JOIN USNecessity is the mother of all invention’. And this has again been proved by the students of Manav Rachna International University who have created a
‘fuel-efficient’ car – MRV3 and would soon participate in the Shell Eco-Marathon Asia 2014 Mileage Challenge in Philippines.
The innovative contraption MRV3, developed in the Dr OP Bhalla Innovation and Incubation Centre at the University, is the brainchild of 15 students from the Faculty of Engineering and Technology (FET) department. The MRV3 is the first-of-its-kind eco-friendly vehicle using diesel as its fuel and gives a mileage of 123 km/litre. The prestigious Shell Eco-Marathon Asia 2014 Mileage Challenge in Philippines is an unique competition that challenges students to design, build and drive the most
energy-efficient cars.
Speaking to Metrolife about their innovation, Dr B S Gill, director of Manav Rachna Innovation and Incubation Centre, said, “It is the third time we are going to participate in this competition and we are really proud of our students who have made this car based on the theme – ‘Urban Concept’.
The whole idea behind this innovation was to propagate fuel conservation in today’s time and make people realise how important it is to conserve our natural
resources – which is the need of the hour.”
As part of the team, Prateek Swaran Sharma, a fourth year student and also the driver of MRV3, said, “Our single-seater car, based on the ‘Urban Concept’, has many unique features. The most important feature is that this car is equipped with a alcohol detector machine which does not allow a person to drive under the influence of alcohol. We have also used a ‘five point’ seat belt for the driver’s safety which is usually ‘three point’ in normal cars.”
The body of the car is made up of fibreglass and has hollow circular pipes to reduce weight and improve strength. Weighing only 180 kgs, the vehicle has an engine of 269cc and 3.7 HP using automatic transmission with auto clutch CVT. The engineers have also customised the reduction box to achieve high efficiency and a mileage of 123 km/litre. The car can also bear an impact of 500 kgs and is equipped with ‘least road-resistant’ tyres.
Vaibhav Mohan, another fourth year student and part of the designing team, shared his experience of making the car. “Designing the car was really difficult. And we had to follow all the guidelines and regulations and accommodate everything in such a lightweight car. After drawing it on paper, the 3D designing of the car was the toughest part. But we are really happy with the end result and are very excited to take part in the competition now.”