Japan venture to bring electric tuk-tuks to Asia

Japan's little contribution to Asia in the form of "super" tuk-tuks.

I'd love to see these running on Asian roads!

There is no single company in Asia that mass-produces electric bikes or tricycles,

That's odd. About 8 years ago, I saw several electric mopeds, scooters, and other innovative vehicles for sale at Tesco-Lotus in Bangkok. I was impressed because I hardly ever see them in Japan.

I also see Segways in Bangkok fairly often. Never see them here in Tokyo. Maybe this guy should be selling these contraptions in Japan, where they are are really needed due to the much higher taxi fares here,

Considering that these things are called "tuk tuk" because of the sound created by the two stroke engine, they're gonna have to come up with a different name. Zoom zoom? whoosh whoosh? whir whir?

Epic fail unless the batteries can be switched out. An idle tuk-tuk makes no money. Most of the tuk-tuks you see on the road are owned by one owner/driver and driven by others in shifts or owned by fleets or whatever.

If it is one of these scenarios where it takes 2 hours to recharge to 80% then it won't work. And a range of 50kms?? really??

What will work is the $300 million loan. YeeeHaaaa. That'll be a solid 5 year party burning their way through that bundle.

These might turn out to be 787s on wheels --- and I'd hate to see what a lithium-ion battery meltdown would do to Bangkok's already snarled traffic...

What a load. There are literaly thousands, probably millions, of electric scooters in Shanghai alone.

I hope these tuk-tuks will be more successful than the electric taxis which have failed so spectacularly in Osaka. The batteries deteriorate quickly, losing 15% or more of their capacity per year, and recharging the batteries takes hours. If your typical tuk-tuk driver travels 150km per day, he will have to recharge his vehicle at least two times. Half of an electric vehicle driver's shift must be wasted waiting for the batteries to be recharged, whereas it takes only a couple of minutes to refill a gasoline tank. Added to this will be the additonal cost of the electric vehicle itself. It will cost more, but will no be able to run as long. A lose-lose situation.

GG2414:

" Epic fail unless the batteries can be switched out. "

Plus, the batteries need to be charged with electricity produced by coal-fired power or nuclear plants, both of them hated by the enviros, most of the power is lost by conversion, and battery life is severely limited, and batteries represent a toxic waste problem. Epic fails all around! This is just more emotional feel-good without a rational basis.

That said, the concept of an extreme light-weight vehicle is of course a good one. Alas, most S.E. governments want to outlaw these things and force drivers to buy cars instead.

Not to mention many of these countries suffer from irratic electricity service with rolling blackouts. Good luck charging one of these suckers when the power goes out for the third time in a day.

I'm here in the Philippines. I hope to see these Electric contraptions here in the country.

Another pile of JUNK..