‘Mobility in action’ gives Pune’s automotive legacy the tech mobility to innovate

Centre will outfit ecosystem to enable Autonomous, Connected, Electric, Shared (ACES) mobility

Software Technology Parks of India (STPI), an autonomous association, along with the Union ministry of electronics and information technology, soft launched ‘Motion’(mobility in action) - aimed at being a centre of excellence (CoE) to facilitate innovations in the areas of emerging automotive technologies.

(From left) Ganesh Natarajan, chairman and chief mentor Motion; Omkar Rai, director general, STPI , and Arun Firodia chairman of kinetic group during the soft launch of Motion on Tuesday. (Shankar Narayan/HT PHOTO)

Omkar Rai, director general, STPI said, ‘‘With the increasing presence of leading global automobile companies and auto ancillary divisions in the country, the need for innovative solutions in the automotive domain is growing in an unprecedented speed. Motion will host physical lab facility for development and validation of solution from design to prototype to democratise innovation. This initiative will not only create a holistic startup ecosystem but also attract investment, promote innovation and create avenues for employment generation in the state.”

According to Rai, a revolution in automotive industry is sweeping the globe with new technologies relating to sharing mobility services and connecting data between vehicles and their environment.

These innovations are collectively known as Autonomous, Connected, Electric, Shared (ACES) mobility. The centre will collaborate for virtual simulation in upcoming technology areas to improve performance and reliability.

Ganesh Natarajan, chairman and chief mentor Motion said, “The establishment of Motion is the biggest leap in this region for building an ecosystem for startups working in ACES domain. As a chief mentor, I really look forward to this initiative blossoming, taking our country to greater heights in the future.”

Along with the ministry, many stake holders from within the automobile industry participated in the launch. These included, ARAI, SAE India, Tata Motors, Intel, MathWorks, Visteon, Kinetic, TiE Pune and College of Engineering Pune.

Of the government’s 21 proposed centres of excellence, Motion is the fifth launched by the STPI here in Bhosari.

The centre will create a holistic ecosystem for encouraging R&D, innovation, entrepreneurship in the mobility sector in India. It will host a physical laboratory, state-of-the-art incubation centre along with training, mentoring, networking and marketing support, access to the financial resources and other support services for the benefit of the startups.