Solar-powered rickshaws to make the Pink City’s tourism go green
While Jaipur may be the City of Pink, the solar rickshaw project is looking to help turn the city’s tourism green. Solarick Tourism (P) Ltd (STPL) has launched solar rickshaws, a new, innovative concept that harnesses solar energy to offer Jaipur’s tourism sector an eco-friendly way to cruise around the capital of Rajasthan.
The solar rickshaw vehicle is powered mainly through solar paneling. This solar pedicab requires approximately six hours of sunlight to be fully charged. Once fully charged, it can then run for 45 kilometers. It also has electric charging capability options to help augment the charging capacity of the vehicle. The driver simply peddles the bicycle to kick start the motor, then the solar power kicks into for the ride, which can reach speeds of 20km/h. The vehicle can comfortably fit three passengers for an innovative experience of eco-friendly tourism.
Founded by two young Indian entrepreneurs, Sanjay Rathod and Mohit Dixit, STPL is closely working with the Indian Ministry of Tourism and Council of Scientific Industrial Research (CSIR) on the project to make the solar pedicab available for tourists to India.
Sanjay states that he would ultimately like to see the solar rickshaw vehicle available to all India’s cycle rickshaw drivers, but first the project is aimed at a premium audience to enable it to move forward before it goes mainstream. Mohit hopes to use the eco-pedicab to offer niche tourist travel opportunities in tourist areas and other places where petrol and diesel vehicles are restricted, such as near the Taj Mahal.
The solar rickshaw venture is an innovative way for tourists to India to cut their carbon footprint as they cruise around sites of Indian cultural heritage.
Source: www.indiafutureofchange.com
