'RJMS says it costs almost $4000 to retrofit'
http://www.sbs.com.au/news/article/2016/03/24/electric-rickshaw-offers-hope-clean-future-indias-cities Electric rickshaw offers hope for clean future for India's cities 24 MAR 2016 Lisa Upton SBS World News Radio: Rickshaws, tuktuks, autos ... whatever the name, the motorised taxis are synonymous with Asia. Now, an Indian company in Bangalore has designed what it says is the three-wheeler of the future -- an electric rickshaw, run partly on solar power. The company wants to produce 800,000 in the next five years. The buzz and the beep of auto rickshaws ... this is the soundtrack of India. Millions of them crisscross the country every day, ferrying people and delivering goods. But autos, as they are called here, are choking the continent they serve. In India's mega-cities, air quality is a major issue -- not only do autos contribute to the problem, those who travel in them worry about what they are inhaling. A 31 year-old man named Prejin has just caught a rickshaw into central Bangalore, but he says he prefers other forms of transport. "Due to a lot of dust and, right now, there's all this pollution and stuff like that, nowadays, I prefer more to have, actually, taxis, because it's much healthier, I think." Asked if he worries about the air pollution, Prejin says, "Ah, yes, everyone does." A team of entrepreneurs in Bangalore says it has a solution. For three years, the entrepreneurs have been tinkering away in a small workshop, engineering a green revolution. They have retrofitted nine auto-rickshaws, which they have been trialling in three Indian cities. The engines run on batteries that can be charged not only from the grid, but also with solar power, as RJMS director Rakesh Sharma explains. "So we have already fitted one panel on the top of the auto, which can increase the mileage from 25 to 30 per cent. And now, the next phase, we are going to make charging stations. (The) rooftop will be of solar." The World Health Organisation says 13 of the world's 20 most polluted cities are in India. It names Delhi as the world's most polluted -- worse, even, than Beijing. Autos, of course, are only one part of a complex problem involving dirty industry and other vehicles as well. But Greenpeace India's Vinuta Gopal says solar autos could be part of the solution. "I think it's a brilliant idea, and I really hope it works. Autos are used across the country as a form of public transport, and it would make a huge difference to shift them to electric-, especially solar-, powered. So, I do hope this example works. I use an auto, and I'd really like it if it was solar-powered." To mass-produce the new autos will require heavy investment and political will. Millions of rickshaws will need to be refitted and thousands of charging stations built so drivers can easily change their batteries. In some cities, auto drivers have already been forced to make the shift from diesel to the less-polluting LPG. But Vinuta Gopal of Greenpeace says, while many were initially resistant, the drivers did not lose money as they had feared. "So I think there can be a case made for a shift to electric, and that might even be an economically viable solution, as long as you took a longer period of time into consideration." Some Indian cities like Delhi already have a portion of electric rickshaws. But those who have tried solar previously have found it unreliable. [© sbs.com.au] ... [video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OaSwhE0iBjM Electric Auto Rickshaw From RJMS-EV News 9 RJMS EV Pvt. Ltd. Mar 9, 2016 A retro fitted auto converting the existing petrol, diesel, LPG or CNG autos to electric. Done for the 1st time in India by RJMS EV Pvt. Ltd., Bangalore. Launched on 05-03-2016 ] ... https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solar_rickshaw Solar rickshaw http://www.sbs.com.au/news/article/2016/03/20/rickshaws-going-solar-fight-pollution Rickshaws going solar to fight pollution 21 MAR 2016 Lisa Upton [image http://www.sbs.com.au/news/sites/sbs.com.au.news/files/styles/full/public/wip_190316_solar_rickshaw_still.jpg?itok=keAE4si-&mtime=1458450622 Solar rickshaws being made. (SBS) ] A group in India is working to reduce pollution by making auto-rickshaws, also known as tuk tuks, solar powered. They’re cheap and convenient and millions of people across Asia use them daily to get around. But auto-rickshaws, or tuk tuks, are also choking the cities they serve, belching toxic fumes in their wake. Now a group in India says it has developed the three-wheeler of the future, one that’s powered partly by the sun. For three years, workers from RJMS have been tinkering away in a small workshop in the southern Indian city of Bangalore on a pollution revolution. “There are many thousands of autos running on the road and polluting,” RJMS Director, Rakesh Sharma said. “If we want to be green we need to do something with renewable energy.” The company has retrofitted nine existing auto-rickshaws with engines that run on batteries. They can be charged not only with electricity, but also with solar power. The rickshaws appear the same as their ubiquitous forebears but with a solar panel for a roof and batteries in the spot that usually houses a combustion engine. “This can increase the mileage from 25 to 30 per cent,” Mr Sharma said of the energy generated by the solar panel. Over the past three months RJMS has run a pilot project testing the vehicles in Delhi, Nagpur and Bangalore. The company wants to have 800,000 on the road in the next five years. But this kind of mass production will require a great deal of investment and political will. While India’s transport minister has applauded the initiative, no funds have yet been forthcoming. Government subsidies will be required if this is to succeed on a mass scale. RJMS says it costs almost $4000 to retrofit a single auto, which is well beyond the means of the average driver. The company says the next phase of the project will involve building charging stations, ideally every three kilometres. Drivers will need to change their batteries after 110 kilometress. Greenpeace India has welcomed the initiative. “I travel in an auto every day to work and I know how awful it is to inhale the fumes,” Greenpeace spokeswoman, Vinuta Gopal said. “If we are going to be able to convert our auto rickshaw to solar and electric I think that would make a huge difference.” India is desperately seeking solutions to improve its air quality. The World Health Organisation figures show that 13 of the world's 20 most polluted cities are in India. Delhi wears the thorny crown of world’s most polluted city – worse, even, than Beijing. Auto-rickshaws are only one part of a complex problem. Dirty industries and other vehicles all contribute to air pollution. In January, as a dangerous toxic smog enveloped Delhi, the city trialled what it called an odd/even scheme in attempt to bring pollution under control. Certain cars were allowed on the road on certain days according to their number plates. The scheme helped reduce the peak toxicity levels in the city. Ms Gopal said residents showed they were willing to be inconvenienced to improve air quality. Retrofitting the country’s rickshaw fleet would not be easy, but Ms Gopal said it could be done. In some cities, auto drivers have already been forced to make the shift from diesel to the less polluting LPG. Ms Gopal said, while many were initially resistant, the drivers didn’t lose money as they had feared. “I think there can be a case made for a shift to electric and that might even be economically viable as long as you took a longer period of time into consideration,” Ms Gopal said. Electric rickshaws already operate in small numbers in some cities, including Delhi, but those who’ve tried solar have found it unreliable. RJMS believes it may be able to break through that solar panelled ceiling. It plans to put solar panels on its charging stations and hopes that in the longer term its new age vehicles will run on 50 per cent solar. 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