Engineering student develops electric bike which run 400 km per battery charge at a maximum speed of 75 km per hour

‘Radham’, awaits certification by ARAI


: Are you looking for an environment-friendly and cheap-to-run motorbike or scooter, then ‘Radham’ could be an ideal option, provided it is certified and cleared by the Automotive Research Association of India (ARAI).

V.R. Manikandan, a mechanical engineering student who hit the headlines two years ago for inventing ‘Ladies safety shocker,’ a handy self-defence device for women to keep trouble mongers at bay, has unveiled ‘Radham,’ an electric bike (scooter) designed and developed by him.

Demonstrating the ‘prowess’ of the alternative fuel vehicle at a function here on Wednesday, the budding engineer claimed that ‘Radham’ had better features compared to internal combustion engine motorbikes and scooters and could be run at nine paise per km without polluting the environment.

As the existing electric bikes and scooters had failed to take off due to a variety of problems, especially low power and pick-up, less running range and less motor and battery life, he had designed ‘Radham’ to match and exceed the features of existing IC engine two-wheelers.

“I have designed the electric bike after two years of hard work. I am extremely satisfied with the outcome and performance,” says Mr. Manikandan, final-year mechanical engineering student of Kalasalingam Engineering College.

Powered by 10,000 watt high-capacity lithium ion multiple batteries, with battery management system suiting to the local temperature and humid conditions, ‘Radham’ could run 400 km per battery charge at a maximum speed of 75 km per hour, he said.

The battery could be re-charged in three and a half hours at home at a cost of 12 units and the fully charged battery could serve for one lakh km or up to five years. It had quick charging option facility and could be charged in 20 minutes at the solar quick charging stations, he claimed.

Mr. Manikandan has applied for patents for the chassis of the new bike, motor and controlling system that he had designed with Intellectual Property Office, Guindy. He plans to apply for patents for battery, belt drive technology and to design battery-run motors for auto-rickshaws, share autos and cars.

He has spent about Rs. 2 lakh for designing and developing the electric bike by mobilising funds from family members.