19 February, 2022

Objective of the Session:

The Department of Electrical Engineering organized an expert talk on “Recent Trends in Electric Drives for Industrial and Electric Vehicle Applications” on 9th September 2022 for 6th semester students. The session was delivered by Mr. Chirag Chauhan from ENLEC Solutions, Ahmedabad, who has significant expertise in industrial automation, energy systems, and drive technologies.

Mr. Chauhan started the session by introducing the importance of electric drives in modern industries and transportation systems. He explained the basics of AC and DC drives, followed by the role of Variable Frequency Drives (VFDs) in improving efficiency and reliability.

Key insights shared included:

• Applications of electric drives in industries such as cement, steel, and textiles.
• Recent advancements in drive technology for energy saving and automation.
• Use of BLDC, PMSM, and SRM drives in electric vehicles.
• Role of digital controllers (DSP, ARM, FPGA) in real-time drive control.
• Impact of wide bandgap devices (SiC & GaN) in developing compact and efficient drive systems.
• Case studies of ENLEC projects on industrial drive installations and performance optimization.

He also discussed the future scope of AI- and IoT-enabled smart drives, highlighting how intelligent systems can help in predictive maintenance, fault detection, and energy management.

The talk concluded with an interactive Q&A session, where students asked about EV drive design, industry skill requirements, and emerging job opportunities in the electric drive sector.

Outcome

• Students gained practical knowledge of modern electric drive technologies.
• They understood the link between theory and real-world industrial applications.
• The session motivated students to explore projects, internships, and careers in the areas of electric vehicles, automation, and industrial drives.