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| Name : P. S. Vinod Age : 28 years Qualification : SSLC , ITI- Refrigeration and Electrician course Profession : Car mechanic, A/C mechanic Address : Sagara, Thalayel, Russelpuram (P.O.) Balarampuram – 695501, Trivandrum, Kerala | |
| Scouted by : Alex K.T., who is son of NIF’s award winner of Ist competition Sh. K K Thomas | |
| Description : | |
 | A car that runs in water and on road is no more a dream for an Indian mechanic, Vinod from Kerala. Having got stuck in seasonal floods in rainy season a few times, he wondered whether he could not build an amphibious car. Having been in a business of re-conditioning old cars, repairing refrigeration equipments and other household appliances, he is no ordinary mechanic. Once he decided in 2003 to fabricate amphibious car, he decided to buy three old Maruti cars, 1985 models in 25,000 rupees each and started his experiments. First two cars attempts were a failure. He mortgaged his shop and house to Bank of India and took a loan of three lacs, sank all his savings, incurred many other debts and finally succeeded in floating his car in water. |
| Today he is under a debt of Rs 8.5 lacs, the amount it costed him to build this car. He is willing to offer the technology to the nation for possible use by Navy and other agencies like coastal guards. Perhaps, maximum speed of 20 kmph achieved with the help of ten horse power on- board motor may not make it very attractive for certain purposes. But it could have multiple uses in coastal areas. It will save energy, reduce congestion, and make the ride smoother for commuters who may prefer to navigate the distances in water instead of on road. | |
| It would not hurt, if the passengers may also like to catch fish on the way. When Mumbai was in floods, commuters with this option would not have been stranded. Nor would they have had to abandon their cars in water. This car has a boat like float structure fixed above the tyres. When it is in water, it does not use the car engine, which is in the front, but radiator is in the rear side. The exhaust pipe releases smoke above the water level and thus has no risk being filled with water. Major expenditure was in water proofing the car and working out the floating efficiency of the car by designing appropriate float sheets. | |
| So far he has not got any help from any public agency. He has many other ideas for future innovations but he is not sure, whether he should reveal them right away. National Innovation Foundation has accepted the entry received on March 2, 2007 with the help of a local innovator’s son, Alex K G whose father K K Thomas was awarded by NIF earlier. NIF is helping the innovator in getting the drawings made so that patent can be filed for novel features in his design. | |
| It may be mentioned that an idea of amphibious car was received earlier by NIF from Mr Prem Singh in 2005. Mr Saidullah and Mr Chaurasiya have been honoured earlier for amphibious cycles, and water skating shoes. Mr Saidullah has also built a rickshaw. Paul Stephen Alexander from Kerala had filed for patent in 1993 for amphibious powered two wheeler motorcycle which could also be powered manually in the case of engine failure. Earlier, Mr Shishpal Singh, then MA (Geography) student from Aligarh, had sent an entry of amphibious car model with a provision of attaching remotely fired missiles. Amphibious cars have been built around the world including in china where a farmer, Hu Zeshen from Huan province in China demonstrated, what he called as “ happy boat”. It has five HP engine and one hp electric motor, was first floated in September, 2006. Australia , USA , Germany and many other countries have high speed amphibious cars which can run in water as well as on road. However, despite all this prior art, the effort of Vinod remains praiseworthy and worth appreciating. It will be very helpful to him if this technology could be acquired from him through some kind of National/State Technology Acquisition Fund (since he prefers giving this technology to the nation) to cover not only his cost but also some incentives for his innovation. There is a possibility that if he does not get sufficient encouragement soon, he might take up a job with a gulf based company working on amphibious vehicles. | |
| Patent Search : | |
| Following are the patent citations in USPTO : 1. US6840825, January 11, 2005, Amphibious recreational vehicle 2. US3945589, March 23, 1976, Amphibious dirigible airships | |
