India adopts 'green rickshaw' with fanfare

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The Chief Minister of Delhi Sheila Dikshit held a ceremony to launch the much-hyped soleckshaw—the solar-powered cycle rickshaw—right in the heart of the city in Chandni Chowk on the birthday of India’s father of independence, Mahatma Gandhi. 

See the soleckshaw here>>

Currently undergoing testing in the Chandni Chowk area of Old Delhi, these rickshaws offer some snazzy features that include FM radio and mobile-charging points to make that journey a bit more comfortable. The shabby old wooden and steel frames have given way to sleeker panels which imparts an aesthetic look to the new models. There are plans to introduce a self-propelled, high-end version after this one hits the assembly line.

"Rickshaws were always environment friendly. Now this gives a totally new image that would be more acceptable to the middle-classes," said Anumita Roychoudhary of the Delhi-based Centre for Science and Environment.

A central solar panel has been set up in the Chandani Chowk Metro station area where the batteries for Soleckshaw can be re-charged. The government hopes to extend the project to other areas in the capital city. India has an estimated 8.5 million cycle-rickshaws.

Developed by Durgapur-based Central Mechanical Engineering Research Institute (CMERI), a leading science laboratory of India, the soleckshaw, also dubbed as "green rickshaw" weighs nearly 210 kilograms, runs at a speed of 15 to 20 kilometers per hour and can carry load up to 200 kilograms. It runs on a solar battery of 36 volts and needs a charging after 5 hours to help it run nearly 60 kilometers.

The solekshaw will be produced on a public-private partnership basis. In addition to the launch of the green rickshaw, an Rs. 100 crore ($20.6 million USD) project was also announced at the function, with the aim to clean and organize the Chandni Chowk area.

The solekshaw is a redesigned version of the ubiquitous cycle rickshaw, equipped with a robust low-power, high-torque, brushless DC motor developed by Crompton Greaves on specifications provided by CMERI.

"The Soleckshaw is robust and ergonomically designed to take the drudgery out of rickshaw pulling," said Gopal Sinha, director of CMERI.

These environment friendly rickshaws are expected to stay within a three-kilometer radius of the metro station.

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