Mumbai: Students of DJ Sanghvi Engineering College make car that runs on solar and electricity
In order to tackle the increasing use of fuel, students of DJ Sanghvi Engineering College at Vile Parle have created a car which runs both on solar energy and electricity. With this innovation the students have become the first group from Mumbai to create such an automobile this year.
A group of 25 students from various streams of engineering like mechanical, electronics and production designed this car right from scratch. The speciality of the car lies in its flexible solar panel and also its dual ability to be charged both by solar energy and electricity.
The students took more than nine months for research, design and fabrication to create this automobile. Pranay Shah, a student said, “We had a prototype created by our seniors but we wanted to upgrade the model. The car can be charged with the help of solar energy when it is in use and even when it is non-functional but exposed to sunlight.”If the car is charged for three to four hours, it can run within a 80 kilometre radius at a maximum speed of 45 km/hr.
“In case of absence of solar energy, the car can be charged with electricity. The car batteries need 350 watt power consumption. Also, the seating is flexible and can be increased according to the design,” added Shah.
The group of students managed to find their way in the last 28 teams out of the 140 teams who participated in the Electric Solar Vehicle Championship (ESVC) which is Asia’s first solar vehicle design and manufacturing event. The students received a cash prize of Rs 1 lakh to work on this model and modify it further.
The aim of this project was to use natural resources and create an automobile which is feasible on the streets. Balkar Singh, another student said, “We have tried and tested the car, it can be used at golf courses, resorts and even on the street. Currently, the cars used at such places mostly run on fuel therefore this car can replace those models.”
The entire project costs Rs 3 lakhs which was funded by sponsors and the students.
The students had to commute to a workshop at Kandivali to create this model. A student added, “The college should provide us infrastructure like a workshop or a place where we can create such models.” This Make in India model was displayed at the recent Transform Maharashtra event hosted by the chief minister Devendra Fadnavis.
Source:FPJ
