An amazing solar car designed by Indian students

In what could be a classic

example of academiaindustry collaboration,
Manipal Institute of
Technology, Manipal
University and Tata Power
Solar, Indias largest
integrated solar player,
unveiled the Universitys
first prototype solar car
ready for exploring
commercial viability in
Bangalore on April 22, 2015.
The solar car called SERVe (Solar Electric Road Vehicle) was designed by 27 students who
made up the SolarMobil team. Work on the four-wheeled prototype started in 2011. The
students built a prototype of a two-seater solar electric car, weighing 590 Kgs and which can
hit a speed of up to 60 kmph.

It all started when a team of 5 students came together with a dream - to built a solar car that
can run on the bountiful sunshine in the country. With a love for automobiles coupled with a
passion to build a greener and cleaner future, these ambitious students developed their first
project Freyr1, a single seater solar car. Since the team was not satisfied with a single seater
vehicle, they took up the challenge of fabricating SERVe, India's first passenger solar car
prototype.
Speaking at the launch of the SERVe, Ashish Khanna, CEO, Tata Solar Power, said, We are
pleased to be part this innovative project driven by a talented student-team. This project
epitomizes Tata Power Solar belief that fostering innovation is key for the proliferation of
solar power. We not only encourage innovation within our organization but also facilitate
university participation for this cause, since they can play an important role in driving
innovation in partnership with the industry. The solar car is one of many ventures which we
have supported, and we firmly believe Indias students will act as a key contributor in the
progress of our solar industry .
Elaborating on the joy of driving a self-made car, SolarMobil Manipal team manager Jeet
Banerjee said, The cruising speed is 30 kmph and it can touch up to 60 kmph. It has taken us

two years to complete it.

The cruising speed refers to the speed at which the car runs when the solar panels alone are
used. It has a battery pack which can help increase the speed up to 60 kmph, he added. It is
the battery which helps the car run in all weather conditions, Jeet said.
The team is headed by Jeet Banerjee who acts as the team manager at SolarMobil Manipal.
The other core members of the design team include Anudeep Reddy, Siva Bhushan Reddy,
Anjan Kumar, Varun Gupta, Rohan Sahdev, Madhav Lakhotia, Samay Goenka, Sulekh P, Akshat
Singh, Amol Grover and Nikhil Gumidelli. The team also has one woman engineer, Sonam
Kumari.