A unique, solar-assisted electric vehicle installation made its debut in Bengaluru's Church Street this weekend. Made out of upcycled material, with interactive elements like a throttle interactivity dispensing goodies symbolises India’s movement towards electric vehicles.
The three-wheeler installation created under the initiative, Bengaluru Moving, is a blend of art and science to engage Bengalureans to think about the journey of their delivery packages. It has been designed as an interactive and tactile experience that encourages audiences to touch and feel an EV in real-time.
A report by Stand.earth research group found that India’s last-mile emissions per delivery are about 285 gCO2, way above the global weighted average of 204 gCO2. Cities including Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Bengaluru, and Chennai emit more CO2 from last-mile deliveries than the last-mile emissions of entire countries.“Research highlights that India will have 500 million online shoppers by 2030. The young Indian millennial is conscious of their consumption habits and choices. Through this installation and other initiatives, we at Bengaluru Moving want to leverage this consumer appetite to convert brands and companies' net-zero and sustainability intentions into real action,” said Navdha Malhotra, campaigner with Bengaluru Moving.
In support of the installation, the Commissioner of Directorate of Urban Land Transport of Government of Karnataka, V Manjula said, “We are very pleased to be supporting #EVmyDelivery initiative and this interactive installation that is raising awareness about last mile emissions resulting from the e-commerce deliveries and the transition to electric 2 and 3-wheel fleets to eliminate the release of tailpipe emissions. The Directorate of Urban Land Transport’s mandate is to further the adoption of sustainable transport in Karnataka and we are happy to support such initiatives that focus on building citizen awareness and action.”
This installation is a perfect example of how art can be leveraged as a tool for social awareness where artists can champion path-breaking ideas and concepts. For this particular work, Mumbai-based artists Radhika and Madhvi of Workshop Q and Bengaluru-based artist Rahul KP (who goes by Mechanimal) came together to synergise. Together, they created a solar-powered wheeler from scrap to visually demonstrate how electric vehicles for last-mile deliveries are cleaner and more sustainable as they significantly reduce tailpipe emissions.
“Art holds the power to move and motivate people to experience the world differently. It provides a window into an alternate world of possibilities and that is what we have tried to do with this installation. Open up the world of possibilities to consumers who are looking to make informed and sustainable choices,” said Radhika and Madhvi.
The installation has been built in collaboration with the Directorate of Urban Land Transport and Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation. Together with Autoguru and Bengaluru Design Week, the event seeks to bring diverse stakeholders from the automotive industry, e-commerce, startups, and design studios to engage with the issue of greening the last mile delivery.