The Hindu : Karnataka / Bangalore News : Realising their dream car

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Sunday, Aug 03, 2008
ePaper | Mobile/PDA Version

Karnataka

Karnataka - Bangalore

Realising their dream car

Special Correspondent

Prototype manages 200 kmpl of petrol

— Photo: K Murali Kumar

Prototype: Students of R.V. College of Engineering with their super fuel efficient car ‘Garuda’, in Bangalore on Saturday.

BANGALORE: Imagine a car that can coast for 500 km on just one litre of petrol. Science fiction? Not entirely.

The young engineers at the Mechanical Department of the Rashtriya Vidyalaya College of Engineering (RVCE) in the city say it is possible and they have tested a model that can cruise for 200 km per litre of petrol. They are now getting ready to enter international competitions such as SAE Super-Mileage USA and Shell Eco Marathon UK next year with Garuda, their dream project.

“The project not only gave us a chance to implement the concepts that we learnt in theory, but also helped each one of us in unleashing the inner potential to innovate and find implement able solutions to practical problems. The fusion of theory and practice has proved to be invaluable in reinforcing knowledge while also enabling us to think out of the box. The many innovative solutions that emerged during the whole process led us to sharpen our application skills,” says team leader Nishant Sarawgi.

The prototype of Garuda runs on a 97 cc petrol engine and has simple navigational controls. The simple but sturdy tubular frame and a glass fibre shell seats one driver.

“The mileage run returned 200 kmpl which made us happy, but we need to work on this machine again to get that 500 kmpl,” says Bharat Sharma, team Garuda member.

The aerodynamics works overtime on this model, jokes his comrade Jacob Koshy, adding the low clearance and lightweight material does the trick.

Who could be more qualified to comment on such revolutionary model than Dilip Chhabria who has blazed a trail of success auto customisation engineering? The man himself was present at the event on Saturday. The students have exhibited their skills in design as well as execution, according to him.

The students and their guides spared no effort in making the launch of the prototype a high profile event. Colourful brochures, film on prototype testing, folder on technical details, a seminar on the features of the car and a demonstration were organised.

Printer friendly page
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Karnataka