http://www.bangaloremirror.com/bangalore/others/Electric-city/articleshow/49387992.cms Electric city By Vidya Iyengar | Oct 16, 2015
[images http://www.bangaloremirror.com/bangalore/others/Electric-city/thumb/msid-49388086,width-900,resizemode-4/bike-inn.jpg Tarun Kumar and Saraswathi ride their electric bikes to work every day ] They may be a handful, but Bengalureans are waking up to the advantages of electric bikes to conserve natural resources Bengalureans on bikes have a well-known penchant for speeding - even over our city's abysmal roads and numerous potholes. But Shankar R Chugani aka Shunky isn't one of them. In fact, he often finds himself being honked at by impatient vehicles behind him. But he isn't about to budge. After all, riding his Go GreenBOV electric bike at 40 km/ hour conserves the battery charge. And given the state of our roads and the maddening traffic, it's not like going any faster is a safe option anyway. "I'm choosing to ride an electric bike to reduce the carbon footprint. So I don't bother," he says. Chugani is one of the few Bengalureans who rides an electric bike on a daily basis. But it wasn't always so. Chugani (he lives in Murgeshpalya and works at Jagriti in Whitefield) used to cycle or ride a Bajaj Pulsar [ice motorcycle] to work. Then, in August 2014, when Jagdish Raja, founder of Jagriti Theatre bought the vehicle for the theatre, he suggested that Chugani make use of it. In the last one-and-a-half years, he has been riding 18 km back and forth to work, and comes to MG Road, Indiranagar, Koramangala and Ulsoor four times a week for open mic sessions. And he quickly realised that going at over 40 km/hr would drain the battery. "Though the pace at which I ride used to be a joke initially among friends, they now know that I'll be there 15 minutes after they've reached," he says. There are a few challenges - "The initial pick up is a bit slow. Also since I ride slowly to conserve charge, vehicles behind me are constantly honking. Considering the state of the roads, I just can't ram into the potholes. Neither can I always be completely on the left, since there are several bad patches," he says. But the pros far outweigh the cons. Like the fact that his monthly expense on transport is less than Rs 1,000. "It's not only conserving resources but it's also a low-maintenance bike. I get it serviced only four times a year," he says. For others, like 29-year-old Tarun Kumar and his mother Saraswathi, the biggest plus is the feeling of contributing to the environmental cause. They own two bikes - a Hero Electric and Go GreenBOV- and have been using them to get to work since 2012. "My mother used to ride a Kinetic Honda [ice scooter], but decided to give it up. We felt that we're already taking up so many natural resources. This is our way of conserving nature," he says. Like Chugani, he's had a fair share of encounters with curious onlookers. He recalls how two people - one in a Scorpio and another on an Activa [ice scooters] - asked him the speed of the vehicle at a signal. "When I told them that on an average it's 30 km/hr they laughed and sped away. I was slightly embarrassed. But then I found them at two consecutive signals after that. That's when I smiled and told them that thanks to the condition of the roads, the average speed of any vehicle is between 25 and 35 km. And when I pointed out that all of us ended up waiting at the same signal anyway, they had no answer," Kumar says. The structural engineer, who conducts several site visits in a week, rarely takes out his car. On the other hand, his mother is completely dependent on the electric vehicle. While he mostly does short trips in and around Basavanagudi, he's even ridden to Hoskote on the electric vehicle. Since he gets it serviced only twice a year, Kumar says that the vehicle he bought for Rs 39,000 doesn't require much maintenance. "And safety is not a concern since the vehicle goes at a manageable speed," he says. Kumar charges the vehicle 20 times a month and has saved Rs 300 on fuel. Chugani on the other hand charges the bike four times a week for six hours every time. And he appreciates the fact that it does not make as much of a noise while revving as his Pulsar [ice motorcycle] would. He recalls how a couple of years ago when he used to return home late on his Pulsar, the stray dogs in his locality would get startled, bark and chase him. "But now, not even one dog wakes up when I get back home," he says. The testimonials are heartening for Dhivik Reddy, founder and CEO of Go GreenBOV, who says it was his father who came up with the idea, which the son then translated into action. At present there are between 14,000 to 16,000 electric bikes they've sold, on the road. "But the problem is the lack of awareness. There has to be a collective effort to promote this as an alternate mode of transport," says Reddy, who manufactures around 1,800 electric bikes a month."We've got mileages over the four models. As we launch newer models we are working on enhancing the experience," he says. They offer four models that with different mileage - ranging from 50 to 120 km, and on average, the vehicles need to be charged for eight hours (when the battery is completely out). "It's just like charging a cellphone. Right now we're working on a vehicle which can be charged completely in one hour. We need to use bring in technology into the automobile sector," he says. It will help people like engineering student Arpan Jawhar, for whom the vehicle has come in handy since it doesn't require a licence to be driven. Travelling from Jayanagar to his college PESIT in Banashankari has saved him the hassle of using public transport. "I travel short distances and it works well for me," says the 18-year old, who bought the Go GreenBOV four years ago. "I've been using it on a daily basis to get to college and tuitions, ever since I was too young to get a driving licence," he says. While many in Bengaluru complain about the swelling dust and pollution in the city, these proactive citizens are hopefully moving in the right direction. GO GREENBOV FACTS » Travelling 120 km on a regular bike would require about four litres of petrol, which will cost Rs 200 » Travelling 120 km on the electric bike would consume 3-4 units of electricity (about Rs 10) » The bike costs between Rs 31,000 and 55,000 [© bangaloremirror.com] ... https://www.facebook.com/gogreenbov Go GreenBOV(Battery Operated Vehicles) www.gogreenbov.com Don't U wish U lived in a place where ... http://www.gogreenbov.com For EVLN EV-newswire posts use: http://evdl.org/evln/ {brucedp.150m.com} -- View this message in context: http://electric-vehicle-discussion-list.413529.n4.nabble.com/Penchant-for-speed-ebike-riding-in-India-on-abysmal-potholed-roads-tp4678197.html Sent from the Electric Vehicle Discussion List mailing list archive at Nabble.com. _______________________________________________ UNSUBSCRIBE: http://www.evdl.org/help/index.html#usub http://lists.evdl.org/listinfo.cgi/ev-evdl.org Read EVAngel's EV News at http://evdl.org/evln/ Please discuss EV drag racing at NEDRA (http://groups.yahoo.com/group/NEDRA)
