The students of IIT-Kharagpur have created an electronic three-wheeler called Deshla for city transportation with their mechanical engineering professor Vikranth Racherla. The carrier can be charged at home and has a maximum speed of 50 Km/hr. According to the professor, the vehicle is far more stable and jerk-free on bad roads than the three-wheelers in the market at present.
According to reports, the student-teacher team aims to raise funding of Rs 3 crore for its commercial project in a seed funding and get the required formal certification from Automotive Research Association of India. They have already registered themselves as a startup.
How does the EV work?
While talking about their invention, Deshla, IIT-Kharagpur reportedly said in an e-mail that the powerful vehicle battery can last up to six to seven years and is made from lithium-ion. It also has a high load-carrying capacity and a sturdy frame, yet easy maneuverability. Deshla can serve as a great environment-friendly alternative for diesel-guzzling and polluting public vehicles. Not only is it clean and green, but also it does not compromise on its quality, making it safe and reliable with excellent performance and comfort.
The EV revolution
Another startup operating in the electric three-wheeler vehicle marketplace in the country include SmartE. The company has recently raised a funding of Rs 100 crore in Series b round led by the Japanese conglomerate Mitsui & Co. SmartE claims to have over 800 EV charging stations in Delhi NCR and is building another six electric vehicle charging depots. Whereas, Deshla EV is chargeable at home and can thus effectively save the cost of constructing charging depots. Uber plans to launch its electric three-wheeler segment in the market soon.
The Indian government has been focussing on the conversion of public transportation to electric, and its effort to improve sustainable mobility has been quite evident. The total capital raised by EV startups is more than $400 million from 2015-19. The EV marketplace’s size in India is expected to reach $707 million by 2025. Furthermore, under its EV focussed scheme FAME II, the state government has proposed to invest $1.4 billion for over three years to support 10 lakh two-wheelers, 5 lakh three-wheelers, 55,000 four-wheelers, and 7,000 buses that operate on lithium-ion batteries or other electric power-trains.
