India has one million electric rickshaws, making it the world's second largest carmaker, outnumbered by China's fleet of hundreds of millions of motorcycles and electric bicycles. Analysts estimate that there are about 60 million Indians exploiting these electric rickshaws every day, each paying about 10 rupees, equivalent to 14 cents, per trip. In a country with limited shared transport options and a large number of working poor, these vehicles provide vital service as well as decent living for drivers, most of whom are illiterate. Drivers often do not abide by traffic rules, race with buses and trucks and block roads. This open-sided vehicle allows passengers to easily enter, exit and navigate.
A risk worth it
In the country's northern cities, where these electric rickshaws are frequently used, they replace their automated counterparts, which operate as taxis in the neighborhood, and can accommodate up to three people, and operate on diesel, gasoline or natural gas. Batteries are sometimes overheated, putting passengers' lives at risk, yet for millions of Indians it is a risk worth it. By comparison, motorized rickshaw is safer, faster and cheaper than electric rickshaw, which costs three to 10 times the cost of a rickshaw, is less energy-efficient and can carry four or more passengers. But for many drivers, the transition from mechanical rickshaw to old-fashioned electric is a qualitative leap because it brings them more income. Vinod Jha, 42, who switched to the electric model two years ago, says he is doing more work now, because the majority of travelers prefer electric rickshaws over those powered by fuel or dragged by humans.
Technically illegal
More than half of the three-wheeled taxis are technically illegal, and most of their drivers do not have a driver's license or license to operate them.They are more susceptible to accidents, and are operated by lead-acid batteries, which are placed beneath passenger seats, and their driver often steals electricity for recharging. "It's absolutely unsafe, but it's the only means of transportation available that will take me home," said Suman Deep Koor, who takes the vehicle twice a day between the station and her home.
India's adoption of electric cars was not as organized as much of the new things in the country. The first electric rickshaw emerged in nearly a decade when rickshaw manufacturers began importing ready-made parts from China for assembly in India, and at first these electric vehicles were mainly used to transport goods. The government ignored the rise in electric rickshaws on the roads until 2014, when a three-year-old boy fell into a hot oil container after his mother, who was carrying him, was hit by an electric rickshaw. The Delhi High Court ruled that such vehicles were illegal and banned them. The National Parliament subsequently intervened and ratified it in 2015, but most owners find it difficult to obtain the necessary licenses. The owner of G&G Automotive, Sunny Garg, a manufacturer of high-end electric vehicles in New Delhi, which costs about $ 2,000 per person, says government officials have realized that drivers are important voters, meaning that each electric rickshaw has at least four To six votes, referring to the family members of the driver.
Reduces pollution
Another thing that has convinced the government of the importance of electric rickshaw is that these vehicles reduce air pollution and gas emissions in places like New Delhi, caused by fuel rickshaws, where this city is one of the most polluted cities in the air in the world. Government officials there are now subsidizing 30,000 rupees, or about $ 425, to drivers buying new electric vehicles.
With the growing popularity of these cars, Indian companies have modified the original Chinese designs, and new brands such as Sarchi, one of the largest manufacturers of these electric vehicles in the Delhi region, have emerged to support their continuity such as parts suppliers and parking In the neighborhood, where drivers can store car batteries and recharge overnight.
Transformation of "electric"
The central government is now trying to force the makers of these modes of transport to use electric rickshaws. In order to reduce taxes on electric vehicles, and subsidized batteries and charging stations, in addition to these temptations, decided that all new three-wheeled vehicles should be electric by 2023, and achieve “This is good for the country to prevent environmental pollution,” says Niti Ayog, vice chairman of the company, which is implementing the plan.
However, safety is still a concern in this regard, as electronic cars, with slow speed and worn-out design, are vulnerable to accidents, and drivers are supposed to avoid the main roads, but many do not adhere to this, and utility companies complain of theft of a lot of electrical power using connections Electric is illegal. India's hot climate also affects electric batteries. They lose their charge more quickly than those in colder countries, they can overheat and break down, and big companies are looking for ways to solve these problems.
Olah, India's rival for Uber, is experimenting with electronic vehicles that can swap lithium-ion batteries quickly so cars don't stop on the road. The company built a battery-switching station outside Delhi after securing $ 250 million from Japan's Softbank for investment in electric vehicle technology. "Chaos cannot permeate this sector forever, it must get better," says Anand Shah, president of Olah Electric. Mahindra & Mahindra, the largest commercial vehicle producer, is working with SmartEye, a startup, to create a market for electric vehicles that run on lithium-ion batteries. SmartEye, which has the largest fleet of electric vehicles in the country, has signed a contract with Delhi Metro to put its cars in prime locations and has ambitions to unify the symbiotic system of electric rickshaws.
More professional appearance
The startup leases driver-driven rickshaws powered by lithium batteries, charging batteries and keeping them in their own warehouses. Drivers are bound by the methods drawn by the computer that determines connection requests. SMART II encourages its drivers to wear the company's shirts for a more professional look. The idea seems to have been a good success. It was only a few days after the idea was implemented that all Green Smart vehicles were the focus of travelers leaving the train station in the suburb of Dwarka in Delhi, rather than straining themselves in search of other electric vehicles. It was previously.
"It is reasonable to think that three-wheeled vehicles are at the forefront of India's electrical technology revolution," says SmartEye CEO Goldi Srivastava. "Three-wheel mobility is usually for many low- and middle-income Indians, it adds a new characteristic to India."
Symbol of the oppression of the working class in China
By definition, “rickshaw” is a vehicle that can accommodate a passenger or two passengers pulled by a person walking on his feet. The explanation is lengthy and bifurcated from the person or entity who created this vehicle. What is known is that “rakshe” first appeared in Japan in the late 17th century, and that the word rakshe came from the Japanese word “jirenkisha”, which means the man-made vehicle. It is said that one of the first European missionaries in Japan invented it to carry his sick wife. At one time, Japan had about 21,000 licensed drivers.
By the end of the century, this vehicle had reached India and China, and thousands had been produced, becoming the preferred mode of transportation for both the colonial elite to escape the intense heat, and to boast in these countries, the image of the fat colonist sitting inside the vehicle became drawn by the vulnerable citizen. Poor poor images of human contempt. The late Chinese leader, Mao Zedong, in 1949 banned the use of rickets altogether in China because he believed it was a symbol of the oppression of the working class, and India and some Asian countries soon followed suit.
The only city that has resisted this ban is Calcutta. Here, manual rickshaw guilds fought a fierce battle against the ban, and nearly 20,000 vehicles were still operating around the city. By contrast, only three hand rickshaws still operate in Hong Kong, targeting exclusively tourists. Other cities that use hand rickshaw for tourism include London, Dublin and Los Angeles.
Hand rickshaw drivers usually worked long days for very little pay, and the carriage served as a mobile home for them, where they also rested and slept. Towards the end of the last century, manual rickshaw driving in Asia was often the only function that rural IDPs can do, and most IDPs still practice it in Calcutta. It transmits
Drivers are people, goods and even policemen, they climb up the mountains and work during the monsoon. Many wealthy residents, such as those who lived in the highlands of Hong Kong, hired them as a regular form of transportation before trams or trains arrived there. When an overweight passenger rides with him, the rickshaw driver asks another driver for assistance in towing him and asks for extra fare.
Human rights groups in Calcutta have a long debate over handcuff drivers, whom they consider "modern-day slaves," while others argue that a handcuff ban would lead to unemployment and hunger. Some people claim that the majority of passengers are also lower class, and that hand rickshaws are the only way to travel during heavy monsoon rains.
Translation: AS-X About «India Times»
"Raksheh" at the heart of Indian politics
Many lawmakers at the National Assembly of Delhi on Monday raised concerns about the electric rickshaw, accusing it of creating chaos on Delhi's roads and demanding the Delhi government find better ways to regulate it. The case erupted after the Delhi government told the association that its database showed 71,092 electric rickshaws registered with the Department of Transport as of July 31, 2019, but not all of these battery-powered vehicles.
On the other hand, the Delhi government raised the prices of electric rickshaw by 18.75%, as of last June. The new prices come ahead of the general assembly elections in Delhi next year, and the increase in the fare is a reward for electric rickshaw drivers who supported the ruling Delhi party, a humanist party during the elections to achieve a solid victory in the state during the 2014 general elections. There.
The party's president and the state's prime minister, Arvind Kejriwal, made the promise to the electric rickshaw drivers, having managed to put an end to the long period of the Congress in governing the national capital, and promised them an annual review of the fees. The price hike also comes days after the Adami government announced a plan to exempt women from public transport in Delhi. The scheme has been criticized by former Delhi Metro chairman E. Sridhanan, who asked Prime Minister Narendra Modi not to approve the proposal because it would reduce the efficiency of the metro system and bankrupt it.
Hindustan Times
- "Rakshah" mechanism safer, higher speed and cheaper
The cost of the trip from the electric «Raksha», which costs
The trip has three to 10 times the cost of the trip
In mechanical rickshaw, it is less energy-consuming
It can carry four or more passengers.
- More than half of the three-wheeled taxis is
Technically legal, I don't have most
Its drivers have a driving license or a license to operate them, namely
More prone to accidents, they are operated mediated
Lead-acid batteries.
- By the end of the century
Last, I arrived
This vehicle to
India and China, have been
Producing thousands of them.