'Country's first' solar power-run auto unveiled in Tamil Nadu

Chennai (Tamil Nadu) [India] September 22 : At a time when the world is grappling with the COVID-19 pandemic, timely treatment can save lives of even critical patients with comorbidities. But most remote rural areas in India face a problem of timely availability or unavailability altogether of ambulances due to narrow roads, leaving several vulnerable.
At a time like this, Tamil Nadu-based M Auto Group has come up with 13 kinds of solar-powered eco-friendly electric autorickshaws, which can double up as ambulances, besides passenger and garbage-lifting vehicles that can negotiate narrow roads easily.
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Edappadi K Palanisamy and his deputy O Panneerselvam unveiled the solar-powered electric autorickshaw, which the company claims to be India's first, at the state secretariat on September 21.
M Auto Group chairman Mansoor Ali Khan told ANI that his personal loss had played a major role in the invention. "I am from a rural area from where the main road is 2 km away. We needed to walk 2 km to board buses. My father passed away due to non-availability of ambulance. This M-ambulance can reach such areas easily," he said.
Sarala, one of the first few customers, said M-auto would also save money as it runs on solar power.