IIT Delhi engineer builds engine-free fridge, slashes cooling costs by 75%

An IIT Delhi alumna has developed a battery-powered refrigeration system that can keep perishable goods cold without relying on a truck's engine, potentially cutting diesel use and refrigeration costs.

Shaivee Malik, 25, co-founded Chennai-based Yotuh Energy with two former teammates - Vivek Mahindrakar and Dharmik Bapodara - from IIT Delhi's Formula Racing team, Axlr8r.

The innovation was highlighted in a post shared on X by user Sann on Saturday.

As per the post, Malik's engineering instincts took root during her stint as associate team captain of IIT Delhi's Formula Racing squad, Axlr8r, where the trio sharpened their hands-on engineering acumen.

The three subsequently pivoted toward climate-linked challenges, zeroing in on India's cold chain after recognising it as a domain where losses run deep yet draw scant attention.

They launched Yotuh Energy in 2022, incorporating in Delhi before relocating to Chennai for an incubation stint at IIT Madras. The venture's name, drawn from Sanskrit, signifies the act of cleansing.

A cooling unit untethered from the engine

The company's flagship offering is a refrigeration system powered by its own lithium-ion battery rather than the truck's engine, the post notes. This design lets the unit keep humming even when the engine is shut off, sidestepping diesel consumption during idling, and maintaining cooling if the vehicle breaks down mid-route.

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Door-mounted sensors detect openings and fine-tune the cooling in response. Since the system functions independently, it can be retrofitted onto conventional diesel trucks as well as electric vehicles, delivering six to eight hours of operation on a single charge.

A claimed 75% cut in cooling costs

The technology is said to pare refrigeration running expenses by roughly 75%. Based on the details shared in the X post, each unit can avert between three and 36 tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions annually, depending on use. The solution tackles a familiar flaw in conventional refrigerated transport, where cooling gear stays wired to the engine and guzzles diesel while the truck sits idle.

Family backing, grants and funding

At its inception, the startup leaned on financial support from Malik's family, the post stated. It later drew government assistance, including a grant of ₹ 30,000 per month for a year under one scheme, followed by a larger grant that bankrolled early prototypes. Yotuh Energy subsequently raised around ₹ 1.53 crore in a funding round and secured grants from the agriculture ministry, the science and technology department and other bodies.

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The firm has since onboarded paying customers, among them distributors tied to Amul ice cream and McCain frozen foods. Malik frames Yotuh Energy as a cooling solutions company rather than a mere trucking venture, explaining that trucks served as the entry point because conventional diesel-linked refrigeration is an inefficient route to maintaining low temperatures during transport.