Viswanathan and Sripad quoted in Wired

EST&P alumnus, Shanshank Sripad (MS '16), is currently a Research Assistant in the Electrochemical Energy Group under Prof. Venkat Viswanathan.They both were quoted in Wired for their research in electronic vehicles.

Will we ever see a battery-powered truck drive past us on a major highway? “The challenge is on par in difficulty level with electric airplanes,” says MechE's Venkat Viswanathan and Shashank Sripad in an article for Wired. After conducting their research, Viswanathan and Sripad discovered that a battery-powered truck would be limited in range (300 miles), cost a large sum, and offer limited cargo space because of the weight and size of the technology required to keep the vehicle moving. Viswanathan was also quoted in another Wired story about electric aviation, suggesting that airplanes could also be redesigned around electric motors. “Electric propulsion permits new design architectures,” says Viswanathan. “Future electric aircraft will look nothing like the aircraft of today, and they will be able to fly with much less energy—as little as 400 watt-hours/kg—thanks to distributed motors and reduced drag.” 

Read the article, here>>.