5 Jun, World Environment Day 2026 to be hosted by Azerbaijan, Baku. Focus is on climate change. Avail 30% discount on Solar Bicycles!
Solar bicycles or solar bikes are personal transport vehicles designed to be propelled with a combination of human-power and solar-power. They are lightweight and eco-friendly and ideal for short, urban commutes. Motorcycles are engine-driven, faster, and designed for longer distances or highways. Solar bikes offer health benefits and low maintenance, while motorcycles require fuel, licenses, and insurance, offering greater speed and power but with higher safety risks and costs.
Propulsion: Solar bicycles use pedals (human power) and solar-power; motorcycles use internal combustion engines or electric motors.
Speed & Range: Maximum speed of solar bikes is 25 km/hour. Motorcycles have much higher top speeds and can travel longer distances, making them suitable for highways.
Cost & Maintenance: Solar bicycles are low-maintenance and free to operate, while motorcycles have higher costs for fuel, insurance, and maintenance.
Portability & Storage: Solar bicycles are lightweight (less than 30 kgs) and easy to store indoors. Motorcycles are heavy, require secure parking, and cannot be easily brought inside.
Legality: Motorcycles require a license, registration, and insurance; solar bicycles do not.
Choose a Solar Bike (Bicycle) for: Fitness, short commutes, eco-friendly travel, and avoiding traffic congestion.
Choose a Motorcycle for: High-speed commuting, long-distance travel, highway riding, and carrying heavy loads or passengers.
Note: The term "bike" is often used to describe both, bicycles and motorcycles, but "motorbike" specifically refers to a motorcycle.
We care for the environment and are concerned about climate change, biological diversity and pollution. We would like you to 'Pedal More for Less'. Kindly buy one if you plan to ride it on a daily basis either to work, school or for groceries and not only for recreational purposes on weekends.
... if you have love and passion for bicycles and enjoy pedaling to work, to school or simply to buy groceries. Buy it only if you are health and fitness conscious and wish to lead a healthy life, or if you are an environmentalist and wish to reduce your carbon emissions. Or if you are concerned about your safety and desire safety features & lights on your bicycle. Or if, with a regular bicycle, you lack the confidence or strength to carry your cargo, or to meet the metabolic energy needs of a fast ride at a speed of 25 km/hour while travelling longer distances (6 - 10 km) to reach the destination on time.
Solar Bicycles are NOT to be confused with EVs or ICE vehicles. The unique and biggest asset of a bicycle is its pair of pedals. A solar bicycle is to be considered as an extension of a regular road bicycle designed and engineered for use in the solar assisted pedaling mode. This mode enables you to mix metabolic and solar energies in a controlled manner. The solar energy substitutes a portion of the metabolic energy to lower the pedaling effort, to make pedaling lighter, more fun, more enjoyable, and at the same time to make the ride safer with the numerous in-built safety features such as brake light, tail light, head-light, etc., all driven by solar energy. Ride with confidence and speed with solar assisted pedaling!
Though Solar Bicycles offer the 'Throttle' mode, it should be rarely used; these bicycles are designed and engineered for use in the solar assisted pedaling mode. If you prefer the throttle mode, you have a choice of the more powerful and heavier 'EVs' with larger battery capacity to serve your needs better than solar bicycles.
If you love pedaling, but lack the confidence or strength to meet the metabolic energy needed to travel longer distances (for trips less than 10 kms), at the maximum speed of 25 km/hour, then solar bicycles are the best for you.
If you wish to pedal to work daily, value time but find it difficult to pedal, purely with metabolic energy on a simple bicycle, at the maximum speed of 25 km/hour, to reach the work place on time, then the solar assisted pedaling mode would serve your need well.
This 2 minute video shows the features of the grand and majestic Savitré™ Neu 29" solar assist bicycle that offers a more comfortable and safer ride in comparison to other vehicles with smaller diameter wheels.
SolarBrochure.pdf
Fully Assembled Solar Electric Commute cum Cargo Bicycle, 27.5" or 29" MTB with 40W tiltable Solar Panel with suspension, 1 or 7 Speed Gears, 250W BLDC Motor, Throttle and 5 Solar/ Pedal Assist Levels, Cruise Control, 36 V, 5.2 or 7.8 Ah, 280 Wh External Battery, Dual Disk Brakes, Front Suspension, Integrated Rear Carrier, 27.5" x 2.4" or 29" x 2.4" Tires, Controller, Headlight, Tail Parking light, Brake light, Horn, 2" Multi-parameter LCD Display with Solar Assist Level Shift Buttons, Mirror, Bell, Switch Key Lock, Cable Lock, Center Stand, 2A Solar MPPT Charge Controller & other Fittings - for
BEM® SAVITRÉ™ ASSORTED R&D SOLAR ASSIST BICYCLES:
Fully Assembled R&D Developmental Prototypes - Solar Assist Bicycles, Assorted in 26", 27.5", and 29" MTB with 40W tiltable Solar Panel with suspension, 250W BLDC Motor, Throttle and 5 Solar/Pedal Assist Modes, 36V, 5.2Ah External Battery, LED/ LCD Display, Key & Cable Locks, Center Stand, 2A Solar MPPT Charge Controller & other Fittings - for
₹ 10,000 - ₹ 23,000 (all incl.)!
Send Message through WhatsApp on +91 9824074054 for more details if interested
All our solar bicycles are equipped with an integrated pannier rack (rear carrier). By 'integrated' we mean the pannier rack is solidly welded to the bicycle frame and thus forms an integral part of the main frame. This gives the solar bicycle an ability to carry more cargo load. If we assume the weight of the rider to be 65 kgs, then an extra 30 kg can be carried as cargo by the bicycle.
A common question asked is where and how do we carry the cargo. Well, the pannier rack side rails are fitted with sturdy 'S' shaped hooks on either side. Two cargo bags, each weighing 15 kg, can be hung on these 'S' hooks, one on each side. Additionally, the pannier rack is also fitted with butterfly shaped 'Pannier Side Guards'. These side guards prevent the cargo bags from interfering with the disk brakes or the rotation of the rear wheel (see the rear view of the solar bicycle in the image given below) . In the same image you would also notice how elegantly, the solar panel that is mounted on the top of the pannier rack offers adequate protection and shade to the cargo bags that are hung on either side from rain and direct sunlight.
<-- Rear View
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Image showing simple yet effective arrangements to carry cargo
<- Side View
On World Environment Day, Sunday, 5th June 2022, Baroda Electric Meters Limited proudly dedicated its indigenously developed BEM® Savitré 'Solar Bicycles' and 'Solar Tricycles ' to India and to the world. Since then the assembly and roll out of the world's first sustainable human transport vehicle has commenced in its works located at Anand, Gujarat, India.
A brand new 26" regular or MTB bicycle from a reputed manufacturer of customer's choice retrofitted complete, with the basic configuration consisting of a 250W BLDC Hub Motor, Electronic Motor Controller, Rechargeable Li-ion Polymer 200Wh Battery, 40 W Solar Panel, BEM Savitré Solar MPPT Battery Charge Controller, Head Light, Tail Light cum Brake Light, Horn & other Fittings, and 3 operational modes (Throttle, Pedal Assist, Manual Pedal), is offered for an all inclusive (inc. GST) ex-works price of ₹25,200 (or USD$ 260 or EURO € 240) only! The price includes cost of a brand new bicycle and has no extra or hidden costs. Due to local demand, it is currenlty available only at the Factory Store.
Solar Bicycles and Tricycles are truly a novel and innovative concept. It is probably the only vehicle developed and commercialised so far that generates its own energy that it (the vehicle) consumes. As proud innovators and manufacturers of the solar cycles, we suggest that readers compare it with other vehicles (ICE vehicles or EVs).
Would you buy a new BS6 or EURO6 vehicle with ICE (Internal Combustion Engine) ?
Under the BS6 norm, the limit of pollution has been reduced - while the norm for Nitrogen Oxides (NOx) is reduced to 60mg/km, the Pariculate Matter (PM) has been restricted to 4.5mg/km (Actually the credit goes more to the BS6 fuel that contains less sulphur and NOx). Nevertheless internal combustion engines (ICE) do pollute, and more significantly cause global warming and deplete the planet of its scarce oil resources.
Would you buy a new Electric Car instead?
Our article on Solar Bicycles vs. EVs shows how you would be continuing to use fossil fuel to charge your Electric Vehicle (EV), and thus would be still responsible for pollution (in sharp contrast to the claims made by GEDA).
Are you willing to ride a solar bicycle (max. speed = 30 km/hr) to work?
At just 1% of the cost of an Electric Car, riding a solar cycle represents a shift to a healthy lifestyle.
BEM® Savitré™ MPPT Solar Charge Controllers / Battery Chargers can be simply be attached to Solar Panels placed under the Sun to charge up rechargeable batteries at the fastest possible pace - i.e. in minimum battery charging time. These are 32 bit ARM Cortex microcontroller based chargers with true 'Maximum Power Point Tracking' (MPPT) algorithms that enable it to extract maximum power from a solar panel of a certain capacity (Beware of modules without tracking ability, or simple PWM modules, in the market, labelled as MPPT!) . The MPPT Solar Charge Controllers are particularly useful in remote areas for applications that need battery power far away from the electric grid. Different models can be used for charging Li-Ion Batteries for wide range of applications ranging from E-bikes or E-bicycles to Rechargeable Lanterns & Torches. BEM® Savitré™ MPPT Controllers have been designed with inbuilt protection and controlled operating modes for high reliability, quick charging and longer usage life of the rechargeable batteries.
Throttle Mode: Switch ON the Power by turning the key clockwise. Gently rotate the throttle handle anticlockwise to accelerate. Retain the position of handle rotation to cruise at the desired speed. Let go off the handle to allow it to get back to the original (zero) position to cut off battery supply to the motor and free wheel - cycle continues to move due to inertia. With a 5Ah Battery one can cover a distance of 15 to 20 kms in this mode
Pedal Assist Mode (PAS): Switch ON the Power by turning the key clockwise. Do not use the Throttle handle. Instead press your foot on the pedal. The Pedal Assist Sensor (PAS) will detect your pedalling speed and assist manual power with battery power. The PAS mode allows you to travel the same distance with less manual effort. Battery gets drained less in the PAS mode in comparison to the Throttle mode, thereby enabling one to cover larger distances. With a 5Ah Battery one can cover a distance of 25 to 30 kms in this mode.
Manual Pedal Mode: Switch OFF the Power by turning the key anti-clockwise. This would disable both PAS and Throttle modes. The bicycle gets transformed back to a human powered, pedal driven one. This mode is particularly useful to safely return back home, when you run out of battery power. The 5Ah Battery does not get drained in the manual pedal mode.
Tip: Apply brakes only when needed. Applying brakes unnecessarily wastes energy.
Brake Wire used to adjust the Tilt Angle of the Solar Panel for faster Solar Charging.
Solar Panel also works well as a Mud guard to prevent rider's clothes from getting soiled.
Maximum Distance per day: Assuming bright sunny days, the solar cycle can cover an average distance of 15 kms every day in Throttle mode, and 30 kms per day in Pedal Assist (PAS) Mode. By increasing the solar panel size and battery capacity, this distance can be increased - though not recommended since the panel is mounted on the bicycle.
Maximum Speed: Due to RTO restrictions, the maximum speed is limited to 30 km/ hour.
Time take for Solar Charge: Typically takes 6 hours under the sun to fully charge the battery
Time taken for Battery Discharge: Typically takes 1 hour to discharge the battery at maximum speed.
An LCD Display (instead of an LED display), that displays the Speed, Odometer - Total Distance covered in km, Trip Distance in km & battery charge status.
A 3 speed PAS (Pedal Assist) control switch that gives the rider an ability to choose the level of assistance that is needed from the Battery while pedalling.
Cruise Control: After twisting / rotating the throttle handle by a fixed degree and by maintaining a steady speed for a time duration greater than 5 seconds, the motor controller would enter the 'Cruise Control' mode (indicated accordingly by an icon on the LCD Panel). Thereafter, the rider is free to release the throttle handle while the motor controller takes over the function of maintaining the set speed or 'cruise control mode'. The motor controller would exit the cruise control mode when any of the following conditions get satisfied: (a) Any of the brake levers are pressed, or (b) The Throttle handle is again rotated, or (c) The Pedals are rotated.
A Strip LED Tail light and Brake Light mounted on rear solar panel for better aesthetic looks. Tail light goes ON when switch is turned ON, regardless of whether day / night, for safe riding in all weather conditions. When brakes are applied, bright brake light goes ON with increased lumen output for better visibility and increased safety.
Detachable plug and socket arrangement for the Hub motor for easy wheel removal in case of tyre replacement or puncture repairs.
Warranty of 12 months for motor and controller.
Bicycles of larger/ different frame sizes, or wheel sizes greater than 26" such as the 29", or those with front Shocker/Suspension instead of rigid front suspension, or ones with disc brakes instead of normal brakes, or ones that have no rear carriers or ones that need extra fittings, would cost extra.
If not already provided by the bicycle manufacturer, a light weight rear carrier would be fitted to mount the Solar Panel (at extra cost).
It has taken mankind two hundred years from the invention of the first human driven vehicle - a bicycle, to the development of a truly environmentally sustainable vehicle - solar cycle.
To convert an ordinary (human powered) bicycle into an environment friendly (motor powered) solar bicycle the major challenge is designing with the primary source of power - namely the solar panel. Due to the light weight (<20 - 30 kgs), size, and 'center of gravity' (CG) constraints associated with a bicycle, it is not feasible to fit an overly large sized solar panel on the bicycle. The BEM® सवित्रे™ Savitré - 2 Amps MPPT Solar Charge Controller, developed in-house, indigenously, gives an ability to a relatively smaller sized solar panel to charge the rechargeable battery at a fast rate. The BEM® Solar bicycle is fitted with a medium sized 40W, 12V Solar panel and yet, the charge controller is able to deliver approx. 1 Amp of charging current to the battery. A 32 bit ARM microcontroller that runs a Maximum Power Point Tracking (MPPT) algorithm gives the charger an ability to extract maximum possible power from the Solar panel and feed the same to the rechargeable Li-ion battery.
Tip: Ensure that the solar panel is facing sun, avoid shadows, and keep the panel surface clean for best performance.
We have chosen Savitré as the name of the Solar MPPT Charger. Accordingly, we have name our rollout of Solar Bicycles as Project Savitré. The name Savitré originates from the Mantra (name of Surya or Sun God) - ॐ सवित्रे नमः Oṃ Savitré Namaḥ, meaning - one who produces everything. Savitré also has a corresponding Asna (Step) in Yoga - namely Padahastasana - a variant of Uttanasana or 'Standing Forward Bending' asana in modern yoga as exercise and as shown in the emblem alongside.
