VIJAYAWADA: Giving vent to their imagination, a team of seven students pursuing Electrical and Electronics Engineering (EEE) final year at Ongole-based QIS College of Engineering and Technology, has come up with a unique idea -- to harness solar power to increase the power output and transmission.
After three months of endeavour, the team comprising G Jayapavan, K Pavangopi, A Kusuma, B Pavithra, Sk Mubeena, M Sai Akhil and V Krishna Reddy, has developed the prototype of a two-wheeler, which harnesses solar power to recharge the battery on the run. It is also a geared electric two-wheeler with a reverse gear, which is a rarity in bikes.
“Gears, including the reverse gear, will help the rider to have an optimum control over the speed transmission of the bike. The bike is a hybrid electric vehicle with both solar and conventional batteries. While the solar power continuously recharges the battery while on the run, the conventional battery is recharged when it is parked during night hours,” explained Mouli Chandra, Head of EEE Department, who guided the group in developing the bike.
“For normal bikes available in the market, one charge gives about 45 km mileage with 20Ah battery. The bike designed by our students can give 60 plus km mileage because of its integration with solar power. A 48V BLDC motor with speed of 450r/min, Power-800W, 13.5A, a low cost speed controller, 35A and 1000W, and 48V 20 AH lithium ion battery are used in the hybrid electric bike,” he elaborated.
“As pollution has become a major problem now a days, more and more people are turning to electric vehicles. However, the electric bikes come with some disadvantages like, they are not fit for long distance travel. Our students’ prototype bike is an effort to overcome that problem. Further, it is designed to overcome other problems, low load bearing capacity, and drop in speed while negotiating elevated inclined roads,” he said.
Lauding the team, college chairman NS Kalyan Chakravarthy has suggested them to apply for a patent for the hybrid electric bike, besides developing it further at the incubation centre on the premises. “It is not difficult for the student team to set up a start-up with their hybrid electric bike,” Mouli Chandra added.