Vellore: A group of 28 students – ‘Eco Titans’ from the Vellore Institute of Technology will be showcasing their fuel-efficient prototype vehicle at the Shell Eco-marathon (SEM) Challenger event to be held at Madras Motor Race Track, Chennai from 6 to 9 December.
SEM is a part of ‘Make the Future India’, a four-day event where discussions, debates, inventions, collaborations and competitions centered around the future of mobility is covered. Eco Titans have participated in SEM since 2010. During the SEM Asia 2018, the team secured the third position among all Indian teams.
In the challenger event, the team’s gasoline-powered prototype vehicle will compete against 19 other participating teams from across the country to find out whose car goes the farthest using the least amount of energy, a press releasae said.
Eco Titans’s prototype, ‘Project Decimas’, was designed and built by finding inspiration from nature’s fast-moving animals. Its chassis has been built using an aluminum and glass composite shell while the body boasts an aerodynamic design manufactured from a carbon fiber composite.
The lightweight body is said to minimize the drag coefficient. The prototype uses a GY6 50cc four-stroke internal combustion engine with electronic fuel injection and a bell crank steering mechanism.
A CVT transmission system with a chain drive and hydraulic brakes is said to benefit the efficiency and driving experience on the track. The vehicle is expected to give a mileage of 170kmpl, the release said.