Srinagar: A Mathematics teacher and innovator from Jammu and Kashmir has invented the affordable electric car that runs on solar energy. Hailing from north Kashmir's Tangmarg, Bilal Ahmed has been working on this project for over 13 years and finally, he achieved the milestone.
Ahmed said that he wanted to make a car for the disabled but couldn't pursue this due to financial constraints. "I wanted to make a car for the disabled people but financial constraints made it difficult. The idea of a solar car intrigued me...that it's free energy... and recently I also read in newspapers that petrol prices are expected to rise in 10 years," he said.
He said that he used to watch and study various luxurious cars which were made since 1950. Breaking the notion that only the elite can have luxurious rides, Ahmed made a solar car which not only gives a luxurious feel but is also affordable for the common people. "I thought of something to give a luxurious feel to the people and started working on the car and modified it by watching various videos and started adding the features in it," he said.
"In Kashmir, most of the time, the weather is gloomy. I used solar panels which can give higher efficiency even on low sunlight days. I went to many solar companies to check the efficiency of solar panels and worked on this solar innovative car," he added. At times, the doors of the car when parked at the place received light sunlight, to overcome this problem, he made a gullwing door which opens upwards like the ones in a Ferrari.
Making and balancing the gullwing doors was a challenge as well as a difficult task for him, Ahmad said. He has driven the car on the roads and he received a good response from the passers-by.
