Love of electric: NUST team builds Electric Car

While electric vehicles seem poised to take over roads in western countries, Pakistan appears to be on the inevitable path of playing catch-up with changing technology. Now, a team of students from Pakistan Navy Engineering College, part of National University of Sciences and Technology, is working to take on the challenge of raising awareness regarding the benefits of electric cars.

Team Formula Electric Racing – NUST, a Formula Student team composed entirely of undergraduate engineering students, is Pakistan’s first foray into designing and manufacturing formula-styled electric vehicles. They developed their first vehicle in 2016, which was unveiled by the President of Pakistan Mr. Mamnoon Hussain. Their aim is to realize electric vehicle technology in Pakistan through development of Formula-styled electric vehicles.

The team takes part in the Formula Student series of competitions, first participating in Formula SAE Electric 2016 in the US, where it stood 18th out 29 participating teams. It was a great result given it was our first ever participation in the event” says the team lead, Shariq Waqar, a student of electrical engineering. A major part of that result came from the Cost event, as they made the cheapest car in the competition, he added.

The team has now manufactured its second car – which is also Pakistan’s second electric vehicle - and is set to participate in IMechE Formula Student UK 2018. The event will be held at the historic Silverstone Circuit from 11th to 15th July 2018. The event, attended by nearly a hundred teams, is one of the largest of its kind, with teams coming in from numerous different countries.

The vehicle was unveiled in a ceremony attended by Rector NUST, Lt. Gen (retd) Naveed Zaman, alongside other high-ranking university officials.

Formula Student is primarily an engineering competition. We are judged on our design and manufacturing prowess”, says Muhammad Hassan, who is responsible for the car’s chassis and suspension.

Acknowledgement for Formula Student competitions is lacking in Pakistan, as teams find it very difficult to find sponsors for the event. “Many companies shy away from supporting such ventures” deplores Azka Jawed, marketing member of the team. This year, the team has been lucky to find sponsors willing to support such an undertaking.

The team, which has its own inhouse communications team, aims to raise awareness regarding rising pollution and help introduce the culture of electric vehicles in Pakistan, besides promoting STEM education in an inclusive manner. The team regularly visits schools and colleges to talk to students regarding the need for Pakistani youth to pursue science and engineering. The team has, among others, a campaign centered around women empowerment called WISE (‘women in science and engineering’), hoping to encourage girls to join STEM fields. “We feel that women are vastly underrepresented in STEM fields and it’s about time we did something about it” says Rida Arshad, who serves as the marketing lead for the team.

The students hope that though their efforts, they can not only help bring electric cars to Pakistan but also portray a favorable image of the country internationally.