The auto industry uses creative solutions to cut back on water use.

The vehicle sector is a major contributor to the GDP of any nation, therefore providing solutions that are based on sustainability is essential, especially in trying times. From the moment a new product idea is conceived until it is released for general usage, automakers must provide comprehensive, sustainable solutions in every area. Since a single-vehicle requires more than 40,000 gallons of water to produce, water plays a significant part in this situation. As a result, the industry actively invests in various conservation practices to balance it out. Major automakers and top ancillary companies in India have shifted to waterless solutions, recycled treated water, and reduced water use for diverse uses.

By utilizing a decanter facility that was recently established on its grounds, the Renault Nissan Automotive India Private Limited (RNAIPL) plant in Oragadam, Chennai, conserves 50,000 litres of water daily from its sewage treatment plant. The plant, which separates water from sewage waste, is cutting water demand for RNAIPL's industrial operations and minimizing water waste. A total of 5.76 lakh kilo liters of rainwater and 87% of the water saved had been conserved by RNAIPL thanks to plant activities.

car washes was launched by Nissan India

The initiative for eco-friendly car washes was launched by Nissan India in 2016.

On the other hand, Nissan customers reduced the amount of water used in typical car washes by 45% by choosing the company's innovative foam car wash method. Nissan launched the foam wash effort in 2014, and it has since been made available at all of its service centres across the country.

Tata Motors saved a total of 9.24 lakh m3 of water in FY22 by recycling wastewater and collecting rainwater, or 19.7% of all water used. Both the automaker's Pantnagar and Lucknow plants recycle treated effluent for reuse, making them good models of water stewardship. Through scientifically constructed groundwater recharge structures inside and outside the plant grounds, these plants have also raised awareness among rural people and recharged more groundwater than they used throughout the entire year. Projects were carried out all year to maximise recycling and minimise leaks in order to reduce freshwater abstraction.

Maruti Suzuki India Limited, the largest automaker in the nation, adopts the dry wash project at its workshops to significantly reduce water usage. Since 2016, the business has washed more than 10 million vehicles at Maruti Suzuki workshops using a dry wash method, saving more than 1,000 million litres of water in the process. 160 million litres of water were saved by Maruti in 2019 in big cities including Bengaluru, Delhi, Hyderabad, Pune, Nagpur, and Chennai.

The top six cities—Bengaluru, Delhi, Hyderabad, Pune, Nagpur, and Chennai—aided in the conservation of a total of 160 million litres of water.

In order to accurately account for water withdrawals and usage at the Hosur manufacturing plant, TVS Motor Company has a dedicated dashboard. This IoT solution makes sure that corrective steps are taken right away and assists in identifying irregularities in water consumption. "At TVS Motor, rainwater harvesting is done through direct collection and reuse, percolation ponds, contour trenches, stormwater drain with recharge pits, and earth check dams," said S Devarajan, Senior Vice President, Advanced Manufacturing, of TVS Motor Company. As a result of the fact that more groundwater is being recharged into an aquifer at the business's Hosur manufacturing plant than is being withdrawn, the company has been able to reduce its particular water usage by 21% between 2020 and 2021.

Employees at Mercedes-Benz India put sustainability into reality by incorporating green living into their daily lives. The workers are crucial to maintaining the natural balance of the plant grounds, which are home to 125 different species of plants and animals. The company maintains the ecological balance of its plant grounds, which are home to 125 different kinds of plants and animals, by practising zero discharge of wastewater to public drains.

Mercedes has introduced a host of car care products in addition to the waterless cleaning solution.

In order to preserve the ecological balance, Ashok Leyland, the second-largest producer of commercial vehicles in India, has put in place a number of water-saving measures. All Ashok Leyland factories have low-flow water systems and rainwater harvesting, according to Balachander N. V., Chief Sustainability Officer and President of CSR, Communication, and Corporate Affairs. Wastewater is also recycled to prevent it from ending up in landfills. As of right now, Ashok Leyland has a positive net water balance. The solar power plant cleans solar modules using robotic cleaning technology. Projects to restore lakes and rivers have also been undertaken by Ashok Leyland at Hosur, Pantnagar, Alwar, and Bhandara. The rehabilitation of Adhakondapalli Lake increased water storage by 30,000 KL. A total of 17 artificial rainwater collecting ponds with a combined capacity of 2.54 lakh kiloliters have also been built by the company.

With each wash, customers may save roughly 120 liters of water according to Hyundai's Save Water Campaign, which encourages them to choose "Dry Wash" at Hyundai Service Centers. Hyundai gives drought-affected areas the water that consumers save by using the dry wash. In order to uphold its zero-discharge goal, the company achieved the milestone of planting one million trees inside the plant grounds in 2018. The Chennai facility of Hyundai uses rainwater harvesting, and it has six ponds with a combined capacity of 3.35 lakh tones.

The world's leading tyre producer, JK Tyre, uses the least raw water per kilogram of tyre produced. With renewable energy sources providing 55% of its energy needs, its carbon footprint is gradually reduced by more than 50%. It also calls itself one of the greenest tyre manufacturers in the world, citing, in particular, its decreased carbon footprint, raw water use per unit of manufacturing, greenhouse gas emissions, and power usage. The corporation stated in its "Sustainability Targets 2030" that it will raise the proportion of captured rainwater in total yearly water use by 2 to 5% over the following ten years.

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