Vega ETX derives its power from a solar panel fixed to its roof
Like it or not but battery power sources will replace internal combustion engines (ICE) in almost all automobiles in the coming few years. Tighter emission norms and rising fuel prices have only accelerated the transition process. Not just passenger vehicles and two-wheelers but commercial vehicles and shared mobility are also part of this transition.
Market for rickshaws or Tuk Tuks in South Asia
Three-wheeler auto-rickshaw, commonly referred to as Tuk Tuks in India and few other Southeast Asian countries, is still the most prominent form of public transport. In many places in India, diesel and petrol auto-rickshaws have already started facing sanctions and would soon disappear from the auto market.
The immediate solution is to shift to a CNG powertrain, however, sooner or later, all commercial three-wheelers would have to shift to an electric powertrain. In recent times, there have been a few options in the Indian market that have been responsible for the increase in share of electric three-wheelers in the country. However, none of them come from a prominent brand barring Mahindra Treo.
Vega ETX details
A Sri Lankan EV startup named Vega recently has revealed its upcoming electric rickshaw which goes by the name ETX. The first two letters of the acronym stand for electric three-wheeler while the significance of letter X is not yet known. At the moment, the rickshaw is just at a prototype stage and sadly there aren’t many specific details attached to it.
In a short statement released on their social media handle, Vega has said that the ETX platform is an electric urban mobility solution for the future. It is a next-generation electric three-wheeler designed for safe, environmentally friendly, and economical urban mobility. The vehicle has been provided luggage space in addition to space for general passengers in order to transport goods.
Vega ETX Electric Rickshaw is powered by an electric motor that draws energy from LFP battery packs to maintain affordability. The primary highlight is the addition of a solar panel roof which avoids owners frequently quest for a charging point.
The battery can recover up to 64 kms per day only with its solar panels. Even though the panels are of smaller size, the nature of business allows the panels to be charged for most parts of the day.
This will also translate to even lesser running costs thus proving to be a very affordable means of public transportation. The company plans to introduce this vehicle not just in Sri Lanka but also in other South Asian countries where Tuk Tuks form a crucial part of public commutes. Vega plans to release a production-spec model based on the ETX sometime next year.
Source: Electric - rushlane.com
