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The current battery carrier for commercial vehicles is made of steel and is designed to hold two batteries weighing approximately 80 kg to 100 kg. However, this battery carrier faces several issues including corrosion, chemical reactivity, high maintenance requirements and its heavy weight. To tackle these challenges, a fiber-reinforced composite battery carrier is designed and developed specifically for commercial vehicles. The objective is to identify a solution that can meet the performance requirements of both static and dynamic loading, thereby reducing the overall weight. The proposed composite battery carrier offers a lightweight design, requires minimal maintenance, possesses high tensile strength and stiffness and is corrosion and chemical resistant. Furthermore, it provides the flexibility to integrate battery cover locking arrangements for added convenience and security.

As the automotive industry focuses on fuel-efficient and eco-friendly vehicles along with reducing the carbon footprint, weight reduction becomes essential. Composite materials offer several advantages over metals, including lighter weight, corrosion resistance, low maintenance, longer lifespan, and the ability to customize their strength and stiffness according to specific loading requirements. This paper describes the design and development of the Rear Under Run Protection Device (RUPD) using composite materials. RUPD is designed to prevent rear under-running of passenger vehicles by heavy-duty trucks in the event of a crash. The structural strength and integrity of RUPD assembly are evaluated by applying loads and constraints in accordance with IS 14812:2005. The design objective was to reduce weight while maintaining a balance between strength, stiffness, weight, manufacturability, and cost.

With the increasing need for developing fuel-efficient and high-performance vehicles, light weighting has become a very important aspect in automotive industry. Hence conversion of the existing metal components to composites is gaining momentum. Composite materials are much lighter than metals and offer many advantages such as fuel efficiency, corrosion resistance and improved life which has resulted in the increased usage of composite materials. Front under-run protection device (FUPD) is a protective device which is fitted on the front side of a truck which prevents the vehicle in front from under-running below the truck and also absorbs impact energy in case of a collision. This paper discusses the design, development and certification from ARAI of the lightweight composite front under-run protection device (FUPD). It has resulted in 33.33% weight reduction compared to the earlier metal component.

Nanofluid is a new class of heat transfer fluids containing nano-sized particles, fibers, or tubes that are stably suspended in a carrier liquid. They possess very high potential technological significance which is yet to be realized. This paper intends to provide a brief overview of area of effectual applicability of nanofluids in automotive application. Investigation and research studies pointing out the significance of nanofluids, emphasizing their improved heat transfer properties that are controllable and their specific characteristics that make them suitable for such application have been reviewed and presented. The synergy within an integrated experimental and analytical approach is being used to guide the development of nanofluids with improved effectiveness and applicability in automotive application.