Rickshaws are a standard fixture in big cities. We have carts pulled by bikes here in New York City, London has similar vehicles, and places such as Bangkok, Thailand have zippy little carts powered by noisy motors. For the bike-powered vehicles, speed and strain on the driver are both big issues, while the motor-driven carts are significant polluters. London-based SolarLab is looking to address all of that with its solar-powered rickshaw called the SolarCab.
The SolarCab is designed to draw 80% of the power it needs from solar panels covering the shell of the cab. The rest of the 20% comes from the driver's pedaling, which will be significantly easier even with a heavy load thanks to the electric assistance. SolarLab hopes that each rickshaw will reduce CO² emissions in its native London by two tons per rickshaw. It'll be interesting to see just how much good it does when the SolarCab hits the streets next year.