Staff Writer
Bengaluru: As the fourth edition of annual Global Clean Mobility Summit convenes India’s mobility leaders, the spotlight turns to the Digital Twin Lab established by the Automobile Research Association of India as the hub and Micelio and IIT Guwahati Tech Park as spokes. Supported by the Ministry of Heavy Industries, this first-of-its-kind lab enables simulation-led development for electric vehicles, helps startups, MSMEs, and automobile leaders accelerate design, validation, and deployment.
The Digital Twin Lab follows an innovative ‘Hub-and-Spoke’ model with its primary hub at ARAI in Pune and two strategic spokes – one at Micelio Discovery Studio in Bengaluru and the other at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Guwahati. The lab is specifically designed to revolutionise the access to advanced EV digital twin capabilities, enabling startups, MSMEs, and automobile leaders to accelerate their design, validation, and deployment processes. It became completely operational earlier this year in June 2025.
Dr Reji Mathai, Director, ARAI said, “ARAI is proud to announce the strategic expansion of its Digital Twinning services across India, extending from the western region to the eastern and southern parts of the country. As India advances towards a future of intelligent and sustainable mobility, ARAI remains committed to empowering OEMs, startups, and automotive innovators with cutting-edge mobility solutions. We are grateful to the Ministry of Heavy Industries for their continued support in driving technology-led green mobility initiatives. We also deeply value our collaboration with Micelio, our trusted partner in this endeavor, and look forward to a successful journey in broadening ARAI’s national footprint.”
The lab offers comprehensive digital twin modeling capabilities for critical EV components including battery packs, motors, and drivetrains, coupled with virtual validation environments that can simulate real-world conditions such as wear-and-tear, energy consumption patterns, and thermal behaviour. These capabilities are further enhanced by Hardware-in-Loop testing systems and AI/ML-based simulation tools that provide accuracy in predicting vehicle performance across various operational scenarios.
“This lab represents a fundamental shift in how India approaches EV innovation,” said Mr. Shreyas Shibulal, Founder & Director, Micelio Mobility. “By providing access to advanced digital twin infrastructure, we are reducing time-to-market and development costs, while also enabling a new generation of Indian EV innovators to compete globally while developing solutions specifically tailored to Indian conditions and requirements.” Startups and MSMEs can now validate their concepts and refine their designs without massive capital investments.
The Digital Twin Lab aligns with India’s broader economic and technological objectives under Make in India, Atmanirbhar Bharat, and the Digital Public Infrastructure framework. This timing is particularly significant as it complements Global Clean Mobility Summit 2025’s theme of ‘Next Starts Now: Sustain and Scale,’ supporting India’s transition from clean mobility ambition to market reality.
As India’s mobility ecosystem continues to evolve, the Digital Twin Lab represents a practical example of how simulation-led development is transitioning from an aspirational concept to a measurable reality that’s already delivering benefits to the industry.
