Anyone who has traveled to India knows about the massive amount of chaotic traffic on the streets. Crossing the road in Delhi is a terrifyingly heart-stopping adventure. Instead of motorcycles and cars, many people opt for the conveniences of a rickshaw. But, this being the 21st century, some inventors have come up with a version that’s a little more high tech than the old pedal-driven kind.

The Soleckshaw is still in the trial stages, but the solar powered rickshaw has already people talking and contemplating what the technology could do if these vehicles replace the human-powered kind. The Indian prototype by the Center for Science and Industrial Research has been running in trial stages since October. The dual-powered cycle operates by pedal power and a 36 V 240-350 W battery that gets charged at a solar charging station. It has a carbon footprint of zero, so it doesn’t pollute any more than the traditional version.

The solar version reaches a pretty impressive speed of about 15 kilometres per hour and, fully-charged, the battery can keep going for 50-70 kilometres. The goal is to develop the current four Soleckshaws into more advanced models in time for the 2010 Commonwealth Games in Delhi.

If a manufacturer is found to mass produce the Soleckshaws, however, some worry that they would be too expensive for most rickshaw pullers. Each Soleckshaw is expected to cost 2.5 times more than the traditional ones, though the Indian government has offered guaranteed loans for drivers who want to buy them. It’s also unclear who will pay at the solar charging stations will the drivers be expected to pay for their own electricity?

Modeled in some ways after the SolarCab, which was developed in London and set to launch next year, the rickshaw will also be outfitted with solar panels on its roof. But with a unique decorative flair of their own, the Soleckshaws have animated Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck stickers painted on their sides. An added bonus of the solar rickshaw is that the battery can recharge riders’ mobile phones as they zip from one destination to the next.

Image via Treehugger
Via: Ecoworldly and India’s Department of Science & Technology

Israeli company Innowattech is currently developing technology to harness some of the most bountiful manmade kinetic energy out there – the movement of cars, trains and planes over roads, rails and runways. The idea is simple – stick a piezoelectric generator under the road. Innowattech claims that 1 km of piezoelectric highway could generate 500 kilowatts (that’s 0.8 MW per mile, for those of you keeping score at home).

A recent article by Treehugger, however, blasts the idea, stingingly (albeit cleverly) calling it “highway robbery”. The author argues that piezoelectric roadways would increase the drag felt by the moving vehicle which, in turn, would cause the driver to burn extra gas to get over the road. Thus, all the electricity generated by such a system would in fact be stealing money from the drivers.

It’s an interesting ethical question, and it depends a lot on details. I’ll assume that the Innowattech system really does force drivers to burn more gas (for if it does not, there is really no argument here). But how much gas? For example, if it could be shown that the system cost each driver something negligible (let’s say less than a penny), I think a lot of people would argue that it’s more important to have the clean electricity than worry about stealing something so unnoticeable.

But where do you draw the line? Would you be willing to pay a quarter every time you drove on that road? What if it was closer to a dollar? That’s real money.

What do you guys think?

Via Treehugger