UoH research scholar in Forbes 30 Under 30 Asia 2018 list

​Hyderabad: Research scholar in Physics, from University of Hyderabad, Rahul Gayam made it to the ‘Forbes 30 Under 30 Asia 2018 list’. According to a university press release, Rahul, who did his Integrated Masters in Physics from UoH developed commercial electric vehicles from scratch with industry-leading features such as integrated cooling system, Quadra-Drive system (patented), smart-BMS battery monitoring system, which is essential for a future-proof design. 

As part of his Ph D work at UoH, he worked on developing Ceramic Super-capacitors which have the potential to replace batteries in electric vehicles, and have the added advantage of being charged in a few minutes instead of a few hours.

In 2010, he co-founded a T-Hub based electric vehicle startup with the name Gayam Motor Works with his brother Raja Gayam. The startup works in providing IoT, cloud connectivity and in-house battery packs to make electric vehicles. The startup manufactured world’s first auto-rickshaws that run on Li-Ion batteries but are as convenient to use as regular gas-powered vehicles. The company also manufactures electric bikes that come with different levels of pedal assistance. So, once a rider starts pedaling, the motor kicks in and supplies 80 per cent energy to the bike.

Under the leadership of Gayam brothers, GMW also partnered with the Smart Cities Project to launch their clean energy vehicles in Andhra Pradesh. Talking about his work and motivation to develop eco-friendly vehicles, Rahul said, “A majority of premature deaths in India are blamed on poor air quality. Renewable energy transition and more electric vehicles are hope to India's air pollution crisis. This motivates me and my team to work harder and make them more accessible.”

The Forbes 30 Under 30 List, 2018 is in its third year, the annual 30 Under 30 Asia list featured 300 young innovators and disruptors across 10 categories who are re-inventing their industries and driving change across this diverse region. Representing 24 countries across Asia-Pacific – including Azerbaijan and North Korea for the first time – the finalists were selected from thousands of online nominations, researched by a team of reporters and vetted by a panel of expert A-list judges, the press release said.