14 | AutoPartsAsia | AUGUST 2017CORPORATE
T
he State-owned Kerala
Electrical & Allied Engineering
Company Limited (KEL)
that makes distribution
transformers, provides basic
engineering services and executes
defence projects, plans to develop
motors for electric vehicles (EVs). It is in
talks with an automaker to develop the
prototype.
“The Government of India proposes
to withdraw all diesel/petrol public
vehicles from metro cities and replace
them with non-polluting electric
vehicles by 2030. In this context allmajor automobile companies are in the
process of developing electric vehicles.
One such company has designed an
electric motor for their electric bus.
They have approached KEL through
an agency and sought our interest in
developing the prototype. We have
agreed to develop the prototype and
supply the motor in bulk on successful
development of the motor. As the
discussions are only in the preliminary
stage and as we have entered into a
non-disclosure agreement with the
customer due to strategic reasons,
we cannot disclose the name of
the company with which we are in
discussion on this matter,” Col Shaji M
Varghese, Managing Director, KEL, told
AutoParts Asia.
“It is expected that, by 2030, India
will have only non-polluting electric
vehicles on the road. As such, demand
for motor is highly promising. IfKEL succeeds in developing world-
class electric motors for vehicles at
competitive prices, it can lead the
market,” he said.Besides motors for EVs, KEL has plans
to enter new product lines including
smart energy meters, LED lighting
systems, solar systems, dam safety
solutions, Shaji said.
KEL had introduced brushless
alternators to the Indian Railways
in 1973, for the coach lighting and
air-conditioning needs, in technical
collaboration with EVR, France, a
leading rotating electric machinery
manufacturer. Since then, the
company has supplied more than
60,000 alternators, manufactured at its
Kundara unit in Kerala, to the Indian
Railways. As part of the modernisation
of the Indian Railways, the brushless
alternator is undergoing a major
revision and KEL is in the process of
developing compact and light-weight
permanent magnet alternators, he said.Varghese said that “the traction
motor for electric vehicle is also a
rotating electric machine, similar to the
alternator we have been manufacturing
for more than four decades for rolling
stock applications. Our infrastructure,
experience and expertise in this give us
the confidence to develop the traction
motor for electric vehicles.”
KEL proposes to develop the prototype
of the traction motor at its alternator
manufacturing facility. On successful
completion of the prototype, the
company has plans to establish a
state of the art manufacturing facility
exclusively for the production of motors
for EVs.
Established in 1964, KEL has four
production facilities, located in various
districts of Kerala. The company had
designed and supplied power packs
for the national missile projects like
Falcon, Prithvi, Trishul and Akash. It
has also supplied special alternators to
the Army (Military Power Cars) and Air
Force (Radar Applications).
Now KEL manufactures distribution
transformers ranging from 15 KVA
to two MVA and is in the process of
expanding its capacity. “Our new
project to manufacture medium power
transformer is at the finishing stage and
by the end of this year we will roll out
transformers up to 16 MVA capacity,”
he said.^KEL To Build Motors For Electric Vehicles
By Pramod Thomas
Shaji M Varghese