A moped that runs on petrol, gas and electricity

BANGALORE: Two Bangalore-based students have re-modelled a two-wheeler to run on three different fuels — petrol, gas and electricity — taking experiments on hybrid models to a different plane among city colleges.Every year there are several final-year engineering projects which work on hybrid models — or vehicles which use different power sources operating differently or simultaneously to provide acceleration. These projects are more often than not defined by the finance generation. As was the case with final-year BMS College of Engineering students Anjan Seelan and Channakeshava Murthy KN who decided to work on hydrogen fuels cells for their final year project in the department of Electrical and Electronics Engineering. “We were interested in this project following our classes on sustainable energy. It is an important subject of research vital for our existence in the future. So, low emissions, renewable energy sources and working on models of sustainable energy became crucial for us,” explains Anjan Seelan, who is more forthcoming on the ‘why’ of the project. Murthy becomes animated only when the topic of technology comes into the picture.“Several projects exist where petrol-electric sources or gas-electric sources has been successfully worked to give required acceleration and lower the emission in the process. But we have attempted to provide three sources. A simple change like placing the motor in the front allows the user to use the two wheeler to use petrol or gas, and electric power sources,” Murthy explains and Anjan adds that the vehicle need not be parked and plugged to get charged as the battery charges while running too.A minor change in the carburetor and use of a HUB motor (a tiny motor that is incorporated into the hub of the wheel) is their breakthrough, they claim. So, can this vehicle really run in the city? Yes, is what they say. The modified moped gives a maximum of 40 kms per hour while running on petrol and 10-15 kms per hour on battery operated electric-driven motor.Anjan Seelan is looking forward to pursuing their post-graduation in renewable energy abroad, while Murthy is gearing up to do M Tech in Power Systems. They should be appreciated not just on their project but more so for managing to complete the re-modelling on a modest cost of Rs 16,000.