Thanks to Israeli-American Shai Agassi, Israel, Australia, Denmark have an Electric Future. Tel Aviv, Copenhagen, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Seattle, Brisbane, Melbourne, Sydney, will have their recharging spots for electric cars and much less gas or petrol pumps. The bright men and women of Silicone Valley go green!

Charge!
Electric-car visionary would overhaul the way we get around
Posted at 7:55 AM on 19 Aug 2008

Could the global auto infrastructure be overhauled in a way that’s profitable for business, cheap for drivers, and easy on the planet? Meet Better Place’s Shai Agassi and his plans for an electric-car future, featured in the latest issue of Wired. In Agassi’s vision, gas stations are replaced with omnipresent recharging spots for electric cars. Vehicles are cheap, perhaps even free; money is made off electricity, and renewable energy is incentivized. Drivers purchase electricity on subscription, paying for unlimited miles, a certain number of miles per month, or pay-as-you-go. No time to recharge? Head to your nearest battery exchange station and swap in a fully charged one. An onboard system is energy monitor, GPS unit, help center, and personal assistant in one. Think it could never happen? Think again: 100,000 electric cars will roll out in Israel by the end of 2011, and Denmark will also provide a testing ground. And wherever Agassi goes, he convinces CEOs, mayors, investors, and statesmen that the world could become a Better Place.

Melbourne to Be Wild
Electric-car infrastructure coming to Australia

In just a few years, Aussies will be driving to and fro in electric vehicles, plugging in to a grid powered entirely by renewable energy. At least, that’s the goal of California-based startup Better Place, which is heading Down Under to put its ambitious vision for an electric-car future into action. Some $671 million, raised with the help of Macquarie Capital Group, will put in place hundreds of thousands of charging and battery-swap stations by 2012; utility AGL Energy has pledged to expand capacity to power the electric-car grid with 100 percent renewable energy. Better Place founder Shai Agassi, who is already testing his infrastructure model in Israel and Denmark, says he can easily see the scheme to hook up Brisbane, Melbourne, and Sydney replicated for Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Seattle. Declares Agassi, “[W]e believe that Australia could be a demonstration project and proof-point for the U.S., as well as the U.K. and the rest of the developed world.”

 From:    justin at climateregistry.org
Subject: California Climate Action Registry Co-Digester Protocol Kick-off Meeting.
Date: October 21, 2008

The California Climate Action Registry is developing the Co-Digestion Protocol - its first organic waste diversion project protocol. As a first foray into the organic waste diversion sector, the California Registry will host a public meeting to discuss the development of a co-digestion greenhouse gas (GHG) reduction project protocol and wants to invite all interested stakeholders to join us. The meeting will be held on November 13 from 10:00AM to 3:30PM PST at the Standard Hotel in Los Angeles, California.

The California Registry is dedicated to the development of high quality, standardized protocols for GHG reduction projects. The Co-Digestion Protocol will provide an accurate GHG accounting methodology for GHG reduction projects that co-digest (alongside manure waste) organic waste streams that otherwise would have gone to anaerobic treatment/disposal systems such as solid waste landfills, anaerobic lagoons, and wastewater treatment facilities. Co-digestion projects will prevent the release of methane to the atmosphere by capturing and combusting methane gas.

This kick-off meeting will also provide an opportunity for discussion of other possible project activities related to organic waste diversion since the baseline calculation methodology for co-digestion activities will likely be relevant to other project activities in the organic waste diversion sector.

The California Registry would like to encourage all interested stakeholders to join us, including representatives and experts from:
·       the dairy and agricultural industries
·       the wastewater and waste management industries
·       waste diversion and environmental advocacy organizations
·       project developer organizations
·       academia
·       local, state, and federal agencies

If you plan on attending, please RSVP to  policy at climateregistry.org by November 7, 2008. 

A detailed agenda will be provided to all attendees prior to the meeting.

The California Climate Action Registry is developing the Co-Digestion Protocol - its first organic waste diversion project protocol. As a first foray into the organic waste diversion sector, the California Registry will host a public meeting to discuss the development of a co-digestion greenhouse gas (GHG) reduction project protocol and wants to invite all interested stakeholders to join us. The meeting will be held on November 13 from 10:00AM to 3:30PM PST at the Standard Hotel in Los Angeles, California.

The California Registry is dedicated to the development of high quality, standardized protocols for GHG reduction projects. The Co-Digestion Protocol will provide an accurate GHG accounting methodology for GHG reduction projects that co-digest (alongside manure waste) organic waste streams that otherwise would have gone to anaerobic treatment/disposal systems such as solid waste landfills, anaerobic lagoons, and wastewater treatment facilities. Co-digestion projects will prevent the release of methane to the atmosphere by capturing and combusting methane gas.

This kick-off meeting will also provide an opportunity for discussion of other possible project activities related to organic waste diversion since the baseline calculation methodology for co-digestion activities will likely be relevant to other project activities in the organic waste diversion sector.

The California Registry would like to encourage all interested stakeholders to join us, including representatives and experts from:
·       the dairy and agricultural industries
·       the wastewater and waste management industries
·       waste diversion and environmental advocacy organizations
·       project developer organizations
·       academia
·       local, state, and federal agencies

If you plan on attending, please RSVP to  policy at climateregistry.org by November 7, 2008.  A detailed agenda will be provided to all attendees prior to the meeting.

Harmonious Cities - a Social and Environmental Solution.
Mario Osava, IPS, October 23, 2008.

RIO DE JANEIRO - Sao Paulo emits only a tenth of the greenhouse gases that San Diego produces, even though this Brazilian metropolis is four times larger than that city in California, according to a report released today by the United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat). Based on such comparisons, the State of the World’s Cities 2008/2009 — a report published every two years by the UN agency, which in this new edition focuses on “Harmonious Cities” — concludes that the contribution of cities to global warming has more to do with consumption patterns and gross domestic product (GDP) per capita than it does with the level of urbanisation.

The most urbanised region in the developing world is Latin America and the Caribbean, with 77 percent of its population living in cities — a proportion expected to increase to 85 percent within the next two decades, Cecilia Martà nez, UN-Habitat’s Latin America regional director, highlighted at a press conference.

The report, which contains analysis and recommendations on spatial, social and environmental harmony, was also launched in Bangkok and London. Prosperity alone does not produce harmony; cities also need equity and sustainability, said UN-Habitat Executive Director Anna Tibaijuka.

Latin America is also the region with the highest number of unequal cities.

The Gini inequality index, which measures the degree of income disparity, marked a 0.55 average coefficient for a selection of 19 Latin American cities, exceeding even the levels for Africa, which has the cities with the largest number of poor people and the greatest proportion of slum communities.

UN-Habitat considers a 0.4 coefficient as the alert line, with anything above that level indicating an unacceptable level of inequality. Western Europe, with averages ranging from 0.25 to 0.30, presents the largest number of most equal cities, but the city with the highest equality level in the world is Beijing, with a Gini coefficient of 0.22.

Not only does inequality within cities or between cities, and between regions in the same country, directly affect urban harmony, it also creates more inequality by having a dampening effect on economic growth and contributing to a less favourable environment for investment, Tibaijuka pointed out at the presentation of the report.

Latin America and the Caribbean also stand out for the faster growth rate registered in many small cities, which have gone from having tens of thousands of inhabitants to populations numbering in the hundreds of thousands in just over a decade. An example of this rapid growth is Itaquaquecetuba, on the outskirts of Sao Paulo, which in the 1970s was a city of 30,000 and has since grown to 334,000, with an annual growth rate of ten percent in the last decade.

Some 70 Brazilian cities have experienced a similar phenomenon in the past 15 years, as a result of a boom in tourism in many areas, the installation of large corporations, and other factors of economic prosperity or quality-of-life enhancement, Martínez explained.

As of 2007, the world has stepped into an “urban century,” as last year for the first time ever the number of urban dwellers in the world surpassed the number of people living in rural areas, she added.

***

However, there are still sharp differences from one region to another, with Asia and Africa having only 41 and 39 percent, respectively, of their populations in urban areas, while the level of urbanisation in other continents and regions is above 70 percent.

But the current trend makes it possible to forecast that by 2050 these differences will be less pronounced, with Asia, for example, bringing its urban population up to 63 percent, chiefly driven by the growth of Chinese cities, which will account for 70 percent of that country’s total population, offsetting a slower rate of urbanisation in India.

The report and several UN-Habitat officers agree that while cities are an environmental problem and one of the great causes of global warming, they are, and must be, “part of the solution” as well.

***

Better planning in the use of energy-efficient means of transportation, less dependence on motorised vehicles, an increase in urban density and policies aimed at reducing waste and spatial and social inequality could work to curb carbon emissions and contribute to mitigating climate change, they say.

The disparity in the rates of greenhouse gas emissions per person that exists between the large cities of the world is more a reflection of the patterns of consumption, in particular energy use, than of the levels of income or visible pollution.

The report’s findings reveal that Mexico City generates 2.9 tonnes of carbon emissions per person per year, and that Sao Paulo produces double that amount. San Diego is at the top of the list of carbon emitters, with 11.7 tonnes per capita — more than double the amount produced by Tokyo and three times the emissions generated by Stockholm and Seoul, but followed closely in volume of emissions by Toronto and Shanghai.

With 3,351 coastal cities located in low-altitude areas — that is, under 10 metres above sea level–, and therefore threatened by the rise in sea level, there is an enormous urban population that will suffer severe consequences as a result of climate change, the report underlines.

In addition, there are human agglomerations that are facing the risk of water shortages and natural disasters, such as those caused by the El Niño climate phenomenon in the Andean region and hurricanes in the Caribbean, Martínez said.

Adapting cities to mitigate the consequences of climate change is one of UN-Habitat’s chief concerns, and, in association with the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), the agency is encouraging cities to “observe the phenomena” which are taking place and implement integrated urbanisation and environmental plans to address foreseeable challenges, Martínez concluded.

————

Major cities call for dramatic emission cuts by all nations - Mayors and officials from 32 major cities from around the world urged “all nations” Thursday to achieve “drastic cuts” in greenhouse gas emissions under a global climate accord to succeed the Kyoto Protocol in 2012.

Kyodo News, October 24, 2008.

“The international community must cooperate in making an abrupt shift in direction for drastic cuts in greenhouse gas emissions,” Tokyo Gov. Shintaro Ishihara and Toronto Mayor David Miller said in a joint statement issued after a two-day meeting in Tokyo of the so-called C40 group of major international cities.

Stressing national governments’ crucial role in curbing global warming, delegates at the C40 Tokyo Conference on Climate Change said cities are “acting now” and “showing leadership on combating climate change” in the runup to high-level U.N. climate talks in Copenhagen slated for December 2009, where global negotiations for a post-Kyoto framework will be concluded, the statement said.

The United Nations is set to begin the final phase of negotiations on the post-Kyoto deal at ministerial talks in December in Poland.

The C40 will hold a summit next May in Seoul to advance climate change initiatives.

Since its inception in London in 2005, the C40 has been working to accelerate programs by the participating cities to combat climate change by sharing effective practices and taking action to reduce greenhouse gases.

No Joy in Hooverville.
by Heike Barkawitz, October 19, 2008, IPS.

With a massive spike in the number of foreclosures and evictions over the past two years, communities throughout the U.S. have witnessed the sprouting of tent cities — many of them home to once middle-class citizens fallen victim to the economic downturn. Encampments have formed in or near large urban areas including Reno, Los Angeles, Chattanooga, Columbus, St. Petersburg, Seattle and Portland. “[Starting] about four years ago, there has been an outbreak of tent cities popping up across the country. Today, we observe a slow but steady increase in homeless people,” Michael Stoops, acting executive director of the National Coalition for the Homeless (NCFTH), told IPS. According to a report by NCFTH, almost 61 percent of local and state homeless coalitions say that they have seen a growth in homelessness since the foreclosure crisis — now at 10,000 homes per week — began in 2007.

The phenomenon is similar to the social upheavals of the Great Depression of the 1930s — an era frequently referenced these days — when “Hooverville” ad-hoc shanty towns, some as big as 15,000 people, were erected around the country, named after the president at the time, Herbert Hoover.

Scott, a resident of the tent city in Los Angeles, told a television reporter, “I had one of those escalating, finance-charge, balloon-things that steps up every year and the payment just got too much so that I couldn’t afford it anymore. I tried to work with the bank and they worked with me, gave me some extra time, but it’s just getting too big. So they foreclosed.”

Many residents of tent cities share Scott’s fate. One woman told BBC that she used to live in a three-bedroom, two-bathroom house. When her husband fell ill, it became impossible to make ends meet.

“We have a lot of grandkids, too. They used to always come over and stay. They don’t come here anymore, I don’t want them to come here. We go there and see them at their house,” she said. She and her husband now live in a mobile home at a camp.

Most tent cities have a community-spirit and are self-regulated, said Stoops, who has visited many of the encampments. “In most tent cities, there are certain rules — like for instance no drugs, no alcohol and no violence,” he told IPS.

He and his organisation supported the formation of tent cities. “[They] are of course not the solution, but necessary until adequate shelters and housing are found,” he added.

“The tent city in St. Petersburg, Florida, is even supported by the government and some local, non-profit organisations provide support for tent cities across the country,” Stoops said.

Jeremy Rosen, executive director of the National Policy and Advocacy Council on Homelessness (NPACH), expected a mild growth in the number of tent cities in the future due to the weak economy. “On the other hand, I suspect we’ll see a definite rise in homelessness,” he told IPS.

According to a document published by NPACH, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s (HUD) definition of homelessness “does not include children and families who have lost their homes but are temporarily staying in motels or with other people because other shelter is not available or appropriate.”

These families have often lost their homes due to an event like eviction, foreclosure or a family crisis, but cannot find available and appropriate shelter.

“They become the ‘hidden homeless’, moving around from place to place — sleeping in cars, on couches, sometimes in shelters, sometimes with friends and sometimes with family. Unfortunately, our country chooses to deny this reality and doesn’t define many of these people as homeless,” Rosen told IPS.

There are an estimated 600,000 children and youths who are considered homeless by other agencies, but not by HUD. “More than 60 percent of the homeless students identified by public schools are ineligible for HUD Homeless Assistance,” the NPACH’s report states.

“During the last seven years, we have seen homelessness increase. This is due to, for example, hurricanes or the unofficial economic recession with a foreclosure crisis,” Stoops told IPS. “A month ago, over 900,000 homes were foreclosed and some of the people concerned will wind up homeless.”

While “there exists more [government] sympathy for banks and people on Wall Street”, he wryly added that “the capitalist society will allow even those people to wind up homeless.”

In Chicago, Cook County Sheriff Tom Dart has taken unusual action and announced last week that he was suspending all foreclosure evictions.

“The move comes as a result of the growing number of evictions that involve renters, most of whom are dutifully paying their rent every month, only to later learn their landlord has fallen behind on mortgage payments and the building has gone into foreclosure,” Spokesman Steve Patterson told IPS.

“These mortgage companies only see pieces of paper, not people, and don’t care who’s in the building. They simply want their money and don’t care who gets hurt along the way,” Dart said in an interview.

Dart wants mortgage companies to be forced to provide sufficient information to the Sheriff’s Office in order to conduct an eviction.

According to a press release by the Cook County Sheriff’s Office, foreclosure filings have steadily climbed in Cook County since 1999. In just two years, the number of foreclosure evictions has almost tripled.

The data firm RealtyTrac recently published a report stating that foreclosures were at an unparalleled high nationally, filings were up nearly 100 percent from a year ago and officials estimate that approximately half a million people could lose their homes as adjustable mortgage rates rise over the next two years. Many of those affected might eventually end up homeless, seeking help in a tent city or elsewhere.

As there are not nearly enough shelter beds for all the homeless people in the U.S., Stoops appealed for government compassion, saying that “every city should have one park or another space where homeless people are allowed to erect their tents.”

“It is hard for homeless people to set up a homeless campsite because cops come and make them move on. The most recent count from the government, which is from 2005, says that 44 percent of the nation’s homeless are unsheltered,” he said.

From KYOTO by Kyodo News as per The Japan Times online, Saturday, Oct. 18, 2008

Kyoto governor champions ‘green’ automobile ordinance.

Kyoto Gov. Keiji Yamada announced Friday that the prefecture will submit an ordinance to the assembly to promote use of environmentally cleaner next-generation cars.

Going green: Kyoto Gov. Keiji Yamada (left) takes delivery of an electric vehicle Friday at the prefectural office from Kan Akiyama, chairman of Kyoto-based battery maker GS Yuasa Corp., which provided the vehicle. KYODO PHOTO

The first such prefectural ordinance of its kind will be designed to reduce carbon dioxide emissions and promote related industries in Kyoto, the governor said. It could be submitted as early as February.

The ordinance would provide incentives to use such cars as electric and gas-electric hybrid vehicles, but the details will be discussed by a panel to be set up Tuesday.

“Vehicles like electric cars have the least impact on the environment, and the costs are now lower in an age of high oil prices,” Yamada told reporters.

To collect driving data, the governor will use an electric automobile as his official vehicle until March, the prefecture said.

Kyoto was the host city of the 1997 Kyoto protocol, which obliged developed countries to set targets to reduce global warming gases.

From:        mofonews at mofo.com
    Subject:     California Air Resources Board Releases Key Climate Change Planning Document (ATTORNEY ADVERTISING)
Date:     October 16, 2008

The AB 32 Train is About to Leave the Station: California Air Resources Board Releases Key Climate Change Planning Document
October 2008
by  Michael Steel, William M. Sloan, Miles H. Imwalle, Rachel Peterson

Sprinting toward regulation of global warming-related emissions, the California Air Resources Board (CARB) released its proposed Scoping Plan “for achieving the maximum technologically feasible and cost-effective reductions” in greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions on October 15.  Required by California’s Global Warming Solutions Act (AB 32), the Scoping Plan is designed to chart the course that California will follow for reducing its emissions to 1990 levels by 2020.  CARB is scheduled to formally approve the Scoping Plan in December and will be holding a series of public hearings on the document in the weeks ahead.

Completing the Scoping Plan is the first major milestone under AB 32’s regulatory process and sets the agenda for the regulations that will eventually follow.  The Scoping Plan identifies a comprehensive set of ambitious actions designed to reduce overall GHG emissions.  After the Scoping Plan is adopted, the process of drafting and eventually adopting regulations will begin.  Many businesses plan to increase their participation as this process gets underway.

The Scoping Plan incorporates changes made by CARB after the release of a draft in June, bringing in additional studies and public input from workshops held in July.  The Scoping Plan maps out three general types of measures: (1) a cap-and-trade market-based program; (2) so-called “transformational” measures that fundamentally alter the existing regulatory framework, such as implementation of the Low Carbon Fuel Standard or reforming land use and transportation planning processes to account for climate change; and (3) measures that address barriers that cannot be overcome via a market approach, such as a lack of information or coordination.

The Scoping Plan details more of the cap-and-trade program – now a political certainty – including its fit within the broader Western Climate Initiative (WCI), through which seven states and four Canadian provinces are poised to enter a broad cap-and-trade agreement.  California’s participation in the WCI is expected to benefit regulated industries – 85% of the state’s emissions will be subject to a firm cap – through access to a larger regional carbon trading market.  The extensive detail now present in California’s cap-and-trade proposal, alongside AB 32’s ambitious reduction target, virtually ensure that the state’s program will be a model for an eventual federal cap-and-trade initiative, as has been called for by both Presidential candidates.

Key Changes from the Draft Scoping Plan

We highlight below several of the key changes introduced by CARB in the final Scoping Plan, which will affect several industry sectors and local governments:

• Increased reductions for regional transportation-related GHG targets from 2 to 5 million metric tons.  The initial target of 2 million metric tons from the emissions-heavy transportation sector was roundly criticized in CARB’s June draft.  The increase draws heavily on the new mandate of SB 375, signed by Governor Schwarzenegger on September 30, which requires regions to prepare – for the first time – plans in which transportation investments are designed to reduce GHG emissions, a mandate which  likely can only be achieved in most regions by changing land use siting and design standards.  The two state measures now work in tandem: the final Scoping Plan by setting a higher reduction target, and SB 375 by denying state dollars to transportation projects that are inconsistent with regional infrastructure plans designed to meet the target.  For our recent client alert about SB 375, click here.
• Set a de minimis level of GHG emissions, below which the regulations will not apply.  CARB recommends a de minimis level of 0.1 million metric tons of CO2 equivalent (MMTCO2E) annual emissions per source, while reserving the possibility of regulating smaller sources in an industry if that industry’s aggregate emissions contribute significantly to global warming.  We also would not be surprised to see this de minimis level start to play a role in environmental review under CEQA.
• Added a goal for local governments to reduce their municipal and community-wide emissions by 15% by 2020, in line with the state’s overall goal.  This change seems to recognize the leading role several local jurisdictions have played in pushing climate change initiatives.
• Introduced targeted mitigation fees on inexpensive chemicals with high global warming impacts, such as older refrigerants.  Alongside the 4.4-cents per metric ton carbon emission fees and the public goods charge for water efficiency investments, these upstream user-driven fees will begin to affect emitters and ultimately California consumers.

These components are added to the programs CARB had previously identified as key to achieving AB 32’s targets, including:

• Developing a California cap-and-trade program that links with other Western state programs, through the WCI, to create a regional market system;
• Increasing the renewable portfolio for investor- and publicly-owned utilities to 33%, which would significantly increase reliance on energy sources such as wind, solar and geothermal;
• Expanding and strengthening existing energy efficiency programs, including green building programs;
• Fully implementating the California Clean Car Law (the Pavley standards) to provide for more efficient cars and trucks and the implementation of the Low Carbon Fuel Standard to require cleaner fuel.

Other measures identified include continuing to push the Million Solar Roofs initiative, construction of the high-speed rail line, improved water efficiency, and regulations to reduce emissions from California ports.

What happens now? 

The next three months present the final chance for input on the Scoping Plan.  CARB will take oral and written comments at three upcoming meetings: CARB’s regular October 23 board meeting, a public meeting on November 20-21, and a final public hearing to be held December 11-12 at which CARB will consider approval of the Scoping Plan.  All of the meetings will take place at CARB’s headquarters in Sacramento.  The final deadline for written comments is 12:00 noon on December 10.

If you would like further information or have questions relating to AB 32 or California’s other climate change regulations, please contact Michael Steel ( msteel at mofo.com / 415-268-7350), Bill Sloan ( wsloan at mofo.com / 415-268-7209), Miles Imwalle ( mimwalle at mofo.com / 415-268-6523), or Rachel Peterson ( rpeterson at mofo.com / 415-268-6007) in San Francisco.

 
This fall, The New York Review of Books and Guardian America will bring their writers and editors together to discuss the issues shaping the 2008 election campaign and the challenges and opportunities that will face the new administration.

Please click on the links below for more information about these events.

October 15, 7 pm

Harvard Bookstore at Brattle Theatre, Cambridge, MA

Panelists: Mark Danner, Frances FitzGerald, Peter Galbraith, and Michael Tomasky. Event includes a live broadcast of the presidential debate and pizza provided by Cambridge 1.

October 16, 7 pm

Politics & Prose, Washington, DC

Panelists: Elizabeth Drew, Jonathan Freedland, Peter Galbraith, Suzanne Goldenberg, and Michael Tomasky.

October 25, 5 pm

Harbourfront International Festival of Authors, Toronto

Panelists: Richard Adams and Michael Tomasky.

October 27, 6 pm

Commonwealth Club, San Francisco, CA

Panelists: Martin Kettle, Thomas Powers, Frank Rich, Michael Tomasky, and Robert Silvers.

October 28, 7:30 pm

Kepler’s, Menlo Park, CA

Panelists: Martin Kettle, Thomas Powers, Michael Tomasky, and Gary Younge.

October 29, 7:30 pm

Powell’s City of Books, Portland, OR

Panelists: Thomas Powers, Michael Tomasky, and Gary Younge.

October 30, 7:30 pm

Elliott Bay Book Company at Town Hall, Seattle, WA

Panelists: Martin Kettle, Thomas Powers, Jonathan Raban, and Michael Tomasky

November 10, 7 pm

What Happens Now? A Conversation on the 2008 Election
The New York Public Library, New York, NY
Andrew Delbanco, Joan Didion, Darryl Pinckney, Michael Tomasky, and Garry Wills gather to discuss the post-election landscape with Robert Silvers, editor of The New York Review of Books.

India’s humble rickshaw goes solar.
by Elizabeth Roche Mon Oct 13, 2008.  NEW DELHI (AFP) - It’s been touted as a solution to urban India’s traffic woes, chronic pollution and fossil fuel dependence, as well as an escape from backbreaking human toil. A state-of-the-art, solar powered version of the humble cycle-rickshaw promises to deliver on all this and more.

The “soleckshaw,” unveiled this month in New Delhi, is a motorised cycle rickshaw that can be pedalled normally or run on a 36-volt solar battery.

Developed by the state-run Centre for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), prototypes are receiving a baptism of fire by being road-tested in Old Delhi’s Chandni Chowk area.

One of the city’s oldest and busiest markets, dating back to the Moghul era, Chandni Chowk comprises a byzantine maze of narrow, winding streets, choked with buses, cars, scooters, cyclists and brave pedestrians.

“The most important achievement will be improving the lot of rickshaw drivers,” said Pradip Kumar Sarmah, head of the non-profit Centre for Rural Development.

“It will dignify the job and reduce the labour of pedalling. From rickshaw pullers, they will become rickshaw drivers,” Sarmah said.

India has an estimated eight million cycle-rickshaws.

The makeover includes FM radios and powerpoints for charging mobile phones during rides.

Gone are the flimsy metal and wooden frames that give the regular Delhi rickshaws a tacky, sometimes dubious look.

The “soleckshaw,” which has a top speed of 15 kilometres (9.3 miles) per hour, has a sturdier frame and sprung, foam seats for up to three people.

The fully-charged solar battery will power the rickshaw for 50 to 70 kilometres (30 to 42 miles). Used batteries can be deposited at a centralised solar-powered charging station and replaced for a nominal fee.

If the tests go well, the “soleckshaw” will be a key transport link between sporting venues at the 2010 Commonwealth Games in New Delhi.

“Rickshaws were always environment friendly. Now this gives a totally new image that would be more acceptable to the middle-classes,” said Anumita Roychoudhary of the Delhi-based Centre for Science and Environment.

“Rickshaws have to be seen as a part of the solution for modern traffic woes and pollution. They have never been the problem. The problem is the proliferation of automobiles using fossil fuels,” she said.

Initial public reaction to the “soleckshaw” has been generally favourable, and the rickshaw pullers have few doubts about its benefits.

“Pedalling the rickshaw was very difficult for me,” said Bappa Chatterjee, 25, who migrated to the capital from West Bengal and is one of the 500,000 pullers in Delhi.

“I used to suffer chest pains and shortage of breath going up inclines. This is so much easier.

“Earlier, when people hailed us it was like, ‘Hey you rickshaw puller!’ Police used to harass us, slapping fines even abusing us for what they called wrong parking. Now people look at me with respect,” Chatterjee said.

Mohammed Matin Ansari, another migrant from eastern Bihar state, said the new model offered parity with car, bus and scooter drivers.

“Now we are as good as them,” he said.

Indian authorities have big dreams for the “soleckshaw.”

India’s Science and Technology Minister Kapil Sibal who hailed the invention for its “zero carbon foot print” said it should be used beyond the confines of Delhi.

“Soleckshaws would be ideal for small families visiting the Taj Mahal,” he told AFP.

At present battery-operated buses ferry people to the iconic monument in Agra — but their limited numbers cannot cope with the heavy tourist rush.

CSIR director Sinha said he hoped an advanced version of the “soleckshaw” with a car-like body would become a viable alternative to the “small car” favoured by Indian middle class families.

“Greenhouse gas emissions are showing an increasing trend year on year and 60 percent of this comes from the global transport sector.

“In the age of global warming, the soleckshaw, with improvements, can be successfully developed as competition for all the petrol and diesel run small cars,” Sinha said.