Bharat Forge Ltd., the flagship company of the USD 2.4 billion Kalyani Group and a leading global supplier of forged and machined components and KPIT Cummins Infosystems Ltd., a leading product engineering & IT consulting partner to automotive and manufacturing companies today announced their decision to form a joint venture to manufacture and market an indigenously developed hybrid technology solution for automobiles - REVOLO, that will enable both existing and new vehicles to dramatically increase fuel efficiency and engine performance, while significantly decreasing green house gas (GHG) emissions.

The technology for this intelligent plug-in, parallel, full-hybrid solution has been designed and engineered by KPIT Cummins, while the solution for automobiles would be manufactured through a joint venture (JV) between Bharat Forge Limited and KPIT Cummins Infosystems Limited. As part of the joint venture, KPIT Cummins will license the technology to the JV while Bharat Forge would bring in its manufacturing, assembly & integration expertise to the JV. The solution will be marketed to OEMs and fleet & individual vehicle owners through a network of certified and authorized dealerships.

‘REVOLO’ is an indigenous & innovative solution that has been conceptualized, developed and frugally engineered in India. The Automotive Research Association of India (ARAI), which tested the new hybrid solution (REVOLO), confirmed fuel efficiency gains of more than 40%. Under city driving conditions the increase in efficiency has been above 60% and reduction in Greenhouse Gas Emissions (GHG) has been more than 30%.

Ravi Pandit, Chairman and Group CEO, KPIT Cummins, said, “This new plug-in, parallel, hybrid solution represents the new standard of value that frugal engineering can deliver to both auto manufacturers and vehicle owners around the world. This pioneering innovation will allow automakers to introduce vehicles with improved mileage, better performance and significantly reduced carbon emissions.

It will also benefit the Indian automotive aftermarket, as the service stations will now be able to offer their customers an opportunity to convert conventional vehicles into eco-friendly hybrids. Finally, it will give vehicle owners the option of upgrading their vehicles to a higher level of fuel efficiency and performance, without the expense of having to buy a new one. We are happy to be working with Bharat Forge, which is a highly regarded automotive component manufacturer to bring this flexible, intelligent and efficient solution to the masses.”

Baba Kalyani, Chairman & Managing Director, Bharat Forge, said, “Bharat Forge has been partnering with the global mobility industry to make it more efficient, competitive, sustainable and environmentally benign. We are delighted to join hands with KPIT Cummins in this path breaking initiative which promises to bring a paradigm change in India’s fossil fuel consumption and in helping the nation significantly meet its environmental commitments. We believe this indigenous solution would offer vehicle owners the best of both worlds – the ability to go green while achieving greater performance”, he added.

As a parallel hybrid, this solution will enable the motor and engine to work simultaneously. Unlike an electric vehicle, the vehicle will operate as a conventional fuel vehicle even if the batteries are completely drained. As a plug-in, the vehicle can be charged through a standard external electricity source such as a domestic power outlet.