Campus Talk: IIT Bombay emerge champs in e-Vehicle Category at Formula Bharat 2024

IIT Bombay Racing team has competed in Formula Bharat for the first time. The team is working for the international Formula Student competition to be held in Austria in July.

The IIT Bombay Racing team which has diverted its efforts toward electric vehicles for almost a decade now has been participating in Formula competitions internationally. (Source: iitb.ac.in)

Adding a feather to its cap, the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Bombay has emerged as the overall champion in the electric vehicle category at the Formula Bharat 2024, held in Coimbatore, in January. The IIT Bombay Racing team, one among 40 participants from various engineering and technology institutions across India, garnered several accolades at the event and this was only the first time they participated.

In the electric category, the team secured first place overall. It also emerged victorious in static events, bagging the first position there too. In the cost event, the team landed second place and secured third position in vehicle dynamics.

According to information shared by Atharva Chodankar, chief operating officer of the IIT Bombay racing team of around 75 student members from different disciplines of engineering, their victory was fueled by their latest prototype, the E-13, which represents a significant advancement in their design. “The 260 kg speedster boasts an electronically limited top speed of 150 kmph, featuring an all-carbon fibre monocoque chassis. The new battery and battery management system for the car has been developed in-house,” he said.

The IIT Bombay Racing team, which has diverted its efforts toward electric vehicles for almost a decade now, has been participating in Formula competitions internationally. “Those are generally much higher in level of competition, with teams from across the globe participating. As we are working to head to Austria in July for the upcoming international Formula Student competition, the team felt that Formula Bharat 2024 would be a great practice,” said Atharva. He also shared how almost all technology institutes in India have their Formula teams working on cars, but all this fizzles after these students are out of colleges, due to no significant motor sport opportunities in India.

“In many other countries, participating in motor sports at a degree-level can lead to career opportunities in the motor-sport industry, which is practically non-existent in India. Mahindra has initiated motor-racing, but infrastructure development will still take time for motor-sport which is still considered a rich people sport in India,” he said.

Pallavi Smart

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