Scania, a pioneer in providing sustainable transport solutions for the Indian market, plans to march ahead with its focus on biofuel-run low emission transport solutions through an increased deployment of green buses and trucks across the country.
“We are here to provide globally benchmarked, best-in-class products and services to our customers and establish a sustainable transport model. With our premium products and service offerings, we are steadily progressing towards achieving our objectives in the Indian market and are deepening our commitment to the country and the initiatives of Make in India, Smart cities and Swachh Bharat”, says Mr. Mikael Benje, Managing Director, Commercial Operations, Scania Commercial Vehicles India.
With new technologies for reducing emissions and fuel consumption, the commercial vehicle industry is about to
take a quantum leap. The ‘fully automated manual gear system’ has been a great technological advancement. Bio-fuel engines for trucks are another great advancement, given its reduced CO2 emissions and impact on environment. All Scania vehicles have the capability to run on bio-fuels such as bio-diesel, bio-ethanol and bio-gas. “The ethanol engine in our heavy commercial vehicles is our signature product”, adds Mr. Benje.
Scania is closely aligned with India’s key growth priorities with focus on urbanization, infrastructure and skill development, while making transportation safer and sustainable. Scania has been the front-runner in truck technology since inception and is a pioneer in offering sustainable transport solutions globally, driving the push towards alternative fuel with its ‘local waste to local fuel for local transport’ philosophy.
Answering a question on the current business scenario and the roadmap to achieve the company’s goals for 2020, Mr. Benje states: “The country is moving towards smarter cities with fuel-efficient commercial vehicles and integrated transportation systems. Innovative technologies in modern trucks have globally set a benchmark for fuel efficiency and decline in CO2 emissions. In India, where trucks and buses remain the most used means of transport, sustainable technological development is of immense importance as it is the key to establishing a modern transportation system.”
There is an immense opportunity in the premium commercial vehicle segment, be it off-road, on-road or bus, with overall annual demand for about 75,000 buses and over one lakh trucks in India. Scania India currently has the ability to deliver 1,000 buses and 2,500 trucks a year and is set to increase the capacity in line with market demand. Within the commercial vehicle space, the truck segment has registered a positive growth.
The current demand in India, for about 1,30,000 vehicles, is expected to grow by 3,00,000 units in about five to 10 years. Demand for heavy duty mining trucks is expected to grow 30 per cent and for tippers by about 1,000 units a year. Though the transportation technology is progressing at a much slower pace, the Indian CV industry is witnessing sizeable investments by OEMs towards upgrading product portfolio, introducing new models and expanding manufacturing capacities.
Focus areas for 2020
Scania proposes to play a prominent role in the growth of renewable fuel use and increase the share of alternate fuels to ensure reduced emissions and dependency on fossil fuels. The introduction of its ethanol-powered green bus and India’s first bio-diesel bus are the first steps taken by Scania India to deliver sustainable transport solutions. The company has been offering commercial biofuel solutions for over 30 years with a growing range of alternative fuels, including biogas, bioethanol and biodiesel as well as hybrid solutions.
In line with the Government’s vision of Clean India and Smart Cities, Scania India plans to continue offering sustainable green transport options in the country through its world-class products and best-in-class vehicles. Apart from providing energy-efficient products for transportation, the company feels it is equally important to have well-trained drivers to boost operational efficiency and enable sustainable customer profitability. Knowing that a well-qualified driver can contribute to fuel efficiency and product longevity, Scania trains its drivers with the best-in-class training methodologies, and its driver support continually analyses data from sensors in the vehicle to help enhance driver performance.
Scania India’s gameplan is to continue to offer safer and smarter transport solutions for customers through optimizing transport flow and logistics with the help of services like connected vehicles. It believes that connected vehicles provide transport operators with the ability to keep tabs on their truck and bus fleets and obtain a huge amount of valuable information in real time and that a rational, cost-efficient bus system brings measurable mobility and environmental benefits resulting in improved efficiency, service and customer experience.