Electric is the future of mobility and current trends have confirmed it. There is growing enthusiasm among buyers towards electric vehicles across the globe. India too has witnessed this rising trend, with manufacturers witnessing high demands for their vehicles, especially in the two-wheeler segment. However, it is a transition phase, and many would still want to stick to their conventional vehicles. College students from Gujarat's Rajkot seems to have found a middle ground to navigate this dilemma.
Seventh semester students of VVP Engineering College in Rajkot have developed a motorcycle that can run on both petrol and electricity. This motorbike has a range of 40 kilometres on a full charge in electric mode.
"The main reason for developing this is that fuel prices are skyrocketing. There are many issues with e-vehicles like a high price, slow charging, etc. So we thought of a vehicle that can run on both," Dr Maniar, Dean, Mechanical Department of the college, told news agency ANI.
With this objective in mind, students modified the transmission of an existing motorcycle to make it capable of running on both petrol and electricity.
"The students have attached four separate batteries. The battery takes six hours to completely charge. The fully-charged battery can run for 40 kilometers with a maximum speed of 40 kilometers per hour by using one unit of power at a cost of 17 paise," explained Dr Maniar.
With this hybrid motorcycle, riders can switch between battery or petrol for running the engine using two separate switches provided with it.
As of now there are a number of manufacturers present in the electric two-wheeler space, including TVS, Hero Electric and Revolt Motors, but none of them offer hybrid configuration.
