This Free Course on EVs From IIT Madras Could Kickstart Your Career In The Electric Vehicle Industry

Here are the prerequisites for the 12-week course that’ll help you learn the ins and outs of India’s EV industry

With a fledgling electric car market, India needs more hands working to build electric cars and batteries. Starting this month, the Indian Institute of Technology (IITM), Madras, is offering a free online course in Electric Vehicles and Renewable Energy. It is a three-month systems course that starts on July 26. If you are interested in this field and aspire to join the EV industry, you can enrol in the course by heading to the National Programme on Technology Enhanced Learning (NPTEL) website. 

A suitable candidate for this course is someone with a minimum of four years of engineering education. Anyone with a bachelor/master’s degree or PhD in mechanical, electrical, or even aerospace engineering can apply. While the course is free, you’ll have to pay a small fee to get the online certificate. In addition, you’ll have to sit through a proctored exam that’ll be held on October 24 at one of IITM’s exam centres. 

The course will be taught by Dr Ashok Jhunjhunwala, a long-standing IITM faculty member who has previously taught at America’s Washington State University. More recently, he has advised Ministers of Power, Railways, and New and Renewable Energy. 

Although the duration of the course seems short, it will cover everything -- from the engineering of an electric car’s components and dynamics to the state of renewable energy in India. You’ll learn about energy storage, battery design and swapping, and even get an introduction to solar energy.

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After this program, you might even want to take up a full-time postgraduate course in the field. IIT Delhi’s Centre for Automotive Research and Tribology (CART) has a new 1-year course in Electric Mobility. Several other renowned international universities also offer free short-term courses in EV development and maintenance, such as this one from Carnegie Mellon University. 

Many countries are racing far ahead to make electric cars the new normal. While India has made notable strides in electric two-wheeler adoption, electric cars and bikes are still rare on our roads. This course intends to add to the expertise of professionals in the engineering industries and lure them towards further skill-building and research. If you’re reading this and you’re an engineer (or even someone interested in EVs), this free course could be what you need to steer your career towards building a more sustainable future in India.