Dr Mohammad Al-Amin, Associate Professor in the Warwick School of Engineering, has been awarded a Leverhulme International Fellowship. His project, entitled "Sustainable, low cost charging base stations for three-wheelers in Bangladesh", builds on his expertise in sustainable energy technologies, to tackle an ongoing issue experienced by users of 'easy bikes' in the country.

Speaking on his motivation for this project, Dr Al-Amin said:

"I have been researching the improvement of an energy storage system using second-life lithium-ion batteries (retired from electric vehicles). The main application of my research is to develop a sustainable transportation system and solar home system for developing countries. One of the major challenges of electrification of public transport in developing countries like Bangladesh is the shortage of electricity. This project is to study a model PV based charging station for easy bikes (motorised three-wheelers) in Bangladesh which has the potential to solve such energy shortage barriers.

I am profoundly glad to receive this Fellowship which will enable me to work on further development in developing countries. I always focus on how my research can help people in other parts of the world. This project is perfectly aligned with my research strategy.

The ultimate goal of my research projects is to develop a sustainable system for reusing second-life lithium-ion batteries from electric vehicles in the UK. The results from this research work will be shared with the research communities at the University of Warwick and automotive manufacturers in the UK. I hope this will facilitate building a circular economy between the automotive industries in the UK and battery manufacturers in Bangladesh."