Big ideas start small. Working out of a small garage in Bangalore, an electrical engineer is promoting solar energy for preserving our planet.
Naveen Rabelli, an electrical engineer from Bangalore, India, has built a solar powered three wheeled auto-rickshaw (Tuk Tuk) to travel from India to the United Kingdom.
His mission is to promote solar energy as an alternative, renewable and clean energy source for vehicles
Rabelli worked with local mechanics for about two years and invested his life savings of $6,500 into converting the polluting tuk tuk into a pollution-free vehicle.
He will travel for 100 days in this self-built, solar-powered rickshaw from Bangalore, India to London, United Kingdom. He will be traversing 10 countries, travel around 6,000 Miles (9,600 Kms), and cause zero fuel emissions.
He has named his vehicle ‘Tejas’ which is a Sanskrit word meaning splendor or brilliance. Its roof is entirely covered with solar panels.
There is a lot of recharging stops on way to London
With eight hours of a battery charge, his tuk-tuk can travel fewer than 50 miles. However, five hours of exposure to the sun will allow Tejas to travel another 16 miles. But Tejas is more economical than a diesel powered tuk tuk.
Naveen also plans to film a documentary of the journey. His Australian companion, Raoul Kopacka will be filming the whole journey to make a documentary out of their experiences.
