SkillShark EduTech Converts Diesel Ambassador Into Electric

The project was executed as part of a Skill Development Program conducted in association with Sri Sairam Engineering College, Chennai

India’s automotive future looks electric. Concerted policy push and innovations from automotive manufacturers are fast making e-mobility viable. While we are heading towards E-Mobility Mission, we need to work on creating EV Ecosystem. Fostering Skills, Innovations, Employability, and Entrepreneurship will contribute a significant part to EV Ecosystem Development.

The skill gap is a major problem facing India now, and the problem just got aggravated with the Covid-19 pandemic and lockdowns. In the last few years, trends suggest a rise in interest among the common masses for electric vehicles. In the coming time, there will be a huge demand for Skilled-Workforce in EV Industry. In accordance with that, learning functionality of an EV is very essential for an engineering student irrespective of his or her stream. Skill Development for EV Industry should happen in both ways: Concept-Based Learning & Project Based Learning. Then only there will be a scope of Innovations & Research in the future of transportation systems.

Skill Shark is a one of its kind Ed-Tech start-up focusing on imparting 21st-century skills to youth. They aim to upskill the current workforce in Sustainable Technologies. The team at Skill Shark strives towards Electrifying the World by Upskilling. They have strategic MoUs with 30+ Universities/Institutions & EV Startups/Companies for creating Skilled Workforce through tailored courses & Programs. 

In a recent 6-Day On-Campus Skill Development Program at Sri Sairam Engineering College Chennai, held from 22^nd to 27^th March, SkillShark EduTech retrofitted an old conventional (diesel) Ambassador into a battery electric vehicle. While the program was a perfect mixture of concept and project-based learning, the complete conversion was done on campus while upskilling the students on EV systems and subsystems. The program was inaugurated by Mr. Mansoor Ali Khan, Chairman, M-Auto Group of Companies, and Ms. Yasmeen Jawahar Ali, CEO, M-Auto Electric Mobility, in the presence of Mr. Ashhar Ahmed, Co-Founder & Director, Skill Development, SkillShark EduTech, Dr. A. Rajendra Prasad, Principal, Sri Sairam Engineering College, Mr. Suraj Doke, Founder, Spartan Technologies, and other representatives from Sri Sairam Engineering College. Multiple industry experts from abroad and some alumni of Sri Sairam college interacted with the students regarding EV related topics via virtual platform during the 6-day program.

In this conversion, the old ambassador (diesel) car with kerb weight around 1,200 kg was converted into pure electric using 60 V 10 KW Peak Power PMSM Motor, 6 KWH LFP Battery Pack, PMSM Controller & 20 A Charger. After conversion, the electric Ambassador delivered a top speed of 45 kmph with driver and four passengers aboard. Along with conversion, the students have also performed BEV simulations and developed an android application for motor/battery calculations using software tools.

Engineering education in India has seen tremendous growth over the past decade, both in the number of students and the number of engineering institutes. The recent growth in Indian engineering education has been overwhelming but the only pain point is the employability of engineers in India. Unemployment and unemployability exists because the mismatch between skill, academic training, and employment has broadened to an extent where employers are unable to discover suitably trained people and simultaneously the youth are unable to find the kind of jobs they aspire for. That’s why project-based learning programs such as these are needed to foster skills, innovations, employability, and entrepreneurship.

While we are heading towards the future of mobility with EVs to curb pollution, there is also a need to emphasize a natural remedy: forests. Trees act as the earth’s purification system by absorbing airborne chemicals and releasing oxygen. Towards the end of the workshop, all the students and faculties planted 200 trees and inaugurated a micro forest within the college campus in association with Prasiddhi Forest Foundation. Prasiddhi Singh, Environmentalist, Rashtriya Bal Puraskar Awardee and Ambassador for Tamil Nadu for the ‘Beti Padhao Beti Bachao’ initiative addressed the participants during the inauguration. In order to encourage participants towards innovation, a young innovator and child prodigy, Vishan A Amarnath, 8^th grade student, Narayana Olympiad School, Chennai, also visited and addressed the participants during the program.

SkillShark concluded the program with an assessment for all the 40 participants so as to provide internship and job opportunities within the EV industry.