The award-winning founder-CEO of Navalt Solar and Electric Boats, Sandith Thandasherry is the man behind India’s first solar ferry. Here's a look at how his startup is revolutionizing clean mobility in India.
Sandith Thandasherry is a hero who is working tirelessly to find ways to reduce our carbon footprint and the general impact that we have on our environment.
Sandith, an MBA graduate from Cochin, has built India’s first solar-powered ferry boat. This boat helps in cutting down close to 92 tonnes of carbon emission and also saves almost Rs 25 lakh a year in fuel costs, he says.
Having worked at various shipyards across the country in the capacity of a manager, Sandith saw up close how various issues were interfering with the design of the existing solar boats. He says, “I demonstrated the flaws to [the clients] and showed them why the boats were only able to get a speed of 6 to 8 km per hour.”
The client then asked Sandith to design a better boat and assured him he would provide the required support. This was all the encouragement that Sandith needed. He began working on a prototype on his garage and thus Aditya, India’s first solar ferry boat, was launched in November 2016.
For 22 trips a day, a normal ferry boat would cost up to Rs 8,000 a day, while the solar ferry boat costs only Rs 200 for the same number of trips.
Here’s how Sandith created an important milestone in India’s fight against climate change: