Athul Vinod builds electric bike, lands dream job at robotics firm

KOCHI: For 21-year-old Athul Vinod, it was a lifelong dream to build an electric bike and find a job he loved. Now, both dreams have come true. Athul, from Perumbadappu in Ernakulam, has built his own e-bike named 'Welkin' after working on it for a year. While completing the project, he also received a job offer from a robotics and automation company under the Startup Mission in Kakkanad. He will be joining soon.

Athul’s interest in bike making began when he was in Class 10. Joining Kalamassery Polytechnic for a diploma in automobile engineering became the turning point in his life. His biggest inspiration was Sajikumar, a teacher who holds a PhD in electric vehicles. He began building the bike in 2024, using money he earned from teaching art and doing small freelance jobs.

At first, his family wasn’t very supportive. But later, they stood by him. Athul is the son of Vinod Kumar and Rashmi, and has a sister, Athulya. His grandmother, Chandrika, supported him from the start.

On holidays, Athul works as an art teacher with about 15 students. He also earns money by painting portraits of couples and others to fund his project. He runs a YouTube channel called “Art with Athul.”

Rs 1.20 lakh project
Athul built the e-bike at a cost of Rs 1.20 lakh. It can be fully charged in three hours and offers a mileage of 50 kilometres. The design is inspired by Ultraviolette and Kawasaki models. The chassis is made of GI pipes, and the body is fibre-built. The wheels were sourced from a scrap shop.

Initially, the motor overheated and stopped working, but Athul solved the issue by purchasing a BLDC hub motor from Coimbatore. As there’s no system to register custom-made vehicles, the bike now sits in his car porch as a showpiece.

“My goal is to learn more about electric vehicles and one day start my own EV bike company,” says Athul Vinod.