YALI, an energy-efficient boat built by Coimbatore students, has become the first boat from India to compete in the Monaco Energy Boat Challenge, scheduled for July.
YALI, an energy-efficient boat built by Coimbatore students, has become the first boat from India to compete in the Monaco Energy Boat Challenge, scheduled for July.
At the Seamen’s Club near Chennai Port, a simple boat, compact in size and simple to build (or at least at first glance), is docked. Unexpected rain and delayed permits preclude the possibility of a quick cruise.
Featuring a small solar panel, white hull, an electric battery and a cockpit, the energy-efficient boat named the YALI is now on its way to Monaco, as I write this, where it will compete in the ninth edition of the prestigious Monaco Energy World Championships. Boat Challenge: A first for India.
Interestingly, YALI was born in landlocked Coimbatore, a city with little to no contact with water sports or sea transport, in the garage of Kumaraguru College of Technology. This is the first student-built energy-efficient boat that will represent the country in July. The team, comprising 14 engineering students in departments such as Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Electronics and IT, calls itself Si Shakti.
It all started in December 2021 after an open call for energy efficient designs for maritime trade and transport.
“Since it is a student-run competition, there were hurdles. Security had to be the main aspect. By staying within the rules and requirements, we had to come up with an optimal design solution,” says Kiranlal, faculty in-charge of C Shakti.
Team Sagar Shakti | photo credit: special arrangement
Although the college students have had previous experience building formula student cars and go-karts, this is the first time they are dipping their toes in nautical architecture. And that too taking into account energy-efficiency and environmental impacts.
“The Most Challenging Aspect of Energy Classes Is Losing Weight” [of the boat] as much as possible. There was no question of steel. We initially thought of using carbon fiber, but it was too expensive,” says Kiranlal. Aluminum then came to the rescue.
The primary source of energy will be the battery, while the secondary source is the solar panel.
“The solar panel will be charged by the sun and stored in a battery, which will then be sent to the propulsion system,” says team analyst Manav Samant.
“We are allowed up to 10,000 watts of power, and the battery pack is restricted to 10 kWh. We decided to go for the 6,000 W. In the endurance category, the boat would have to be driven continuously for two to three hours. With a power of 10,000 W, this is not possible. To win every race, it’s optimal,” says Kiran.
From about 200 iterations, YALI is the one they’ve arrived at. During designing, the team realized that electric pod motors meant for maritime transport were not in production in the country. So they imported a torpedo motor from Germany. “The motor has to withstand seawater. Corrosive protection is a must,” says Kiranlal.
A view of Yali | photo credit: special arrangement
first dive
To build this boat, students had to first learn marine architecture, as it is not a part of the curriculum.
As none of them have any prior water sports experience, Swaminathan who will be piloting the boat with Mohan says, “We attended a seven-day training in Kochi by the Kerala Water Sports Training Organisation, and licensed by the Yachting Association. was issued by. India. We did all the exercises, and learned about basic sailing: how to handle power boats to stay in the water without a rescue. Rescue exercises were also part of this: we had to swim in the water for an hour and a half.
“The competition is divided into three categories: energy, solar and open ocean. The energy category is from 2018. They focus heavily on alternative propulsion systems and encourage the use of clean energy in the marine industry,” said the Sana Mohamed Competition , which advocates clean energy as a means of reducing pollution.
Why the hell? “Initially we wanted to name him Visai, Kayali And so on. But we finally arrived at YALI inspired by the Indian mythological creature that is part horse, part lion and part elephant. We wanted to emphasize that he is as fast as a horse, as strong as an elephant and as powerful as a lion,” concluded Sana.