Lean, Green Tuk Tuk Machine

While they may seem more at home in the heaving streets of Mumbai or Calcutta, three-wheel tuk tuks are making steady inroads in Cambodia thanks to one Indian company. Touting its safety and fuel efficiency as selling points to both private owners and taxi companies wanting to adopt the three-wheelers, Indian based company Vipar Auto Cambodia hopes their new model is seen as a more comfortable, greener look to the classic mode of public transportation in busy Cambodian cities.

Although the tuk tuks are similar in appearance to their Indian cousins, Vipar Auto Cambodia manager Di Sokkheoun is quick to point out that their company, an offshoot of Indian giant Bajaj Vipar Auto, the world’s third-largest manufacturer of motorbikes, has made many modifications to the base model to make it right at home in its Cambodian environment. “We have made a large number of modifications for Cambodia. It is not an Indian tuk tuk. In India, they use compressed natural gas. In Cambodia, CNG is not available, they have liquefied petrol gas [LPG],” he said.

LPG, a frequently-used fuel in the Kingdom, is more fuel efficient than regular petrol at just 1,600 riel per liter and releases far less CO2 emissions. Vipar Auto says their RE205 three-wheeler’s combination of LPG and its light weight means it releases fewer emissions than a Honda Prius. “The vehicle is small, and the smaller it is, the lighter it is. The thing weighs 200kgs. It’s a motorcycle with three wheels. You could easily lift it up if you were a big guy,” Sokkheoun said with a chuckle.

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