A YouTuber from northeastern India has made a unique extended electric motorcycle that enables social distancing.<br /><br />Partha Saha, a resident of Aralia village near Agartala, Tripura state, used up his savings to make a "social distancing" bike which he plans to use to ferry his daughter to and from school.<br /><br />Keeping up with guidelines issued by the World Health Organisation, the electric bike has a one-metre distance between each seat.<br /><br />"The bike runs on a 750-Watt DC motor, attached is a 48-volt battery which won't pollute the environment, unlike petrol or diesel-run bikes. Given the electric nature of the bike, it also produces less noise than any other bike," Saha said.<br /><br />Saha bought an old bike from a scrap dealer, separated the engine and cut the machine in two before affixing a rod slightly longer than a metre (3.2 feet) to connect the wheels.<br /><br />The bike runs 80 kilometres (49 miles) on a single charge and has a top speed of 27 mph.<br /><br />Saha compiled the final version of the bike within two days on March 2.<br /><br />The YouTuber has already tried out his invention on the streets, leaving onlookers stunned at the design and drawing praise from Biplab Kumar Deb, Tripura's chief minister.<br /><br />"I wanted to ride with my eight-year-old daughter to school while maintaining a safe distance. Probably, that led to the birth of this design," Saha added.<br /><br />He said that neither he wishes to popularise the vehicle as a commercial product nor would he seek permission from the transport department.<br /><br />"Understanding social distancing, how important it is and why people aren’t following it made me think if I could attract their attention and spread awareness that social distancing is needed to prevent the spread of coronavirus," he said.<br /><br />"The government has several agencies that certify whether a vehicle is suited for transport or not. Also, no vehicle once purchased and registered on a database can be modified without permission. So, I am afraid it can’t be used on the roads for now", Saha concludes.
