Odisha youth develops solar-powered bicycle; aims to come up with affordable car

Necessity is the mother of invention. Taking a cue from this adage, a youth from Odisha’s Kendrapara district has come up with a cheap mode of transportation. Soumyaranjan Palei of Balibhanda village under Rajkanika block has developed a solar-powered bicycle which has now become the centre of attraction in the area.

Without any formal technical education, Soumyaranjan has transformed his old bicycle to address several issues including pollution. Using a simple solar panel, battery and a motor, the Kendrapara youth transformed his bicycle which can resolve the transportation problems faced by poor families.

The solar-powered bicycle can cover a distance of 50 km on full charge. Besides, it can carry a weight of around two quintals.

“I came up with the innovation to address the issue of pollution and provide a faster and reliable means of transport at an affordable cost,” said Soumyaranjan.

It took Soumyaranjan around three months to give shape to his dream project which he claims to be an affordable means of transport as he had to shell out around Rs 40 to 50,000 for it.

Soumyaranjan says that his next project is to come up with a solar-powered car as well. “We are now able to reduce our dependency on petrol as we are using the solar-bicycle to travel within the village for our day-to-day requirements,” said Soumyaranjan’s father Surath Palei.