THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: It’s beyond debate that autorickshaws are hugely responsible for a major chunk of air pollution in the city. Well, the Kerala Automobiles Ltd is all set to rectify the situation by introducing electric autorickshaws.
E-autos, as the name suggests, will run on electricity with no emission of polluting gases and costs only around Rs 2 lakh. The e-auto concept is put forth by the Kerala Automobiles Ltd, a Government of Kerala undertaking that manufactures three-wheelers (diesel, petrol & CNG) suitable for passengers and goods traffic in the state.
The company, which was a major exporter to the North and the North-eastern market, is now concentrating on the Southern market as the automobile industry has shifted its focus to e- products. The prototype of the e-auto will be launched by next month. If things work out as planned, the production will start by this year itself. “We see that there is a lot of demand for solar-run automobiles as it does not cause pollution. With this thought, we are bringing e-autos,” said A Shajahan, managing director, KAL.
“It is a new concept model. We are trying to give the conventional autorickshaws an innovative look and we are working on it,” he added. The e-autos differ from the diesel autos in many ways. There is no carbon dioxide emission, its soundless and fuel filling is not required.
KAL will be launching three prototypes of these e-autos which includes two passenger vehicle and one load-carrying vehicle. One time charging will enable it to run 100 km.“We are planning to increase the capacity of the model so that it can run more than 100 kilometres with one-time charging. KAL did not have a good market in Kerala and was in a state of loss. The project will a revolution for them too.
Shajahan said, “The project will be carried out under an estimated cost of Rs 50 crore. The government is ready to give full support for the smooth implementation of the project.”
After the prototype is launched, more e-autos will be made and will start running in the city and across the state. So far the KAL has concentrated on diesel-fuelled front engine and back engine autos but as more and more people are turning to energy efficient and eco-friendly fuels in automobile industry, electric autos are sure to get a place in the automobile sector. “Through this project we intend to produce and manufacture vehicles which are comfortable and energy efficient for customers.” After the e-autos are launched in the state,it will be made available in other states also.