Tuesday, 15 July 2014
Bangalore to London: A green journey by e-rickshaw
BANGALORE:
One could easily dismiss this red three-wheeler for a cargo minivan.
But its rooftop solar panels are a giveaway that the vehicle is on a
rare green mission. The three-wheeler is on an epic journey from
Bangalore to London, crossing nine countries and covering about 10,000
km.
Naveen Rabelli, 33, the man behind this innovative mission, says he is set to redefine autorickshaw - called the Indian tuk-tuk — and promote it in London as an environment-friendly vehicle. Why tuk-tuk? An engineer formerly employed with electric automobile manufacturer Reva, Rabelli always found the idea of a green vehicle kicking.
"I had a childhood dream to travel to Europe by road. But when I travelled from Australia to India by road in 2010, I sobbed on wasting so much fuel. Then there are so many autorickshaws on Indian roads wasting thousands of litres of fuel. This was the same time I joined Reva where the idea of electric vehicle fascinated me even more. What better than to showcase the tuk-tuk as a green vehicle and make my childhood dream come true," he told TOI.
Rabelli, who has been living in Bangalore for the past two-and-a-half years, picked up his tuk-tuk from Yeshwantpur and named it Tejas - Sanskrit for brilliance. It is now fitted with a new motor, a battery set and gearbox along with solar panels that power it. It took him two years after a number of trials to prepare for this journey.
Tejas, the solar-and-electric hybrid vehicle, takes eight hours to get fully charged and runs little less than 80km. But exposure to sun can power it for another 25 km. Rabelli aims to cover 100km a day and take 100 days to reach London.
Raoul Kopacka, a 26-year-old Austrian, will accompany Rabelli and make a documentary out of the epic journey.
Tejas is more economical than diesel variants as it can run 100km for every dollar. Rabelli has spent Rs 3.5 lakh till date on it. He needs to get the motor and batteries right. "I need US $40,000 for the logistics. As soon as I get funds, I will start this journey," Rabelli added
Naveen Rabelli, 33, the man behind this innovative mission, says he is set to redefine autorickshaw - called the Indian tuk-tuk — and promote it in London as an environment-friendly vehicle. Why tuk-tuk? An engineer formerly employed with electric automobile manufacturer Reva, Rabelli always found the idea of a green vehicle kicking.
"I had a childhood dream to travel to Europe by road. But when I travelled from Australia to India by road in 2010, I sobbed on wasting so much fuel. Then there are so many autorickshaws on Indian roads wasting thousands of litres of fuel. This was the same time I joined Reva where the idea of electric vehicle fascinated me even more. What better than to showcase the tuk-tuk as a green vehicle and make my childhood dream come true," he told TOI.
Rabelli, who has been living in Bangalore for the past two-and-a-half years, picked up his tuk-tuk from Yeshwantpur and named it Tejas - Sanskrit for brilliance. It is now fitted with a new motor, a battery set and gearbox along with solar panels that power it. It took him two years after a number of trials to prepare for this journey.
Tejas, the solar-and-electric hybrid vehicle, takes eight hours to get fully charged and runs little less than 80km. But exposure to sun can power it for another 25 km. Rabelli aims to cover 100km a day and take 100 days to reach London.
Raoul Kopacka, a 26-year-old Austrian, will accompany Rabelli and make a documentary out of the epic journey.
Tejas is more economical than diesel variants as it can run 100km for every dollar. Rabelli has spent Rs 3.5 lakh till date on it. He needs to get the motor and batteries right. "I need US $40,000 for the logistics. As soon as I get funds, I will start this journey," Rabelli added
