Sajini V. Sahadevan discovers that Noble G. Bhasi’s forte is designing vehicles that are apt for our roads
Noble is working on Renova, a car with zero turning radius function
Photo: S. Mahinsha
In top gear Noble G. Bhasi
Engines and wheels kick start Noble G. Bhasi’s drive to innovate. As a student, he made cardboard models of cars with the encouragement of his father, G. Bhasi, who also helped with the fabrication of his son’s creations.
“I have always been fascinated by automobiles. I used to collect brochures of vehicles and now I have five albums of brochures,” says Noble.
While at college in Sri Chitra Engineering College, Noble, a student of automobile engineering, bagged the best project award for a revamped version of the tipper autorickshaw in 2004. It was an M80 scooter with a carrier that could be tipped over. It was designed with the intention of helping reach materials to construction sites in narrow lanes.
“My first project was done at a workshop in the city. Soon I realised I needed my own space to work,” explains Noble who now has a workshop close to his home. The vehicles are worked on right from scratch and even the painting is done by Noble. Only the light fittings are done by professionals.
Aircraft and hybrid bikes
Noble has even tried his hand at creating a single-seater aircraft with the engine of a two-wheeler. “The plane, Falcon, took close to a year for completion.” Other vehicles designed by the young engineer includes a hybrid bike that uses an electric motor and an ordinary engine. “This makes the bike more efficient and gives better mileage than ordinary bikes,” he says. He also won the award for the best designed vehicle at an Auto Expo for ‘Xyana’ – a three-wheeler car with two seats in front and one seat at the back, which runs on a Kinetic Honda engine.
Noble’s inventions are not mere museum pieces. His innovations have been triggered by a close observation of the difficulties faced by Indian drivers on congested roads.
The tipper auto
For instance, Pivo is a zero-radius turning car with a cabin that can be pivoted to reverse the position of the steering wheel, driver seat and engine. “Pivo saves the driver from the effort of steering the entire car about when it has reached a dead end. The reverse mechanism functions instead,” he explains.
His unique creations include a power generating hump for roads. Made with automobile shock absorbers, the hump has been designed to produce electricity when the front and back wheels of a vehicle run over it. “This can be used to illuminate cat’s eyes on the roads or charge batteries,” explains the inventor.
Noble is currently working on Renova, a four-seater, with zero turning radius function that can be shortened lengthwise to be used as a two-seater. Its four-wheel independent steering system makes it ideal for narrow roads and traffic jams where turning a vehicle becomes a nightmare.
The plane ‘Falcon’
“Moreover, although the driver might be the only occupant in a car, the vehicle occupies the space of a four-wheeler on the road. But the back seats in the Renova can be folded and the car becomes a two-wheeler,” explains Noble who works as a service adviser in Hilton Hyundai in the city.
“In these days of increased traffic congestion, such vehicles will save space on the road,” says the designer who paints his creations in his favourite colour combinations of red and black or red and blue. Noble has many more ideas to tinker with but prefers to let his designs do the talking in due course.
Noble is working on Renova, a car with zero turning radius function
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