The startup's primary goal is to develop ways to use old
batteries as second-life power storage systems, thus extending their lives and
using resources more efficiently, it said.
The non-profit startup based in Berlin and Bangalore is
funded by the Audi Environmental Foundation and this is the first joint project
between the German auto giant and the Audi Environmental Foundation in addition
to Nunam, as per the release.
The foundation has been funding Nunam since 2019.
The startup has developed three prototypes in collaboration
with the training team at Audi's Neckarsulm site which, in turn, benefits from
the intensive intercultural exchange, it said.
The batteries have been taken from test vehicles in the Audi
e-tron test fleet.
These e-rickshaws are planned to be made available to a
non-profit organisation, it said, adding, women in particular will be able to
use the all-electric rickshaws to transport their goods to market for sale, all
without the need for intermediaries.
In addition to the rickshaws intended for road use in India,
the trainees at the Neckarsulm site are developing an additional show rickshaw
in cooperation with Nunam.
"The old batteries are still extremely powerful. When
used appropriately, second-life batteries can have a huge impact, helping
people in challenging life situations earn an income and gain economic
independence – everything in a sustainable way," said Prodip Chatterjee,
co-founder, Nunam.
Car batteries are designed to last the life of the car. But
even after their initial use in a vehicle, they have a lot of power, according
to Chatterjee.
"For vehicles with lower range and power requirements
as well as lower overall weight, they are extremely promising. In our
second-life project, we reuse batteries from electric cars in electric
vehicles; you might call it electric mobility 'lite'. In this way, we're trying
to find out how much power the batteries can still provide in this demanding
use case," he emphasised.
With a high-energy-density battery and comparatively low
vehicle weight, the electric motor doesn't have to be particularly powerful,
since rickshaw drivers in India travel neither fast nor far, as per the
release.
In a third step, the batteries' remaining power might be
used for stationary applications such as LED lighting, it said.
"We want to get everything possible out of each battery
before recycling," said Chatterjee.
"Initiatives like the one pioneered by Nunam are needed
to find new use cases for e-waste. Not only in India, but worldwide. So Nunam
shares its knowledge to motivate more initiatives to develop products with
second-life components that can drive the eco-social revolution forward,"
said Rüdiger Recknagel, director at Audi Environmental Foundation.
A 12-member strong team of trainees under the guidance of
Timo Engler, head of automotive engineering/logistics training in Neckarsulm,
is playing a key role in development of the show rickshaw, said the release.
"The trainees and Nunam are in constant communication
with each other – we have a dedicated line between Neckarsulm and Bangalore. In
building the show rickshaw, our trainees are focusing on range, charging time,
and design – the result is a rickshaw with Audi's DNA," said Engler.
In the long term, electric mobility and solar energy can
help reduce India's dependence on fossil fuels such as coal, reduce the huge
volume of exhaust emissions on India's roads and provide people with a reliable
power supply, said the release.