Electric motor-assisted pedal-driven tricycle

Abstract

Tricycles or cycle rickshaws are driven by manual pedalling, which is a very strenuous job for rickshaw pullers. On the other hand, auto rickshaws are driven by fossil fuel, which produces too much environmental pollution, especially in the busiest streets of a city, where the average running speed cannot be more than 15 km hr−1. The electric three-wheelers, which contribute less towards air pollution, are completely driven by electric motors and require a large-capacity motor and battery. The drive system of these electric vehicles in general is very complicated, as it includes a heavyweight Permanent Magnet Direct Current (PMDC) motor, gearbox, gear-changing mechanism, clutch and others. Considering the above facts, a novel three-wheeled vehicle or pedicab was developed at Central Mechanical Engineering Research Institute (CMERI), Durgapur, India. It is lightweight and can be driven manually with the assistance of an electric motor. It is called the electric motor-assisted pedal-driven tricycle. The combination of pedal and electric motor reduces the drudgery of rickshaw pullers as well as minimises the utilisation of electric energy. Also, due to simultaneous utilisation of electric and manual power, this tricycle produces almost zero greenhouse gases and thus it may be considered one of the future green vehicles, suitable for short-distance transport.