Plans for local manufacturing under active consideration
Telma, a global leader in electromagnetic retarders, has registered considerable growth in India during the last financial year amidst fragile economic conditions. Bharat Benz OF1623 buses, Volvo’s Asia buses and Ashok Leyland 12m buses with Telma retarders are rapidly gaining market acceptance and are poised for a spurt in demand in 2018. This is expected to translate into big orders for the retarder supplier, which will also be reinforced with orders generated from various project discussions in progress with leading vehicle OEMs such as Corona Bus, Force Motors and Tata Motors.
Concurrently, Telma India is actively attempting to localize its parts in order to further drive down its cost and time to market, thus enhancing its support for the customers. The company has firm plans to align with a local manufacturing partner for assembly of retarders in India. Leveraging more than 70 years of global experience, Telma is on an ambitious path of partnering with leading CV OEMs by integrating its retarders into Euro-VI vehicles, thus creating a revolution in auxiliary braking technology in commercial vehicles.
Telma has contributed a lot to road safety by manufacturing induction braking systems that include more than 400 application variations of electric retarders with torque ranging from 250 Nm to 3600 Nm. Globally Telma is recognized through its collaborations with more than 86 OEMs and 47 dealers all over the world. In India, integration has already been made with leading manufacturers such as Ashok Leyland, Daimler, Volvo, Isuzu, Tata Motors and AMW.
Intercity & Intracity buses
According to data from the National Crime Records Bureau of the Ministry of Home Affairs, more than 1.7 lakh people, including children of age 2 to 12, were killed in road accidents across India in 2016. Trucks and lorries account for 20% of the casualties, followed by buses at 8.8%. Around 47.9% of road deaths are due to over-speeding, 41.5% due to dangerous or careless driving, 5.3% due to poor weather, 2.6% due to drunk and driving and 2.8% because of vehicle defects.
Telma retarders guarantee unequalled instantaneous availability and full braking power, regardless of the vehicle speed. They remain effective even after the engine stops, or when the gearbox is in neutral. As they dissipate the energy generated during braking directly into the atmosphere without using the engine’s liquid cooling system, retarders are effective in all situations, thereby ensuring that a vehicle always remains at the driver’s desired speed.
Risks such as overheating associated with the service braking system are therefore avoided and the system remains fully operational in an emergency. For this reason, it might help if the Ministry of Road Transport & Highways of India makes retarder mandatory for all intercity and intracity buses and lists it in the safety norms for buses similar to ABS.
The school bus is certainly the most convenient means of student transportation. But unfortunately, there are a number of accidents involving school buses. This is because of overspeeding and careless driving. Installing the speed limiter and changing the bus color is not the only solution. Improving the efficiency of foundation brakes by using retarder braking will lead to a more significant reduction in road accidents.
Of course, ambulance is one area which needs to be taken care of, similar to school buses. In the last 5 years, the NHAI has recorded more than 500 incidents related to ambulance crash, property damage, injuries and fatalities. This is mainly because of rash driving in emergency. To avoid accident, it is mandatory to have additional braking system to support driver with more braking efficiency and to stop the vehicle in case of emergency.
Mining tippers & off-road vehicles
Vehicles used for mining, especially deep mining, are involved in accidents due to brake failure or less braking efficiency during downhill operation. Telma retarders keep the drum temperature normal and render the foundation brake more effective during emergency braking. As with the rear camera, the Directorate General of Mines Safety (DGMS) could make the use of retarder mandatory for all deep mining vehicles.
Impact on environment
According to the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) and the National Environmental Engineering Research Institute (NEERI), road dust is the biggest contributor (52.5%) to particulate matter in India, followed by industries (22.1%). The study attributed only 6.6% of particulate emissions to vehicles.
In cities like Delhi, road dust contains about 35% of tiny particles known as PM 2.5 in the air, followed by vehicles emissions 25% to 36%. Nowadays, with increase in emission norms (from BS2, BS 3 to BS 4, BS 6) engines are becoming clean with less air pollution. Traffic-related sources have been recognized as a significant contributor to particulate matter particularly within major cities. Non-exhaust particles can be generated either from non-exhaust sources such as brake, tyre, clutch and road surface wear or already exist in the form of deposited material at the roadside and become resuspended due to traffic-induced turbulence.
Among non-exhaust sources, brake wear can be a significant PM contributor. Studies stress that in urban environments, brake wear can contribute up to 55% by mass to total non-exhaust traffic-related PM10 emissions because of continuous braking frequency, while in freeways, this contribution is lower due to lower braking frequency.
Telma’s frictionless system is enduring and non-polluting because the principle is based on the variation of the magnetic flux through which it reduces 85% fine dust particle due to braking and whole lifecycle of PM. This is the ideal solution for cleaning up the urban environment.