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Electric autorickshaws are set to make a foray into Kerala, with the coordination committee of six autorickshaw driver unions set to ink a pact with a private firm to roll out 200 such vehicles in Kochi on Monday. The vehicles, which are expected on the road in November, will primarily operate as feeder services to Kochi metro and buses, providing last-mile connectivity to commuters. Kochi Metro Rail Limited Managing Director A.P.M. Mohammed Hanish said that charging points would be provided at 16 metro stations in the Aluva-Maharaja’s College Ground corridor for the autorickshaws, which would be introduced in a phased manner. “Electric vehicles hold the future, especially for public transport. Their entry will be a game changer in many ways – they do not cause air and noise pollution as they are not dependent on fossil fuels. Moreover, they have rockbottom operational cost,” Mr. Hanish said. The first batch of 38 autorickshaws has arrived in Kochi and the process is on to register them with the Motor Vehicles Department, it is learnt. Manufactured by Kinetic Green, each auto can carry four passengers and can attain speed of up to 35 kmph. The company is providing the first batch of autos to operate in Kochi on an experimental basis for three months, or even longer, said M.B. Syamathabhadran, an office-bearer of the Ernakulam District Autorickshaw Drivers Cooperative Society. “We will have to pay Rs. 100 per auto per day to the company during the first month, Rs. 150 per day during the second month and Rs. 200 in the third month,” he said. Sources said that the manufacturing company will bear the cost of each auto – approximately Rs. 1.80 lakh, while the coordination committee of autorickshaw unions will bear their operational and maintenance expense. The per km expense on electricity will be around 30 paise. They will be powered by lithium-ion batteries, which provide more torque than conventional batteries.
