Energy and enthusiasm at peak on second day of Effi-Cycle

Coming as innovative as these names,the 33 budding engineering teams from engineering institutes across the country had developed their three wheel,two seater and dual driven (both human and electric) vehicles for the annual event organised by Panjab University’s University Institute of Engineering and Technology (UIET).

With a focus to design a hybrid (human powered cum electric) three wheeled vehicle,Effi-cycle,the event,had 75 registered entries while only 33 qualified for the event after going through various rounds of tests. Teams from IIT Roorkee,Banaras Hindu University,BITS Pilani,National Institute of Technology (NIT) Durgapur,Thapar University,Patiala,PEC and many other such institutes showcased their engineering skills in the annual event — the Effi-cycle — organised by UIET.

SeiGer was the name given to their vehicle by the team of eight members from IIT,Roorkee. Students of third and fourth year from Mechanical and Production and Industrial Engineering were all set to take the brake,gradient and market value tests slotted for the first day of this three day event. The institute had won the utility and maneuverability award last year at UIET.

“It has taken us two months to design and develop this vehicle. It has special features like aerodynamics,electric power,more safety for drivers and the maximum speed of 50 km per hour,” said Ankit Verma,the captain of the team.

SAENIS (SAE northern section) EFFI-CYCLE 2011 event,at UIET was inaugurated on Friday. The vehicles underwent a racing test on the second day of the event. An initiative by SAEINDIA,the Indian chapter of SAE (Society of Automotive Engineering) International towards the cause of environment sustainability by introducing this event.

The simple objectives for the vehicles comprised of designing,fabricating and validating an energy efficient hybrid human powered three wheeled electric vehicle,capable of seating two persons,catering to the day-to-day mobility needs.

During the course of three days the vehicles would undergo the evaluations such as the design,cost,marketing presentation,utility,electric utility,acceleration event and lastly the treacherous endurance run,where the teams drive their vehicle continuously for over an hour,to maximize their scores. The winner is decided based on the combined evaluation of all events.

The Effi-Cycle was launched last year by SAEINDIA Northern Section at UIET,tasking the students to design,build and run a three-wheeled vehicle driven solely by human power. The event was deemed successful through participation of 17 student teams from all over India.