Studies on Energy Consumption Pattern in Mechanized Van Rickshaws in West Bengal and the Problems Associated with these Vehicles

Atanu Dutta; Tushar Jash

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Energy Procedia 54 (2014) 111-115

4th International Conference on Advances in Energy Research 2013, ICAER 2013

Studies on Energy Consumption Pattern in Mechanized Van Rickshaws in West Bengal and the Problems Associated with these

Vehicles

Atanu Duttaa*, Tushar Jasha

aSchool of Energy Studies, Jadavpur University, Kolkata 700 032, India

Abstract

The continuous increase in population and industrial development of the country has led to the increase in the demand for transport, both in cities and in the rural areas. However, the present transport system of the country is unable to meet the demand, thereby resulting in the introduction of different types of vehicles such as mechanized van rickshaws (as in case of West Bengal) in the streets. With the increasing popularity, the defects with these vehicles came into the forefront which forced the high court to issue a ban on these vehicles. This study aims at finding out the energy consumption pattern, the social and economic impact of these vehicles and to investigate the possibility of whether these vehicles can be modified so that they can be allowed to ply the streets of the rural areas.

Selection and peer-review under responsibility of Organizing Committee of ICAER 2013 Keywords: Energy; mechanized; van; transport; rural;

1. Introduction

A problem with developing countries having huge population and varying geographical features is that despite the best efforts of the government, some part of the country, especially the rural areas, gets less attention as compared to the cities. India is no exception. This is why there is a trend among the people of small villages or outskirts of the cities to move into the cities in search of better jobs, money and thus a better life. However, as this process continues, the city gradually gets more and more congested, and soon there is no room for others sharing the

* Corresponding author. Tel.: +91-988-310-9114. E-mail address:atanu. dutta07@gmail.com

Selection and peer-review under responsibility of Organizing Committee of ICAER 2013 doi: 10.1016/j.egypro.2014.07.253

same dream. Gradually development starts spreading to the city outskirts. As the process of development continues, there is a rapid increase in the need for transportation. In case of a highly populated country like India, the availability of vehicles is never adequate to fulfill the demands of the commuters. As a result, over-crowded buses with people hanging from the doors or people sitting dangerously at the roof tops of the buses is a common scenario, especially in the outskirts or the rural areas. To ease this pain, people have tried different modes of transport such as carts, cycle-rickshaws, vans, tractors, etc.

If we consider the case of West Bengal, a few years ago, cycle van rickshaws were used mainly for freight transportation. However, with the rapid increase in demand for passenger transport, people started using vans for commuting passengers. These vans are somewhat similar to the cycle-rickshaws, with a better carrying capacity, and involve a lot of physical labor. As these are not engine driven, there is no fear of any sort of pollution. As time passed, people wished for a better mode of transport which could commute them faster. As a result a motorized version of cycle van rickshaws came on the roads. These are popularly called "Vano". These mechanized van rickshaws are faster than the cycle van rickshaws. The average speed of mechanized van rickshaws is 12 km/h as compared to cycle van rickshaws (8 km/h). Also the mechanized van rickshaws have a better carrying capacity.

From the present condition of the transport sector, it is clear that despite the sincere effort of our government, this sector is unable to meet the demands of the commuters. To worsen the situation, the numbers of buses plying the streets are reducing gradually. As a result alternative mode of transportation such as mechanized van rickshaws have come into existence. However, as these vehicles became popular, especially in the rural area, the issues with these vehicles came into the forefront. Recently the court has issued an order according to which these vehicles will be banned due to obvious pollution and safety reasons. The objective of the present study aims at finding the energy consumption pattern of these vehicles and its social and economic effects. This study also aims at investigating whether there is a possibility to modify these mechanized van rickshaws so that they can be allowed to ply the streets of rural areas and the city outskirts in West Bengal. This way these vehicles can help the transport sector in minimizing the problems of commuters in the rural areas.

2. Methodology

In order to collect the data, a structured questionnaire was prepared and a total of 30 mechanized van rickshaw operators were interviewed from different locations in the outskirts of Kolkata. The data obtained from these interviews were then tabulated and specific energy consumption has been estimated. Also the verbal interaction with the people associated with operating these vehicles gave an insight to the problems and the facilities associated with operating these vehicles.

3. The vehicle

The different parts of a mechanized van rickshaw are described below.

• Sitting Deck: This structure is similar to that of the rickshaw van. The sitting capacity varies from 8 to 18 passengers.

• Engine: Initially some of these vehicles used engines of two-wheelers that are stolen or are no longer used. Now mostly diesel engines used for water pumps are used as the engines for these mechanized van rickshaws.

• Fuel Tank: These are normally yanked off a bike. Initially the vehicles that used engines of two wheelers contained a deadly combination of kerosene and petrol (also known as "katatel"). However, nowadays diesel is used for the vehicles that have the water pump engine.

• Wheels: The wheels normally belong to a bike that has been stolen or are not in use.

• Brakes: The breaking system is developed in garages by mechanics. Both drum brakes and oil brakes are available.

Figures 1 and 2 show the photographs of a Vano and its mechanized part.

Fig. 1. Photographs of mechanized van rickshaw (left) and its engine (right).

Fig. 2. Rear wheel coupling of mechanized van rickshaw.

4. Energy consumption pattern in mechanized van rickshaws

A major problem in finding out the energy consumption in mechanized van rickshaw is that the engine specifications are very difficult to read. However, based on the data provided by the mechanized van rickshaw operators, the following table has been prepared.

Table 1. Specific energy consumption in mechanized van rickshaw.

Location Engine Coupling Fuel Route Distance Mileage Carrying Per Specific energy Specific energy

type type used distance covered (km/t) capacity day consumption consumption*

(km) per day income (l/passenger/km) (kJ/passenger/km)

(km) (Rs.)

Anandapur, Water Chain Diesel 3.0 36 30 08 480.00 4.167x10-3 151.241

Ruby, 24 pump

Paraganas

Kakdwip, Chinese Chain Diesel 8.5 34 34 18 720.00 1.634x10-3 59.306

Paraganas (S)

* Calorific value of diesel: 36295 kJ/l.

5. Impacts: social, economic and environmental

Despite the problems associated with mechanized van rickshaws, its popularity has increased rapidly in the last few years, especially in the rural areas. There are places where mechanized van rickshaws are the only means for transportation by land. At certain remote places under the Sunderban area of South 24 Paraganas, that are isolated due to the water bodies surrounding them, the motorized van rickshaws are used as ambulances. Accordingly the number of these vehicles plying the streets has also increased rapidly. As per an article published in The Telegraph (Kolkata edition), as on 9th May 2013, there are 12000 mechanized van rickshaws plying the roads of the rural areas and city outskirts [1]. Apart from being a handy mode of transportation, mechanized van rickshaws has become an alternate source of income. About 2 lakh rural people depend directly or indirectly on the income from running these vehicles.

The major problem associated with these vehicles are, they cause huge pollution, mainly because some of these vehicles having two wheeler engines often use kerosene mixed with petrol as their fuel. Also their exhaust is unfiltered and the engines used have low efficiency and poor combustion capacity. Apart from these, there are safety issues for the commuters.

Recently a court order has been issued according to which only three wheeled vehicles running on LPG or CNG can ply the streets of greater Kolkata. Again there was an incident in Sagar Island where some people died in an accident involving a mechanized van rickshaw. A case was registered in the court and as a result the services of these vehicles were stopped in the Sagar Islands.

6. Problems faced by operators of mechanized van rickshaws

It has been a few years since the mechanized van rickshaws started plying the streets. Gradually a chain of business and economic cycle has developed based on these vehicles. Apart from the operators of mechanized van rickshaws, who earn their share of money directly by operating the vehicles, there are people who supply the engines, mechanics who repair the mechanized parts, garages where the vehicles are assembled. Indirectly a lot of people depend on the income from these vehicles. Now, as per the order issued by the court, if these vehicles are stopped, many families will have no source of income. It will be extremely difficult for them to sustain themselves. Also it will bring an end to the economic development, however small it may be.

7. Suggested design modifications for mechanized van rickshaws

At present two types of engines are used in the mechanized van rickshaws: 3.5kW (@ 1500 rpm) diesel engine and 3.24 kW/2.94 kW (@2600 rpm) Chinese diesel engine used as water pumps for agricultural purposes. Although these engines are widely used, they were manufactured for a different purpose. In order to obtain the best performance from the engine, the selection process needs to be optimized keeping in mind the purpose for which the engines are being used.

The major load (engine, fuel tank, passenger and luggage) are placed at the rear half of the vehicle. As a result of this overloading, there are chances of the vehicle getting toppled, due to unbalanced load. However, if the load is balanced such accidents can be avoided. The gap between the handle of the vehicle and the sitting platform is about 709 mm. The length of a fuel tank and the engine is 400 mm and 525 mm respectively. With little modification, both the tank and the engine can be fitted in this position. The seat for the vehicle operator can be positioned above the engine. At present, the clearance between the sitting platform and the vehicle chassis is about 450 mm, which is used to hold the engine and the fuel tank. If they are repositioned as mentioned above, this space lies empty thereby creating an opportunity to reduce the height of the sitting platform from the ground level. Lowering the height of the vehicle will add to the stability and minimize the risk of toppling over. The stability of the vehicle can be increased even more by increasing the length of the track.

Normally, wheels of motorcycles are used as the wheels for the mechanized van rickshaws. These wheels are reinforced with welded rods to increase their ability to support greater load. This is one reason why the braking system used in the mechanized van rickshaws is not very efficient. These vehicles use a belt mechanism to reduce the speed of the rear wheels. There are no breaks for the front wheel. The installation of proper breaking system will

ensure the safety of the passengers. Again in case of these vehicles, whenever the passenger sits, their legs keep hanging dangerously. This can cause severe accidents if they come in contact with the exposed rear wheels of the vehicles. Providing foot rests and proper covering for the wheels can contribute to minimize these accidents. Also the addition of shock absorbers can contribute to ease the journey for the passengers as the absence of these shock absorbers combined with the horrible condition of the roads makes the journey for the passengers, especially aged people, pretty uncomfortable. A shade or a roof can prove to be a useful addition for the summer and the rainy seasons to save the operator as well as the commuters from the scorching sun and the rainfall.

8. Conclusions

It is a fact that the present transportation system is inadequate to fulfill the demand of the commuters. If the problems or the deficiencies of the motorized van rickshaws can be solved, it can help to fulfill the demand of the commuters to some extent, thereby reducing the burden on the transportation system. The specific energy consumption of a mechanized van rickshaw varies within the range 59.306 to 151.241 kJ/passenger/km depending on the carrying capacity. If this value is compared with the specific energy consumption for other vehicles, it can be observed that it lies in the order of buses (157.520 to 310.685 kJ/passenger/km) [2]. Despite being a small vehicle, its specific energy consumption is far better than that of taxis (1400.987 kJ/passenger/km) and auto-rickshaws (358.317 kJ/passenger/km) [2]. If these vehicles are designed properly, its specific energy consumption can be reduced further. Also if the manufacturing of these vehicles can be supervised and proper engines and fuels are used, then the pollution problems as well as the safety issues can be solved. Once these issues have been resolved, these vehicles can be easily used as a legal mode of transport. In 2003, a model of battery operated van rickshaw was developed at Jadavpur University as an alternative of the manual cycle van rickshaw [3]. The vehicle was pollution free, but due to some reasons, it failed to satisfy the need of the operators. As a result the operators lost interest and the progress of the project came into a halt. If the suggested design modifications mentioned in this article can be incorporated, there is no doubt that the problems with the mechanized van rickshaws can be fixed and they can be allowed to ply the streets of rural West Bengal and city outskirts. However, it has to be kept in mind that if these vehicles are allowed to ply the city streets, then it will surely add to the problem of traffic congestion, slow traffic movement and enhanced air pollution. It is better if these vehicles are used in the rural and remote areas because only in these places will the benefits of these vehicles be truly admired.

References

[1] Traffic stopped for illegal vehicles, The Telegraph, Kolkata, May 9, 2013.

[2] Dutta A. A study on energy consumption in passenger vehicles in road transportation sector in Kolkata. Jadavpur University Master Thesis

[3] Introduction of battery driven pollution free van rickshaw for rural transportation. IIPC News, Jadavpur University Vol.5, No.2, Nov-

Dec.2004. http://www.jaduniv.edu.in/upload_liles/collaboration_file/12650 26319-1.pdf.

Studies on Energy Consumption Pattern in Mechanized Van Rickshaws in West Bengal and the Problems Associated with these Vehicles Academic research paper on "Economics and business"

Abstract of research paper on Economics and business, author of scientific article — Atanu Dutta, Tushar Jash

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