The team of students was set up in 2013 with the aim of making eco-friendly vehicles

A group of students called Averera, from the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) BHU has built the first hydrogen powered car at the Asian version of the Shell Eco-marathon 2020.

According to a report by Hindustan Times Auto, a hydrogen powered vehicle is very eco –friendly and has been long scouted for, as an option to control pollution. An added advantage other than the anti pollution characteristic of a hydrogen powered vehicle is that it can get refueled faster and run longer.

The report states that the team mentor, Assistant Professor of mechanical engineering Amitesh Kumar said that the group Averera was founded in 2013 and the vision was to make most efficient eco-friendly vehicles. Later, they found Shell Eco-marathon as an international platform that has a similar vision of efficient mobility, he added.

The proposal to build the prototype of a Hydrogen powered vehicle was first moved in 2019 under Dr. Kumar’s guidance. It took 10 months to complete the project. “The prototype is governed by aerodynamics, aesthetics and optimal weight distribution for maneuverability and driver safety”, reported Hindustan Times. The car is equipped with carbon fibre wheels that will prevent the turbulent air flow that is expected for a spoked wheel.

To equip the car with hydrogen, the students researched with companies like Toyota Mirai and Hyundai Nexo, Tanmay Goyal who handled controls for Averera, told HT Auto. They said, “We introduced re-energising of the energy dissipated in braking to produce hydrogen on board while driving the car.”

According to the report, team Averera believes that introducing hydrogen powered vehicles could be the best alternative to curb air pollution, health and climate. In fact hydrogen driven vehicles can cover up the loopholes in the electronic ones.