Engineering students of a university in Thanjavur, Tamil Nadu, have designed two types of light weight, eco-friendly and low-cost cars, including an amphibian one capable of travelling on road and floating on water.

While one type of car runs on petrol and LPG, the other one is an electric car operated using a battery tapping solar energy, capable of travelling on road and water.

Two groups of final year engineering students of Prist University, Thanjavur, have designed the cars in collaboration with Hi-Tech Project Industries, a private Engineering Services company at Tarangambadi in Nagapattinam district.

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Both the cars have been fabricated using steel, aluminium alloys, plastics and other locally available material and cost below Rs 35,000, researchers at Hi-Tech Project Industries, Tarangambadi, said.

The electric car was designed by Rajendra Kumar, Nitesh Kumar, Sanjay Kumar, Abhishek Raj, Roopak Kumar, Sanjay Kumar Yadav and Chandrakanth.

The car was capable of running on road as well as on water with a slight modification and could carry two persons, researchers said.

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When it runs on water, it will act more like a boat. The car can run at a top speed of 30 kmph on road and at 15 kmph on water and is totally eco-friendly, they said.

The 110-CC petrol/LPG car weighing just 135-kg was designed by Alok Kumar, Amith Kumar, Ananth Kumar and Ajay Kumar. The car runs at a top speed of 50 kmph and is very fuel efficient at 65 km per litre of petrol,they claimed.

When running on LPG, it gives a mileage of 110 km per kg. Gear system and suspension mechanism in both the vehicles, had been meticulously designed, said Jayaraj, Murali and Balasundaram, researchers at Hi-Tech Project Industries.

District Collector T Munusamy visited Tarangambadi and witnessed a demonstration of the cars.