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The Chief Minister of Delhi, Smt. Sheila
Dikshit, today launched “Solekshaw”,
the solar-electric rickshaw for eco-friendly urban transport, at a function organized
on the occasion of Gandhi Jayanti near the Chandni Chowk Metro Station here
in the august presence of Shri Kapil Sibal, the Vice-President, Council of Scientific and Industrial
Research, CSIR and Union Minister of Science & Technology and Earth Sciences.
Prof. Samir K. Brahmachari,
the Director General, CSIR was among the other dignitaries who were present on
the occasion. The dual-powered Soleckshaw
is the CSIR’s solution for the dual problem of decent
employment generation for the masses and mitigation of global warming.
More than 60% of the increase in the green house gas (GHG) emission is from the
transport sector. Currently, no powered vehicle or transport system is free from
carbon dioxide emission. Soleckshaw, with its
zero carbon foot print and the trend of widespread use, is expected to reverse
global warming and protect the planet from the perils of the climate change. Its
worldwide use would also enhance energy security by reducing the world’s dependence
on limited fossil fuel. Equipped with novel features, this pedicab is easy to drive, both on
plain as well as uphill road, without any strain of imbalance, which all of the
current cycle rickshaws suffer from. Born out of the recent CSIR vision,
appropriately titled, CSIR-800 aimed at empowering 800 million Indians
by way of S&T intervention, the Mark I version of Soleckshaw
has been designed, developed and prototyped by the CSIR’s
national laboratory, the Central Mechanical Engineering Research Institute (CMERI)
at Durgapur, in a record time of eight months. The accompanying
solar charging station for swapping the batteries has been set up by the Central
Electronics Limited (CEL), a Govt. of India undertaking. The specifically designed
robust low power high torque brushless DC motor has been developed for the first
time in India by the Crompton Greaves based on the specifications
provided by CMERI. The Advanced Materials & Process
Research Institute (AMPRI), another constituent laboratory of CSIR, has provided
excellent support for the Technology Demonstration Project (TDP) at Chandni Chowk. AMPRI’s fly ash jute-polymer composite-based instant housing
unit houses the battery bank. The Centre for Rural Development (CRD), an NGO working
on rickshaw banks in different cities, has joined the TDP as a partner for wider
deployment of Soleckshaw. The Delhi Metro Rail Corporation
(DMRC) has provided the facility for accommodating the solar charging station
at its Delhi Metro Station at Chandni Chowk.
The MCD has further facilitated the TDP by allowing necessary construction in
Yudhbir Singh Park and its use for a period of one year. The synergy among the above
organizations reflects the ethos of CSIR in true Team India spirit. Robust and ergonomically designed to
take the drudgery out of the rickshaw driving, the prototypes of Soleckshaw were earlier flagged off at CMERI, Durgapur, by Prof. Brahmachari, on August 17, 2008. With better aesthetics and ergonomics,
the cost-effectiveness of Soleckshaw has been
engineered by optimizing the system around the most appropriate commercially available
components. This would also minimize the capital requirement for a mass manufacturing
unit. Only the novel sub-assemblies like the differential drive, the special hub
motor with regenerative feature and the light weight solar panel need to be manufactured
apart from the chasis designed for comfortable ride even for the senior citizens
and physically challenged. Innovative business model is being evolved with NGOs,
banks, environment-loving corporates and manufacturing
organizations to make the rickshaw available to the drivers at the cost of an
ordinary rickshaw. Technical Features Power source Solar and human Drive Motor-assisted pedal-driven Electric motor
BLDC hub motor: 240-350 W, 36 V with regenerative capabilities Transmission
Chain drive with differential and two ratios Brakes
Three-wheel braking Seating capacity Two passengers Payload
200 kg (excluding driver) Speed limit
15 kmph The advanced
versions of Soleckshaw Mark II and Mark III with
better aesthetics, ergonomics, speed and recumbent driving position is expected
to be ready for launch during the Commonwealth Games in 2010. Several R&D
projects are slated to be launched in the areas of storage batteries, charge and
speed controller, solar photovoltaics and hybrid transmission,
in a network mode to make the future Soleckshaw, an engineering marvel. (Three
Photographs available at www.pib.nic.in) PRA
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“Solekshwa” Eco-Friendly Dual-Powered Rickshaw Launched
