How nice would it be if your vehicle ran 200 kilometres on just a litre of fuel? Sounds incredible? A team of mechanical engineering students in Kerala are inviting your attention to the prototype vehicle they have developed. The single-seater was developed by Bibin Sagaram, Ronith Stanly and Vishnu Prasad S of Government Engineering College, Barton Hill, Thiruvananthapuram, under the guidance of their teachers Santhosh Kumar SV and Anver Sadath.
The vehicle is about to cross borders and reach the Philippines for the international fuel efficiency contest, Shell Eco Marathon to be held from February 26 to March 1. The event will have participation of 120 teams from 16 countries across the globe.
“The vehicle brings the said result if run on a smooth track. Work was started in July 2014 with a funding of `5 lakh, of which `2 lakh has been spent so far on developing the prototype. All the work including design and production was done by the students themselves. Once the vehicle is back home after the competition, some more modifications are to be done on it to check its feasibility for mass production,” says Santhosh Kumar. The project is funded by the Kerala State Council for Science, Technology and Environment under the Technology Development and Adaptation programme.
The said target of 200 kilometres can be achieved only by adhering to certain parameters. The body of the vehicle is designed based on the surface of a golf ball. Light weight materials and advanced aerodynamic techniques are used, and advanced tuning is done to assure excellent efficiency. Certain high-end safety features such as collision warning system, engine temperature monitor and International Automobile Federation rated six-point seat belt are now a part of the vehicle. meera.manu@newindianexpress.com