MSRIT students develop a unique Hybrid 2-Wheeler 'PEGASUS'

“Pegasus” showcased at MSRIT’s “Project Exhibition 2010” conducted recently at its Bangalore campus

A committed team of four Final Year Mechanical Engineering students of the M S Ramaiah Institute of Technology (MSRIT), Bangalore, under the guidance of Dr. Raji George, Professor have designed and fabricated a hybrid 2-wheeler that efficiently combines battery operated motor and petrol engine to give the benefits of a comfortable drive and better mileage.

The hybrid 2-wheeler called “Pegasus” was showcased by the four students who designed the vehicle – Mukesh Kumar Pandey, Suresh S. Aski, Nithin D’Costa and Praveen N., at the “Project Exhibition 2010” organized by the Department of Mechanical Engineering, MSRIT at its campus at Bangalore recently. In the exhibition more than 50 projects were exhibited to an overwhelming response.

The “Pegasus” starts on lower speeds with electric motor and shifts automatically over to petrol once it attains a cruising speed of 15 kmph without any effort from the rider. As and when the speed of the vehicle falls below 15 kmph, the motor switches on and the petrol switches off.

This switching over is done by a small motor fitted to the wheel for sensing the speed. This innovation saves a lot of fuel and emissions during signals and slow moving traffic. The entire system works on a fool proof way such that even in worst case scenarios of running out of petrol or short circuiting , the logic function enables an appropriate power source to drive the vehicle.

“Pegasus” comes with a three mode drive: fully petrol, fully battery and hybrid. The Entire design of the vehicle was done in such a way that parts and components can easily be disassembled for repairs and maintenance. The logic does not involve any electronic components thus increasing their reliability and versatility.

Said Dr. Raji George, Professor, Department of Mechanical Engineering, MSRIT, “Our mission was to create a customer friendly vehicle by reducing the overall transportation cost using thoroughly tested technology and to build a sustainable environment and to make EARTH A BETTER PLACE TO LIVE IN.”