Do you remember the old pedaled cycle-rickshaws that once ruled the last-mile transportation needs of our cities and towns? You may not believe it, but they have just made a grand comeback as an advanced, electric-powered vehicle - The e-rickshaw!!
The e-rickshaws have become so popular in Delhi that Times of India had to write an article like this! Since these e-rickshaws are powered by an electric motor, the person driving it need not manually pedal it (although pedal is available, for emergency purposes - I guess). It has an accelerator like the one we find on the handlebar of our bikes. Of course, there are some limitations (max. speed, load, etc.), but when compared to normal cycle-rickshaws, these are much better.
In my city, the last-mile commutation is mostly provided by autos and share-autos. Although, one could justifiably argue that these two vehicles are used more for long-distance commuting purposes. What happened to the short commutes - who is addressing that? The gap left by the humble rickshaw has never been bridged. One can argue that walking is good exercise (and I don't deny), but 'time' is a premium for most of us.
I was somewhat disappointed when e-bikes did not take off as well as expected (there is still hope - some enhancement in technology and increase in petrol prices might work quickly in its favor), but it is good to see the electric-powered rickshaws take off in our capital. The question is: Why are these vehicles not popular (yet) in other towns/cities?
Electric vehicles come with its own advantages - for one, they don't pollute. Second, electricity to power them can be generated using a variety of alternate energy sources, including the popular & in-demand solar panels.
In fact, it is possible for e-rickshaw owners to fix a couple of solar panels on the roof of the rickshaw and keep generating electricity (that is stored in batteries, also present in e-rickshaws) as they move. Imagine - you get a complete transportation system that has no running costs. Electric power at home is always there for back-up ~ on rainy days, for example.
This is exactly what a group of enterprising final-year college students have done as their final year project (below video). Solar-powered e-rickshaws are not only possible, but they somewhat inexpensive and relatively simple to make. I am sure solar-powered e-rickshaws will pickup in the near future. The amount of running costs saved by solar power is too good to ignore.
