IIT BHU researchers have discovered a new technology for charging electric vehicle (EV) in a path-breaking initiative.
The team of researchers from the Department of Electrical Engineering at the institute developed a new technology for an on-board charger for vehicles, which costs about half of the current on-board charger technology.
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 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.”
Using this technique will reduce the cost of two and four-wheeler electric vehicles.
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 charging technology will be completely indigenous and will have a significant impact on driving electric vehicles on Indian roads in a big way.
Lab-scale development has already been done at IIT (BHU) and upgradation and commercialization are 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.
Singh informed that this research is financially supported by the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY), Government of India.
Director of IIT BHU Pramod Kumar Jain said, “The developed charging 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.
Jain also informed that few projects on developing autonomous vehicle, connected vehicles are already underway with IIT (BHU) Varanasi.
IIT BHU will soon set up an interdisciplinary centre on EV technology.