CSM Tech Joins Hands with IIT Madras to Develop India’s Fastest Autonomous EV Racecar

Chennai: Bhubaneswar-based IT company CSM Tech has embarked on an exciting collaboration with IIT Madras to catalyze the creation of the world’s fastest autonomously driven electric racecar by 2025.

CSM Tech is supporting Raftar, a dynamic motorsports team led by students from IIT Madras. Comprising over 40 students from diverse academic backgrounds, Raftar shares a passionate commitment to automotive engineering and motorsports. Each year, the team takes on the challenge of constructing a high-performance Formula Student racecar, striving to become the nation’s foremost and most cohesive group of engineers in this field.

A MoU has been signed between CSM and IIT Madras, by Priyadarshi Nanu Pany, Founder & CEO of CSM Tech and Prof. Manu Santhanam, Dean of Industry Contribution & Sponsored Research at IIT-Madras.

Speaking at the event, Priyadarshi Pany, Founder & CEO of CSM, expressed his unwavering commitment to the project, stating, “This is the future, and I am wholeheartedly supporting it. Witnessing what the students and faculty of IIT-M can achieve with indigenously built electronics, embedded technologies, and cross-domain expertise is simply spectacular.”

Pany urged Team Raftar to stay focused on their goals, stating, “The efforts by Raftar have the potential to revolutionize not only the passenger vehicle industry but also heavy vehicles, telemetry, vehicle tracking, and more. This team is a formidable force, and I encourage them to continue working towards propelling our nation to new heights. The next major innovation in the automotive industry should originate in India.”

Emphasizing the invaluable role of industry partners in empowering the engineering ecosystem at IIT Madras, Prof. Santhanam commended the students for their unwavering determination and ability to lead a highly complex project, executing it with excellence even in the face of daunting challenges.

Founded in 2012 as a student’s club in 2008, Raftar has secured victory at Formula Bharat thrice. The team has also made a mark on the international stage, achieving recognition at events such as Formula Germany and establishing itself as a dominant presence in both combustion and EV categories at the university level.