KOCHI: Salu RV, who hails from Calicut, can drive his electric car around for miles. He doesn’t have to worry about it running out of charge while on road. While it is mobile, the car’s battery gets charged instead of draining, thanks to the three solar panels attached to its roof.
In this age of constant fuel price hikes, electric vehicles (EVs) are becoming popular. There is also an eco-conscious population that is pushing the use of pollution-free energy sources, giving electric vehicles more of the spotlight. But even then, many people are hesitant to use EVs due to the lack of charging stations and the long time its battery takes to recharge, especially during intercity drives. However, Salu’s car stops at nothing on a sunny day!
Salu has been in love with automobiles since he was a kid. During the first lockdown, he made waves on social media with his self-made vintage car — a replica of the Rolls-Royce Phantom. His solar car, SRV, is a more practical invention that can benefit people and the planet.
“The car is still just a prototype. It is a one-seater. I always wanted to build an electric car with unique features that one can drive without having to worry about battery life. My experience with an electric bike led me to consider making one. After riding for 50 km, the bike went out of charge and we couldn’t find any place to charge it. In the end, we had to call another vehicle to move the bike,” quips Salu, who is a technical staff with the cellular service provider.
Charge on the go
Salu was quite perplexed by the way electric cars stopped mid-trip. This made him think about the solar model. To power the car’s motor, Salu installed a budget-friendly four lead-acid 12 W battery instead of the costly Lithium battery. Then, he connected a booster board to it. With just solar power, the car gets an output of 61 volts as compared to normal electric cars that offer 53 volts output.
He built the body of the car using scrap from other vehicles — shock absorbers from Pulser bike, seat and steering wheel of Maruti 800 and whatnot! He sourced the steering box from an old Maximo. The design is similar to the luggage carriers at airports.
“The vehicle cost me under Rs 20,000. People usually spend lakhs to purchase an EV from the market with a few kilometres of mileage. But this solar car will keep going, as long as you find some sun,” says Salu.
He is excited to have made a cheap yet efficient car.
“Why hasn’t anyone thought of this idea yet? It can save so much fuel, money and pollution,” he adds. Salu is awaiting a patent for his creation so he could make a three-seater solar car. “After the prototype’s success, I can easily build one by increasing the battery and motor power, may be under Rs 1 lakh. That way, anyone will be able to buy a car,” he says.