Shamprasad Ponkshe
Executive Vice President (R&D)
AMW Motors Ltd
Electronics have come a long way in Indian passenger vehicles with customers reaping benefits of superior performance, fuel economy, DIS (Driver Information System) and Diagnostics. However, the trucking industry at large remains significantly untouched by these benefits due to eco-system’s inability to co-relate with the incremental initial investment. The community has over a period started realizing the potential in terms of improved productivity and profitability. Trucks and the trucking community will soon have a plethora of electronic features to change the ways in which a trucker thinks and operates!
These features will have various impacting layers, starting from engine performance to areas like vehicle performance, productivity, maintainability, profitability, driver comfort, safety and environmental impact. The features will benefit various stakeholders, making it essential to understand how the benefit will spawn out. Let us start with the element that is closest to the truck – the truck driver! He will have real time indication of the fuel economy being delivered by his very driving behaviour, or pattern. The continuous feedback on this parameter will help him to adapt to a driving style that ensure the best possible economy as he changes his driving style. For a given route and load conditions. The system will keep the driver informed about the ‘reach of vehicle’ before it needs a refill. Indicating the distance the truck could travel for the amount of diesel it contains at that moment. With a Navigation System in place, he could find out the shortest route. This feature will indicate the prevailing traffic conditions, presence of toll booths, proximity to resting joints and identification of service points. Any early signs of system malfunctioning will be brought to his notice to facilitate a “stitch in time”. In fact, the ‘On Board Diagnostics’ will facilitate easy troubleshooting and consequential uptime enhancement. Thus having far reaching effects on the way truckers operate.
With the road network and average vehicle speeds improving, attention to Driver Comfort will lead to a significant improvement in productivity. Features like Climate Control, AMT (Automated Manual transmissions) and Auto Wiping Control will result in significant reduction in driver fatigue and lead to safe coverage of larger distances. Another important stakeholder of the eco-system is the Fleet Owner. He will be able to track and control the vehicle movement through online Vehicle Tracking System. In fact, some of the operators have already started reaping the benefits of this feature – it will now become universal. Additional features like Fuel Theft Alerts, TPMS (Tyre Pressure Monitoring System) Alerts and Routine Maintenance Schedule Alerts will lead to a cost effective and reliable operation of the fleet. Multiplexing will be one more area enhancing the reliability of the vehicle.
A large number of Safety & Security features like ABS – leading to safer braking, Rear Vision Camera for off-road applications, Auto Dipping System to avoid blinding of the oncoming traffic, Central Lock & Immobilizer, Collision Avoidance System, Driver Fatigue Sensor, Alcohol Sensor will lead to significant reduction in the accidents and downtime. The End Customer will benefit in terms of safe and timely delivery of his consignment in cost effective manner. The Community at Large will get benefited from a tamper proof, electronically controlled, environment friendly emission control system to maintain habitability of our planet.
“With the road network and average vehicle speeds improving, attention to Driver Comfort will lead to an significant improvement in productivity”.
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