The curiosity, talent and energy of engineering students can create wonders if channelized in a productive manner
In a rather interesting turn of events, two engineering students were able to create an electric vehicle from scratch in just 4 months. India is home to immense talent. We know that some of the top companies in the world are headed by Indians. Hence, it is no wonder that it all starts at the college level. Many motivated students end up implementing their talent, learning and skills to develop innovative products. They easily translate their ideas into real-world applications. This is a prime example of it.
Engineering Students Create EV
Ashwin Joseph (Dept of IIoT) and Allwin Joseph (Dept of ECE) are two students of MVJ College of Engineering, Bengaluru. Despite being a two-member team, they ended up creating a 12-seater EV from scratch in just 4 months. What is interesting is the fact that they used their home garage for all the mechanical processes, including welding, fabrication and spray painting. There was no outsourcing involved, which depicts their passion and talent. The EV certainly looks well-built, and the two students are evidently proud of their creation.
Some of the top technical highlights of this electric car are the ACP sheet with steel reinforcements to create the body, a 48-volt lithium-ion battery, an ergonomic layout with 11 seats (+ 1 driver), perfect for campus and urban usage with a top speed of approximately 40 km/h, a usable range of 60-80 km on a single charge, which is expandable, and a standard charging time of around 4-5 hours. Not just that, the EV is future-ready with plans for autonomous driving and IoT connectivity. It ended up costing the students Rs 1.98 lakh to develop this EV, including materials, motor, battery, fabrication tools, paint, etc.
My View
I feel this has to be among the most ambitious EV projects from college students I have come across in a while. We know that colleges nowadays focus a lot on practical application of engineering, and the students are also passionate with all the exposure online. Hence, something like this is much appreciated. It also goes to show that the future breed of Indian engineering graduates will have the ability to have real-world implications of their degrees. I shall keep bringing more such cases to the fore in the times to come to support and encourage such ambitious students.
Also Read: Skoda-VW’s Student Car Project Team Uses Taigun and Virtus to Create a Pickup!
