On reaching London Naveen Rabelli concluded his 14200 km long journey on his solar autorickshaw that began in Bengaluru. It took him seven months to complete his trip. To make this trip, Rabelli traveled 11 countries, 20 cities and 100 towns in Asia and Europe.
He began his adventure in February in his customized red three wheelers christened Tejas, the Sanskrit word for radiance. He aims to promote the use of renewable energy solutions for passenger vehicles in Asian and European countries.
“The first thing I wanted to address was (the notion) that a solar-powered vehicle cannot run as efficiently as a fuel vehicle,” he said before embarking on his trip”.
The 35-year-old electronic engineer spent over three years on this project, building and getting sponsorship for Tejas.
He purchased a Piaggio Ape three-wheeler diesel autorickshaw for around Rs. 1,00,000 and spent another Rs. 7,70,000 modifying it into an electric and solar-powered vehicle. He spent his own savings in building the first two prototypes but managed to get sponsorship for the third prototype and for the final journey.
