Green Roadies pitch for change

HYDERABAD: They do not resemble beasts of the road. Neither do they sport designs that would make any youngster swoon head over heels. But Reva, Twingo and Twike, the three electric/hybrid cars which were parked at the AP Pollution Control Board here on Tuesday, had just completed a 750-km long trip from Mumbai to Hyderabad with zero dependence on fuel, negligent emissions and top speeds in excess of 100 km/hr -- a limit otherwise touched by only fuel guzzling vehicles. For a country reeling under high fuel prices and maintenance costs, these three green vehicles, which were part of the World Advanced Vehicle Expedition (WAVE) campaign, showed the best course forward.The team, which originally comprised five cars, two of which are expected to reach Hyderabad anytime, will continue their 15-day road trip to Bangalore, then to Goa and finally back to Mumbai. “We came as part of the IIT Bombay tech fest last week and then decided to utilise the opportunity to raise awareness in the country on the need to switch over to futuristic solar/hybrid cars,”  said Luis Palmer, main campaigner for WAVE from Switzerland, who in 2007 became the first man to drive around the world in 80 days on a solar-powered car.He added, “Today everyone thinks twice before purchasing an electric/hybrid vehicle due to high initial costs. But in truth, eco-friendly vehicles are much cheaper. It’s the lack of mass manufacturing that makes them so expensive, much like what mobile phones were in the beginning. People need to be aware that the period of recovery will be just a few years after which you can drive around without worry of escalating fuel prices or availability.”His teammates for the WAVE campaign couldn’t agree more. “I’ve been driving my three-wheeled hybrid vehicle for over 23 years now. It was built by an engineering student for me. And down the years, I have clocked over a million miles and the only maintenance required was a change of batteries once every 4-5 years,” replied Jean Claude, a Swissman who swears on the longevity of such vehicles. “In a country like Switzerland, a 10 sq ft solar panel, can help a car clock 15000 km a year. Just imagine if it was in India, how much more energy it could produce, which would translate into many more kilometres per year,” pointed out Palmer. And with modern solar driven cars capable of touching speeds as high as 300 km/hr and an engine power of atleast 75 BHP, there’s no reason to complain.In Hyderabad, the team was helped in its endeavour by Chittoor-based Climate Leaders India Network (CleaIN), an NGO started by a group of college students from across India. A 33000-member strong NGO today, it partnered with the WAVE campaign to promote green energy techniques for transportation in rural and urban areas. “The fact that most such green cars are custom-made or hand made, makes them unique. This can make up for the high initial cost and ordinary designs of such cars, if that is why youth today do not prefer green cars,” said Ravi Theja, national coordinator for CleaIN. Dana Kishore, member secretary, APPCB, thanked the WAVE team for crossing the oceans just to spread the message of environment sustainability among today’s youth. He announced plans of the APPCB to support students from atleast 20-25 colleges in the state who come out with potential green technology-based projects.