Volvo expands its R&D operations in India

Volvo expands its R&D operations in India

Jan Gurander, Deputy CEO, Volvo Group today laid the foundation for the “Vehicle TechLab” for the Group’s Research and Development operations in India. This becomes Volvo’s largest development site outside Sweden. Earlier, in July 2021, Volvo launched CampX in Bengaluru – a Global Innovation Arena – the first site outside Sweden.

“By 2030 we would cut the CO2 emissions of our vehicles by 40% when we target 50% of our trucks sold to be electric. To achieve this path, we are in the midst of a global organisation-wide business transformation to adopt emerging technologies, as well as new business models, across Automation, Electromobility and Connectivity,” said Gurander. He adds, “By 2030, 50% of our revenues will come from services & solutions. India is going to play a key role in this transformation journey as Volvo Group’s largest R&D site outside Sweden, along with our other global support functions, is located here.”

Kamal Bali, President & MD, Volvo Group, India said, “Our aim is to provide one of the most rewarding and satisfying work environment for our engineers – a culture that offers learning, capability building, high feasibility to turn ideas into actions, a global network, good work-life balance, flexible workplaces and that which is marked by trust, transparency and collaboration – while being immersed in advanced technology that goes in making world leading trucks.”

Volvo Group Trucks Technology in India employs more than 1,600 engineers.  The current set up includes a host of facilities such as vehicle garages, electrical & electronics lab, AR/VR Lab, and access to proving grounds.

The increased focus on product and project responsibility within Volvo Group’s R&D operations in India, has led to a demand for a framework that will support the enhancement of product knowledge and prototype validation capability within India. Today, this capability is being enhanced with the set-up of the Vehicle TechLab – which is a first in the industry in India. This lab can house complete trucks, chassis and aggregates. It has various supporting equipment for engineers to test, innovate, validate and experiment their ongoing work – through a set up equipped with driving simulators, test benches, 3D scanners among various other tools and systems.

“Vehicle TechLab is designed as a collaborative virtual workspace – creating a simulated workshop environment – using technologies like virtual reality, human body motion tracking & realistic digital rendering of vehicles that allows Volvo Engineers across the globe to connect & collaborate virtually. This facility will significantly reduce the development times, improve problem solving and offer better insights & speed in building innovative solutions,“ commented CR Vishwanath, Vice President, Volvo Group Trucks Technology, India.

Projects being worked upon cover a range of areas: General vehicle technology, electric, autonomous as well as connectivity solutions. Engineers will have access to complete products which could well include battery electric or fuel cell electric trucks too among other options.