The solar-powered pedicab, developed by the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research got the much needed push from finance minister Pranab Mukherjee which could speed up its commercialisation.
Move over cycle rickshaws. Here come soleckshaws.
The solar-powered pedicab, developed by the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) got the much needed push from finance minister Pranab Mukherjee which could speed up its commercialisation.
"I propose to provide a concessional excise duty of 4% to this product (soleckshaw). Its key parts and components are also being exempted from customs duty," he announced while presenting the general budget last week.
The concessions are expected to make the soleckshaw more effcient by incorporating higher powered motors and lighter lithium batteries, CSIR director general Samir K Brahmachari said.
"This stimulus for 'Soleckshaw' would help promote its commercialisation," he said.
The CSIR has so far given license for manufacture of soleckshaws to small scale units and the duty concessions would make it possible to rope in medium and large scale industry.
"Greater volumes of productions would help bring down costs and make the vehicle more affordable," Brahmachari said.
Being dubbed as environment-friendly means of transport, the CSIR plans to introduce at least 1,000 such pedicabs to ferry atheletes to short distances during the upcoming Commonwealth Games.
Over 7,000 players and delegates from over 70 countries will be here to be part of the Commonwealth Games held between October 3 and 14.
The soleckshaw was developed by the Durgapur-based Central Mechanical Engineering Research Institute (CMERI), one of the 37 laboratories of CSIR.
CMERI has transferred the technology to Modular Machines, Faridabad; HBL Power Systems Limited, Hyderabad; and DEAN Systems, Kolkata.
Designed to ease the physical burden of the estimated eight million cycle rickshaw pullers, the soleckshaws are pedal operated, motor assisted green pedicabs which draw their power from a battery that is charged using solar energy.
The batteries can be charged at a designated central location which houses the solar panels.
It can seat 2-3 passengers, carry a payload of 150-200kg, excluding the driver and run at a speed of 15km per hour. It's speed can touch 40km per hour.
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