Mr. Bilal Ahmed, a humble maths teacher, spent 11 years building this solar car of his own. The first steps began in 2009 using a second-hand Nissan Micra with monocrystalline solar panels placed on every flat surface from the bonnet, roof, gull-wing doors to the tailgate. These are high-efficiency panels that work during cloudy days and fit well with the cool climate of Srinagar.
This solar car, which Bilal thinks took about 11 to 13 years to build, was funded from his savings, approximately ₹15 lakh; yet he says that in mass production, it can come down to ₹6-8 lakh per car. Installing a six-battery system, he gave the car rotating gull-wing doors that align the panels facing the sun. Different from direct solar charging, the car can also use a 72V battery backup, which enables the car to run for 40-50 km on a 2-3 hr solar charge. A lithium-ion battery can do better, maybe giving you an extra 100 km on top of that.
With the presenter able to define modern regenerative braking, to allow automatic solar alignment by remote control, and to broaden the dream of providing constructions of such cheap solar vehicles as India must have, local appreciation is growing for him. Anand Mahindra applauded the effort and provided engineering support for it. The National Institute of Technology, Srinagar, is assisting in linking him with industry.
Indian maths teacher invention, Srinagar solar car project, and Bilal Ahmed solar car are keywords that mirror Bilal’s philosophy: a mixture of sustainability with affordability. Next up are solar-powered rickshaws, and he hopes that this project will allow youths from Kashmir a green livelihood.
The incline narrative of Bilal Ahmed is robust proof that with passion, zeal, and perseverance, a single teacher can bring about change. His solar-powered car could be that spark meant to ignite green transportation for India at prices that a common man can afford.
