A director at ECOEV, Munshi says that the idea for a battery-operated electric vehicle started as a students' project at IDC, and, over five years, has culminated into eTRIKE.
It's a mini electric vehicle, but you'd be forgiven for mistaking it for a toy. Yet the eTRIKE can ferry loads of upto 100 kg in addition to the driver's weight. It's makers — a start-up called ECOEV India Private Limited and collaborators Indian Institute of Technology Bombay and its CTech Labs — hope to enrol in its green journey a lot of workers, especially those who now use their crowns to carry loads, like mathadi workers, pheriwalas and dabbawalas.
"The eTRIKE is meant for short ranges, and not on main roads, but for narrow and congested lanes, wholesale markets and indoor use at factories," says Professor K Munshi, the former head of the Industrial Design Centre (IDC) at IIT Bombay. "The multipurpose eTRIKE delivery vehicle is smaller than a scooter. This makes it apt for use by workers at dairy plants or at airports and at large factory plants."
A director at ECOEV, Munshi says that the idea for a battery-operated electric vehicle started as a students' project at IDC, and, over five years, has culminated into eTRIKE. "It is an ideal vehicle for women drivers for fish or milk vending and for supporting farm activities such as pesticide spraying etc, and can empower rural women. The fisheries departments of Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal have shown interest in the deployment of these vehicles in urban clusters."
While the electric vehicle may be a novel idea in rural areas as an efficient transport option and may find acceptance in factories and at plants, one will have to wait for the electric vehicle to launch in the city to see if dabbawalas, who go about on foot, cycles or use push carts, or even mathadi workers, would invest thousands in a vehicle for an emissions-free ride.
Automotive designer Aditya Dhavale says that the market for electric vehicles in India is yet to mature and so the eTRIKE "might have a bumpy ride ahead at this stage". "I'd imagine that availability of charging points, vehicle cost and maintenance would be some of the obstacles," says Dhavale, who has worked with Tata Motors and General Motors.
Meet the mini eTRIKE
The eTRIKE weighs 50kgs, is noiseless, emissions-free and can reach a speed of 40kmph.
It is made of composite materials that make it rust-free, and uses batteries that take eight hours to charge fully via a plug-in charger.
The vehicle, with accessories such as charger and carrier, costs upto Rs 60,000. Its operational cost is as low as 15paise/km and is an efficient medium of transport for a 3-10km range, according to its makers
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