Research

Computer Sciences and Information Technology

Title :

Enhancement of Mobility in Rural and Semi-Urban Areas through Electric Bicycles

Area of research :

Computer Sciences and Information Technology, Engineering Sciences, Earth, Atmosphere & Environment Sciences

Focus area :

Electric Bicycles

Principal Investigator :

Premjeet Das Gupta, Assistant Professor, School of Planning and Architecture (SPA) Bhopal

Timeline Start Year :

2019

Contact info :

Details

Executive Summary :

The intention of this research is to explore the potential of electrical bicycles for improving mobility in rural and semi-urban areas of India. Improvement in personal mobility can be a potential game-changer for rural and semi-urban communities. For this there is a need to explore clean, low-cost, safe and user-friendly modes and the electric bicycle, an enhanced version of the human-powered bicycle, has the potential to fill the gap. Electric bicycles are entering the Indian market at present and there is a need to study the travel behaviour by electric bicycles in a real-world setting in rural and semi-urban areas. The proposal includes experiments in four identified project areas (settlements) with electric bicycles as a shared service. The electric bicycles shall be provided by Mahindra Susten, the industry partner for the project, who are currently in the process of developing them for the Indian market. Prior to the deployment of electric bicycles, subjective factors related to the acceptance of electric bicycles as a shared service shall be identified and assessed. Preferred routes and destinations shall be identified and support services shall be designed on the basis of user needs and tested during the field trials. Sensor and GPS data from the electric bicycles shall be stored during the trials and analyzed subsequently to assess the travel behaviour and charging behaviour. A post-trial survey of users shall be conducted to identify areas for service improvement and to assess the social impact. Sensor and GPS data from the electric bicycles shall also be used to develop a range prediction model for rural and semi-urban areas using which the distance to empty and charge remaining at the destination can be predicted based on riding pattern and route characteristics. The work shall lead to the accumulation of a rich dataset for evidence-based mobility planning that can be utilized for research, as well as lead to improvement in the product and service design.

Co-PI:

Dr Kshama Puntambekar, Assistant Professor, Dr Sukanta Majumdar, Assistant Professor, School of Planning and Architecture (SPA) Bhopal

Total Budget (INR):

18,27,100

Achievements :

• Travel behavior data from identified clusters have been analyzed. • Analyzed: the purpose of travel, distance traveled by the purpose of travel; means of travel; variation in traveler characteristics across means of travel; variation in means of travel-by-travel purpose; variation in means of travel-by-travel distance.

Organizations involved