Morning walkers at Race Course had a pleasant surprise on Sunday - a policewoman patrolling the area on an electric bike. The cop was cordial and interacted with them.
A police officer said the e-bike patrolling was launched in the city for the first time on Saturday night, when a policeman went around the Coimbatore Medical College and Hospital premises, where a person attempted to molest a house surgeon a few days ago.
Titled 'Trike', the e-bike developed by Kumaraguru College of Technology at Saravanampatti is designed specifically for the efficient and safe patrolling by the city police personnel in urban and crowded areas. The college has delivered only an e-bike to the city police till date.
The three-wheel vehicle could handle a weight up to 150kg, while maintaining stability and performance. The e-bike is powered by a 720Wh lithium ferro phosphate battery, which could be fully charged in 2.5 hours. In a single full charge, the vehicle could cover a maximum of 30km at a speed of 12kmph. The production cost of the vehicle is ₹50,000, the officer said.
City police commissioner V Balakrishnan had unveiled the e-bike last week and handed it over to the Race Course police for patrolling the walkers' area of Race Course and Valankulam.
"This is a pilot project. We are planning to introduce e-bike for patrolling at Ukkadam Periyakulam, Kurichi Kulam, RS Puram and three more areas, where residents gather with their families in large numbers. The e-bike is equipped with a public addressing system. It has GPS and flash lights as well. This is to ensure smart policing for the smart city," the city police commissioner said.
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