Solar-electric hybrid scooter @ 50,000

The future of motoring is moving towards implementing greener and eco-friendly methods of transportation. But this so called future seems to be preponing with each passing day. With pollution levels on the rise, our cities are becoming factories of dust and other harmful particles which we end up breathing. This is actually a very serious affair which somehow majority of the general public fails to understand. Due to many different circumstances, we are not trying to make much of a difference on our own. It is this thinking that needs to be changed so that our planet becomes a much safer place to live for our future generations.

In line with this, ETI Dynamics has just recently unveiled a prototype ‘solar-electric hybrid’ scooter at the Press Club of India in New Delhi. Priced at Rs. 50,000/-, this one-of-a-kind scooter emits no noise or pollution whatsoever. It’s called a hybrid because the scooter can be charged with electricity and also from solar energy. It is covered with a canopy of bendable solar panels which helps the vehicle charge up while running. According to the company, once the batteries are completely charged, the hybrid can travel for more than 50 kms at a stretch at a maximum speed of upto 45 km/hr.

ETI Dynamics is planning to implement the concept in auto-rickshaws, buses and golf-carts as well. The company currently has no manufacturing unit in India and is looking for collaborations with a range of engineering institutions and vehicle manufacturers to assemble and bring the prototype to Indian roads by 2016. The first batch of scooters is expected between January to March 2016, through pilot projects in 5-6 cities including Delhi and Bangalore.

ETI Dynamics is also working to create mobile phone applications to help owners locate charging stations, monitor battery status and performance and also make payments. The electric vehicle market has not taken off yet in our country, firstly due to the lack of charging infrastructure and also due to high costs. The electric vehicle network needs to grow at a much faster rate so that vehicles other than the current crop of few e-rickshaws and the niche electric car market start growing much faster.