Electric vehicle manufacturers can improve range and performance without necessarily increasing battery capacity, according to Dinesh Arjun, co-founder and CEO of Raptee.HV, who said engineering efficiency has helped the company extend the range of its T30 electric motorcycle.
The Chennai-based electric motorcycle maker has increased the T30’s range from an initial estimate of approximately 100 km to an Indian Driving Cycle (IDC)-certified 200 km without a corresponding increase in battery size, Arjun told Tech Observer.
He attributed the improvement to changes in the vehicle’s powertrain and individual systems, which allowed engineers to extract more performance from the same resources.
“Engineering breakthroughs are often imagined as revolutionary, the kind of invention that changes the course of how we live. But that isn’t always the case and meaningful innovation doesn’t have to be revolutionary to matter,” Arjun said.
He cited improvements in smartphones and vehicle engines as examples of how engineers have delivered better performance while working within existing constraints on energy consumption and resources.
Engineering for efficiency
At Raptee.HV, the emphasis on efficiency has also influenced the company’s charging technology. Rather than developing a separate charging network for its electric motorcycles, the company designed the T30 to use the CCS2 DC fast-charging infrastructure being developed for electric cars in India.
The decision required Raptee.HV to adopt a higher-voltage architecture and address engineering challenges involving power management and safety.
Arjun said making the motorcycle compatible with existing charging infrastructure was part of the company’s approach to using available resources more effectively.
“Instead of creating a separate charging ecosystem, we engineered the T30 to work with the CCS2 DC fast-charging infrastructure already being built for electric cars in India,” he said.
Using a common charging standard can give electric motorcycle owners access to compatible car-charging stations, subject to connector availability, charging compatibility and access restrictions.
Arjun said engineers should look beyond developing entirely new technologies and consider how existing systems can be improved to deliver greater value.
For electric vehicles, this includes reducing energy losses, improving powertrain performance and making better use of available battery capacity. A larger battery is not the only means of extending range, although actual riding conditions can affect the distance achieved.
The T30’s reported range improvement illustrates the company’s focus on vehicle efficiency rather than simply increasing the amount of energy carried on board.
“Sometimes, it is about improving what exists, using resources more effectively, and building the capabilities to solve these problems ourselves,” Arjun said.
