BENGALURU: The Formula SAE (Society of Associative Engineers) team from RV College of Engineering finished second in Design and Product presentation at Formula Hybrid earlier this month.
Ashwa Racing was the only Indian team of 28 others competing at Formula Hybrid at New Hampshire speedway, USA, hosted by Thayer School of Engineering, Dartmouth, from May 2 to 5.
It bagged the fourth place overall. Ashwa Racing is a research and development project comprising undergraduate students.
The project, established in 2003 by Arun Raj, now an alumni of RVCE, rolled out its first hybrid vehicle in 2015, bagging the seventh place in an earlier edition of the event.
The team releases two cars every year -- one combustion prototype and one hybrid. It has produced 13 prototypes -- combustion and hybrid -- so far.
RVCE Principal Subramanyam appreciated the current 21-member hybrid-prototype crew, headed by Sohan Shetty, project manager, Pranjal Tyagi, chief engineer, and Nikhita Bhushi, team captain.
“I hope the students continue their efforts and bring recognition to the country and the institution,” he said.
The Winner
The winning prototype Formula Hybrid race-car is the RZ-X6H, powered by the Agni-95R motor and Pulsar 220cc bike engine. The prototype weighs 318 kg, with a space-framed chassis (made of steel tubes), and uses a lithium-ion battery with custom BMS (Battery Management System).
The main design goal of this race car is performance. The challenge was to abide by the 35.5 MJ energy limit rule and simultaneously increase performance.
Prof Ravindra Kulkarni, the team’s faculty advisor, said the biggest challenge was the electrical circuit. “The electrical component was handled by only two team members. Though it added to our advantage, the students spent hours through the night, trying to make the circuits work,” he said.
Another challenge the team had to tackle was the cold climate of that country. “The engine oil solidifies and we have to wait,” said Sohan Shetty.
The prototype race-car that competed in both static (design, components, etc.) and dynamic (performance) events, cleared both electrical and mechanical scrutiny at the competition. The team spent Rs 16 lakh, including shipment. Schneider Electric, Infineon and AMS are major sponsors of the race-car.
Nikhita Bhushi, an industrial engineering and management student, says the project offered boys and girls equal opportunities. Currently, Ashwa Racing has two other girl members. The team members, who also occupy themselves with other activities such as cricket, football and sketching, aspire to be part of Formula One teams and make it big in the industry.
The college postponed the final exams for the team.
Looking Ahead
The 2016 Ashwa Team present its combustion prototype race-car in Czech Republic in August.
The 2017 Ashwa Team has already drafted its prototype of the combustion race-car for a national event next January.
It plans on exploring technology that can help solve mass transport problems with environment-friendly options.
The team wants to diversify into the electrical and driver-less category soon.