BAJA SAEINDIA Organizes Phase 2 of BAJA SAEINDIA 2023: a Student Design Challenge at Chitkara University, Chandigarh

The Phase 2 of the 17^th edition of BAJA SAEINDIA was hosted virtually from 16-18^th December 2022 at Chitkara University. In total 181 teams from various parts of the country are taking part in the event. The event has two categories of vehicles; mBAJA for the I.C. engine powered buggies and eBAJA for those with an electric powertrain.

Dr. Madhu Chitkara Pro-Chancellor, Chitkara University & SAEINDIA Officials signing the MoU

Phase 2 of BAJA SAEINDIA 2023 is a unique challenge where students are required to deliver presentations for the static events namely, Design, Cost, Sales, Computer Aided Engineering (CAE) and Go-Green followed by simulating their designs using globally benchmarked automotive testing software - IPG CarMaker for the Virtual Dynamic Events of Maneuverability and All-Terrain Performance. Each team had been provided with a set of 5 licenses, to develop a vehicle model using the software and test its performance in the IPG CarMaker's simulation environment. Training workshops were arranged in association with Automotive Test Systems (ATS), Chennai to guide the participants on how to create the vehicle model and further complete a successful simulation run. Virtual BAJA SAEINDIA is a unique event where teams are able to witness their vehicle’s performance and get it assessed in real time without needing to build a physical vehicle.

Chitkara students with their model vehicle along with Dr. Madhu Chitkara Pro-Chancellor, Chitkara University and SAEINDIA Officials

The press conference kicked off with the inaugural note of Mr. K Venkataraj, Deputy Director General, SAEINDIA and Mr. Sanjay Nibandhe, Chairman, Organizing Committee, BAJA SAEINDIA 2023 followed by Dr. Madhu Chitkara, Pro-Chancellor, Chitkara University, Dr. Archana Mantri, Vice Chancellor, Chitkara University and Mr. Rugwed Ainapure, Convener, Virtual BAJA SAEINDIA 2023 who addressed the press.

In his address to the press, Mr. K Venkataraj, Deputy Director General, SAEINDIA said, “SAEINDIA organizes various events to upskill the student community every year, however BAJA SAEINDIA stands as the SAEINDIA’s flagship event. It is an educational pursuit for engineering college students, an out-of-classroom-education system, where engineering students can participate as a team, giving them pragmatic exposure to real-world challenges as faced in the industry. Initiated by Dr. Pawan Goenka in 2006, BAJA SAEINDIA has grown leaps and bounds since its inaugural event in 2007. We look forward to support more such passionate students who are the future of this country.

BAJA SAEINDIA has grown consistently as an event of the highest magnitude among the student fraternity, due to the support of its sponsors. SAEINDIA expresses its deepest gratitude to an umbrella of 35 sponsors incl. numerous industry partners, host institutions, and supporting organizations this year, for their innate confidence in the BAJA SAEINDIA series. Through the BAJA HR Meet, they also provide an opportunity to the students to kickstart their careers in the core automotive field.”

In his address Mr. Sanjay Nibandhe, Chairman, Organizing Committee, BAJA SAEINDIA 2023 & Senior Deputy Director, ARAI said, "BAJA SAEINDIA has always been well accepted by the student community, as it helps them upskill themselves and helps them improve their technical knowledge. The task for the teams to design and manufacture an All-Terrain Vehicle (ATV), brings in a unique out-of-classroom education by making them face this competition as a professional racing team, where they need to showcase both creativity and engineering excellence. It requires an enormous skillset to design, manufacture and then make the buggy run successfully on the proving grounds in the Phase 3 of the event and all the students participating in BAJA SAEINDIA series have constantly been doing that since all these years. BAJA SAEINDIA rolls out a theme every year, and this year it is "Refuel, Recharge, Reinvent" to emphasise on the resilience and tenacity of the teams as they prepare for the challenges that lay ahead. Furthermore, it also encourages teams to seek fresh perspectives, boost their efforts and creatively tackle issues. Refuel, Recharge, Reinvent - These words stand to urge the teams to continuously persevere and muster the courage to fearlessly stake their claim numerous prizes in various different events and the ultimate title, this 16^th edition of BAJA SAEINDIA.”

Mr. Rugwed Ainapure, Convener Virtual BAJA SAEINDIA 2023 & Mahatma Gandhi National Fellow, Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship said, “When it comes to BAJA SAEINDIA, every year has been better than before, while the stakes of the competition have gone higher and higher, all thanks to the participants who have raised the bar of the event year after year. This year too, there are quite a few challenges which have been designed and introduced so as to give a more opportunistic and perspective-driven learning to the students.

In the Static Events of Cost and Sales this year, we have incorporated some significant changes. For the cost event, some key OEM Components' cost has been regularised, which will compel the teams to seek out alternate strategies for cost optimization and driving more comprehensive focus on design for manufacturing. For the sales event, this year additionally, the teams' have to present a plan to market their vehicle as a commodity, which will help build them an added perspective towards strategizing for marketing, concurrent to commercial automotive market.

While, in the Virtual Dynamic Events although we have reduced the number of events from six last year, to two this year, we have increased the difficulty level of the tracks by designing the terrain such that the vehicles would be facing a mixture of off-road terrains of varying intensity, in these two tracks itself; and some sectors have been designed so as to emulate some actual race scenarios.”

“Overall, it is going to be an intense and exciting event; while the added difficulty would only ensure a steeper learning curve for the participants,” he added.

The virtual event is being hosted by Chitkara University, Chandigarh. Speaking on the occasion, Dr. Madhu Chitkara, Pro-Chancellor, Chitkara University said, “It gives us immense pleasure to host the Phase 2 of BAJA SAEINDIA 2023 at Chitkara University Punjab campus. Chitkara University has been hosting the virtual & physical rounds of BAJA SAEINDIA every year since 2015. The vision of the BAJA SAEINDIA series and our university is in sync with our strong belief in collaborative approach for promoting research and innovation along with industry and academic institutions. As the host institute of Virtual BAJA SAEINDIA for the last 8 years, we feel proud in supporting this program.”

“This one-year project inculcates and channelizes the exuberance of the youth by providing them a global platform to display their creativity, giving them pragmatic exposure to the real-world challenges of the automotive industry,” she added.

About BAJA SAEINDIA

BAJA SAEINDIA is a student design challenge for engineering college students, an out-of-classroom-education system, where engineering students can participate as a team, giving them pragmatic exposure to real-world challenges as faced in the industry. Originally started in the USA by the SAE International as Mini BAJA SAE, today it is being organized in several countries. In India, it is being organized as BAJA SAEINDIA: A student level competition in which teams from universities all over the country, conceptualize, design, analyze, fabricate, validate and run an all-terrain vehicle. This is evaluated during a series of Static, Dynamic, and Endurance events. Over the years, BAJA SAEINDIA has grown in numbers and has become a bigger event nationally and over the past year, expanded internationally as well. It serves as a platform for young engineering talent to showcase their skills and acquire real-life experience while overcoming obstacles and challenges - something that is critical for their long-term success.

About eBAJA SAEINDIA

eBAJA is an event initiated by the Steering Committee & Organizing Committee of BAJA SAEINDIA, an endeavour sparked by the comments of Late Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam, former President of India. To leverage the onset of electric mobility in India, eBAJA SAEINDIA had started this in 2015. This is a platform where engineering students get an opportunity to build an electric vehicle on the same dynamics of BAJA SAEINDIA rulebook and nurture the concept of sustainable mobility. The conventional BAJA series is all about petrol-driven ATVs, while the eBAJA vehicles run on an electric motor powered by a rechargeable Lithium-ion battery pack. To propel eBAJA further and draw special focus, the Organizing Committee of BAJA SAEINDIA decided to conduct the eBAJA event at a separate location. This electric counterpart of BAJA SAEINDIA was held independently for the first time in the previous edition at the BAJA SAEINDIA Racing Circuit at NATRAX, Pithampur near Indore. Also, remarkably in the very first year of an independent event, the eBAJA teams completed a 4 hours rigorous endurance race, at par with the mBAJA teams.

About Chitkara University

Chitkara University has been established and managed by passionate academicians with the sole mission of making each and every student “industry ready”. With more than 25,000 students and 1,700 staff from over 100 different countries, the university is proud of the impact that its graduates, life-changing research, and innovative campuses and industry developments have made – both in India and around the world.

Chitkara University has been awarded the rating of A+ by the prestigious National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC), which places it among the 5% of higher education institutions (HEIs) in India to be granted such a coveted grade.

For more information, visit: www.chitkara.edu.in.