[sustran] World Bank - Motor Vehicle Industry Dialog/ Human Powered Alternatives

[ITDP]

I just wanted to add my two cents to the concerns expresses about the
forum held between the World Bank and the Motor Vehicle Manufacturers,
and provide a brief update on our Human Powered Vehicle alternative
project in India. 

I think it would be worth our time to draft an email to the World
Bank/IEA et. al. participants and ask them if this symposium, initiative
is going to affect their programs in any way. 

Of course, since the forum was basically between the World Bank and the
auto industry, (nobody else was invited) the focus was on cleaner
vehicle technologies.  So long as this is not done at the exclusion of
other efforts its not necessarily a problem, depending on what they
propose concretely.

Of course I was disapppointed that the focus was entirely on motorized
alternatives, since the improvement of non-motorized technologies is
also a viable possibility with particular advantages in the developing
country context, and one we fought hard and successfully  to be included
in the GEF's Transport Operational Directive.    

It is critical that we establish some successful precedents, however, to
get this non-motorized approach off the ground. 

ITDP, working with the Asian Institute of Transport Development and the
Indian Institute of Technology in Delhi are currently in Phase II of our
U.S. AID-funded attempt to improve the Indian cycle rickshaw.  The
project is based in Agra and in part initiated to protect the Taj Mahal. 

We have designed new prototypes entirely with Indian parts, with
dramatic reductions in the weight, increases in speed, comfort and
safety, all within very similar cost parameters of the existing
vehicle.  Phase II will be to attempt successful commercial adoption of
these new vehicles. 

It should be pointed out that despite millions of dollars of soft money
attempts, no electric vehicles have yet successfully been commercialized
in India.  So if our human powered improvements are also not successful,
we are only on the same level as the other efforts, but at a fraction of
the cost.  But I am confidnent they will be successful, as several
customers have already asked to purchase them.  The other point is,  we
could basically retrofit the entire existing fleet for free with the
money spent on electrics, hydrogen, etc. 

We now have a few of the vehicles in field trials in Agra, India.  In
the spring, when the trial fleet is build and operational,  I will try
and document whether these modern cycle rickshaws are able to capture
any of the market currently occupied by the three wheeled motorized
Bajaj.  We need to demonstrate concrete CO2 emissions reductions to be
eligible for GEF funds, so documenting carefully this project and this
approach will be a priority for us in the coming year. 

Our hope is that we will be able to introduce these high-end human
powered vehicles in residential neighborhoods in Delhi where currently
cycle rickshaws are banned but motorized rickshaws (bajaj) are still
allowed, breaking down the clear regulatory barriers between motorized
and non-motorized.  We believe we can make a human powered vehicle with
operating characteristics that match or exceed the Bajaj at considerably
less than the cost, and with no pollution, and with a greatly reduced
strain on the operator and a considerable increase to his income. 

If we are able to do so, we think that tightening the regulatory
framework on vehicles emissions can be done more easily, with less of an
adverse affect on those modes currently used by the poor.  

Ultimately, tightening tailpipe and ambient emissions regulation and
enforcement is the only way to deal with this, and the motor vehicle
industry will make cleaner vehicles as soon as it is forced to do so by
law.  The consumers of these vehicles should be forced to pay for a
vehicle that doesnt kill or make people sick as part of the privilege of
ownership.  

The World Bank could use its infrastructure lending to leverage this
sort of policy changes, and their Urb-Air initiative is playing a
positive role (their Urb-Air report on four major Asian cities was
released recently, by the way).  

Part of our role is going to be to convince the major funders that such
interventions are more cost effective that other approaches, but in
order to do this we have to prove it.  I would encourage other
organizations to try and set up similar projects eligible for GEF and
World Bank funding.  Until we have concrete alternative approaches, the
hydrogen fuel cell lobby is going to get all the soft money. 

Best,
Walter Hook 


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