Can an auto company actually claim to be turning green? Clean and green technology is an area of thrust for automakers, both domestic and international. More so for Tata Motors, the company that has the global luxury brands Jaguar and Land Rover under its wing.
Tata Motors’ Annual Report 2011-12 outlines the various initiatives taken by the company to become greener. First, apart from petrol and diesel-run vehicles, the company sells vehicles running on alternate fuels such as CNG in the domestic markets.
The Ace CNG, Indigo XL CNG are examples of this. The Ace and Indica Electric Vehicles are available in its export markets. The annual report highlights that the Indigo Manza hybrid, the Starbus Fuel cell concept and the Nano & Magic Iris CNG – concept vehicles showcased in the Auto Expo at Delhi this year – are other steps taken in this direction recently.
Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) also has research projects such as REEVolution, REHEV and Range-e running for electrification of the premium sedans and all-terrain vehicles.
Secondly, the report points the company’s efforts on making its engines more environment-friendly. Originally, Tata Motors was the first Indian company to introduce vehicles with Euro (emission) norms well ahead of the mandated date, it says.
During 2011-12, the BS IV compliant Sumo Gold was introduced in India.
At JLR, model year 2012 (MY 12) cars of the Jaguar XF and the Range Rover have been fitted with more fuel-efficient engines.
The Jaguar XF MY12 line-up includes a diesel version with Intelligent Stop-Start technology, making it the most fuel-efficient Jaguar yet. On the other hand, the new engine fitted in MY12 Range Rovers aims to achieve a 14 per cent reduction in carbon dioxide emissions and a 19 per cent improvement in fuel consumption to about 7.8 litres for every 100 km.
Thirdly, in terms of materials that go into building the car, Tata vehicles meet the European End-of-Life vehicle norms for maintenance of metallic and non-metallic balance.
JLR is the global leader in the use of aluminium and other lightweight materials to reduce vehicle weight. Two of the products in its current portfolio – the Jaguar XJ and XK – use this technology.
Besides, the highly successful Range Rover Evoque launched in September 2011, has included both natural and recycled materials in its construction, resulting in substantially low energy demand and minimal carbon footprint, says the annual report.