DTICI driving innovation at the Crossroads of tradition and technology in Commercial Vehicles

We spoke to Raghavendra Vaidya, MD & CEO of Daimler Truck Innovation Centre India(DTICI), to gain insights into his visionary leadership and the center's role in driving innovation and technology in the commercial vehicle sector. Explore how Vaidya's strategic direction is shaping the future of mobility and reshaping the industry's landscape. He sheds light on its groundbreaking initiatives at the confluence of traditional mechanical engineering and cutting-edge technologies.

Excerpts:

What are your key focus areas and how are you leveraging new age technologies?

Daimler Truck Innovation Center India (DTICI) is the largest innovation center for Daimler Trucks and Buses outside Germany. We focus on advancing commercial vehicles via traditional mechanical engineering as well as cutting-edge software, electronics, and IT. We provide competitive advantage by building deep engineering and IT capabilities for all Daimler Truck and Bus brands across the globe. Our culture of continuous innovation also involves making substantial investments to enhance existing capabilities in these areas.

We also harness data-driven insights to get more from the technology (like artificial intelligence and advanced analytics) that is revolutionizing the industry. The electronic architecture within vehicles is undergoing significant evolution and is effectively turning trucks into mobile data centres that enhance and accelerate safety and innovation. These advancements are reshaping the industry, and DTICI is at the forefront of this transformative journey to create the trucks and buses of tomorrow.

What are your overall tech & sustainability goals? What is the role of technology in achieving these goals?

There’s a growing demand for greener transportation solutions and software-driven advancements, which is undoubtedly causing a notable shift within the auto sector and how it will develop products that prioritize zero-emission technology and software-powered innovation. At DTICI, advanced technology underpins key features, from safety and efficiency to seamless connectivity, automation, and environmental sustainability in CVs. This helps us deliver actionable insights, predictive maintenance, and unparalleled customer experiences. We also take immense pride in pioneering emission-free technology solutions, and in developing new automated driving systems and connectivity solutions.

DTICI has extensive expertise in product engineering and assumes a pivotal role in research and development across diverse powertrain technologies. This includes combustion engines, battery-electric systems, and hydrogen-based fuel-cell drives. We are also responsible for advancing vehicle software and electronics. Noteworthy progress in connectivity, battery/fuel cell powertrains, and autonomous driving has solidified software as a revolutionary catalyst and shows what a strategic role it can play in shaping the future of CVs as a data-centre on wheels. Daimler Truck has already made a commitment to carbon neutrality by 2039 from a vehicle and production perspective and DTICI plays a key role in making that a reality. This makes us uniquely positioned to shape the future of trucks and redefine the transportation industry

What role does India play in your overall ambitions and what is the contribution of DTICI?

India, and particularly Bengaluru, is home to a significant pool of IT, electronics, and software-related talent. The importance of this talent pool is undeniable, and its significance for auto innovation grows by the year. At DTICI, we focus on systematic solutions that solve challenges holistically rather than just solving problems at the component level. We have experts who tackle complex engineering challenges and enable breakthrough innovations on a global scale. Globally, every truck we sell includes contributions from the brilliant minds at our innovation centre in Bengaluru. To further improve our value chain, we continue to prioritise ongoing recruitment and talent acquisition efforts and upskilling and reskilling our existing talent pool.

How is DTICI aiming to make its trucks more intelligent as well as sustainable?

Our trucks are made more intelligent through collaboration between our software and engineering teams. We add cutting-edge safety features and enhance the trucks’ connectivity capabilities that results in better connectivity solutions. We are also undertaking a comprehensive digital infrastructure revamp as a part of the company's restructuring- this global effort extends to our local operations as well. To do this, we use extensive capabilities and expertise in product knowledge, enabling us to make profound contributions in the fields of engineering and IT. The central purpose of the centre is to drive these advancements forward and maintain this trajectory in the foreseeable future. The auto tech industry is increasingly focused on developing sustainable solutions, including renewable energy sources, lightweight materials, and eco-friendly manufacturing processes. With innovation being a core requirement for this, DTICI’s role in the CV industry’s sustainable growth is undisputable. As a team, we are at the forefront of defining the trucks of tomorrow, leveraging our deep engineering knowledge and expertise in this domain.

What are the key emerging trends in the auto-tech industry?

We are witnessing a new wave of auto-tech innovation in the CV industry. We are at an inflection point where truck companies are reinventing their organizations by leveraging digital technologies. New safety features, connectivity gadgets, and real progress toward bringing autonomous vehicles onto the road are some of the many trends that are gaining momentum. Logistics fundamentals are being redefined to create distinct products centred around zero-emission technology and software-driven innovation. Autonomous vehicles, smart connectivity, big data and analytics and electrification are poised to be the game changers, and DTICI possesses extensive expertise across these domains and is leading from the forefront in this transformation journey. Autonomous vehicles are gaining traction, with advancements in sensor technology, artificial intelligence, and machine learning. Every automotive vehicle manufacturer is reinventing itself using big data as vehicle supremacy shifts from horsepower to computing power. The CV electrification journey has begun but is likely to grow extensively in future.