Sunny side up: K-P Directorate of Science unveils solar-powered rickshaw

The three-wheeler, completed at Rs 0.28m, was rolled indoors when rain washed away demo plan

PESHAWAR:

In a city which hovers at the top of the list of the most air pollution in the world, the idea of a ‘green rickshaw’ is not about the colour of the three-wheeler but about a vehicle that runs on clean energy.

The Directorate of Science and Technology (DoST) introduced a solar-powered rickshaw on Tuesday, at the CECOS University. Muhammad Hilal Khan, an engineer at the university, had supervised the project. The Rs280,000 project is meant to be implemented across the city by the transport department.

At the moment, according to those involved in the project, the sun-friendly vehicle is still being tweaked before it can ride the busy streets of the city, but has been completed nonetheless. Deputy Director Inamullah Khan of the Design Facilitation and Training Centre which is working on hybrid technologies under DoST said, “The key objective of the project is to identify technological needs, foster innovation and facilitate the development and the implementation of new technologies.”

The deputy director shared the rickshaw will run on solar energy during the day and on rechargeable batteries at night. The solar-powered rickshaw can operate as long as there is daylight without discharging and on a fully-charged battery, the vehicle can operate for six to eight hours, said Inamullah.

The rickshaw can seat three to four people and can go as fast as 40 to 45 kilometres per hour.

“This will save fuel/CNG and is more economical than the regular rickshaw,” said Inamullah. “This is an indigenously-developed low cost transportation vehicle with zero carbon emission; useful in both urban and rural areas in the province,” he added.

Grey skies

In 2014, The World Health Organization (WHO) declared Peshawar was one of the most polluted cities in the world.

According to data provided by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in K-P, the average increase in sulphur dioxide emissions across sectors with major emissions (industry, transport and power) has been 23 fold over the past 20 years. Similarly, carbon emissions have increased at an average fourfold.

Estimates provided by one of the rickshaw unions reveal more than 50,000 registered and unregistered rickshaws ply the streets of the city. Most of these vehicles run on a two-stroke engine, which is considered to contribute significantly to air pollution. Four-stroke engines also contribute to air and noise pollution, however, rickshaw drivers are not as concerned about carbon emissions as they are about making ends meet. “We can’t reduce smoke levels without jamming the rickshaw,” said Saifullah, a two-stroke rickshaw driver.

Ye of little faith

The Express Tribune learnt while speaking to various rickshaw drivers that the transporters had little faith in these “new-fangled vehicles”. One rickshaw driver said, “What are we expected to do at night, the battery charge will not be enough for any of us who work the night shift, ferrying passengers around.”

The battery will at most last three hours before the driver and his passengers will be stranded, he added, not believing the directorate’s claims that the battery charge could last double that time. Many people who do other jobs in the day add to their living by working as rickshaw drivers at night.

According to another rickshaw driver, “This invention is pure nonsense; it will never work.” He added, “They started one in Karachi and that failed; these contraptions will never last in Peshawar.”

No mercy

In fact, similar solar-powered rickshaws have been developed earlier in both Lahore and Karachi. Both teams suggested their rickshaws could be produced at Rs230,00 and Rs150,000 respectively and will yield similar speed as the one in Peshawar.

The team in Karachi went as far as suggesting their vehicle would only have a Rs1 per kilometre cost. This in itself suggested a conflict of interest as the rates charged by rickshaws across the country are not uniformly measured by metres. Every driver charges his own rates and when fuel prices go up or CNG is short in the city, rickshaw drivers see a reason to artificially inflate prices.

On Tuesday, the rickshaw demonstration was meant to be held outdoors, however, rain forced the organisers to take the unveiling indoors. This last minute change in plans begged the question; can a rickshaw which is so sensitive to the elements survive in the city?

Published in The Express Tribune, October 15^th, 2014.