Solar Bikes, Best Solution To Soaring Fuel Price

Published: Tuesday, May 17, 2011, 16:43 [IST]

An Indian electrician from Pune has developed a solar powered bike that has zero emissions. Ayub Khan Pathan, the inventor of the bike said he had worked on the prototype for more than three months. Mr Pathan has added a a DC solar panel that converts sunlight into electricity that is stored in a battery to the Yobike, India's first zero emissions bike.

Imran, Mr Pathan's nephew who also worked for the development of the bike said: “Petrol prices are rising and it is not feasible for people to use their own vehicles on a daily basis. There are already so many solar powered inverters and batteries, so we thought why not apply them to scooters as well. This will be especially useful in villages, where long power cuts are the norm."

Mr Pathan claims the solar bike will have a range of fifty to sixty kilometres per charge. Further he added that on a sunny day one can travel as much as 200 to 250 kilometres in a day as the bike will be charged continuously. The solar bike can also be charged using a multi-purpose socket during cloudy days. The bike emits zero emissions and is completely noise free making it an ideal city ride. By eliminating the need to charge the bike using conventional power, running costs have been reduced to the bare minimum.

Mr Pathan said the bike is currently priced at Rs26,000 and added the price would come down to about Rs 16,000 once large scale production begins. Inventions such as this solar bike are a welcome change compared with the petrol and diesel powered vehicles. Such bikes have zero emissions and hence contribute to the reduction of pollution. With petrol prices constantly increasing, Mr Pathan believes the market for their invention will increase. The Pathans hope to launch the solar bike in a large scale by Diwali.