADAS testing, road safety infrastructure testing, and EV testing in alignment with the national goal for enhancing electric mobility.
Thiruppathy Srinivasan, CEO of CAAR at IIT Madras, said, "India does not lack talent, but access to state-of-the-art technical labs and support infrastructure needs to be strengthened to compete with the world in automotive technology development. The collaboration with NATRAX will allow CAAR to further advance its goals to lead technological development in areas of vehicle dynamics, road safety, vehicle performance, control systems, and so on."
Dr N. Karuppaiah, senior project advisor at CAAR, said, "Around 45% of road fatalities take place due to 2-wheeler accidents," and stressed the need for joint projects on enhancing safety in 2-wheelers. Karuppaiah said collaborative projects in vehicle dynamics leveraging the academic strength of CAAR and IIT Madras and NATRAX will immensely support the automotive industry.
