With our earthly resources running out and inflation being at an all-time high, electric cars do seem like they are going to be a prominent part of our future. While owning an EV might be a far-fetched dream for some in our country, this man from Jammu and Kashmir decided to take matters into his own hands - he invented an affordable electric car that runs on solar energy, after putting in 11 years of research and hard work.
According to reports, Bilal Ahmed, a mathematics teacher from Srinagar's Sanat Nagar has always been an automobile enthusiast. Turning his passion into a dedicated project, Mr Ahmed spent 11 years making his dream come true.?
Former Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir Omar Abdullah tweeted about the teacher's achievement, and wrote:?"It seems the car could one day also fly. The car has solar panels on the body and a charging point inside".?
Mr Ahmed wants to manufacture luxurious yet affordable cars for the common person. This led to him studying cards made in the 1950s. Inspired by the work of an engineer from Detroit, Michigan, in the U.S., who owned the automobile company DMC, he said,?"Cars like Mercedes, Ferrari, BMW are a dream for a common person. Only the rich can afford such cars. I thought it would be great to allow people a feeling of luxuriousness through this innovation.¡±?
Ahmed began by modifying the car after watching various videos and adding new features to it."In the beginning, I planned to make a car for the disabled, but due to some financial issues, I could not carry the project forward," he said.?
Back in 2009, the innovator decided to work on a car which would run on solar energy. His hard work finally paid off this year when he completed his car. He revealed that the car has features that are as good as other luxury cars, and it will only run on the electrical energy generated by the monocrystalline solar panels.?
To make the car, the Srinagar resident used a specific type of solar panels due to their ability to generate maximum electricity even with the least solar energy they are exposed to. The panels are also supposed to be efficient and occupy a low surface area. The car is fully automatic along with gullwing doors to compensate for space constraints.?
"No one provided me with any financial assistance. If I had got the necessary support, perhaps I would have become Elon Musk of Kashmir," said Mr Ahmed.
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