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These cool-looking Audi-powered tuk-tuks pack end-cycle car battery packs from e-trons and plan to be sustainable for the environment.

The whole point of the electric revolution that the automobile sector is undergoing currently is to bring about a sustainable change. While this is a broad and debatable subject various automakers and component companies are trying their best to achieve this. And for some, that even involves end-to-end recycling and upcycling. Audi is one such automaker, and they are planning to recycle and use battery modules in electric rickshaws for India.

And a German-Indian startup called Nunam has collaborated with the German auto giant for this sustainable cause. The battery packs for these rather cool-looking rickshaws are being sourced from Audi e-tron test vehicles that have had their fair share of wear and tear. Audi is also showcasing the potential of second-life usage for batteries with this collaborative project. This is not a mass-scale project (for now.)

Nunam, which is funded by Audi Environmental Foundation, will be bringing three electric rickshaws to Indian roads via the non-profitable route. They aim to mobilize women to be independent and Nunam believes that these Audi-powered e-rickshaws are a worthy companion for the same. Currently, three prototypes have been built by the trainees at Neckarsulm, Germany.

Don't expect impressive performance figures, but the use of a high-density Li-Ion battery pack sure gives us hope for the impressive driving range. It is pleasing to see automakers make a future out of end-cycle components.

These cool-looking Audi-powered tuk-tuks pack end-cycle car battery packs from e-trons and plan to be sustainable for the environment and helpful for humans.

Prodip Chatterjee, the co-founder of Nunam is on a mission to show the world that the Li-Ion batteries which have completed their first life cycle in cars, still have a lot of life left in them for a second and even third lifecycle. He is focusing currently on repurposing these end-of-cycle batteries to be used in much lighter and less energy-requiring automobiles.

This initiative will not only help the environment by cutting down on pollution and carbon and rare-metal footprint required in manufacturing new battery packs. But Nunam will also be providing these "recycled" e-rickshaws to a non-profit organization in India to help women make and sell goods without relying on a secondary source of transportation.

With this project, Nunam and Audi are not only showing the world the potential of batteries for a second-life usage; but are also promoting independency for women by providing these e-rickshaws for a great cause.

Related: Everything You Should Know About Audi's EV Lineup

This clever initiative also happens to be the pilot joint project between Audi AG and the Audi Environmental Foundation; along with Nunam. The battery packs used in these tuk-tuks are taken off the various test e-tron vehicles from Audi that have neared or ended their life cycle.

While these batteries are not efficient to be used again in cars, it makes up for a very strong use case in lighter and less energy-demanding vehicles like e-rickshaws and even electric mopeds. The batteries will be split into smaller packs, most likely in blocks of a maximum of 10 kWh packs.

This layout will also provide a scarp-worthy Audi EV to spawn over seven e-rickshaws which is an impressive use of this repurpose ideology.

Related: Jeff Bezos Drives Amazon Electric Rickshaw In India Promotion

Now, Nunam could have easily gone for smaller form factors like mopeds, but electric rickshaws make more sense. As the repurposed battery packs are still sizable, it would be more work to cut them down to fit in a two-wheeler footprint. Also in India, the best way to motivate electrification is via public transport and rickshaws constitute a major part of it across the country.

Also, rickshaws are hard-wired to be efficient and less of performance junkies. No one wants to do wheelies in one (but we think that these Audi-powered ones might pop one!). Another main reason for choosing rickshaws is their abundance in India. There are many e-rickshaws on the roads, but almost all pack lead-acid batteries that are way less efficient than modern Li-Ion ones.

So even with these recycled batteries, the Audi-powered rickshaws would be way superior to those currently prowling on the roads. Also, the low overall curb weight will help these Audi-backed rickshaws to be a lot more efficient.

Another environmental-friendly change that Nunam is bringing forth with these rickshaws is solar charging stations deploying across the cities. This will help further reduce carbon footprint because currently rickshaws in India are charged either at home or via public grid electricity which extracts energy from coal. So, it is a win-win formula that puts reliability and durability into a rather cool-looking package.

Related: Audi RS Q E-Tron Rallies Through The Streets Of Hamburg At The OMR Festival

Nunam will be launching its pilot project in India by 2023 with the deployment of three of this Audi-powered e-rickshaws. The choice of city for this experiment will most likely start with Bengaluru before expanding to other metropolitan like Mumbai and Delhi. The specs and other technical details are still under curtains, but we are pretty sure that these rickshaws will be the sickest-looking ones on Indian roads.

Before the trio makes its way to India, Nunam with Audi trainees at the Neckarsulm site has developed another rickshaw. This is a show vehicle that is on display at the ongoing Greenwich Festival in Berlin which will wrap up on 24th June 2022.

It is wholesome to see automakers take a pledge and further elevate the value of environmental protection and human empowerment. We are looking forward to how Nunam's pilot project fares in India, because if it goes well, then these e-rickshaws might eventually also make it to other Southeast Asian countries too.

Tijo is an engineer, mechanic, gamer, and an avid content creator. He is a grease-monkey who loves tinkering with automobiles every now and then, when not busy penning down his passion for them. He has always had a soft spot for JDM and is keen on diving deep in for anything that involves wheels and engines.