IIT Guwahati team develops tech to manufacture electric two-wheeler equipment best suited for Indian roads

[Representational Image] A man checks his mobile phone as he waits while recharging his Ola electric scooter, in New Delhi. Credit: REUTERS FILE PHOTO

A research team at IIT Guwahati said they have developed a technology that rates the motors and batteries of electric two-wheeler vehicles and suggests to Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEM) the best drivetrain components for the Indian condition.

The researchers of the Electric Mobility Laboratory of IIT Guwahati led by Praveen Kumar, a professor in the Department of Electronics and Electrical Engineering focused on Indian climatic conditions for both rural and urban areas.

"An electronic drivetrain (group of components that deliver power to the drive wheels) developed in a humid region does not work in the same way in a dry NS colder environment. Therefore, the OEMs right now are considering creating standard drive-cycles for Indian conditions. The technology we have developed for two-wheelers is a unique method of its kind which standardises the electronic vehicles based on Indian drive-cycles," the IIT Guwahati said in a statement on Monday(April 4).

Until now, researchers did not consider Indian drive-cycles and also not focused on rural and urban drive-cycles. The Electric Vehicles currently available in the market also do not take into account the different climatic conditions in India, the IIT said.

"This research hopes to create better and more efficient drivetrains based on different regions. This is also beneficial for start-ups," Guwahati's premier institute said in the statement.

"Our goal is to prepare a document that can enable the new entrants into the EV market and help in leveling the playing field. The other primary benefit of this entire exercise is to prepare the next generation of technocrats that are ready for an excellent career in EV technology anywhere in the world," Kumar said.

These research findings have been published in a journal recently and IIT Guwahati now intends to extend the research to commercial vehicles working with OEMs so that they can manufacture more efficient drive trains that suit the different climates of India better. The researchers are also working to develop this technology for four-wheelers as the current project focuses exclusively on two-wheelers.

Director of IIT Guwahati, TG Sitharam, while commenting on the research work said, "The development in the field of next-generation energy-efficient EV technology is one of the most important breakthroughs required for sustainable development and to reduce carbon footprint. IIT Guwahati is earnestly working in this direction. This development will augment this process and maximize the outcomes.”