What do you do when you have loads of old vehicle parts that are going to waste? You put them together to make new, more energy-efficient vehicles, of course! Understanding the needs of the common man, four Visakhapatnambased graduates, led by G Girikrishna Sai Naidu, have established a unique shop. They manufacture batteryoperated vehicles, which he claims will be an alternative to autorickshaws. Sai Naidu procures various spare parts for the vehicles from different places and assembles them in his shop. The vehicles can be used in hospitals, institutes, universities and railway stations, he says.
The idea struck this 25-year-old while he was pursuing his MBA in Delhi. “Travelling to various places in and around Delhi, I observed that most of the areas have batteryoperated vehicles for a pollution-free environment. Instinctively, I thought of Vizag and how the city might benefi t from these vehicles to control pollution. I learnt from the owner of a vehicle in Delhi how it works and redesigned the model with a few changes,” says Girikrishna. Supporting him are three of his friends who are graduates from local colleges, helping with repairs, technical concepts and marketing. “Bringing this concept to the city will defi nitely bring a lot of change. Not just copying the same, I specially designed the front mirror and the vehicle is also fi tted with side guards,” he says, adding,
“The service will be done by us, of course.” So far, seven people in the city have purchased their very own batteryoperated vehicle. Andhra University too has shown some interest in purchasing vehicles from the team. “Looking at the models running in the city, many students have approached us to use this design for a food truck,” says Girikrishna. While the motor and controller are bought from Madhya Pradesh, a few parts are from other places. The vehicle can accommodate four passengers and once charged for 5-6 hours, it can run up to 100 kilometres.
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