’Pulkoodu’ – A cheap as chips two-seater EV that would make for the ideal runabout in the the urban jungle
The electric car, called ‘ Pulkoodu’, is made by Kerala-based career consultant Antony John, and costs only Rs 4 lakh.
Electric cars are finally gaining the popularity they deserve. With new-age cars like Tata Nexon EV, Tata Tigor EV and MG ZS EV climbing up positions in sales, the car buyers are warming up to accept electric vehicles. At the same time, there is a need for a more affordable EV that is not only easy to run is accessible to buy. In this rather interesting situation, we have come across a unique homemade electric car from Kerala – ‘Pulkoodu’.
India’s smallest EV
‘Pulkoodu’ is a two-seater micro electric car made from scratch by 67-year old Antony John who is a career consultant by profession. Antony is an environmentalist who rides an electric scooter for the past 16 years. He made this unique-looking two-seater car to get an added shield against heatwaves and rain showers, which is impossible on a two-wheeler.
Parts of various vehicles including Tata Nano are used in this car
Antony got the inspiration behind the design of ‘Pulkoodu’ from a French car on a website, based on which he prepared a few drafts of the design. He shared the final draft of the design with the owner of an automobile workshop near his residence. The entire car took a year to complete from scratch.
Designed at home
The vehicle was designed and made at home
Antony, along with the workshop owner, made the body of the electric car using a corrosion-free sheet from Japan. This pink-coloured car has a raked frontend, which includes the angular windshield, round headlamps, ovular turn indicators and blacked-out housings at the bottom. It also gets triangular front quarter glass panels and rectangular-shaped side window panels. There are also rear windscreen roof rails and a roof-mounted spoiler at the back.
’Poolkundu’ EV is made up of parts of many other vehicles?
This is a homemade car from Kerala
Tipping the weighing scales at 150 kg, ‘Pulkoodu’ sources its steering system from a Tata Nano, tyres from a Bajaj autorickshaw and its electric components from the open markets of New Delhi.
Like every other electric car, it also has a foot-operated accelerator and brake pedals. The car sources its power from a 52 AH lithium ferrous phosphate battery, which offers added protection from fire blasts over a lithium-ion battery. On a single charge, this battery returns a driving range of 60 km.
Everything is customised
‘Pulkoodu’ operates via an electrically-driven motor that can push the car to reach a top speed of 25 km/h. It is legal for use on Indian roads and it is exempt from all the registration and tax formalities. This two-seater car comes equipped with a digital instrument console placed to the left of the steering wheel. It displays the speed and the remaining battery level. Antony claims that the car has a running cost of just Rs 5 per full charge since it consumes only one unit of electricity for a full charge.
It can reach a top-speed of 25 km/h
Antony says that it cost him Rs 4 lakh to make ‘Pulkoodu’ from scratch. While this car is way more affordable than the current most-affordable electric passenger car, the Tata Tigor EV, it lacks the finesse and practicality that the Tigor EV offers over it in heaps and bounds.
What are your opinions on this self-made electric car? Let us know in the comments below.
Keyword: With This Homemade Electric Car, You Can Travel 60 km For Just Rs 5