For ten years, Bappa Chatterjee has been pedalling his cycle rickshaw through the streets of Old Delhi, carrying 20 to 30 passengers a day for an average of 10 rupees (12p) a ride. He has worked 10 to 12 hours a day, seven days a week — and his callused hands and wiry frame bear witness to his punishing schedule.

Now his aching limbs have found some respite, thanks to an ingenious addition to the traffic on Indian roads — a solar-powered rickshaw. The Soleckshaw, launched in the capital this month, can be either pedalled or run off a 36-volt battery that is topped up every six to seven hours, or 45 miles, from a solar-powered charging station.

The prototype seats three and has electric lights, a maximum speed of 12½mph, and extras including an FM radio and four different mobile phone chargers. It can also drive uphill. “I used to get tired after one or two trips,” Mr Chatterjee told The Times, as he demonstrated one of the four Soleckshaws being tested in Old Delhi’s historic Chandni Chowk district. “This way I don’t feel tired, and I can earn more.”

The Soleckshaw is designed to ease the physical burden on the estimated eight million cycle rickshaw pullers, who are mostly migrants from India's poorest states. The Government, which is backing the project, hopes that it will help to reduce air pollution and wean the country off its dependence on fossil fuels.

If successful, it will be used during the 2010 Commonwealth Games in Delhi and could be exported to other countries, such as Britain, that are experimenting with rickshaws. “They can be used near the Taj Mahal and other monuments as their carbon footprint is zero,” said Kapil Sibal, the Science and Technology Minister.

Indian officials have long criticised the cycle rickshaw as an inhuman colonial legacy, and Delhi authorities banned them from Chandni Chowk in 2006, saying that they clogged up the streets.

Some groups are now disputing the ban in court, arguing that the vehicle provides cheap, eco-friendly transport for hundreds of millions of Indians every day. The Soleckshaw is an attempt to find a compromise.

It was developed by the state-run Centre for Scientific and Industrial Research in conjunction with Crompton Greaves, an Indian company that designed its electric engine. To introduce it nationwide, they are now working with the Centre for Rural Development, a non-governmental organisation that has been assisting cycle rickshaw pullers for years.

“The most important thing is that it will reduce the drudgery for India’s rickshaw drivers and give them some more dignity,” said Pradip Kumar Sarmah, the head of CRD. “Now the whole world is talking about global warming — this is perfect for travelling short distances in places where there is a lot of traffic and air pollution.” He said fares would be no more than those of cycle rickshaws.

The Soleckshaw costs 22,000 rupees, compared with 8,500 for a traditional one. That should come down to 20,000 rupees once mass production of 200-300 a month begins in two to three months, officials say.

CRD also plans to guarantee loans for Soleckshaw drivers so they can purchase their own vehicles and then pay back the loan in daily installments of 30-40 rupees. At the moment, most of them pay a daily hire fee of 30-40 rupees, sometimes for several years, but never get to own their own rickshaw.

The project’s backers also hope to raise money from carbon credits and advertising on the back of the Soleckshaws.

It is still unclear who will pay for the charging stations — the four test vehicles require 28 small solar panels to charge their batteries and five spares overnight. Nor has it been decided whether drivers will pay for the electricity.

Bappa Chatterjee is not worried by such details — he just hopes he never has to go back to pedalling full-time. “The police harrass us and the Government doesn’t recognise our service,” he said. “This is much better.”

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