Latest news with #CollegeofEngineeringTrivandrum
The Hindu
15-05-2025
- Automotive
- The Hindu
How a student racing club in Kerala is developing a hydrogen-fuelled buggy
Among the 22 college teams participating in the third and final phase of the SAEIndia HBaja 2025 competition was a group of rookies in the hydrogen or CNG-fuelled all-terrain vehicle (ATV) category, Herakles Racing, from the College of Engineering Trivandrum (CET) in Thiruvananthapuram. Around 190 teams registered for the 17th edition of this prestigious contest, to build ATVs for recreation which would function in real-world conditions. But many failed to qualify in the first two phases held online. From January 9 to 12, buggies battled it out with strength, manoeuvrability, efficiency, endurance and more at the National Automotive Test Tracks in Pithampur, Madhya Pradesh. Ultimately, on the final day, to everyone's surprise, Herakles Racing came second in overall ranking. They won the best debutant award and also bagged the first rank in validation, efficiency, and virtual dynamics, second in sales and acceleration and third in endurance, sled pulling (pulling a tractor with the ATV), and cost. Herakles Racing, the college's official BAJA racing team, was founded by Safwan Abdul Samad, a mechanical engineering student, in 2017. 'Safwan wanted to do something beyond the classrooms. So, with the help of a few of his friends, he started this club and even attended a few competitions,' says Gautham S Nair, manager of Herakles Racing. Currently, there are around 45 members in the team. 'Among the members, some even get placement offers from mainstream manufacturers like Mahindra, Hero MotoCorp and so on,' says Gautham. 'We started working on hydrogen-combustion vehicles (which burn hydrogen for fuel) in 2024 with this competition in mind. It took us around a year to get from ideation to execution,' says Gautham. The team used materials from their EBaja vehicles (electric) to design the buggy. 'It would normally cost ₹ 8 to 9 lakh if we were to buy all the components for an ATV. But, since we recycled a lot, we cut down the cost to ₹3 lakh,' says team captain Adith Raj. This amount was raised by the students. The ATV currently uses 5% hydrogen and the rest CNG, owing to the expensive nature of generating hydrogen fuel through electrolysis (splitting hydrogen and oxygen in water using electricity). Also, there are no hydrogen filling stations in Kerala. In fact, Herakles did not test their vehicle with hydrogen until they reached the SAEIndia tracks. Instead, they used petrol due to the bi-fuel nature of their engine. Herakles Racing uses a hydrogen combustion engine, which runs like any other internal combustion engine using fossil fuels. 'We will improve on this percentage of hydrogen in the coming years. We need a bulkier or reinforced engine for that,' says Gautham. 'Currently, the engine material we use is aluminium or cast iron. Maybe if we can use composite material for the engine; it will be more suited for hydrogen fuel,' he adds. 'Many teams use aluminium parts for several components and that limits the weight of the vehicle to around 140 to 170 kilograms, helping them perform better. But since we are reusing material, our ATV weighs around 250 kilograms. We need to find lighter materials for components and better funding to ensure that proper research is carried out in optimising the buggy's performance,' says Gautham. 'We are working on using a sustainable fuel source, which would help in the future. The only waste from hydrogen combustion is water,' says Rinin Krishna, vice-captain. 'While ATVs come in a different category compared to passenger vehicles, it has applications in defence, farming, search and rescue and so on,' says Rinin.
New Indian Express
23-04-2025
- Automotive
- New Indian Express
Kerala students vroom ahead with hydrogen-powered offroad vehicles
At the College of Engineering Trivandrum (CET), beyond the usual buzz of classes, labs, and fun, a group of students is busy building race-ready vehicles from scratch. Herakles Racing, founded in 2017 by a few car enthusiasts, is now one of CET's most sought-after clubs, with over 300 students vying for a place on its 50-member team. The team was initially built to represent CET in Baja SAEINDIA Racing Circuit, a national-level competition challenging engineering students to build off-road vehicles. Over the past few years, it has shifented gears from petrol engines to electric and now, hydrogen-powered vehicles. Recently, CET's vehicle running on a blend of CNG and minimal hydrogen exceeded expectations. The team secured second place in the H-BAJA hydrogen category and clinched third place in endurance, sled-pull, and cost segments. 'There was barely any difference between our virtual and actual vehicle performance,' says Rinin Krishna, the team's vice-captain. For the club, building a vehicle is not just about assembling parts. 'In south India, we are one of the pioneering teams in this space. Most of the top results have usually come from the north, but over the past few years, we have been changing that,' he adds. The team's focus is building sustainable off-road vehicles that can be used in agriculture, defence, and even disaster response. Everything, from design to fabrication, is done by us students. 'With every new build, we aim to make our vehicles cleaner, stronger, and smarter,' says Rinin. The journey begins with recruitment. Only 20–25 students are selected after multiple rounds that include a written test, technical tasks, and interviews. 'It's one of the most popular clubs on campus. Once selected, new recruits undergo training in software like SolidWorks, Fusion 360, ANSYS, and Altium. The design phase runs from June to November, with production and event prep. We even worked during semester breaks and vacations for better results. It's intense, but it's worth it,' Rinin smiles. Herakles Racing is now preparing for the Autonomous BAJA category — a new category in the competition focusing on driverless technology. They are also improving their hydrogen model, aiming for a 100% hydrogen blend. Despite their track record, funding remains a constant hurdle. 'We manage the club like a real company. We have a captain, a vice-captain, HR, PR, a sponsorship team, and a media team. But we are still students. We don't have regular incomes. Last year, we didn't get any sponsorship, and we had to put in our own money. If we had proper support, we could do more,' he adds. The cost of building an off-road, hydrogen-capable, or autonomous vehicle is not easy. The suspension alone is imported from the US. With SAE rules mandating component upgrades every three years, the financial burden is heavy. 'We have to keep updating the components such as the PMS motors, battery controllers, and gearboxes. It's all very expensive,' says Rinin. For a group of students working late nights after class and sacrificing their holidays in a workshop, Herakles Racing is more than a club. 'We are not just building vehicles. We are building a future where engineering is hands-on and sustainable,' Rinin says.
