HYDERABAD : With a goal of transforming fossil-fuel transport options to low-cost electric vehicle models, Mahindra École Centrale College of Engineering in the city has recently constructed an Electric Vehicle Technology (EVT) laboratory, where students are building an e-bike for an ‘e-bike racing challenge’ scheduled for January 2020. Dr Manish Kumar Agrawal, an assistant professor in the Mechanical Engineering department and Dr Gopinath GR, an assistant professor in Electrical & Electronics Engineering department, speak about the project:
What is the motivation behind this concept?
There is significant push for reduction in emissions (especially CO2) and import of crude. Government is enabling this through FAME II incentives to battery electric vehicles (EV) and plans to propose ‘EV vehicles only’ regulation in the next 5-10 years.
The electric and hybrid vehicle technology adoption requires a) sufficient power generation for transportation through establishment of solar and wind farms, b) transmission, c) public recharge facilities d) lightweight and cost-effective batteries and e) thermal management of battery modules for faster charging. There is need for significant R&D in next 5-10 years for making electric vehicles affordable and viable as transportation media. At present, India requires numerous engineering graduates having knowledge of electric vehicle technology.
What are the tangible benefits of such labs?
The tangible benefits of setting up EVT labs include – enabling students to understand electric vehicle technology integration; equipping students with the required skillset to design battery pack for various e-mobility vehicles; inculcating research culture in students; and finally, collaborating with government and industries to provide solutions for future e-mobility.