IIT Guwahati develops tech to help electric scooter makers adapt to Indian conditions

A team of researchers at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Guwahati have developed a technology that seeks to ‘rate’ batteries and motors used in electric two-wheelers in India. Through this rating, the researchers aim to explain to electric vehicle (EV) makers in the country how components in EVs in India can be adapted to local conditions such as terrain, roads, traffic and climate.

According to the team of researchers headed by Praveen Kumar, a professor at IIT Guwahati’s Electric Mobility laboratory, the research project is looking to help EV makers arrive at a common standard for crucial components of EVs in India.

Over the past one month, a rise in the number of electric scooters catching fire on roads has led to questions being raised regarding the quality and standardisation of crucial components, such as battery cells, being used in these vehicles. A Mint report on 24 March detailed how the lack of quality standardisation in EV batteries in India is posing a serious threat to the steadily growing adoption of electric scooters in the country.

Arun Vinayak, co-founder of Bengaluru-based battery management startup Exponent Energy, had said at the time that with most battery cells being manufactured in colder nations, coupled with cheap battery makers catering to the three-wheeler commercial EV segment in India, offers significant threat to the safety of EVs in the country.

Talking about the rating technology that the researchers have come up with, Kumar, who headed the project at IIT Guwahati, said, “Our goal is to prepare a document that can enable the new entrants into the EV market and help in levelling the playing field.”

The present project built by the researchers exclusively targets only two-wheelers for the time being, with a planned expansion to cover three-wheeler commercial vehicles such as e-rickshaws plying across rural and urban areas in India.

The institute also confirmed that the researchers are working to build a separate technology platform for four-wheeler EVs in India.