Current Affairs - State - Discussion

Electric autorickshaws are set to be launched in Kerala. A committee of six autorickshaw driver unions signed a pact with a Kinetic Green, a private firm, to roll out 200 Electric autorickshaws in Kochi. These vehicles are expected to be on the road in November. It will primarily operate as feeder services to Kochi metro and buses, providing last-mile connectivity to commuters. Manufactured by Kinetic Green, each auto can carry four passengers and can attain the speed of up to 35 kmph. It will be fitted with GPS. The autorickshaws will be powered by lithium-ion batteries as it provides more torque than conventional batteries. Kinetic Green will bear the cost of each auto, that is approximately Rs.1.80 lakh, while the coordination committee of autorickshaw unions will bear their operational and maintenance expense. The per km expense on electricity will be around 30 paise.