THIRUVANANTHAPURAM, January 15: Car that runs 200km – this is the mileage clocked by the FTO1 car developed by a group of budding engineers in Government Engineering College, Barton Hill.
The ultra-fuel efficient car is the invention of sixth-semester mechanical engineering students, Bibin Sagaram, Ronith Stanly and Vishnu Prasad. The prototype of the car is developed using lightweight aluminium and fiberglass, and advanced air pressure regulating mechanism that extends the boundaries of fuel efficiency. The trio was guided by faculties Santhosh Kumar SV and Anwar Sadath A of mechanical engineering department.
The achievement has helped these young engineer students to be selected to represent Kerala at the international fuel efficiency contest, Shell Eco Marathon to be held at the Philippines from February 26 to March 1. “Our aim was to formulate a vehicle that gives maximum mileage to a litre,” Stanly said.
“The highly aerodynamic construction of golf ball-like body is advantageous. They had proved that the golf ball having dimples in its surface was speedier than the normal surfaced ball”, said Sagaram. The vehicle consists of safety features including collision warning system, engine temperature monitor and seat belts.
The vehicle is designed such that after running on a high speed if the engine is put in ‘off’ mode, it still continues to run, saving petrol.
