The Fledge Team Members Delhi College of Engineering

The persistent rise in petrol prices and unavailability of efficient alternative sources of energy made these students think hard about a solution.

Preparing a car that would be commercially viable and which would help in reducing the burden of petroleum prices on the common man roused a spark in the Delhi College of Engineering (DCE) students to uncover India’s first hybrid car – the ‘Fledge’.

The gang of seven students from DCE who made the Fledge - namely, Abhishek Aggarwal (Team Leader), Abhinav Bhatia, Abhinav Duggal, Ashish Dudani, Anubhav Jain, Nitesh Gupta and Siddharth Arora were the representatives from India to the Tour De Sol Championship (an annual green car festival) in the United States.

The car won the first prize in several categories including the alternative fuel and hybrid vehicle category. The Fledge also won kudos aplenty for being the only vehicle in the competition made from scratch. Most of the other cars were either made from kits or were modified versions.

The purpose of the interview with the DCE ‘Fledge’ Gang was to portray the ingenious youth of the country.

We got in touch with the very dynamic team leader, Abhishek Aggarwal, who shared with us how he and his team came up with the idea and how actually it materialize. This is how the conversation went -

To start with, tell us something about yourself and your group?

We are a group of seven students who have completed our mechanical engineering. It was just a normal discussion between all of us on how to utilize the four years of study at DCE in some practical work and we finally landed up deciding that we should make a hybrid car.

About myself, I’m the elder one in my family, so a sense of responsibility came into me very early. I try to ensure that every thing happens in the way it should happen and I like to follow the basic values.

How does it feel being the team leader for the award winning hybrid car project ‘Fledge’?

It was an enjoyable experience. Being a team leader it was “fame but with a lot of pressure”. And there were a lot of responsibilities apart from managing the group.

I had to look into the organization of team work and administration and all the other things like getting the work done, the things already done and that too at the right time, talking to the HOD, administration, accounts and all other people involved.

I have learned many things being involved in this project which I would not be able to learn being isolated. I have learnt management skills, understanding people and make the people realize that they have to work for the team they have to contribute and to get the work done from them and considering their values.

And for me it was more of learning process rather than performing.

Tell us something about the car?

The car is a hybrid electric vehicle which is driven on two sources of energy. One is gasoline & the other is electricity. Therefore it is called a hybrid car.

The car operates on only one mode at a time, either all electrical or all gasoline mode. The car can be driven on a day to day basis only on electricity. On a single charge, you can drive 80 km in the city and come back home without even using a single drop of fuel.

You have to recharge the battery pack to have a fresh battery pack in the morning. With an engine backup, the car can be easily taken for long distance journeys as well.

The engine that we have used is a 350 cc engine comprising of a single cylinder and a SI spark ignition engine.

The car has two maximum speeds as the car is driven on 2 different modes. When the car is run on the gasoline mode, the maximum speed is about 72-80 km per hour and when the electric mode is used, the car runs at a maximum speed of 50 km per hour.

Why did you name the car ‘fledge’?

We took the word Fledge from the word ‘Fledgling’ which means a young bird which has just learnt to fly. So the name fledge was apt for a car which was represented by a team of young students trying out something new and exploring new avenues.

What was the inspiration behind building the hybrid car?

The sole inspiration was to “stand out and do something exclusive from the crowd, something different from entire mass of graduate students.”

To contribute to the need of the hour and to contribute to what is more relevant and useful. Not to do something which would be kept only for records but to do work which can actually be used at a later stage.

A global pandemonium on the shortage of fuel has already begun and we would need some alternate source at some point of time. We have achieved it today and the process can be refined in the coming years.

What difficulties did you face while building this car?

We faced technical problems related to sources. Certain things were not available at the right time when we wanted them to be.

Financial problems were a major concern as the team couldn’t start working until we had good financers. Administration was challenging enough to compel us to put in our best. So we took up the challenge to make the car and convinced people using our personal level of patience.

Did you manage to get Sponsors?

Yes, after a lot of struggle the team did manage to get sponsors.

Mahindra & Mahindra sponsored the cost of fabrication of the vehicle.

Our travel sponsors were Department of Science and Technology, Govt. of India. Air India basically gave us the rebate in airfares for the cargo. Jai Bharat Maruti (JBM) it is a competent manufacture, it was a part of the cash sponsorship. We shelled out Rs.40000 to 45000 from our pocket (all 7) which is yet to be received.

What was the total cost incurred in making?

The total cost incurred was Rs.15 lakh which includes Rs.7 lakh for the fabrication and Rs.7-8 lakh for travel & cargo.

What would you like to say to the Mechanical Engineering Aspirants?

Mechanical Engineering is one of the most interesting branches of Engineering. What all you study here is absolutely practical. One can relate this subject to daily life, everywhere and anywhere. For e.g. A swing in the park is also governed by the principles and mechanics of elements of Mechanical Engineering. And this is what the upcoming engineer should look for, as what ever we study if we can use it in our practical life, it’s the best thing.

Mechanical engineering is a branch which serves so many parts, areas and aspects that one can easily diverge from this field at any point of time.

Unlike a Mechanical Engineer who can shift to the computer science stream, a computer science student cannot shift to mechanical engineering.

And this is the beauty of the subject which aspirants should know and look forward to. The stream teaches you everything in bits about every branch.

What are your future plans?

I would be doing my Masters in Industrial Engineering to study the industrial process. I will be working ahead in the technical line only. I am looking forward to make a better stand for me and then would shift on to the working process.

Is there anything else you would like out readers to know?

I would like to thank the professors who have helped us in making a dream come true and our parents who encouraged us and told us not to worry about the finances. They always advised to keep moving ahead with the project and don’t let our ambitions die a natural death.

The team has applied for a patent in the vehicle drive trade technology and once the patent materializes, the car would be sent for a commercial production.

The team leader Abhishek said “manufacturing a vehicle” would just sound three normal words to anyone but only mechanical engineer students can understand what it actually means.

It needs strategy in setting up a plant and targeting up your customers. At present the team does not have any plans to sell out the rights or patents as they have not received them yet.

On asking Abhishek whether the car will be launched by the team or the sponsors, he said, “once we get the patent we would be on a higher stand to comment on it as who is going to manufacture or sell or market the car.” (DOU 20082007)

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(As told to Kanika Goel)