Ashwin Badri, Abinesh Ekambaram and Akshay V. Ravikumar, who recently graduated in mechanical engineering, may have just made a significant contribution to revolutionising two-wheelers for Indian roads. These students of Saveetha Engineering College have developed a prototype that they call the ‘Integrated Motor Assist (IMA) for two-wheelers.’ Inspired by the hybrid technology used by Honda and Toyota and driven by the desire to give college students an economical bike-riding experience without compromising on speed and pick up, they have conceptualised a hybrid model of two-wheelers.
By integrating the motor and engine through the gear box, something that has never been done before, they have managed to create a hybrid model that distributes the power output between these two components instead of placing the entire load on the engine. This model, which also runs on conventional fuel, is expected to give better mileage, making it fuel efficient and environmental friendly. It can be electronically controlled by a centrifugal clutch arrangement.
The trio arrived at this design after studying other kinds of engines such as ethanol engines and the effect of vehicle-specific factors such as curb weight, payload and coefficients of friction between the tyres and the road.
They acknowledged the guidance of their Principal, Dr. R. Venkatasamy, an alumnus of Madras Institute of Technology in Automobile Engineering.
Cost-effective too
Ashwin adds, this new generation of IMA two-wheelers can be manufactured at cost of up to Rs 25,000 less than the current crop of two-wheelers.
