IIT BHU researchers have developed a new technology to charge electric vehicles in a path-breaking initiative. The demand for electric vehicles and innovation related to the same have shot up in India and researchers have responded to the various policies by the government to ease the rules of EVs charging stations.
The team of researchers from the Department of Electrical Engineering at the institute developed a new technology for on-board charger for vehicles, which costs about half of the current on-board charger technology.
Using this technique will reduce the cost of two and four-wheeler electric vehicles.
Why are electric vehicles expensive?
Dr. Rajeev Kumar Singh, Associate Professor and Chief Project Investigator of the Department of Electrical Engineering said, “The rising prices of petrol and diesel in the country is a worrisome for the common man.”
“Amidst the rising cost of petroleum products and rising pollution levels, electric vehicles (EVs) are the best alternative to conventional IC engines but lack of high power off board charging infrastructure forces automakers to incorporate onboard chargers into the vehicle itself,” he said.
“The vehicle owner can charge the vehicles through the outlet and hence, this leads electric vehicles become very expensive.”
How does the new technology work?
The professor informed that with the new technology developed in the institute, the cost of on-board charger can be reduced by about 50%.
This will also significantly reduce the cost of electric vehicles.
The technology will be completely indigenous and will have a significant impact on driving electric vehicles on Indian roads in a big way.
When can we expect the new technology to come into the market?
Lab-scale development has already been done at IIT (BHU) and upgradation and commercialization is in progress.
The professor further added that the country’s leading electric vehicle manufacturer has also shown interest in this new technology and is ready to develop a full-fledged commercial product that can be applied to existing electric vehicles.
Experts from IIT Guwahati and IIT Bhubaneswar have also collaborated for this technology development. Electric vehicles will be accessible to the general public.
Support from the government
Dr. Singh informed that this research is financially supported by the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY), Government of India.
This innovative technology of the institute will also contribute to the e-mobility mission of the government.
With the help of this new technology, the charging infrastructure of vehicles in the country will be improved and the access of the general public to electric vehicles will be possible easily.
He explained that the electric vehicle contributes to sustainable development as it improves community health by eliminating tailpipe emissions, reducing reliance on fossil fuels and, with the integration of renewable energy into existing electricity networks, lower electricity rates can be reduced.
The institute will soon set up an interdisciplinary centre on EV technology.
How the new electric vehicle charging technology will help man and environment
Director of the Institute Prof. Pramod Kumar Jain said, “The developed technology will help in production of low-cost electric vehicles which will be beneficial for the common man.”
“The techno-commercial, social, economic and environmental impact of technology will also be positive. The technology will improve charging infrastructure and support the government’s mission to bring electric vehicles on Indian roads in a big way,” he said.
IIT BHU developing autonomous vehicles
Prof. Jain also informed that few projects on developing autonomous vehicle, connected vehicles are already underway with IIT (BHU) Varanasi.
One such project is Averera project that has already won first prize globally in the Shell Eco Marathon last year.
He further said that the IIT (BHU) Varanasi is planning to set up an interdisciplinary Centre on EV technologies to carry out design, fabrication, and testing of battery management systems, commercialize research, provide solutions to R&D problems and develop human resources in this area.
Read: IIT Delhi develops environment-friendly, smart and modular electric vehicle charger
Read: IIT Guwahati becomes first IIT to introduce programme in E-mobility
Keyword: IIT BHU researchers develop new tech to charge electric vehicles that can slash the price of EVs in half