TECHDIGEST – The vehicle was designed to eliminate carbon emissions associated with internal combustion engines, as well as minimise acoustic noise when in operation.

The University of Lagos is test-running its Zero Emission Vehicle (ZEV) it initiated in 2018.

The institution’s Deputy Vice-Chancellor, (Academics and Research), Oluwole Familoni, disclosed this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Sunday in Lagos.

According to him, the production is an invaluable addition to the university’s efforts at preventing the release of toxic emissions to the environment.

He said the initiative was also to encourage indigenous engineering innovation.

According to Mr Familoni, UNILAG ZEV is a 63 per cent hardware and 100 per cent software home-made (Akoka content) mechatronics automobile device.

He noted that the Vice-Chancellor of the university, Oluwatoyin Ogundipe, had inaugurated the UNILAG Zero Emission Vehicle team in 2018.

The team is led by Samson Adeosun, a professor in the Department of Metallurgical and Materials Engineering.

Mr Familoni, a professor pf Chemistry, told NAN that in line with the universal drive to minimise global warming, the vehicle was designed to eliminate carbon emissions associated with internal combustion engines, as well as minimise acoustic noise when in operation.

”In concept, the UNILAG ZEV team developed an adaptive and reprogrammable power train (drive) system.

”Although the drive train functionality is presently exhibited with six-passenger Sport Utility Shuttle Van platform, it can be reconfigured to support 18-seater commuter bus.

”In its exhibition form, the drive train Energy Management System (EMS) is programmed to deliver ultra-low-power supply to realise maximum range per battery charging cycle at campus shuttling speed of less than 20km//hour

”On highways, during intra or inter–city transits, the EMS is programmed to adaptively overwrite the shuttling mode and still minimise energy consumption.

”These user-specific features are absent on assembled imported Completely Knocked Down (CKD) components of electric vehicles that have been reported in Nigeria to date,” Familoni told NAN.

He added that the UNILAG ZEV came with an on-board auxiliary power supply system.

The professor of chemistry said the energy backup was available to the driver via a ‘please take me home switch’ on the dashboard.

According to him, the vehicle runs on an improvised refurbished Nickel Hydride battery that delivers up to five-kilometre range per charging cycle when operated in Campus Shuttle mode.

”The range is extendable to 350km at optimum average speed of 110k/hour at highway mode, when appropriate lithium ion battery is installed.”

Commenting on the development, the Vice-Chancellor of the institution, Mr Ogundipe, said the product was proof that the institution was neck-deep into demand-driving research.

He said that if given more support, the university would do more.

”We need more support for funding research,” he said.

Other members of the team that assembled the ZEV include Akinfenwa Fashanu of the university’s Systems Engineering Department, Mohammed Usman (Chemical Engineering), and Adeola Balogun (Electrical and Electronics Engineering. (NAN)

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TECH DIGEST – UNILAG Vice Chancellor, Oluwatoyin Ogundipe, appeals to public-spirited Nigerians to help indigent students get tablets for the online post-UTME test

The Vice Chancellor, University of Lagos, Oluwatoyin Ogundipe, has appealed to public-spirited Nigerians to assist indigent candidates to get tablets, as the university gets set for online post-UTME tests.

Mr Ogundipe, a professor, made the appeal during an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Sunday in Lagos.

He said in the face of the resurgence of COVID-19, all academic activities of the institution, including examinations, will be online.

“We are to conduct our post-Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (post-UTME) test on February 15 to February 23; that is, it will run for about nine days.

“This examination is going to be an e-examination such that wherever the candidates are, they do not need to come to campus. It is simple and convenient.

“We looked at the issue of indigent candidates, we then decided to see how we can carry them along.

“Right now, we have started talking to some friends of the university and alumni to see how we can get tablets that we can give them.

“We have got the number of these indigent candidates registered for the post-UTME test, and they are above 200,” he told NAN.

Mr Ogundipe said the candidates would need the tablets not just for the purpose of the post-UTME test but also to facilitate other e-learning processes.

“We are talking to the alumni president and friends of the university to get these tablets in order to facilitate e-learning processes.

He said over 50,000 candidates applied for admission into the university in the 2020)2021 academic session, with about 22,000 scoring 200 marks and above.

According to him, 21,955 candidates have so far paid for the conduct of the post-UTME test.

“It is the first time that we are conducting this type of examination, and it is such that these candidates must have their laptops with cameras.

“If they do not have a camera attached to their laptops, they will not be allowed to participate in the examination.

“We expect the results to come out within one week after the conduct of the examination,” he said.

Mr Ogundipe said the university had collapsed the 2020/2021 academic session with the 2021/2022 academic session.

“It is going to affect our admission number, because it means we have to admit two streams, except if JAMB is not conducting its examination this year.

“If it is conducting, we are mandated to admit students,” the vice-chancellor said.

Mr Ogundipe reiterated that the institution would commence online lectures for returning students on Monday.

He said the university could not afford bringing back students to campus due to COVID-19 pandemic.

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