: Engineers Innovative Air Filter Boosts Bike Mileage, Bags Rs 90 Lakh in Funding #IndiaNEWS #Maharashtra Like many college students during his graduation, Mayur Patil from Nashik struggled to save

Engineers Innovative Air Filter Boosts Bike Mileage, Bags Rs 90 Lakh in Funding #IndiaNEWS #Maharashtra
Like many college students during his graduation, Mayur Patil from Nashik struggled to save money. One of the major pain points for him was the two-stroke fuel-guzzling motorcycle.
But addressing this very problem has helped him build an innovative device that he claims will reduce carbon emissions by 40 per cent and increase the mileage of vehicles.
“I was the second owner of the motorcycle, and it had poor fuel efficiency with a mileage of 16 to 20 KMPL compared to 35 KMPL found in the market. I was spending about 50 per cent of the pocket money on fuel and wanted to save on the same,�? he tells The Better India.
Mayur, a mechanical engineering student, then decided to solve the issue himself. “I cleaned the engine parts, fixed the carburettor, crankcase, cleaned the piston, changed the spare parts and oil, which helped improve engine performance and improved its mileage to 40 KMPL,�? he says.
Mayur with his innovative air filter.
Feeling encouraged and motivated, he tried focussing on the air filter to improve the vehicle performance.
“The air filters in vehicles are made from filter paper. They are dipped in a chemical solution to have charged negative ions which help inefficient combustion of fuel and air,�? he explains.
Mayur created his filter from a non-woven cloth material and dipped it in locally available chemicals to get the negative ions/ ionization effect. “I tried the filter, and it worked wonders. On the two-stroke motorcycle, the mileage increased to 62 KMPL. I conducted the trials for eight months, and the efficiency remained the same,�? he says.
An increase in mileage pointed to two aspects — the engine fuel combustion improved, reducing hazardous pollution and increasing fuel efficiency.
Impressed by his achievement, he tried the filter in the other two and four-wheelers. “I experimented with them on buses by seeking approvals with one of the Regional Transport Corporations (RTC) in southern India. The efficiency improved in those vehicles too. However, I wanted to use industrial chemicals and fibres for the filter to ensure commercial viability, which are legally accessible to companies only,�? he says.
A startup with a cause
On submitting his idea to IIM Ahmedabad in 2015, he was selected for their Power of Ideas programme. “It is a startup challenge competition that helps groom innovative ideas and train the mindset of budding entrepreneurs. I won a prize of Rs 5 lakh during the 15-day boot camp,�? he says.
A year later, Mayur used the award money to scale his product commercially and incorporated his startup, Small Spark Concepts in Pune. “I worked part-time at a garage to meet my expenses and continue investing in improving the product,�? he adds.

Latest stock market news Twitter alternate of India

10% popularity Flash it Bury this