Electric car designed by Kerala engg students wins awards at global event

A team of 19 students from the mechanical stream of the college, emerged as the best, from multiple entries across the world. The students went through various stages of interviews and tests before making it to the achievement. 

An electric car, ‘Vandy’, designed by engineering students from the Government Engineering College, Barton Hill, Thiruvananthapuram, has won an award and special mention at the International Energy Efficiency Competition in Indonesia. The compeition named Shell Eco-Marathon (SEM) 2022 was held at the Pertamina Mandalika circuit. The team was mentored by Acsia Technologies. 

Designed by Pravega, a team of 19 students from the mechanical stream of the college, emerged as the best, from multiple entries across the world. The students went through various stages of interviews and tests before making it to the achievement. 

“It’s truly an accomplishment for us. This project offered us a unique opportunity to utilise and widen our engineering skills to create something that is sustainable and environmentally friendly. Our gratitude goes out to everyone who supported us, especially Acsia Technologies for their invaluable mentorship,” said Kalyani S Kumar, Team Leader, Pravega, which was one of the five teams from India that qualified for the event. 

Electric car ‘Vandy’ runs at 27 kmph  

It took the team almost 10 months to complete the prototype electric car. Vandy weighs almost 80 kg, with a top speed of 27 kmph. 

“It is very exciting to see our students winning two major achievements at a global competition. As a mentor, we are proud to have guided the students in creating an electric vehicle that embodies this value. Our goal is to continue to mentor our student community, imparting relevant knowledge, increasing their industry readiness, and supporting their growth towards becoming world-class engineers,” said Jijimon Chandran - Founder & CEO - Acsia Technologies. 

The vehicle design was based on the bio-mimicry of Tiger Sharks, who are known to eat plastic and other such waste in the sea. The body, in the form of a tiger shark, is made from recycled-biodegradable PLA, 3D printed and assembled in a closely stiffened structure format. The underbody is made from a composite that consists of recycled cloth and glass fibre. 

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