Tata Motors Ltd. recently showcased the new safety technology – Electronic Stability Control (ESCsmart) – for the range of Prima and Signa trucks at an event in Chennai. It also offered the Automatic Traction Control (ATC) and Hill Start Aid (HSA) safety technology for the range of trucks and buses, which will go a long way in helping prevent truck and bus accidents by increasing vehicle stability and safety.
Developed in partnership with WABCO India, these technologies provide complete value to customers by providing vehicle stability, reducing accident risk and repair cost and improving vehicle uptime, thus enhancing road safety and efficiency of commercial vehicles.
Commenting on this first mover initiative, Mr. Girish Wagh, Head – Commercial Vehicles, Tata Motors Ltd., said: “Tata Motors has always been at the forefront of technology innovation, and we have constantly endeavoured to provide a differentiated experience to our discerning customers. Safety is of paramount importance to us and the introduction of new safety technologies further reiterates our commitment to strengthen the safety performance of our products and introduce future technologies, ahead of time. We are the first OEM in India to deploy the Electronic Stability Control (ESCsmart) safety technology in all our medium and heavy commercial vehicles. We are delighted to work with class leading global suppliers like WABCO to develop innovative and technology leading products for our Indian customers.”
Dr. A.K. Jindal, Vice President & Head Engineering (CVBU), Tata Motors Ltd., said: “At Tata Motors, we constantly engage with our stakeholders to develop and integrate new and future-ready technologies for our broad spectrum of commercial vehicles that enhance safety and fuel economy. Through our partnership with WABCO, we have improved some of the parameters of Electronic Stability Control, thus making it suitable for Indian operations. As a part of our R&D efforts, we are committed to pioneering and inventing solutions that promote driver safety and minimize negative impacts that may occur in case of accidents. We are confident that the introduction of new safety technologies in our medium and heavy commercial vehicles will further aid the Government’s vision to improve driver and road safety in India.”
Electronic Stability Control (ESC) functionality is added on to the anti-lock braking system (ABS) which was introduced as a part of regulatory compliance as per Central Motors Vehicle Rules promulgated by the Government for all vehicles of more than 12 ton GVW. While ABS contributes significantly to the safety of vehicles under different road conditions, ESC takes safety to the next level by providing safety under demanding conditions of various handling manoeuvers, thereby preventing or minimizing the probability of accidents. This clearly demonstrates Tata Motors’ proactive approach of making available to the Indian truck and fleet operators class-leading technologies through intensive R&D and deep understanding of the operating conditions in India.
Functionally ESC predicts forthcoming instability and automatically intervenes by applying brakes to avoid roll-over, skidding and jack-knifing. It measures vehicle’s lateral acceleration, roll about its vertical axis through sensors, and applies brakes on selective wheels to control instability. Benefits to the customers are in terms of preventing jack-knifing in tractor-trailer, improve directional stability during dynamic manoeuvers and prevent roll-over during turning at high speed.
ESC is available on Prima – Tractors 4025.S, 4925 and Trucks 2523T, 3123T and 3723T and Signa LPS 4018 and LPS 4923 as well as LPT platforms of 25T, 31T and 37T.
Some of these safety technologies include:
Automatic Traction Control prevents wheel spin during acceleration under different surface conditions, especially slippery surfaces like mining, water and ice and prevents loss of traction of one or more wheels. This further helps increase the tyre life by averting loss of traction of one or more wheels.
Hill Start Aid prevents roll-back of vehicle in a “Stop & Go” situation on an uphill gradient and helps minimize clutch and brake liner wear.
Speaking of the showcasing of ESCsmart, Mr. Jacques Esculier, WABCO Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, observed: “WABCO is a global leader in innovating technologies that contribute to safer and more efficient road transportation of people and goods. Following the introduction of ABS for commercial vehicles in India, WABCO is extremely proud to now showcase ESCsmart jointly with Tata Motors and to play a key role in further helping to support the Government vision to reduce road accidents. WABCO has a long heritage of developing breakthrough systems to enhance the safety of commercial vehicles. The self-learning capabilities of ESCsmart also help vehicle manufacturers to eliminate the necessity of physically testing all variants of vehicles during homologation, saving considerable time and labor. We are honored and proud to partner with Tata Motors to showcase ESCsmart for the Prima and Signa range of trucks. We look forward to paving the way for its further adoption in India.”