..:: AUTO REPORT AFRICA ::..
Related Articles
Three year after the Vice-Chancellor of the University of Lagos, Prof. Oluwatoyin Ogundipe, inaugurated the institution’s Zero Emission Vehicle team, the UNILAG ZEV, a 63 per cent hardware and 100 per cent software home-made mechatronics automobile device, has hit the road as the emission-free car was driven round the campus last weekend to the admiration of staff and students of the institution.
Recall that the Zero Emission Vehicle (ZEV) was initiated in 2018 and the team led by Prof. Samson Adeosun of the Department of Metallurgical and Materials Engineering with Dr Akinfenwa Fashanu of the Systems Engineering Department, Dr Mohammed Usman (Chemical Engineering) and Dr Adeola Balogun (Electrical and Electronics Engineering as members.
Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Academics and Research), Prof. Oluwole Familoni, gave further insights into the latest development in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) last weekend, saying the production is an invaluable addition to the university’s efforts at preventing release of toxic emissions to the environment.
Maintaining that the initiative was also to encourage indigenous engineering innovation, Familoni disclosed that in line with the universal drive to minimise global warming, the vehicle was designed to eliminate carbon emissions associated with internal combustion engines, as well as minimise acoustic noise when in operation.
”In concept, the UNILAG ZEV team developed an adaptive and reprogrammable power train (drive) system.
”Although the drive train functionality is presently exhibited with six passenger Sport Utility Shuttle Van platform, it can be reconfigured to support 18-seater commuter bus.
”In its exhibition form, the drive train Energy Management System (EMS) is programmed to deliver ultra-low power supply to realise maximum range per battery charging cycle at campus shuttling speed of less than 20km//hour.
”On highways, during intra or inter–city transits, the EMS is programmed to adaptively overwrite the shuttling mode and still minimise energy consumption.
”These user specific features are absent on assembled imported Completely Knocked Down (CKD) components of electric vehicles that have been reported in Nigeria to date,” the deputy vice chancellor said, adding that the UNILAG ZEV came with an on-board auxiliary power supply system.
According to Familoni, the energy backup for the vehicle was available to the driver via a ‘please take me home switch’ on the dash board as the vehicle runs on an improvised refurbished Nickel Hydride battery which delivers up to five-kilometre range per charging cycle when operated in Campus Shuttle mode.
”The range is extendable to 350km at optimum average speed of 110k/hour at highway mode, when appropriate lithium ion battery is installed,” he added.
Reacting to the test-run of the zero-emission vehicle, the Vice-Chancellor of the university, Prof. Oluwatoyin Ogundipe, affirmed that the product was a proof that the institution was neck-deep into demand-driving research, saying if given more support, UNILAG would do more as he stressed that ”We need more support for funding research.”
