KPIT is working to commercialize an automotive retrofit kit that can transform a gas guzzler into a plug-in hybrid. It has filed 17 patents for the system, called Revolo, and has already received four.
The hybrid kit consists of an electric motor, a battery system and software for controlling the motor. It can be bolted onto anything from a subcompact to a midsize SUV.
Conceived in 2010, Revolo is a joint venture between KPIT and Bharat Forge, with each putting in about $2.5 million. Bharat handles the manufacturing and assembly, KPIT the technology. It’s awaiting clearances before it can be fully commercialized.
Based on the idea of an employee, Tejas Kshatriya, Revolo’s electric motor kicks in when the gas-powered engine could use an assist - adding power and boosting fuel efficiency. The cost ranges from about $1,100 to $2,200. It has been tested extensively on Indian roads, and the Malaysian government has piloted it for its police force. “The former prime minister, Mahathir Mohammed, has driven a car fitted with Revolo,” claims KPIT chairman Ravi Pandit. KPIT has a partnership with a Malaysian company whose executive chairman is a former managing director of the state automaker Proton.
“I spend a lot of time on technologies for the future – like solar cells and energy storage systems,” says Pandit. “What else can you expect when you go to MIT?”—A.R.
