Design And Development of Speed Reduction Kit For Hybrid Cycle Rikshaw

Abstract

Most of the transport (Specially in the crowded area and Short Distance Travel) vehicles prevailing in the cities of developing countries( Mostly India and Pakistan )are accountable for noise and air pollution, with the exception of human powered vehicles (HPV). However the human powered vehicles running commercially need a lot of physical effort to drive. A motor assisted battery driven Hybrid rickshaw can provide a relatively comfortable non-polluting and a silent transport system for urban and rural areas of India. The primary focus of this research was to develop an Electric Hybrid Rickshaw without requiring significant changes to the structure of widely popular existing rickshaws. In fact, it is a combination of a battery operated motor driving system with the existing pedal arrangement. This would allow the use of relatively smaller motor and storage batteries for automation as well as reducing human effort while keeping the option of full human- power drive readily possible. The performance test revealed that the hybrid vehicle provides satisfactory speed, easier motion control and a good scope of manipulating the shares of human effort and motor power. Besides reducing air and sound pollution, such rickshaws–demanding less physical effort, may provide large scale employment in urban and rural areas of India.