By Ros Sothea, VOA Khmer
Original report from Phnom Penh
21 October 2009
Since August, just four of Kong Pharith’s solar bicycles have sold. The inventor spent five years looking at ways to attach solar panels and a battery to a bicycle runs electrically.
“The research is finished, and it is the first time that [the bicycle] has been sold in public,” Kong Parith said.
Costing $450, about the price of a second-hand motorcycle, the bicycle is not cheap. Neither is it handsome. But it can help save energy, and in the long run save money for its rider, traveling up to 10 kilometers, at a maximum speed of 30 kilometers per hour.
Kong Pharith said his bicycle can be used only for short distances. Still, he hopes it will reduce pollution, and he has so far built 10 of them, having come up with the idea in 2004 and experimenting on prototypes until he had a viable vehicle. He sells them directly from his workshop.
“We spent a lot of time on research, in order to consume less electricity and make it lighter and easier to ride than bicycles imported from China,” he said.
Electric bicycles from China are becoming more popular with Cambodians who seek to save money on short-distance rides. They need electric plug-ins, however, and are only viable in urban environments where power is available.
Kong Pharith said his bicycle is easier on people, as it can draw power from the sun or the electric grid. Charged by plug-in, the bicycle can travel up to 20 kilometers.
However, vendors worry the bicycle won’t be able to compete on the market.
“Its price is an obstacle, because people prefer to use cheaper bicycles if they don’t earn much money,” said Tang Meng Ly, the first solar bicycle seller in Phnom Penh.
“If we talk about its advantages, it is good,” said Ngin Navirak, a small grant project coordinator for UNDP. “But the price is too high, if we compare it with other battery bicycles we can buy for $100. So this bicycle can’t compete in the market.”
The solar bicycle is also hard to ride, especially for women, as it is “high and heavy,” she said.
Kong Pharith said he recognized these weaknesses and was working to improve the bike’s look to help it compete. He hopes to produce five to 10 per month, but if the market gets bigger, he’ll be able to keep up, he said.
The government doesn’t have any specific programs to support the project, though officials encourage the use of solar bicycles, as well as bio-fuel, to help protect the environment, said Sath Samy, secretary of state for the Ministry of Mines and Energy.
Meanwhile, Kong Pharith is setting his sights higher. He is now at work on a building a solar car.
“The research is finished, and it is the first time that [the bicycle] has been sold in public,” Kong Parith said.
Costing $450, about the price of a second-hand motorcycle, the bicycle is not cheap. Neither is it handsome. But it can help save energy, and in the long run save money for its rider, traveling up to 10 kilometers, at a maximum speed of 30 kilometers per hour.
Kong Pharith said his bicycle can be used only for short distances. Still, he hopes it will reduce pollution, and he has so far built 10 of them, having come up with the idea in 2004 and experimenting on prototypes until he had a viable vehicle. He sells them directly from his workshop.
“We spent a lot of time on research, in order to consume less electricity and make it lighter and easier to ride than bicycles imported from China,” he said.
Electric bicycles from China are becoming more popular with Cambodians who seek to save money on short-distance rides. They need electric plug-ins, however, and are only viable in urban environments where power is available.
Kong Pharith said his bicycle is easier on people, as it can draw power from the sun or the electric grid. Charged by plug-in, the bicycle can travel up to 20 kilometers.
However, vendors worry the bicycle won’t be able to compete on the market.
“Its price is an obstacle, because people prefer to use cheaper bicycles if they don’t earn much money,” said Tang Meng Ly, the first solar bicycle seller in Phnom Penh.
“If we talk about its advantages, it is good,” said Ngin Navirak, a small grant project coordinator for UNDP. “But the price is too high, if we compare it with other battery bicycles we can buy for $100. So this bicycle can’t compete in the market.”
The solar bicycle is also hard to ride, especially for women, as it is “high and heavy,” she said.
Kong Pharith said he recognized these weaknesses and was working to improve the bike’s look to help it compete. He hopes to produce five to 10 per month, but if the market gets bigger, he’ll be able to keep up, he said.
The government doesn’t have any specific programs to support the project, though officials encourage the use of solar bicycles, as well as bio-fuel, to help protect the environment, said Sath Samy, secretary of state for the Ministry of Mines and Energy.
Meanwhile, Kong Pharith is setting his sights higher. He is now at work on a building a solar car.
9 comments:
Pharith: any invention is great such as yours. You never know if such idea will make itself to the market and when it does, you're good for life.
Congratulations,
i think if the inventor of this solar bike can minimize the solar penal, the bike may be popular. the solar penal is kindna in the way of the bike; it's kind of bulky looking. i think in a comsumer market, looks of the product can make a big difference in consumer's choice.
Cambodia space program(NASA), Ah kwack will ride this craps to Venus...
it's too expensive for the bike.
i think chinese could produce this kind of bikes at the lower price.
8:04am
This is not a crap. This inventor has potential.
I think the inventor should try by building the solar panel as the roof of bike so that the rider can protect themselves from sun and rain. At the same time, the inventor has to build protection guards for the bike too in case of falling down to damage the soalr panel.
Areak Prey
Now is it not time for someone to build the first ''ELECTRO-TUK ''. Most tuk-tuk's stay parked, and only do short runs, so this would give the electro-tuk plenty of time to charge the batteries from a solar panel on the roof. This would only work with the type of tuk-tuk that has only 3 wheels, which is an advantage as these are the older type and could be bought cheaper.
Can we have explosives rigged as well,I hate tuks tuks....
Chinese products are cheap because they are poorly made and not tested properly. They don't even know what quality control is.
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