The Mechanical Engineering Department of Aligarh Muslim University has built an energy efficient solar car. It has devised a new mechanical energy storage system that reduces the initial energy draw and absorbs fluctuations once the motor is running. The vehicle has a solar panel mounted on the roof and, when fully charged, can last for 25 km. The car uses another improvisation, the mechanical regenerative braking systemwhich helps reutilise the kinetic energy that goes waste due to friction in normal vehicles. About 50 per cent of the kinetic energy released upon breaking is reutilised, claims the researchers at the university (Vatis Update: Non-conventional Energy , Vol 2, No 44).
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