By Nava Thakuria*
Guwahati: The Assam Power Distribution Company Limited’s notice to e-rickshaw owners for arranging separate (commercial) charging arrangements, has created a controversy. The APDCL with an aim to crack down on misuse of domestic electricity supply by the e-rickshaw owners recently asked them to apply for an additional electric vehicle charging category connection in their households. The concerned authority also asked the consumers to take appropriate initiatives for charging their e-rickshaw batteries with domestic power connections.
The common e-rickshaw in India normally uses Calcium Tubular Deep Cycle batteries, which can perform in hot climatic conditions for a longer period. The electricity-operated rickshaw with 60v1000w motors can run up to 25 kilometres per hour with a maximum load capacity of 600 kilograms. Every energy-efficient rickshaw may have five 12-vault (90 ampere-hours) batteries that need a 60v charger.
Taking up the cudgels for e-rickshaws, the All Assam Engineer’s Association (AAEA), today urged the authorities to establish charging stations for the benefit of battery-run rickshaw pullers. The forum of graduate engineers also insisted on powering the registered charging stations with solar plates.
“We raise the demand for the opening of modernized e-rickshaw charging stations across Assam. The charging of batteries may take hours (otherwise the fast charging normally damages the batteries) and hence necessary arrangements (to check to overcharge) should be taken in those charging stations,” said AAEA president Er Kailash Sarma in a media statement today.
*Senior journalist
