[Wanderers]

Hi Nissan1180

Thanks for giving us the details of E-rickshaw. However this revolution has caused more havoc than comfort. In Delhi, we have faced numerous accidents due to poor driving sense of original rickshaw pullers but more so because of its design.

Long design to carry 4+1 people has made the length to width ratio very high and I have seen them topping on u-turns. One in front of my car with all 4 occupants fallen down.

I feel, we should have opted for smaller design for 2 people only. At 4 people, it tries to compete with auto-rickshaws at cheaper price and this is causing inorganic growth.

[Gansan]

I travelled in this e-rickshaw during my visit to Delhi last March. Especially around the Red Fort and around the Zoo. They are silent and non-polluting alright, but they are very very slow and they nonchalantly go out on the main roads. It is quite scary to see other vehicles zip past you. Auto rickshaws at least keep pace with the traffic (more or less!). These ones also slow down traffic considerably.

They are fine in areas without fast moving traffic, though.

I miss the old Motorcycle rickshaws of Delhi, Fat-fatis, they used to be called!

[Viraat13]

Sorry, absolutely disagree with the thread. Hardly a revolution, they're a freakin' nuisance on the roads of Delhi. They also don't keep pace with traffic, and are driven by kids/idiots. Considering that they're not covered under the MV act, what happens when someone gets killed? You don't require a license to drive one, so imagine what kind of imbecile drives one of these? The rickshaws have no road sense, and they not only risk their own lives when they're on main roads, but of their passengers too! Delhi was much safer when they had been banned by the courts. They need to be brought under the ambit of the law, given registration numbers, have insurance, and of course, there are other environmental factors such as where they get their electricity from (stolen), and where the batteries will go.

[XD2]

These eRicks are in use in Delhi and Gurgaon. In my opinion, one critical difference between these and the cycle-rickshaws is that the drivers of these think they are "driving", and strive to compete for road space. Where a cycle rickshaw would give way and move to one side of the road, these eRicks chug on all lanes even on busy intersections. If this is not regulated, I would not be surprised to find three eRicks on a three lane highway competing against each other at 20,22 and 25kmph. Don't we already have enough trouble with slow moving traffic causing havoc across city streets.

Although this is a good replacement for cycle-rickshaws, the drivers will eventually turn more ambitious and compete with larger traffic in cities which are already running out of space.

I am already having enough trouble dealing with tractors and such which are used across the state for ferrying around all kinds of loads. Add E-Rickshaws to that and it could be a potential nightmare on the streets for us car owners.

[Lobogris]

Originally Posted by Viraat13

Sorry, absolutely disagree with the thread. Hardly a revolution, they're a freakin' nuisance on the roads of Delhi. They also don't keep pace with traffic, and are driven by kids/idiots. Considering that they're not covered under the MV act, what happens when someone gets killed? You don't require a license to drive one, so imagine what kind of imbecile drives one of these? The rickshaws have no road sense, and they not only risk their own lives when they're on main roads, but of their passengers too! Delhi was much safer when they had been banned by the courts. They need to be brought under the ambit of the law, given registration numbers, have insurance, and of course, there are other environmental factors such as where they get their electricity from (stolen), and where the batteries will go.

Fully agree.
All vehicles on the road, even bicycles should be under the ambit of the MV act and the police should be able to cite them. Earning a livelihood by working as a public passenger vehicle driver (even a cycle rickshaw) should be a cherished privilege requiring a licence, a few weeks training followed by annual training on safe driving. This privilege should be revoked after 2-3 violations in a year. That is the only way these drivers would have some fear of the law. We are in the 2ist century and even in our nations capital we have people driving vehicles to ferry passengers without any license, insurance, training or oversight.

In addition we should adopt Western rules on motor vehicles insurance where drivers with citations and accidents have to pay much more for insurance and would not be hired as taxi/ auto rickshaw or truck drivers.

[SnakemanJohny]

Great post, Nissan1180. I only disagree on one point, the need for seat belts, as these EEricks have a maximum speed of 25kms or so.

Unlike in Delhi, they are not allowed on main roads of Central Calcutta yet, but have flooded the suburbs and small towns. Cylcle rickshaws are fast disappearing, as the battery powered ones carry more passengers -- four against two -- and charge lower fares, and are slightly more comfortable.

But they are a real headache for us motorists, hardly ever using the horn, or lights at night, to conserve power ! At a blind turn, you are suddenly faced with a convoy of them ! And they keep stopping anywhere and everywhere, picking up and dropping customers, or simply waiting for them ! With no registration, licence, or any kind of control, they are a new category of those above the law !

Electricity theft does not yet seem to be an issue yet, most being charged at home. But with the level of enforcement in Bengal, they surely must be getting it free in rural areas and smaller towns . Our esteemed CM had forbidden any kind of action against power theft after one incident turned ugly and the police had to open fire.

And yes, battery disposal will be a problem soon, with many more lead recyclers mushrooming all over, generating employment maybe, but of the lethal kind.

[Nissan1180]

Interesting responses
I agree with most of what has been expressed above. In traffic, these are real bottlenecks. They slow down vehicles on the main road. Also, battery disposal will be an issue soon and the hazardous wastes excreted by the small scale units that make up the recycling industry will make life worse for a lot of people.

However, I have faith in the ability of the government to think, act and encourage responsibility (what other option do we really have? ).
It is sad that there has been absolutely no thought spared for the integration of this vehicle into normal traffic. One solution could have been to train these drivers to drive on the left side, and making them pay a heavy fine if they were caught disobeying (by a policeman or a camera). I think (hope) this is something the RTOs would implement soon.

My intention while starting this thread was to highlight the relatively simple electric automobile that did the work of carrying 5 people in very little comfort just right at a price comparable to most 2 wheelers. Someday, we might get to see a personal transport vehicle with a refined version of this package!
Also, I cannot help but appreciate the environmental value- the electricity powering this tuk-tuk might be a result of burning coal, but the lung torture saved by making this vehicle run in places where people still use kerosene powered auto rickshaws is priceless.

[SnakemanJohny]

Again I agree with most of it, government regulations, backed by strict enforcement, are our only hope. They should be regulated by rules of traffic, with registration to identify the flouters or their drivers, if allowed on main roads.

Again, I appreciate your intention in starting the thread, as after many years the Indian cycle rickshaw has received an upgrade. Older versions may remain in pockets so in future one may see what it was like for pedal/manpowered vehicles. As the pullcart rickshaw, the descendants of the original "jinirickshaw" has disappeared from places like Shimla etc. but remains restricted to pockets in Central Calcutta.

Or the Electric Tram, double-decker version in Bombay and single in other cities like Delhi, have been phased out but the two-cart version remains in Calcutta

[Senna4Ever]

Post the amendments in CMVR act for E-rickshaws, several companies have been lining up for certification/registration of their respective E-rickshaw models. Apart from major corporations, medium scale companies are also in play, so the list must be long. I was wondering the same, when I stumbled upon this list.

PDF Link

This is a list of ICAT-certified manufacturers and models. Some of the major players include Electrotherm (YOBykes), Lohia Auto, Caparo etc. Saera EA Ltd. (Mayuri) being one of the first to get certifications (list being chronological).

Screenshot:


ICAT, Manesar is a government approved vehicle testing agency. Obviously, several other companies would have got certifications from ARAI, CIRT or VRDE.

Also, has Hero Electric dropped the 'Raahi' E-rickshaw or what? Absolutely no mention on their website!

[KomS_CarLog]

Check this out. OK Play India (plastic component company) is coming out with e-plastic rickshaws -

NEW DELHI: OK Play India, the plastic auto components maker, today announced its foray into the e-rickshaw segment, with the launch of its the E-Raaja priced at Rs 1.15-1.25 lakh (inclusive of taxes, Delhi).

The company plans to produce the e-rickshaws from its two manufacturing units - one in Sohna (Haryana) to cater to the North Indian market and the second one in Ranipet ( Tamil Nadu) to cater to South India. It is making an initial investment of Rs 40 crore. The production capacity of both the plants stands at 3,00,000 e-rickshaws per year.

The ICAT-approved E-Raaja is indigenously designed and developed, and an outcome of more than two years of in-house R&D by a dedicated research and design team.

OK Play has been ingeniously using the roto-moulded plastics process and has the expertise to create world-class, environment-friendly automotive plastic products.

source

[volkman10]

Mahindra and Mahindra to roll out e- rickshaws by year end, buses to follow.

The $17 billion Mahindra Group is 'accelerating' its focus on electric mobility with another Rs 600 crore investment in e-vehicles — taking its cumulative investment to Rs 1,200 crore — that will see the company rolling out an electric bus in a year's time and e-rickshaws by this year

link

[schakravarthy]

Clicked by my friend Monish at Pune

[SnakemanJohny]

Strange, this ON TEST sample looks exactly like an auto-rickshaw from the back. Wish we had other pictures, from the front & sides.
In West Bengal, all old model e-rickshaws are going to be phased out soon, as they have been declared unsafe on many aspects. Most of them start breaking down soon after being put on road -- with Chinese motors and locally welded body -- and fare horribly under slightest impact.
Newer, safer models will be put on road after registration and other legal requirements like road permits. Drivers will be licensed. The state government will subsidise the scrapping of the old ones and purchasing the new. It has been scheduled for 01 April this year, but will no doubt have to be extended many times, like the TV set-top box deadline, or the Aadhar card linking deadline !
We motorists are just standing on the sidelines and watching, as the TOTOs (as e-rickys are called here) continue to hog the road !

[ashutoshb]

While doing a research on battery rickshaws, I came across the issue of charging them.

In 2014, Delhi was losing upto 216 crores due to power thefts by battery-rikshaw men, every year. They were either using domestic electricity or were just stealing from a pole.

By June 2017, there was not one authorised charging centre in Delhi.

Even if I go by Delhi's cheapest rate, the price off domestic electricity per unit is Rs.4. On an average, a battery rickshaw consumers 10 units in a day. That's 40 rupees worth of electricity.

There are more than a lakh e-rikshaws in Delhi, which makes it 1 MW of electricity being consumed everyday. That's 30 MW of electricity which is either stolen or improperly priced.

And how clean is the electricity, depends on where it is coming from. In 2012, 57% came from coal-fired thermal power plants.

IMHO, I do not see the fault of the product, its the way we are making use of it, is what refrains me from calling it a saviour of any sorts.

[volkman10]

India's electric car revolution faces bumps, potential buyers are skeptical and would rather await for the infrastructure readiness.

- Needs all the basic features that he needs as a commercial driver

- A top speed of at least 40 km (25 miles) per hour and convenient recharging

There are the e-rickshaws plying the streets now but they are battery operated and have very little speed,

they need six hours to charge the battery at home and with that they can only move about 50 kms, whereas we need to move up to 150 kms per day

We need charging points where machines can be charged in 15 minutes

link