Creative brains are born with such events: Prof. TG Sitharam
BI News, New Delhi : The grand finale of the Bharath Cycle Design Challenge (BCDC), organized by the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE), was held today at Chanakya University in Bengaluru. The event showcased remarkable prototypes of EV and Non-EV cycles in the Cargo and Commute categories.
Out of the 16 teams selected for the grand finale, four teams won first place in each category. The event was graced by AICTE Chairman Prof. TG Sitharam, Former Indian Cricketer and Commentator Shri D Ganesh, Vice President of Kirloskar Oil Engines Ltd. Shri George Vergehese, Vice Chancellor of Visvesvaraya Technological University Dr. Vidyashankar, and Vice Chancellor Incharge of Chanakya University Dr. Ashok.
AICTE Chairman Prof. T G Sitharam highlighted the importance of innovation in the younger generation. “This is a very positive outcome that we saw today, with a lot of new ideas translated into products. It is the creative minds that we are looking at through such competitions. India is the third-largest start-up ecosystem in the world, with more than 110 unicorns born in the last two years, marketing their products globally,” he said.
Along with AICTE Chairman, all four guests also addressed the gathering and congratulated the participants and winners of the Bharath Cycle Design Challenge.
Team Lauhrians Cyber Trike from Hindustan College of Engineering and Technology won the Cargo EV Category. For the Cargo NON-EV category, Freewheel Flyers from Kongu Engineering College emerged as the winners. In the Commute EV Category, Scicyle from Kalianangar Karunanidhi Institute of Technology secured victory, and in the Commute Non-EV category, Free Thinkers from Maharaja Institute of Technology claimed first place.
Each winner from the four categories was felicitated with a cash prize of one lakh rupees each.
AICTE, in its ongoing efforts to foster innovation and creativity, launched the Bharath Cycle Design Challenge event in the first week of June 2023 for college students. The challenge was planned with a vision to encourage innovation and creativity in the design and making of electric and non-electric cycles, promote sustainable transportation, and provide solutions to the challenges facing urban mobility in India. Student teams were invited to design a cycle that is affordable, eco-friendly, and suits the needs of the Indian market.
The competition called for 2D and 3D designs from groups of students and technical institutions to identify four bicycle designs. After a rigorous testing and evaluation process, 16 teams with their outstanding prototypes were selected to compete in the Grand Finale under four categories: Cargo EV, Cargo Non-EV, Commute EV, and Commute Non-EV.
About BCDC:
BCDC is India’s premier hackathon that brings together over 1,000 students to build the future of mobility with the cycle as the focus. BCDC envisions transforming bicycle design and manufacturing to promote sustainable mobility. BCDC is India’s response for a sustainable and green economy, aiming to bring innovation in design and modern practices in manufacturability.
