We Are Converting Auto Rickshaws To Electric: Be Part Of It!

Would you like to help make our Earth better?

Do you have a special relationship or fondness towards India?

Would you like to help improve the lives and environment of the people in India?

Are you interested in global climate change and would like to help adopt cleaner energy sources?

Would you like to have a video of your message painted on an Indian auto rickshaw?

If you answered yes to any of the above (or you are curious anyhow), please read on: 

During our first three months in India, Josh and I (mostly Josh) have been working on a special project:

Basically, we are converting auto rickshaws to electric. Auto rickshaws are used for short distances because they are slow and open-aired, and provide cheap and efficient transportation; they are everywhere and a critical part of the Indian economy. But they are also very polluting and noisy. According to the World Resource Institute there are more than one million gas powered auto rickshaws in active use in India right now.

Electric rickshaws exist already, but they are in no way affordable to the average rickshaw driver and if they broke down, the driver would not be able to repair it easily or even afford any of the repairs. So this is how Josh came up with the brilliant idea of making conversion kits. The rickshaw drivers get to keep their rickshaw and all they need to do is replace their engine with the electric conversion kit that we will provide for free.

After the conversion is made, the rickshaw driver can go to a Hot Swap Shop to swap their battery with a fully charged battery. The rickshaw driver will pay only for the electrons he uses. This system will effectively replace their regular stop at the gas station. The converted rickshaw will be more powerful, quiet, easy to repair, environment-friendly and cheaper to use, especially since gas prices are going up. In India, all of the oil is imported.

Converting the essential rickshaws to electric, will without a doubt, improve the lives of these rickshaw drivers, their families, and the people in the villages, towns and cities where they are used. And you can help!

We have launched a fundraising project at Indiegogo!

Our goal:

To convert 400 auto rickshaws and install four hot swap shops in the pilot city of Ahmednagar, India in the state of Maharashtra a few hours from Pune and Mumbai.

This is where we live. Once we get this city done, the possibilities for India are endless. Funding this Indiegogo project will create a new transportation model that has the potential to stop more than a million gas engines from polluting the earth. You are also dramatically improving the life of a driver, his family, and the community where they live.

In addition, we are offering different perks depending on the amount of your donation, from receiving a personal thank you video from a rickshaw driver to having your message painted on one of these rickshaws!

You can read all about the details of the project in the Indiegogo page. Please check it out.

We also have a Facebook Page.

And a Reddit AMA (Ask Me Anything) page.

Let’s make this planet better together!

Oh and don’t forget you can also help by spreading the word through social media.

A big thank you.