Argonne’s TTRDC partners with India

As the MOU is signed by Argonne Laboratory Director Eric Isaacs, TTRDC Director Larry Johnson (far left) and senior mechanical engineer Raj Sekar (center) look on. NATRiP participated via video conference.

With more than l billion people and one of the world’s fastest growing economies, India is becoming a significant player in the global transportation industry. To help this developing nation get a jump on energy-efficient transportation technologies, Argonne is partnering with India through a new Memorandum of Understanding (MOU).

On Aug. 27, Eric Isaacs, director of Argonne, Larry Johnson, director of the Lab’s Transportation Technology Research & Development Center (TTRDC), and Raj Sekar, a senior mechanical engineer at Argonne, completed the MOU signing at a video conference call with officials from India’s National Automotive Testing and R&D Infrastructure Project (NATRiP).

“This MOU is important because it addresses a Department of Energy priority to engage India and China directly in energy technologies, especially transportation where imported petroleum is the source of energy,” Sekar said.

“India’s transportation industry is fast growing and could be a major consumer of Argonne technologies and skill sets,” he added.

Argonne has already partnered with China to work toward this priority. In 2004, the Lab entered into an MOU with the China Automotive Technology and Research Center (CATARC) to help foster the commercialization of energy-efficient vehicle technologies and clean transportation fuels in China. In June, Argonne continued its international outreach efforts by entering into another MOU with the Korea Automotive Technology Institute (KATECH).

This latest MOU with India will allow TTRDC and NATRiP researchers to cooperate with information exchanges of publicly available research data and collaborative visits to each other’s facilities.

“Staff interaction will be the main mode of collaboration,” Sekar said. “Staff from NATRiP labs will visit Argonne and work with our staff periodically. Our staff will assist NATRiP staff in the areas of engine combustion of renewable fuels, batteries and hybridization.”

The partnership will focus on technical areas connected to:

• Electric drive vehicles (battery-powered electric vehicles, plug-in hybrid electric vehicles, hybrid-electric vehicles, and fuel cell vehicles)
• Engine combustion and emissions technologies
• Vehicle simulation models
• Motor vehicle fuels
• Mass transportation vehicles
• Instrumentation and text protocols

Both organizations anticipate the data and staff exchanges from this MOU will result in mutual progress in automotive technologies in both countries.

September 2009