CHENNAI: The Higher Education Department has decided to establish modern electric vehicle technology laboratories in three government engineering colleges at Tirunelveli, Dharmapuri and Erode.

The proposed Electric Vehicle (EV) technology laboratories will meet the growing need for skilled professionals in the EV industry.

“Tirunelveli, Dharmapuri and Erode were potential areas for the manufacturing of EV. The proposed labs offer hands-on training, research opportunities, and industry collaborations, focusing on various aspects of EV technology like battery management, powertrain development, and vehicle control algorithms,” said a senior official from the Higher Education Department.

Each lab will have latest and modern facilities for students including EV work bench, HUB motor setup with control system, EV motor test bench, EV battery test bench, Internet of Things (IoT) setup for EV checking, EV servicing and troubleshooting and mechanical workshop equipped with all the latest equipment.

“Each lab will also have a charging station workbench for understanding the operations. It will be set up in a couple of months in colleges and will also teach students both in EV two-wheeler and four-wheeler,” stated the official. “Once the labs are set up, students will have both offline classroom programmes with practical activities. After getting hands-on training at the EV laboratory, job opportunities will improve for students.”

Students will also be encouraged to start their own business in the EV sector across the State after training and internship. “The State government will also provide full support, including enabling loans for the start-ups if the entrepreneur is doing some innovation in the EV,” he pointed out.