A group of mechanical engineering students at IIT Guwahati have fabricated an eco-friendly vehicle with the hope that their effort will "make the world greener and check pollution". Their motivation? The news a few years ago that the Taj Mahal was turning yellow because of air pollution. The group of 11 have developed a battery-operated tricycle, which they believe can be used as an eco-friendly mode of transport in tourist centres having ancient monuments, golf course and campuses.The students said the two-seater "efficycle" does not require fuel, it can be operated with a battery or pedalled.

"The tricycle can run on battery power for three hours at a stretch and can be easily recharged using any 220V plug. It can be operated using pedals, motor power or both simultaneously. The cycle allows two persons to sit side by side but can also be driven by just by one person sitting on the right. It has a utility box to store bags, which making it more functional," the secretary of the IIT's Green Automobile Club, Mayank Thakur, told The Telegraph today. The 11 students who fabricated the tricycle are part of the IIT's Green Automobile Club, which was formed in 2013. The club encourages students to develop technology for eco-friendly vehicles. The students associated with the project are Prashanth Gothrewaal, Shivam Lohiya, Sarfaraz Malik, Shobhit Gupta, Vivek Sawarkar, Aditya Kumar, Gampa Saivineeth, Ujjain Vaidya, Hitansh Singhal, Harsh Chauhan and Avdhoot Waghmode.

"The main aim behind fabricating this vehicle is to make the world greener and to check pollution. This vehicle can be used for domestic purposes, on village roads and can replace costly vehicles on golf courses and campuses. Smoke emanating from cars can cause damages to our ancient monuments, so this vehicle can be introduced for transporting tourists inside tourist centres having ancient monuments. The damage of Taj Mahal due to air pollution is one of the push factors for fabrication of this vehicle," Thakur said. The vehicle was initially made for SAE EffiCycle, the inter-collegiate design competition for the undergraduate and graduate engineering students where teams of six to 10 students each have to design and fabricate an energy-efficient hybrid human-powered three-wheeled vehicle.

The IIT Guwahati team came 7th among over 200 engineering colleges from across the country in October last year. The efficycle was also showcased at Techevince, the annual technical exhibition of IIT Guwahati, in which visitors were given an opportunity to ride the vehicle, Thakur said. "The purpose of this vehicle is to make the world a greener place by reducing our carbon footprint. It also provides a basic platform for students who are interested in automobiles, be it fabrication or designing," he said.