The team “Asta Racing” of School of Engineering, Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham, Amritapuri campus, won the 5th place at the Formula Hybrid Competition held at New Hampshire Motor Speedway, Loudon, NH, USA, from April 29 to May 2, 2019. The team consisted of students from the Departments of Electrical and Electronics Engineering and Mechanical Engineering, School of Engineering, Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham, Amritapuri campus, Kollam.
“Asta Racing” is one of the three teams from India and the only team from Kerala competing in electric only category in the Formula Hybrid competition. Comprising of 35 members, the goal was to develop the ideal pure electric vehicle. Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham, being one of the premier engineering institutes in the country, imbibed in the team a hunger for knowledge, as well as a mind for social responsibility. Since the conventional IC engine is one of the main causes of pollution in transportation sector, the team decided to promote and develop environmental-friendly all electric vehicles by participating in the competition with the sustainable designs and manufacturing practices.
During its first venture, the team was the second runner-up in the “hybrid-in-progress” category. In 2017, the team was awarded the “Gracious Professionalism” by the automotive giant Fiat Chrysler Automobiles. In 2018, the team secured 8th position amongst all the universities in electric only category. In 2019, the team secured 5th position in the electric only category among the universities that participated.
The Formula Hybrid Competition is an interdisciplinary design and engineering challenge for undergraduate and graduate university students. Students design and manufacture a formula student racing car and compete in a series of events. This educational competition emphasizes drive train innovation and fuel efficiency in a high-performance application.
Founded and run by the Thayer School of Engineering at Dartmouth since 2006, Formula Hybrid takes place each spring at the New Hampshire Motor Speedway in Loudon, NH. The competition is part of the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) Collegiate Design Series and is regarded as the most complex and dynamic of the series.
