Engineering students design tricycle powered by solar energy

Automobile engineering students at the Dayanand Sagar College of Engineering (DSCE) have designed a tricycle that runs on solar energy.

The tricycle, named ‘Solar-charged Motor-assisted Human Vehicle’, is developed by four final-year students, Joy Pansari, Kumar Saurav Mahato, Prashant Pandey and Lalit Mahajan, under the guidance of Dr G S Bhat, Head of the Department of Automobile, DSCE, and project guide Prof A Sathyanarayana.”

“The vehicle has a 400-watt 24-volt motor that runs through two batteries. The batteries—each of which is 12 volts—are, in turn, charged by two solar panels installed on the roof of the vehicle. The two-seater vehicle is about 106 inches long and 123 inches wide. It has two wheels in the front and one at the back,” said Pansari, one of the creators of the vehicle.

Pedal around

The tricycle can also be pedalled if there is shortage of solar energy.

The vehicle can be used for commuting in large campuses, golf courses, eco-parks, and places like Lalbagh. At present, the vehicle apparently functions on pedalling.

“We are planning to increase the motor capacity so that it runs on its own,” said Mahajan.

Weighing 40-50 kg, the tricycle can cover 25 km per hour.

The students maintained that they started conceptualising and designing the vehicle after taking part in an automobile designing competition conducted under the aegis of SAEINDIA (Society of Automotive Engineers INDIA) at Chandigarh in October 2013.

Improvisation

“We had created the hybrid cycle during the competition itself but it was raw in terms of ability, speed and design. Hence, we decided to improvise it. Designing the vehicle and building it with limited financial resources were the biggest challenges for us,” explained Pansari.

Dr G S Bhat told Deccan Herald that his team is planning to rope in private stakeholders who can manufacture the vehicle on a large scale.

“We have already discussed the matter with Bosch Innovation Centre. Adding two more seats to the existing vehicle is also on the cards.

The total cost involved in making the tricycle was Rs 20,000, which is quite economical,” he added.