TN students develop low-cost hybrid cycle with zero emission

CHENNAI: A group of government college students in Tamil Nadu has developed 'zero cycle', a low-cost hybrid vehicle that has zero emission and zero grid power consumption with a powerful energising source overhead.

Accordingly, the cycle, which was invented by the students studying at Government College of Technology (GCT), Coimbatore, could ride up to 15 kilometers using a battery backup and an extended range based on solar irradiance.

Dr. K Ranjith Kumar Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (EEE) student branch, who led the team, said a maximum load of 140 kg can be pulled by the cycle without slowing down the vehicle's speed.

"We can operate the affordable cost effective cycle with the help of battery backup even in the presence of clouds and at night,” he said adding that though it's a cycle, we can pedal easily and comfortably.

Stating that the weight of the bicycle is easily doable even with all the extra equipment on the vehicle, Kumar said the vehicle prototype was finished by the GCT IEEE Solar team, which is made up of members from many departments, including mechanical and electrical and electronics, after five months of arduous construction.

Pointing out that the cycle's overall design is transferable to all other sorts of cycles, he claimed that the cycle's overhead structure is validated in real-time and is stable on all types of roadways.

"This cycle aids in lowering environmental carbon emissions. Even if the battery can be charged by the panels, there is no need to use the grid for charging, which relieves pressure on the power networks. There are no running costs for this cycle,” he said.

According to the specification given by Kumar, the total cost of the vehicle makes it affordable for the common man of our society for their satisfactory needs.

"The squad's mission is still ongoing with numerous initiatives that will benefit society soon, including solar charging stations for public usage and solar vehicles with the Internet of Things (IoT) capabilities.” Sources from the institution also said that the patent will be procured for developing the vehicle for commercial purposes.