Kanpur, Apr 22 (IANS): The Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur (IIT-K) and National Automotive test tracks (NATRAX) have announced the signing of an MoU to facilitate collaboration on the areas of Real Drive Emission (RDE) and Emission Norms, as well as other areas as deemed fit in the future.

The MoU was signed by Dr Manish Jaiswal, Director of NATRAX and Prof. Tarun Gupta, Dean, Research and Development, IIT Kanpur.

According to an official release, the groundbreaking partnership will transform the field of automotive research, especially in the field of Vehicular Emissions. This strategic collaboration aims to work on the Emission Norms, especially towards the latest EU Standards and knowledge-sharing to create innovative solutions to be utilised by industry in the future.

Prof. Tarun Gupta, Dean of R&D, IIT Kanpur said, “The collaboration with NATRAX is a remarkable opportunity to bridge the gap between academic research and real-world application. Vehicular emissions are a critical area to be addressed for cleaner and more sustainable transportation solutions. By combining IIT Kanpur's expertise in emissions research with NATRAX's state-of-the-art testing facilities, we can accelerate the development of innovative solutions to meet the future needs of the automotive industry. This will also help us to empower the Indian automotive industry to compete on a global scale and nurture the next generation of automotive engineers and researchers."

Dr Manish Jaiswal, Director of NATRAX, said, “We believe that this collaboration will focus on developing technologies and platforms that can assist industry in design and real-time test analysis of any automotive vehicle.

“The physical test of an automobile shall involve fact-checking, data analysis, and content curation. The partnership will prioritise transparency, accountability, and responsible use of technologies to ensure the highest standards maintained by the automotive industry.”

Building on this MoU, future partnerships will be towards new regulations in the disposal of batteries, Engine and Flex Fuels and Safety related to transportation. It was also mutually agreed to work towards developing internship programmes for M.Tech students of IIT Kanpur at NATRAX.