India’s leading automobile company Tata Motors has launched TACNet 2.0. TACNet is the acronym for Tata Motors AutoMobility Collaboration Network. The company says it is a platform meant to help any automobile maker in forging partnerships with startups and other vendors engaged in developing new technologies for the industry.
The company has spelt out areas where it is looking for new ideas, going forward. These include block chain in automotive, parking marketplace, NLP native chatbot, demand prediction algorithm, real time monitoring of fuel quality (BSVI) and authenticating genuine spare parts. Now if any startup has already developed solutions in any of these areas or is working on creating the technology in related areas, they could connect with Tata Motors for a possible collaboration. The company’s website carries a format through which the startup can send in its application and the company will take it forward from there.
TACNet 2.0 will become the platform to operationalise such collaborations, if the startup convinces the auto majors of its capabilities. The company has made it clear that that objective of this new platform is to look for “innovative and advanced product technologies and disruptive business /service models for engaging the customer and other related stakeholders”.
Tata Motors believes the industry has reached a stage where there is a paradigm shift. Old ideas and technologies in each segment of the automotive value chain are being challenged through breakthrough technologies. Passenger comfort and passenger safety are far more important than any other aspect in the passenger car segment. In the case of cargo carrying vehicles too, fuel economy, long haul capabilities and savings brought about in spare parts and maintenance could weigh more. Startups may be having solutions in many of these areas. TACNet 2.0 will try and narrow the gap and once signed on, the company will make its own contribution towards encouraging the startup and accommodating in holding pilot trials etc.
To download the application, you can click here.