Usage Pattern Development for Three-Wheel Auto Rickshaw Taxis in India

Autorickshaws are one of the chief modes of transport in many Asian countries. In India, these vehicles are mainly used as taxis. Since there is heavy congestion on the roads of India, the small size and narrow body of this three wheeled vehicle is perfectly suited to navigate the roads. These vehicles are usually powered by a two or four stroke gasoline engine. Due to this design and other factors, rickshaws are typically highly polluting. In recent years, alternative models such as compressed natural gas (CNG) and liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) models have been introduced to deal with the pollution problem. Electric powered rickshaws were also considered, but there are no successful commercial products available yet. Illinois Institute of Technology has set out to solve the pollution problem caused by existing rickshaws by developing an electric auto rickshaw. Auto rickshaws are an ideal candidate for electrification due to the low speeds of the vehicle and relatively low distance covered in a day. With this idea, the team set out to develop a driving cycle of the auto rickshaw in a typical large Indian city - in this case, Delhi. This paper will describe the process by which the driving cycle was made for auto rickshaws in India. First, the existing cycles used in India are considered as candidates. Since these data are not applicable, GPS data collected at various times of the day were applied to the analysis. The new driving cycle was derived from information gathered via GPS data as well as surveys of auto rickshaw drivers in India, which helped to get the entire picture for the driving cycle.