waza Posted December 4, 2013 Share Posted December 4, 2013 (edited) Solar-powered tuk tuk unveiled, September 17, 2013 Australian company Star 8's solar-powered tuk tuk. The iconic Thailand taxi, the tuk tuk, is set to get a high-tech makeover. Australian company Star 8 has developed a solar-powered electric tuk tuk - known as SolarTuk - which is being touted as a major step forward for ecological transport in developing nations. Star 8 managing director Jacob Maimon came up with the idea of an electric tuk tuk following a trip to Vietnam. “I had taken a ride in a conventional tuk tuk and when I got out I saw the driver putting only a small amount of petrol into the tank,” Maimon says. “I asked him why he didn’t fill it up and he said the cost of fuel was prohibitive and he could barely cover his daily expenses with the amount of work he picked up. “It was then that I envisaged a solar-driven tuk tuk … which cost next to nothing to run.” Star 8 says the tuk tuks will cost between $2000 and $3000. The integral part of the design is its flexible roof, which houses an array of mono-crystalline solar collectors to generate power for the vehicle. The power is sent to two batteries - one for running the electric motor, and another for storage. The batteries can be used to power the tuk tuk, or as a generator for the family home, which Maimon says is almost as important as the vehicle’s green credentials. http://news.drive.com.au/drive/motor-news/solarpowered-tuk-tuk-unveiled-20130917-2twr5.html Edited December 4, 2013 by waza Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
seajae Posted December 4, 2013 Share Posted December 4, 2013 will be great but not in the wet season, hahahahahaha Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David48 Posted December 4, 2013 Share Posted December 4, 2013 Is it just me or was, when looking the one on the far left thought ... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
barsteward Posted December 4, 2013 Share Posted December 4, 2013 I know someone who tried to get electric ones in here and it was stopped, there is protection on the existing industry and design here. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Issangeorge Posted December 6, 2013 Share Posted December 6, 2013 I saw one at the Tesco Lotus in Thailand a while back. I have a picture somewhere if I find it I'll post it. Sent from my i-mobile IQ X using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
waza Posted December 6, 2013 Author Share Posted December 6, 2013 The beauty of these solar TukTuks is you can use them to power your home. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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