Electric Rickshaws: Transportation of the Future

[...] Ah yes, the good old rickshaw. I have never seen one in actual use myself, but that’s probably because I don’t regularly leave the continental United States, where they are not a very popular choice, even in urban areas. But, I read that they are common in other parts of the world, and we have covered them a few times in the past. When I first read the headline for this story, the first thing that came to mind was the story we had a while back about the walking electric rickshaw pulled by a fake president. It’s true, click here for that if you happened to miss it the first time around. But, what the article is talking about is much more normal than that. They talk a bit about the older two-stroke autorickshaws that are still being used in certain parts of the planet, in part because they are cheap to purchase and easy and inexpensive to fix. However, they are bad polluters. But, not all autorickshaws are powered by two-stroke engines, in fact, some have very economical four-stroke powerplants. Even better would be one of the solar or battery electric models talked about in the article. Best: This one? [...]

This is to introduce myself as an Engineer aged 61, originally from Bangalore, India and now settled ( since 1993 ) in Kensington Maryland ( approximately 10 minutes driving distance North of Washington D.C. ) Born in Bangalore, India in 1946, I have had the opportunity of witnessing at first hand the phenomenal growth of the Autorickshaw Industry in India from the late 1950's to the present. At the end of 1981, at my then age of 35, I gave up my white-collar professional career in Engineering and Management in Bangalore, India to develop an Autorickshaw based enterprise in which I became and remained self employed until I finally emigrated to the United States in 1993 when I was 47 years old. In this enterprise which included a transport service for school children as well as a Mobile Food Vending enterprise,all using the same vehicle ( I had only one autorickshaw during the entire 8 years of operation of my business till I came to the US ) with appropriate instant modifications for different uses at different times of the day, I was able to employ up to 8 people at a time with full time employment and also earn for my self more than I would have been able to if I had held a standard, conventional, white-collared 9-5 job in Engineering and Management working for some Corporation. The autorickshaws themselves are phenomenal vehicles as designed, but it is the several different ways that they can be used ( with appropriate modifications ) that make them machines with great money making potential which can give great value for money for their buyers and users. It is going to be an even more phenomenal vehicle to buy and use if it can go CNG ( as the majority have in India in the last few years ) or better still, electric, for use in the United States, with appropriate modifications for heating and cooling in accordance with the weather conditions in which they are used. I am proposing to be in the vanguard of those interested in introducing the autorickshaw and all it can do to the United States,not only because of what autorickshaws are capable of doing, but because I have been deeply concerned and distressed by the fact that large numbers of American jobs have been getting outsourced to other countries including most notably to my own former home town ( Bangalore, India )and I believe that by introducing and developing autorickshaw based transportation ( and other forms of business ) activities in the United States ( especially in large and medium sized urban centers ), thousands of new jobs and business and self employment opportunities can be created for Americans ( as has happened over the years in India )of the kind that simply cannot be exported overseas since the job of a ( future ) American autorichshaw driver driving his or her autorickshaw for hire in New York or Washington D.C. cannot be exported overseas, nor can the job of a ( future ) American Autorickshaw mechanic. All that we would really have to do to make the autorickshaws into a thumping success in the US is to ensure that they are (1) Much more cost effective to operate and to use than taxis currently existing in the US ( which they already are ) (2) environmentally friendly,( various Autorickshaw makers, inclujding Bajaj, have been working on this situation and have made great strides in this field ) (3) easily available on the market through several dealerships which will also offer appropriate financing and servicing and repair facilities. (4) easily avilable for hire on the streets of appropriate areas of the US ( Urban centers, etc ) where they can be available for hire with meters as they are in India or Pakistan or Indonesia, etc.at affordable rates. If we are able to fulfill the above conditions I have no doubt that the American Autorickshaw Industry, which currently really does not exist in any major visible form ( except for a few dealerships across the country selling some 3 wheeler Bajaj autorickshaws ), will ultimately become a major employer in the United States. As an example, having delivered pizzas in the Greater Washington DC area for several years ( 1997 to 2001 )I am quite convinced that I would be able to make more money doing this with an autorickshaw than with a car ( which is standard in the US, although such deliveries are being done by 2 wheeler scooters in Bangalore ). Further I am able to design and build Autorickshaw based Mobile Hot dog ( and other kinds of food ) vending enterprises which can operate in any State of the US very cost effectively and earn great money for their Owner-Operators. They can also form the basis for an easily vailable Senior Transport Service, Dry Cleaning Deliveries, Auto Spareparts deliveries, etc. Essentially, my view of the American Autorickshaw Industry is that we are on the ground floor and the sky is the limit as to where this Industry can go in the United States since anyone getting started in some aspect or the other of this Industry in the United States at this time ( circa 2007 )is unlikely to have any competition for quite some time to come until the Industry starts to snowball which probably will not happen for at least another 5 to 10 years ( because of the resistance of American people to something like the Autorickshaw which looks small, rickety and unsafe until one gets to use it a few times and some of the Americans actually start to make good money using these machines ). Comments of anyone who is interested on my views are welcome. Vijay Umesh Tonse

Good idea! I was in Bangalore about a month ago (mar 2008). I rode in Auto Rickshaws on several occasions. They are a very sensible form of transit. I wonder why we have not adopted them in cities here. They may not be the best long range transit but for scooting around in cities they make a whole lot of sense. I noticed that Auto Rickshaws in Delhi (I went there as well) had been converted to CNG and that also makes a lot of sense. I also noticed that there were Electric Rickshaws at the Taj Mahal in Agra. It makes a whole lot of sense. Perhaps it is an idea whose time has come for the US as well. We can certain learn things from India and other countries around the world.

Vijay Umesh Tonse! And anyone else who is seriously interested in introducing autorickshaws to America! Please contact me, Mama Val Promise, at vpromise@yahoo.com. I am putting together a consortium of local (Santa Cruz, CA) interested parties--automobile dealers, taxi fleet owners, car rental agencies, hotel owners, visitors bureau, businesses, business associations, bicycle stores, etc--to fund the first phase of an import/customization operation of about 40 autorickshaws from India. The time has come! Let's do it now!

[...] available, the life of the man up front has improved dramatically. Rickshaws are now available solar-powered, electric battery operated and also with improved pedal assistance (known as [...]

Auto Rickshaws run by solar power can be very economical and will be environmentally friendly. There is considerable scope for future progress in this area which needs to be explored by experts as well as the users. I would like to know if they are currently in use. Ramamoorthy