A ‘Green Revolution’ on Two Wheels: Mhaleu Metha’s bamboo electric bike

Morung Express News
Chümoukedima | February 19

A unique electric bamboo bike, built entirely from locally sourced materials, has caught the attention of attendees at The White Owl Literature Festival and Book Fair at Zone Niathu by the Park, Chümoukedima. 

The prototype bamboo electric bike was being test driven at the event by Green Guard, a waste management company focused on segregating waste, recycling, and reusing materials. 

This innovation is the brainchild of Mhaleu Metha, a skilled bamboo artisan employed at the Nagaland Bamboo Development Agency (NBDA) at 6th Mile, Chümoukedima.

Mhaleu conceived the idea for an electric bamboo bike in 2017, but it was not until 2021 that he brought it to fruition. The bike’s entire structure is built from treated bamboo, distinguished for its durability. 

The bike's frame is entirely made from treated bamboo, distinguished for its durability.

The approach to building the bike is all about resourcefulness. He informed that he sourced leftover treated bamboo from various projects at the NBDA to ensure no material went to waste.

According to Mhaleu, the treated bamboo is guaranteed to last up to 25 years, which makes it a long-lasting alternative to traditional materials. The bamboos used in the bike were sourced from different parts of Nagaland, including Kohima, Niuland, and Peren.

The different species of bamboo were also selected based on their size and suitability for various parts of the bike.

For the other components, Mhaleu used his own savings to buy the necessary electric and metal parts, including motor, battery, digital speed meter, glue, nuts and bolts etc. 

Another interesting and eco-friendly touch in the design process is the use of banana fiber from Tuensang to glue-tie the bamboo parts together. 

While the bike's frame is held together with conventional nuts and bolts, the banana fibre adds an organic, sustainable element to the construction. 

The bike's electric components are designed to be simple and efficient. It is fully rechargeable using a standard domestic socket, with a charging time of just two hours. 

“You can easily charge it while having breakfast in the morning,” Mhaleu added, highlighting its practicality. 

The bike's speed is capped at 25 kilometres per hour, making it ideal for short-distance travel, though it is not designed for highway use.

Despite this, Mhaleu held that it is versatile enough various settings, adding that even a back gear has been included in the design for convenience.

In an era where electric vehicles are emerging as a more sustainable alternative to fuel-powered ones, a bamboo-electric hybrid can provide a fresh and eco-friendly transport solution, Mhaleu noted.

However, despite the promising potential, he admitted that bringing a concept like this to life in Nagaland has been no easy feat.

“It is difficult to sell one's dream or concept here. People or the government are usually only willing to buy ready-made products. They are not very open to new ideas or prototypes,” Mhaleu shared. 

Although the bike is nearing its final design, he acknowledged that mass production remains a challenge, citing difficulties in securing investors and attracting potential buyers, among other hurdles.

“The market is driven by price. Sustainability is often just talk, and people usually prefer ready-made products,” Mhaleu explained. “Even when a product is built with sustainable materials, it’s hard to sell unless the price is competitive with other products on the market.”

His conclusion is based on past experiences. 

In 2021, he created a bamboo bicycle, and in 2022, he built a bamboo electric tricycle. 

Both of these projects, despite their ingenuity, were shelved due to a lack of interested parties or investors. 

Despite these challenges, Mhaleu conveyed that the bamboo electric bike can play an important role in the shift towards more sustainable transportation solutions. 

His vision is to offer an alternative to fuel-based vehicles, showing that even local, natural materials like bamboo can be used to create functional, eco-friendly technologies.