Many are turning to battery-powered vehicles to escape the exorbitant prices of petrol-diesel. Even if you can’t buy a new car or two-wheeler, there is an urge to change it to an electric version in this country. In the case of passenger cars, many people are working by installing electric kits. But instances of converting an electric car to a solar-powered version are extremely rare. This time, an auto driver from Odisha did the same. Srikanth Patra has converted his electric auto to a solar powered model. As soon as the news of the incident came to light, Srikanth got the support of many people.
A man from Odisha created a solar-powered auto-rickshaw
But explaining why he took this decision, Sreekanthar explained that his battery-powered three-wheeler had various charging-related issues and that he had built it as a utility model to run on solar power. He used to watch YouTube videos at various times to learn about technologies like solar.
Srikanth, 35, a resident of Odisha’s Bhubaneswar, told news agency ANI, “I have been driving auto rickshaws for the past 15 years. Excluding the fuel cost, driving a diesel engine auto would earn 300-400 rupees at the end of the day.” After working hard all day, it became difficult to run the family on this meager income. That’s why he decided to buy an electric auto. But there are many problems.
Srikanth said, “I bought an electric autorickshaw a year and a half ago. But the problem of low battery and charging is getting bigger day by day. As a result, customer service is also affected. So I could only drive during the day.” In this situation, Srikanth’s daughter, a class six student, plays a significant role in his livelihood. He gave his father the idea to convert the auto rickshaw into a solar powered model by watching videos from YouTube.
Srikanth said, “I admire the girl’s intelligence. That gave me the idea to convert electric autorickshaws to solar powered vehicles. Now I am free from the hassle of repeatedly charging the battery and refueling. This free-running auto-rickshaw is eco-friendly.” This Srikantar auto rickshaw can travel 140 km on a single charge. At the same time, his daily income has increased to 1300-1500 taka.
