Students design all-terrain electric vehicle

A team of 25 students from Tiruchi designed a car and exhibited at a national-level competition organised by Society of Automotive Engineers- India.

‘Team Flux,’ from Saranathan College of Engineering, took in BAJA (SAE-India), a competition for undergraduate engineering students, organised globally by the Society of Automotive Engineers, and went to Indore to present it. The opportunity to participate is a huge honour, the students say.

The competition was held recently at Pithampur, Indore. N. Gayatri, Assistant Professor, Electrical and Electronics Engineering department, says the team consisting of Mechanical and EEE students designed an electrical all-terrain vehicle (ATV).

The students had to do everything from getting sponsors for the vehicle, getting quotations and ordering machine parts, which are not available in India, and assembling them. The experience teaches students the ropes of working at automobile industries and eventually they are trained to take up jobs,’ Ms. Gayathri says. The designing cost of the ATV that came up to ₹ 11 lakh was partially funded by the college and private companies based in Tiruchi.

Car manufacturing company Mahindra is a sponsor of the event and students have received job placements after the event. Last year, two of our team members were given jobs at Mahindra almost immediately. This year, five of them are expected to get confirmation letters very soon,’ she says.