Daimler Truck’s R&D centre to add up to 750 jobs in Bengaluru
Synopsis
DTICI is the truck maker’s largest such facility outside Germany and currently employs around 2,200 engineers.
By Sai Ishwarbharath, ETtech
Last Updated:
Daimler Truck Innovation Centre India (DTICI) plans to add 650-750 jobs in its Bengaluru centre by 2024, a senior executive said.
“Amid the macro uncertainties, we are making strategic footprint decisions with respect to R&D. The R&D centre in India is not based on inflation or exchange rate but it is based on competence,” said Andreas Gorbach, head of truck technology at Daimler Truck AG.
Daimler Truck’s connectivity domain – both inside the vehicle and offboard or cloud solutions – is entirely led out of the India centre.
“We are ultimately responsible globally for all the product lines on how we drive the connectivity solutions,” said Raghavendra Vaidya, chief executive and MD at DTICI.
DTICI is part of Daimler Truck AG.
Daimler Truck was spun off as an independent entity in December 2021 from the parent firm. For full-year 2022, sales rose 14% on year to 520,291 units.
The R&D arm also uses artificial intelligence to predict failures, reduce warranties and deliver software over the air to reduce the number of times the trucks are brought to the service centres.
The engineering team at the centre focuses on areas such as vehicle and powertrain engineering, software development for electronic control units and computer-aided engineering.
On the software side, the centre works on connectivity, cybersecurity, Big Data and advanced analytics, system integration and electrification.
On whether commercial vehicles of the future will be electric- or hydrogen-based ones, Gorbach said it depends on the region and transportation task of the vehicle.
“The long-haul trucking game, there is an advantage for hydrogen; while the distribution and light duty, there's an advantage for batteries. It also depends on subsidies, on infrastructure, on energy prices, and availability of energy,” Gorbach told ET.
Hydrogen-based vehicles and EVs will make it to the end game “for sure”, he added.
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DTICI is the truck maker’s largest such facility outside Germany and currently employs around 2,200 engineers. The global innovation centre was opened last year in Bengaluru and focuses on product engineering and information technology (IT).Elevate Your Tech Prowess with High-Value Skill Courses
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Daimler Truck’s connectivity domain – both inside the vehicle and offboard or cloud solutions – is entirely led out of the India centre.
“We are ultimately responsible globally for all the product lines on how we drive the connectivity solutions,” said Raghavendra Vaidya, chief executive and MD at DTICI.
DTICI is part of Daimler Truck AG.
ADVERTISEMENT
Daimler Truck was spun off as an independent entity in December 2021 from the parent firm. For full-year 2022, sales rose 14% on year to 520,291 units.
The R&D arm also uses artificial intelligence to predict failures, reduce warranties and deliver software over the air to reduce the number of times the trucks are brought to the service centres.
ADVERTISEMENT
The engineering team at the centre focuses on areas such as vehicle and powertrain engineering, software development for electronic control units and computer-aided engineering.
On the software side, the centre works on connectivity, cybersecurity, Big Data and advanced analytics, system integration and electrification.
ADVERTISEMENT
On whether commercial vehicles of the future will be electric- or hydrogen-based ones, Gorbach said it depends on the region and transportation task of the vehicle.
“The long-haul trucking game, there is an advantage for hydrogen; while the distribution and light duty, there's an advantage for batteries. It also depends on subsidies, on infrastructure, on energy prices, and availability of energy,” Gorbach told ET.
Hydrogen-based vehicles and EVs will make it to the end game “for sure”, he added.
