The 16th edition of BAJA SAEINDIA has entered its third phase, which is taking place at Chitkara University in Baddi, Himachal Pradesh. The first two phases of the competition, held virtually, saw the participation of over 180 teams from 23 states across India. For the physical round, which is set to take place from April 5th to April 8th, 2023, more than 70 teams have registered for the eBAJA category. In this category, student-built single-seater All-Terrain Vehicles powered by all-electric powertrains will compete in various dynamic events. All the teams registered under the mBAJA category have participated in a competition which was held at the NATRAX facility in Pithampur, Indore during February. They competed using their vehicles powered by IC engines.

The theme of "Refuel, Recharge, Reinvent" is at the forefront of Phase 3 of BAJA SAEINDIA 2023. During this phase, the student-fabricated vehicles will face a distinctive challenge of validating their designs through physical testing. The virtual assessment of these designs took place during Phase 1 and Phase 2 of the competition, which were held in September and December of 2022, respectively. The physical round of Phase 3 will include various individual dynamic events that will evaluate the vehicle's acceleration, maneuverability, suspension, and tractive capabilities. Furthermore, there are various static events scheduled such as Cost, Sales & Marketing, Design, and others will also be conducted in parallel during the final round. 

The press conference commenced at Hotel Hyatt Regency in Chandigarh with an opening address from Mr. Sanjay Nibandhe. He is the Chairman of the Organizing Committee for BAJA SAEINDIA 2023 and also a Senior Deputy Director of ARAI. During the press conference, Mr. Nibandhe provided a comprehensive overview of the different activities conducted by SAEINDIA to encourage the growth and development of students pursuing a variety of engineering disciplines. He said, “It gives me immense pleasure to reach out to all of you at the 16th edition of BAJA SAEINDIA and the 8th edition of eBAJA. The concept of eBAJA was conceived even before the emergence of Electric Vehicles on Indian roads. With a vision to electrify India’s future of mobility, we started with the first-of-its-kind eBAJA alongside the existing mBAJA, the IC engine buggies. What started with a 4.5 kW and 100Ah Lithium Ion battery has now gone to a 9 kW and 144 Ah battery with 72 volts electrical system. Over the years, students have improved their skills in designing control systems, managing battery packs and handling the charge-discharge cycles. 

During this journey, students have faced and overcome a lot of difficulties, acquired practical knowledge beyond textbooks made continuous improvements in their vehicles throughout the year. Since last year, we have extended the eBAJA endurance to 4 hours to align with their mBAJA counterparts, which presents a new challenge to the teams. We have witnessed a growth in number of teams year by year and we definitely see a positive outlook for the future. 

I am confident that all the participants are skilled engineers with exceptional design, simulation, fabrication, communication, project and people management skills. They are valuable assets to India’s future of mobility and their skills would be accepted by the industry, both as engineers and entrepreneurs. I wish all the teams the best of luck for the event and their future endeavours.” 

Mr. Deepak Jain, who is the General Manager (Brand) Retail of Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited, and the Convener of BAJA SAEINDIA 2023 said, “Bharat Petroleum has been collaborating with communities by providing support for various projects related to education, skill development, community development, capacity building, and employee volunteering. Since the inception of BAJA SAEINDIA in 2007, BPCL has been associated & engaged with young engineers from across India. Participating in such an event is a great opportunity for BPCL to inspire and motivate young engineers. As the title sponsor, Bharat Petroleum would like to take BAJA SAEINDIA to greater heights in this year and years to come.” 

Dr. Madhu Chitkara, Pro-Chancellor, Chitkara University said, “At Chitkara University, we have a strong commitment to fostering a culture of innovation and building a skilled society by collaborating with academia and industry. Our partnership with BAJA SAEINDIA since 2015 is a testament to this belief. 

As one of the host institutes for BAJA SAEINDIA, we take immense pride in supporting this program, which provides an exceptional platform for young professionals and technocrats to showcase their engineering skills and gain exposure to real-world challenges. The practical experience gained from participating in this program is invaluable and can significantly shape the careers of the participants. We firmly believe that initiatives like BAJA SAEINDIA are crucial in shaping the future of the engineering industry in India, as they help identify and nurture young talent and provide opportunities for growth and success. 

At Chitkara, our commitment to supporting this program and creating a platform that fosters research, innovation, and skill development is unwavering. We are excited to see the talent and expertise of the participants in the years to come and wish them the best of luck for the upcoming event." 

Mrs. Supriya Kawade, Co-Convener of BAJA SAEINDIA 2023 in Baddi, acknowledged the diverse participation in this edition of the competition, which is a result of the organization's efforts to promote diversity. Mrs. Kawade mentioned during the press conference that this year's BAJA SAEINDIA competition saw a rise in the participation of female members, with 16% of the participants being female. Furthermore, there were three all-girl teams made up entirely of female members who competed in the physical round. BAJA SAEINDIA is taking additional steps by arranging an HR meet on April 9th at Chitkara University, Baddi. This meeting will offer students in their third and fourth year of their degree program an opportunity to initiate their professional journey. Applicants who meet the eligibility criteria and passed the online-proctored BAJA Aptitude Test (BAT) on February 7th, 2023, will advance to subsequent rounds of recruitment and get the chance to interact with automotive organizations during the HR meet. 

The BAJA Aptitude Test (BAT) is a leading initiative by BAJA to establish a connection between the industry and talented undergraduate students. The BAJA SAEINDIA has made significant changes to the BAT examination this year. The authorities will be conducting the test for both mBAJA and eBAJA categories online on a single day.

About BAJA SAEINDIA 

BAJA SAEINDIA is a design challenge for engineering college students, aimed at providing them with practical exposure to real-world challenges in the industry outside of the classroom. The competition, which is being held in several countries, originated in the USA as Mini BAJA SAE and is now known as BAJA SAEINDIA in India. Here, teams from universities across the country conceptualize, design, analyze, fabricate, validate, and run an all-terrain vehicle, which is evaluated during a series of Static, Dynamic, and Endurance events.

BAJA SAEINDIA has experienced significant growth over the years, both nationally and internationally. It provides an excellent opportunity for young engineering talent to exhibit their abilities, gain practical experience, and learn to overcome obstacles and challenges, which are essential for their future success.

About eBAJA SAEINDIA 

The eBAJA event was launched by the Steering Committee and Organizing Committee of BAJA SAEINDIA, taking inspiration from the late Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam, who was the former President of India. It was launched in 2015 to tap into the emergence of electric mobility in India. This provides engineering students with an opportunity to develop an electric vehicle based on the same rules and regulations as the conventional BAJA SAEINDIA competition, while also promoting the idea of sustainable mobility. In the typical BAJA competition, all-terrain vehicles are powered by gasoline engines. However, eBAJA vehicles are equipped with electric motors that are fueled by rechargeable Lithium-ion battery packs. The Organizing Committee of BAJA SAEINDIA decided to hold the eBAJA event at a separate location to give it more attention. Notably, in the first year of the independent event, eBAJA teams completed a rigorous 4-hour endurance race that was on par with the mBAJA teams.