Monday, January 11, 2010

Auto fair brings a students' special

NEW DELHI: 'Ride to School' a concept auto, could be the answer to safe and cheap transport for school students.

The auto, which has been developed by Electrortherm, is on display at the 10th Auto Expo in Pragati Maidan.

"Parents have to shell out a lot of money for transportation to school for their children. Since the price of fuel is so high, even schools can't do much. We have designed this auto keeping in mind the need for cheap transportation for school students," said Ashav K. Jadawala, manager-marketing, Electrotherm (India) Limited Auto Division.

In November last, the Delhi Transport Corporation hiked the fare charges for school buses from Rs 25 per kilometre to Rs 40 per kilometre.

This translated into a substantial increase of Rs 200 to Rs 300 in the bus fare fee, which hit parents whose children attended the less expensive schools and relied on DTC buses for transport.

The battery-operated auto has a maximum speed of 45 km/hr and the range per charge is 70-75 km.

The maximum power is 5 kilowatt and it can run up to four hours at a stretch without charge.

The auto, which can accomodate one driver and eight children, will cost between Rs 1 and Rs 1.5 lakh.

"The limited number of seats means it will prevent over-crowding. Since it can run only up to 4 hours per charge the driver will not deviate from the route and this will ensure children are safe and reach home on time," said Jadawala. "It also helps check pollution."

The auto could take two years to hit the market.

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