If you are a Coimbatore resident who happens to jog or walk at the iconic Race Course in the mornings or socialize with friends and peers in the evening hours, you could have seen a police officer riding a three-wheeled Electric patrol vehicle, observing the crowd keenly.

This compact, urban patrol vehicle is used by Coimbatore City Police at places frequented by city folks is also deployed  in Chennai by the Central Railway Police personnel to monitor passenger movement and ensure safety.

Called Trike 2π , this EV is developed by S. Shakeel Akthar, a student of Kumaraguru College of Technology, Coimbatore. The innovation traces back to Shakeel’s undergraduate years in Mechanical Engineering at Kumaraguru College of Technology.

It is designed to support security personnel operating across large pedestrian environments. Its three-wheel architecture combines stability with maneuverability, enabling the vehicle to make 360-degree turns within a five-foot radius. The design also features a standing platform that provides the rider with better visibility and facilitates quick mounting and dismounting during patrol operations.

The project evolved through multiple iterations, with engineering improvements guided by prototype testing and feedback from users. The present version incorporates features including independent suspension, a low-centre-of-gravity chassis and integrated systems for patrol operations.

Trike 2π competed at the national-level edition of the prestigious James Dyson Award 2026 recently. Established by the James Dyson Foundation, this national event is a part of the grander Global level  competition that recognises student and graduate innovations in engineering and design that seek to address real-world problems.

At the event, Trike 2π by Shakeel Akthar S, and ViabilityX, a passive organ preservation and transportation system developed by Anvika Shetty of the National Institute of Design, Ahmedabad, were jointly declared the National Runner-Up. RUDHRA, a voice-enabled Braille printer developed by Lingampalli Himaja of Shri Vishnu Engineering College for Women, was judged the National Winner.

National finalists, including national runners-up, are considered for the James Dyson Award’s global Top 20 shortlist. A team of Dyson engineers will evaluate the eligible national projects before selecting the Top 20 global finalists. For the 2026 edition, the global Top 20 shortlist is scheduled to be announced on October 14, 2026, followed by the announcement of the global winners on November 4, 2026. Thus, Trike 2π now has an opportunity to progress from national recognition to the global Top 20 stage of the James Dyson Award.