DESIGN DEVELOPMENT OF AN INDIGENOUS TRICYCLE RICKSHAW
1.3 Localized transportation: Status of HPV .1 Present practice
Fig. 1.22 Semi-open cargo trike Fig. 1.23 Closed cargo trike Fig. 1.24 Pick-up trike
Some tricycles are designed for load carrying (Fig. 1.22, Fig. 1.23 and 1.24, www.cyclemaximus.com, Dec, 2006). Others are designed for racing or for comfort.
Velomobiles are (Fig. 1.16, p. 11) recumbent tricycles fully enclosed for all weather use and aerodynamic benefits. Tandem trikes are also made by companies like Greenspeed.
They allow two people to ride in a recumbent position back to back with an extra-strong backbone frame to hold the extra weight (Fig. 1.25, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tricycle, Dec, 2006). Hand-crank trikes are also made by companies like Greenspeed and they allow arms to operate a crank, either as a sole source of power or a double drive with footpower.
Most cycle rickshaws (Fig 1.18, p. 11), used for carrying passengers for hire, are tricycles. The rickshaws are found in both layout i.e. delta and tadpole. These are widely used in South and Southeast Asia as a common mode of transport and on a limited basis in other places.
Fig. 1.25 Trice X2R back-to-back - A Special purpose recumbent tricycle
1.3 Localized transportation: Status of HPV
for the mass transportation systems. Human powered tricycle rickshaw fulfills this need.
Whereas bicycles are mostly self ridden and used by individuals for meeting their own commutation needs; tricycle rickshaws are used as hired vehicles and a puller rides this and carries passengers for a fare. In addition to this, there are variations based on tricycles used as delivery vans with boxy storage compartments, goods carrier and school children van to name a few that are put to use to fulfill the localized transportation need.
The current practice for meeting the localized transportation needs of the population is varied and is dependant on the region, cultural, economic capabilities, geographical locations and local administration. In the Indian context, this need is served by bicycle, manually operated rickshaws and tricycle vans in one side and by the auto rickshaw (Motorized three wheeler), shared taxi operated by using 3 wheeler auto rickshaw, its bigger versions as well as four wheeler multi utility vehicles. Thus various automobile manufacturing companies from India as well as overseas are catering to this demand.
Vehicle should carry limited number of people, consume less energy and cost within the limit of the common people. If an attractive, aesthetically good looking manually driven utility tricycle can be developed, a large number of populations even living on bare minimum resources would be benefited. It would also generate employment to a large number of unemployed youth as rickshaw pullers.
In addition to this, persons who can afford a two wheeler meet his commutation need by owning one. Member in the higher echelons in the society meets his requirement by owning a car. However to meet local transportation needs for transporting various goods tricycle based vehicles are extensively used. In many cases hand cart with 2 wheels pulled by a person are still used extensively in semi-urban and rural areas and are the only means of meeting local transportation needs including transporting sick patients to nearest medical facilities. There are also various advantages associated with the tricycle based human powered vehicles (Rajvanshi, 2002). These are:
o Non-polluting mode of transportation (air pollution, noise pollution etc.) during operation and also generates less pollution during manufacture compared to motorized mode of transport.
o Cost effective with increasing fuel prices for short distances.
o Provides for income generation for the vast unemployed youths of the country.
o Lower cost of capital for each vehicle and each employment generated.
o Due to low weight, Load on road infrastructure is less.
o Serves a large populations as pullers and passengers.
1.3.2 Associated shortcomings of current fuel driven local transportation system a) Environmental concerns and powered vehicles
Transportation sector is the second largest contributor of atmospheric pollution.
(http://www.greenspeed.us/electricbicycle.htm, Dec, 2006; http://oceanworld.tamu.edu/
resources/oceanographic-book/atmosphere.html, Dec, 2006; http:/www.veoliaenviron ment .com, Dec, 2007). Thus it is one of the greatest concerns to reduce this pollution.
Energy sources used for propulsion of various modes of surface transport like automobiles are mostly petroleum products (Petrol, Diesel) and causes pollution due to combustion of these fuels. These fuels are also non-renewable. Electric vehicles run by charging the battery pack through electricity too pollutes if the fossil fuel (petroleum or coal) is used to generate electricity except transferring the pollution from the place of use of the vehicle to the place of generation of electricity. If electricity generated is hydro- electric, solar powered, wind powered or nuclear fuel based used for charging the batteries, electric vehicles are zero pollution emitting vehicles in case of green house gases. Pure electric vehicle itself is still not feasible for long range application, since charging of the battery pack takes time and to store energy for long range, the battery pack becomes very heavy and becomes inefficient and purpose self defeating. Thus present research and development is based on the strategy of using hybrid vehicles having electric propulsion for city use and petroleum fuel based internal combustion engine for charging these battery on highway in addition to propelling the vehicle. In a hybrid vehicle, first electricity is generated and then this electricity is used to run the electric motors as well as charging the battery pack. Cost of these vehicles is still out of reach of common people.
Fuel cells are still far away as a commercially viable proposition.
Electric vehicle based on harnessing solar energy using photovoltaic cell is still not viable in areas with low sunshine and on cloudy and rainy days when sunshine is not available.
Increase in Pollution from transportation sector in developing countries can be attributed to the following causes:
1. Increase in population leading to increase in need for transportation, commutation. This leads to increase in vehicular traffic and if road network is not enhanced proportionally which is difficult, free flow of traffic is obstructed and it results in traffic congestion and increased pollution.
2. With extension and expansion of cities and towns, the citizens are forced to travel from one place to another place, which is much far away from each other due to location of residence, place of work and various services. This increased travel requirement contributes to added vehicular traffic and resultant pollution.
3. Inefficient and unreliable public transport system leads to inconvenience for the passengers and this in turn forces the public to purchase personal means of
commutation affordable by them, whether it is a two wheeler or a car. Thus existing public transportation system itself is indirectly contributing to the increase in pollution.
4. Manufacturing Process of vehicles- present mode of transport like automobiles are manufactured using excess materials if considered for short distance and limited distance travel including in campus commuting. e.g. Maruti – M 800 car, smallest ‘A’ class car when used for single passenger commuting uses minimum 8 times the weight of the passenger in terms of weight of the car.
Thus most of the energy spent is in moving this mass rather than the person. If we use alternative modes like tricycle, the weight of the vehicle can be even less than the body weight of the person commuting.
b) Possible solution being tried out at present
With increase in numbers of vehicles and resultant increase in air pollution, present strategy adopted is an effort to reduce pollution through reduction in quantum of pollutant from the Internal Combustion (IC) engine by improving its efficiency. This has resulted in reduction of pollution to some extent, but there is a limit to which this can be achieved.
Unless there is major invention, not much can be achieved any further.
Second approach is use of cleaner fuel like LPG, CNG etc. Even these fuels too generate carbon di-oxide.
Recent trend is for fuel cell. Present technology is yet to achieve economically viable breakthrough compared to internal combustion engine in terms of weight, distance range and speed achievable.
Purely electric vehicle too is restricted by its range and speed as mentioned earlier.
Hence hybrid vehicles are being tried. But again the source of energy remains the same i.e. Petroleum products in majority of cases.
1.3.3 Human Powered Vehicle (HPV): a relevant product
For short distance travel by self and a small group comprising 2-3 persons, the best strategy for containing the vehicular pollution may be through HPV (Human Powered Vehicles) (Ballantine and Grant, 1998). Tricycle/Trike/Rickshaws are not given due importance because of people’s perception about these mode of transport as slow moving, low grade, low-tech, unsafe product and associated status of rickshaw as a mode of transport used by poor people (www.johost.eu, Sept, 2007). In comparison to motorized vehicle development, not much research in this field has been carried out to improve these modes of transportation, and always it is seen as transportation using human power is inhuman and ill fit in modern age. This mind set leads to a tendency on part of the population in growing cities of developing countries to disband these vehicles from cities and urban areas attributing the increased vehicular pollution in these areas to these vehicles due to slow moving nature and for creating traffic snarl. Although HPVs
can never be substitute for present day automobiles for long distance travel, it is a very good mode of local transport within residential localities & complexes and in case of short distance from main road served by other public transport such as bus, local train or metro routes. The practice still exists, a facelift in the product design to provide a new aesthetic look and to it make more efficient is a need of the day.
Society and contemporary design acceptance through aesthetic look.
To conclude, to change the situation, there is a need to design a tricycle rickshaw to change the people’s perception as well as initiate philosophical change in society’s attitude. Whereas the designing of a rickshaw is a much easier task, changing a society’s philosophical attitude is a much difficult and time consuming process and may need legal restrictions like banning of automobiles at city square and encourage HPV etc. Not only to design, challenge is also faced to transfer this through a comparatively established manufacturing process and facility prevailing in a society.
1.4 Tricycle rickshaw design and technology transfer- a reference case