- Shaivee Malik aims to reduce food loss in India's cold supply chain with new tech
- Yotuh Energy's lithium-ion battery cools trucks without running the diesel engine
- System runs 6-8 hours on one charge, cutting refrigeration costs by 75 percent
As a large amount of food produced in India is lost before it reaches consumers, a 25-year-old engineer is working to solve a major problem in India's food supply chain to keep fruits, vegetables and milk fresh during transportation.
Poor cold storage and a shortage of refrigerated transport are among the reasons for this loss.
Most refrigerated trucks use the vehicle's diesel engine to power their cooling systems. As a result, the engine often has to keep running even when the truck is stopped in traffic. This wastes fuel and adds to carbon emissions.
Shaivee Malik, a biotechnology graduate from the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Delhi, wanted to find a cleaner solution.
During her time at IIT Delhi, Malik was part of the college Formula Student racing team, Axlr8r. She later became associate team captain. It was there that she learned to design and build machines alongside Vivek Mahindrakar and Dharmik Bapodara, who would later become her co-founders.
The three wanted to work on climate change. They looked for an area where technology could make a practical difference and eventually focused on India's cold-chain industry.
In 2022, they founded Yotuh Energy. The company was registered in Delhi and later moved to Chennai to take part in an incubation programme at IIT Madras.
Yotuh Energy developed a refrigeration system powered by its own lithium-ion battery. Unlike traditional systems, it does not depend on the truck's engine.
The battery-powered unit can keep the cargo cold even when the truck is stopped or the engine is switched off. It can also continue operating if the vehicle breaks down. Sensors detect when the doors are opened and adjust the cooling accordingly.
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The system can operate for around six to eight hours on a single charge. The company says it can reduce refrigeration costs by about 75 per cent and prevent between three and 36 tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions per unit every year, depending on usage.
Yotuh Energy initially received support from Malik's family and government grants. The company later raised around Rs 1.53 crore and received further grants from government agencies.
Its customers now include distributors associated with Amul ice cream and McCain frozen foods. Malik says Yotuh Energy is a cooling solutions company, not just a truck technology company, as she quoted on X.