Latest news with #TeamAgnirath
NDTV
6 days ago
- Automotive
- NDTV
Student-Built Solar Racing Car 'Aagneya' Ready To Shine At World Challenge
A solar powered racing car designed by IIT Madras students has become the cynosure of the campus, as the sleek model gets ready to be shipped to Australia to participate in the Bridgestone World Solar challenge in August, down under. Called "Aagneya", the car resembles a fighter jet with solar panels covering its top and a tiny cockpit for the driver. It's just 1.1 m high and 1.4 m wide. Made of carbon fibre, the system taps solar energy and stores it in the 11 Joules battery real time, so there would be no need for any external power. Developed by Team Agnirath, it took 15 months of designing and testing. Dinesh, a member of the team told NDTV "The car can cruise at speeds of 110 km per hour. However we would maintain an average speed of 70-80 km per hour so that less energy is consumed". The car will be put to ultimate test in the 3000 km long race from Darwin to Adelaide over five days. Five drivers would take turns behind the wheel. Veadesh Suresh one of the drivers said "A driver here requires a special strength. There is no air conditioner inside, just a fan". The team had unsuccessfully contested in 2023. However with lessons learnt and enormous testing this time it's confident of qualifying for the race. They had simulated on the racing track of an automobile maker outside Chennai. Revanth says, "We are ready for it. We have tested our car enough, and we have the confidence, we will finish the race." The making of this car costed more than 60 lakh. There was corporate support as well. A team of 38 students would fly to Australia. The team would have a few of its cars driving in the front and behind the racing car analysing data and giving key inputs to the driver on speed, power position to make optimal use of the power available at any point in time. The solar car project has kindled the interest among a few students to continue to work on developing a sustainable solar powered domestic car. Pranav Adithya another member from the team says "Today's electric cars are largely powered by coal based energy. Imagine going completely solar and it would be possible in the far future".
New Indian Express
14-06-2025
- Automotive
- New Indian Express
IIT-Madras unveils solar car for Aussie challenge
CHENNAI: Braving scorching heat and strong crosswinds, a solar-powered car named Aagneya, built by students of IIT Madras, will travel 3,000 km from Darwin to Adelaide in the Bridgestone World Solar Challenge 2025, scheduled from August 24 to 31. Developed by Team Agnirath from the Centre for Innovation, the car features a carbon fibre body and a machine learning-based strategy module that makes real-time decisions based on weather, terrain, and solar input. The vehicle is engineered to withstand temperatures above 50°C, winds exceeding 60 km/h, and other harsh conditions. Unveiled on Friday by IIT-M Director V Kamakoti, Aagneya is the result of over 15,000 hours of work by a 38-member student team. The director urged alumni and industry support to help scale such innovation and fuel further technological advancement.
India Today
13-06-2025
- Automotive
- India Today
IIT Madras students build solar car ‘Aagneya' for global race in Australia
A team of students from IIT Madras has designed and built a solar-powered car called 'Aagneya' to take part in the Bridgestone World Solar Challenge 2025. The global race covers 3,000 kilometres across the Australian outback, from Darwin to Adelaide, and will be held from August 24 to August 31, car was developed by Team Agnirath, a 38-member student group from IIT Madras's Centre for Innovation (CFI). What started in 2021 with just six students has now become one of India's top student-led engineering solar car, Aagneya, was officially unveiled at the IIT Madras campus by Director Professor V Kamakoti, who praised the team's innovation and said such student-led efforts are key to building successful start-ups and unicorns in India. Professor V Kamakoti said that IIT Madras is building a strong and structured system to support start-ups and help them scale. He highlighted that the Institute had incubated over 100 start-ups and filed more than 470 patents in the last financial year.'We even had our first IPO from an IIT Madras-incubated start-up recently,' he noted with pride. He added that revenue earned is reinvested into nurturing new ventures, and encouraged students by saying, 'You must have the confidence that if you are part of a start-up from IIT Madras, it will lead to a unicorn.'USE OF SMART TECHNOLOGYadvertisementOne major upgrade in Aagneya is its full carbon fibre body, one of the largest ever made by an Indian student team. This helped reduce the car's weight solar panel's efficiency was improved from 19 percent to 24 percent, and the battery size was reduced while maintaining high car also features AI-based control systems. A machine learning module guides race decisions based on weather, terrain, and solar energy, while a live telemetry system sends real-time updates to the pit AND SUPPORTThe project received strong support from sponsors like Game Change Solar, Billion Mobility, Charge Zone, and COEZET, enabling students to access top-quality materials and testing Sairam J, Business Module Lead, Team Agnirath and a third-year Biological Science student, IIT Madras, described the Bridgestone World Solar Challenge as much more than a simple race, calling it 'the most demanding engineering competition in the world."'Daytime temperatures soar above 50C and drop below 5C at night,' he said, adding that crosswinds exceeding 60 km/h pose serious challenges to the car's stability and aerodynamic explained that the event spans over 3,000 kilometres from Darwin to Adelaide, cutting through the harsh Australian Watch
