Tripedo vehicle designed by PESIT students

Imagine an auto-like four-seater vehicle, only with two wheels in the front and one at the rear. That’s exactly what final year engineering students of PESIT have designed. It’s aptly called ‘Tripedo’ — a torpedo of sorts on three wheels. “Our main aim was to create a family vehicle,” says Arun Nayak, who forms part of the fourmember team that also comprises Harshith H M, Chetan Naik, and Naga Santhosh.

Elaborating on the project, he said power is transmitted to the two wheels in front using a Maruti-800 engine. “The entire setup at the front is the same as that of a Maruti 800. The reason for choosing a front-wheel drive system is that it is safer in terms of stability, and offers much better riding comfort than an auto,” he says.
The team considered various parameters like aerodynamics and weight distribution to create a computer-aided design model.

It took four months to develop the vehicle. “Balancing the car at the rear end was major concern. We felt it would lift when brakes were applied. So we used heavier materials at the back,” he says.

Studying and working on the project wasn’t difficult. “We had classes on alternate days. On those days, we would work on the project in the evening, and on Saturdays, we would spend the whole day working on it. Since the place where we worked was closed on Sundays, we too had to take a weekly off,” he says.

So how much did it cost? “It cost Rs 50,000 to construct it. When it’s fully finished and mass produced, we expect it will be priced at Rs 80,000,” he says.