New Delhi: As Eicher prepares to launch the Pro X electric small commercial vehicle from its Bhopal facility in Madhya Pradesh, the biggest takeaway has been the constant incorporation of customer feedback through the development process.
As SS Gill, Chief Commercial Officer of VE Commercial Vehicles (the joint venture of Eicher Motors and Volvo Group) told ETAuto, “Our potential customers have been part of the co-creation journey. We were learning from them and implementing their suggestions in the vehicle.”
It has been two years of working with over 1.5 million kilometres of testing both internally and at customers’ end. According to him, this approach was only natural since Eicher has constantly focused on real uptime solutions in every other segment it operates in. “We are a preferred brand among customers since we are low on maintenance, good on mileage and responsive to service,” continued Gill.
According to B Srinivas, Chief Operating Officer, the quality function deployment mantra was part of the exercise for the Pro X where teams comprising different functions took customer needs into account. The target group was diverse and included people working with e-commerce companies, truck drivers, transporters of fruits and vegetables etc.
Range anxiety
One critical feedback was range anxiety where the battery, cells and motors selected were part of the solution. “Localisation is key here in terms of quality, costs and supply chain. There was a clear roadmap for sourcing since electric is an evolving space,” said Srinivas.
The Pro X is an all-new animal which will offer a choice of two battery packs. It will be part of the 2-3.5 tonne segment which is the fastest growing in the country thanks to the e-commerce boom where people want fast delivery of goods at their homes.
Yet, as Gill said, the last mile connectivity proposition is “still under served” though it is a rapidly expanding segment. “It is important to meet customer needs with the right technology intervention and innovative methodology that is the backdrop of this offering,” he added.
According to Gill, this was the “best place and time” to be in for last mile connectivity and customer expectations were taken into account for this new offering which included specific solutions for a host of applications.
Catering to drivers
Sachin Agrawal, Executive Vice President and Head of Product Development, said drivers were always seeking more respect and this was an important input for the Pro X in terms of providing optimal comfort within the cabin and also during driving. The idea was to give a huge boost to their self-esteem.
Sometimes, the driver also needs to take a nap between the hours of loading and unloading which is seldom possible and this much needed break is what the Eicher offering will strive to fulfil.
This vehicle can also spawn uses in the personal space and that possibility is now under consideration. “We are seeing how this platform can be further extended to other applications. Some customers who saw this vehicle said it had a car like feel and we are seriously examining options,” said Agrawal.
Eicher is betting big on its large presence across India for greater penetration of the Pro X. Diesel and CNG versions are also being planned to supplement the electric option. The design is modular for different EV packs, different technologies and the same line can produce CNG and diesel too. “Modularity is part of this line’s objective,” said Gill. Volvo’s global development process was also a valuable reference point while making the Pro X at Bhopal.
Careful planning
Srinivas said there was a lot of “meticulous planning” that went into the Bhopal plant which involved intense collaborations with suppliers. This was especially significant since the work was happening during the most challenging phase of the pandemic.
It was difficult but provided an opportunity in terms of attracting top class talent. “We never thought this place was so rocky and it took months for us to sort it out. We constantly found challenges in developing the vehicle but the efforts paid off,” he said.
There is no warehouse inside the plant and this function, which is outside the premises, has been outsourced from some of the company’s solution suppliers. Since the just-in-time process will happen in parts supplies, the person in the assembly line needs to focus only on what he/she is producing.
According to Srinivas, there are two sets of suppliers: one in Bhopal for aggregates like frames while the balance in the form of kits will come from the warehouse outside. “We get assemblies as well as transmissions from Eicher Engineering Components. The entire e-axle for Pro X is also assembled at that plant and supplied to us here in Bhopal,” he said.
Workshop for the world
According to him, India’s electric transition in the auto arena is inevitable even while other technologies and fuels will coexist. Suppliers will also benefit from the fact that the country will be the last stopover for the internal combustion engine since it is being phased out in other nations. “When this happens, India will become a workshop for the world. There will be space for both EVs and ICE,” said Srinivas.
From his point of view, the biggest strength of the company lies in its people and software skills which translates into a bigger advantage of frugal automation where all these competencies are integrated. Being a new plant, Bhopal is better automated than the one at Pithampur though learnings here can also be replicated in the older facility.
By the end of the day, the bottomline is to ensure better driver comfort along with easier entry, visibility, large cargo volumes etc. As Gill reiterated, every solution was planned in such a way that it was frugal and efficient. For now, India is the priority market though a vehicle of this type has potential in ASEAN and, more specifically, in countries like Indonesia, Vietnam and Thailand .
