At SRM Institute of Science & Technology (SRMIST) in Kattankulathur, near Chennai, something exciting is happening—a few automotive giants, including a two-wheeler major and a passenger car OEM, are setting up dedicated innovation spaces right inside the campus. Each company will set up co-incubation centre on the upper floors of SRMIST’s Centre for Electric Mobility (CEM), a young but fast-growing hub that’s helping shape India’s future in electric mobility.
Spanning 27,000 sq ft of state-of-the-art facilities, along with an additional 10,000 sq ft co-incubation centre, CEM is uniquely positioned to bridge academia, industry, and innovation. The centre operates on a three-tier model.
Research & Development – cutting-edge projects in electric mobility, energy systems, and smart transportation. Startup Support – incubating and accelerating new ventures in EV technologies; Industry R&D Labs – joint development programmes with global and national automotive leaders.
Set up just under two years ago, CEM - a fast-growing hub shaping India’s future in electric mobility —aims to be more than just a research lab. It serves as a bridge between academic learning, hands-on experience, and industry collaboration, driving innovation, enabling technology transfer, and creating a strong talent pipeline for the EV industry. Students, researchers, start-ups, and big companies – vehicle makers and their suppliers -- come together to solve real-world problems, test new ideas, and build technologies that support India’s shift towards greener transportation.
Speaking to Mobility Outlook, Dr C Bharatiraja, Head – CEM and Professor, Dept of Electrical and Electronics Engg at SRMIST, said, the centre already performs nearly 80% of the types of tests conducted by national certification bodies like ARAI—at a fraction of the cost and time. While CEM doesn’t offer official approvals or certifications, it plays a crucial role in helping companies refine their products before they go for formal validation. This reduces the risk of rejection, saving both time and money—key factors in a competitive market.
Dr C Bharatiraja
The centre recently caught the attention of Stellantis, one of the world’s largest automakers, which has started working with SRM students and researchers. These students, trained in industry-relevant tools, help address complex engineering challenges such as thermal management of motors or busbar design. Stellantis even provided a vehicle to test wireless charging system, developed by CEM, and evaluate it for Technology Readiness Level 7—a critical step where a working prototype is tested in a real-world setting.
It may be noted that the centre has established industry-academia linkages through formal Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs) with several leading automotive and allied companies, including Mahindra & Mahindra, MG Motors, BorgWarner, Sharda Motors, Valeo, ARAI, TAFE, GARC and ASDC.
CEM doesn’t just boost innovation; it also opens career doors. Many students working on these live projects have been hired by the very companies they supported. As Bharatiraja put it, “Our focus is not just on research but on building industry-ready systems and professionals.”
Bridging Today’s Research With Tomorrow’s Tech
At CEM, deep research is not just about theory—it’s about solving future mobility challenges while preparing students for real-world careers. Bharatiraja explained how the centre is actively exploring alternatives to rare-earth magnets, which are expensive and often imported. The team is working on ferrite-based magnets using materials available in India. Another promising area where CEM is working on is the switch reluctance motors (SRM), which use magnetic resistance to generate motion, and electrically excited motors (EEM), which create a magnetic field using electrical current instead of permanent magnets.
However, each solution brings its own trade-offs. For example, the EEM that CEM is working on requires an additional power supply to the rotor through a “ring”. It also requires larger windings, with the stator and housing about 125% bigger, which in turn increases the overall weight of the vehicle. But “this kind of hands-on experimentation is where CEM truly stands out—it’s not just about teaching students the ‘know-how,’ but helping them understand the ‘know-why.’ This is what sets SRMIST apart from other institutes,” he pointed out.
Fuelcell workstation
“Our students work on real vehicles, understand their systems, and get exposed to challenges like how high-voltage and low-voltage wiring interact,” Bharatiraja said. This practical exposure gives them a clear advantage when they enter the industry. Many CEM-trained students have already made impressive strides—some BTech graduates are now managing projects with PhD-level complexity, in just three years.
Interdisciplinary Research
CEM also thrives on interdisciplinary research. SRMIST has invested INR 15 crore in the centre, with an additional INR 20 crore from the Central Government to support advanced projects. The long-term goal of the centre is to focus on technologies that will matter 20 years from now. That includes not just EV sub-systems, but also autonomous vehicles. While fully driverless Level-5 cars are still far off, the team has started small—with mobile robots—and is steadily advancing through Level-1 and beyond.
They’ve developed both the software and hardware stacks using high-performance computing platforms like Nvidia, and even created a cost-effective track for testing. Today, CEM is active in two big areas: building sub-systems for EVs and full-stack development for autonomous driving, he indicated.
And what about the future? “We’re even exploring the concept of air taxis,” Bharatiraja said, adding that students are already working on early designs and lift tests. If all goes to plan, they hope to test electric and fuel-cell-based engines within the next five years.
Autonomous vehicle
Building Future Of Smart Mobility
According to Bharatiraja, for CEM, technology is not just a subject—it’s a mission. While it doesn’t venture into biotechnology, CEM actively brings together nearly every other engineering discipline, with a strong focus on cloud computing, data analytics, edge computing, machine learning, AI, cybersecurity, and system-on-chip (SoC) technologies.
He believes that preparing for the future means staying one step ahead of today’s challenges. “One day, magnets might become scarce or too costly. So we’re already working on alternatives like the SRM, which doesn’t need magnets or mechanical excitation—it runs entirely on electrical power,” he recalled.
To manage SRM’s unique stature, CEM has developed a model predictive control system. This system uses real-time data to monitor and adjust how each coil in the motor performs. The entire control logic is embedded into an FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array), a special chip that can be reprogrammed to perform specific digital tasks after manufacturing. This gives researchers the flexibility to test and improve motor performance on the go.
But motors are just the beginning. CEM has also built a smart platform that can collect and analyse data from any client, helping them fine-tune performance while viewing real-time operations. This platform plays a key role in supporting advanced electric mobility solutions, he said.
On the energy front, CEM is diving into hydrogen. The team has developed a complete system to test how hydrogen can be generated, stored, and used in vehicles. From monitoring temperature variations to integrating fuel cells into existing EV platforms, they’re exploring every parameter needed to make hydrogen-powered mobility practical and efficient.
CEM is special because it supports EV startups through the whole journey — from the first idea to making the product, testing it to automotive standards, and getting it ready for the market. Startups here get the technical help and industry connections they need to turn concepts into real products. Some have already licensed their technology and raised funds, showing how CEM helps ideas grow into successful businesses. The centre also works with students and teachers from other colleges, encouraging joint research projects. By sharing its modern labs and expert knowledge, CEM is creating a network where everyone works together to speed up India’s move towards cleaner, greener transportation, he said.
Through its work in predictive controls, embedded systems, and clean energy research, CEM is enabling students and researchers to not just understand the future of mobility—but to help define it. The centre isn’t just focused on today’s mobility challenges—it’s equipping the next generation to lead where the world is headed, Bharatiraja signed off.
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