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The industrialisation attempts of the DESHLA Electric Vehicle of IIT Kharagpur is in full swing after it was tested successfully in the campus. The local e-rikshaw drivers have expressed their excitement for adopting the vehicle.
A team of Indian Institute of Technology - IIT Kharagpur consisting of 50 students have designed a new electric vehicle in order to reduce pollution. The vehicle which is named ‘DESHLA’ has the potential to challenge the three-wheeler Auto Rickshaws & E-Rikshaws which dominate the Indian Roads for cheap transport.
The team which made the electric vehicle was led by the professor of the Department of Mechanical Engineering, Prof Vikranth Racherla. While talking about the project, he said that building a vehicle from scratch was a better idea rather than retrofitting the existing the vehicle. This decision came as the design plays a key role in electric vehicles.Each design has been conceived, analysed, prototyped and the cycle was repeated many times before the actual product came out.
The complete prototype has passed a test run in the IIT Kharagpur campus. The prototype made everyone stunned as its high-duty Lithium-Ion battery is able to run for 6-7 years and capable of carrying the high load.
The officiating Director of IIT Kharagpur, Mr. Sriman Kumar Bhattacharyya said some local e-rikshaw drivers also came to see the test run of DESHLA.They expressed their excitement seeing the vehicle design and economy factor behind DESHLA electric vehicle. He added that DESHLA will be the dawn of Made in India three-wheeler vehicles over the previously existant Totos. Bhattacharya after taking a ride of the vehicle said that the ride was jerk-free, smooth and the vehicle frame is made is sturdy unlike Totos.
The local e-rikshaw drivers expressed their will to adopt this in future scrapping the old e-rikshaws. E-Rikshaws or Totos in India uses 1 kW Direct Current motor with a 48 Volt 100 Ah lead-acid battery pack. These e-rikshaws have issues with handling, reliability, performance, safety, and comfort.
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The project was funded by a distinguished alumnus of IIT Kharagpur and famous industrialist Dr. Purnendu Chatterjee. He is the founder & Chairman of The Chatterjee Group (TCG).
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Two other lead researchers of the project Shyama Agrawal and Manuj Agrawal with Prof Racherla has floated a startup entity for the commercialisation of the newly developed electric vehicle. They are also raising funds for industrial-level production of DESHLA. The IIT KGP Electric Vehicle - DESHLA will promote greener and cleaner environment.
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