Automotive research centre opened in Madurai

The centre is aimed at enhancing research, testing and product development in automotive engineering

TVS Motor Company chairman and managing director, Venu Srinivasan, on Friday inaugurated the T.S. Srinivasan Centre for Automotive Research (TSS CAR) at Thiagarajar College of Engineering (TCE) in Madurai.

The research centre that has come up at a cost of ₹12 crore, is aimed at enhancing the academic research, consultancy, testing and product development in automotive engineering, electric vehicle and allied areas.

Mr. Srinivasan said the two organisations -- the TVS and the TCE -- that were emotionally attached to Madurai city have come up with the research centre that could emerge as a centre of excellence over a period. It can educate students in advanced automobile engineering, especially in the areas of electric vehicles, batteries, fuel cells and connected vehicles.

On the various advancements in cars, he said that the vehicles have become ‘iPhones’ on wheels with lot of electronic computing powers and connectivity. The centre would offer hands-on training to students not only from automobile engineering, but also from all disciplines.

“Today it is a small centre, but could become a major automotive development centre,” he said.

In the last two decades, students were overly focused on IT sector that has reached the state of saturation. “They now need to come back to basic science and basic engineering. Such a research facility will help students to focus and develop interest in basic engineering,” said TCE chairman and correspondent, Karumuttu T. Kannan.

Stating that TCE has seven granted patents, including three international patents, Mr. Kannan exuded confidence that the centre would help the college get more patents in the future.

The research facility has an automotive discovery centre, product reliability lab, product engineering lab, product build lab and electric vehicle lab. The facilities would be open to students and faculty of TCE and TVS Group of Companies and auto component manufacturers.

TVS Motor Company director, V. Kovaichelvan and TCE principal, V. Abhaikumar also participated.