Artemis , an assembled-in-Mumbai electric racing car, that can attain speeds from 0 to 100 kmph in four seconds flat, was unveiled by students of K.J. Somaiya College of Engineering on Monday.
Created by a group of 60 engineering students, who are a part of the Orion Racing India (ORI) team, Artemis , will represent India at the Formula Race Car Student Competition to be held at Hockenheimring, Germany from August 5 to 11.
The race is hosting 120 teams from across the world this year and aims at challenging team members to go the extra step by building, manufacturing and considering the economic aspects of the automotive industry.
Of the total five teams from India, ORI and D.J. Sanghvi College of Engineering are the only two from Mumbai. The latter is participating in the combustion engine category. Others include, IIT-Delhi with its electric racing car, Shrimati Kashibai Navalur College of Engineering, Pune, IIT-Madras and Vellore Institute of Technology for the combustible engine power racing cars.
Team Orion has been representing Mumbai and has won several competitions nationwide and globally since 2006 with their combustion engine cars. Artemis , an electrical single-seater vehicle can go up to 35 kms in a single charge. The team, comprising of engineering students from different streams, manufactured the entire electrical vehicle from scratch to go the eco-friendly way over the last 15 months.
“Working on an electric formula race car is a way to demonstrate that we can have sustainable solutions for all aspects of life. This vehicle has no carbon emissions and doesn’t require using scarce fuels. Electric is the future,” Kartik Gandhi, one of the team members, a final-year mechanical engineering student said.
Apart from going the eco-friendly way, the team also took a stride in the sphere of women empowerment with Shreya Rajmane being the first female captain to lead it. Joining her is the team’s first female driver Sanjana Dhulla, who will one of five manning the vehicle.
While Ms. Rajmane is a final-year mechanical engineering student, Ms. Dhulla is a final-year electronics engineering student.
“We have built the entire car from scratch, importing the battery cells from China and electric motor from Slovenia to ensure perfection, sometimes spending 72 hours a week in the workshop. Each person on the team has sacrificed a lot and carries a fiery passion for engineering” Ketki Sanghai, a mechanical engineering student in her final year whose task was to source the doors and other materials for the project, said.
The ORI team after securing their third consecutive win at Formula Bharat — an engineering design competition for Indian students — are very eager to be at the Formula Student Competition.
“Many students join our engineering college due to the legacy we have created by participating in these events. I have always believed that engineering cannot be taught in classrooms, it is learned in workshops,” Dr. Shubha Pandit, principal, K.J. Somaiya College of Engineering College, said.
