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Meguru is the world's first EV rickshaw it didn't know it needed (video)

If you've never experience the thrill that is fearing for your life while some crazy rickshaw jockey takes you tearing through a busy street, two-stroke engine screaming even louder than you, you haven't really lived. Soon there'll be no 175cc engine to drown out your lamentations, with the Meguru offering all that thrill and style with an EV powertrain. It has a traditional Japanese design with motorcycle-derived innards but a cushy (and tackily upholstered) back seat for two -- or maybe three depending on how friendly everyone is. The side curtains are made of bamboo and washi paper, giving it a look that says "I'm at least partially organic." It's available now for a mere ¥100,000; about $1,200.

Update: A little further Googling has found a number of prior permutations for gas-free rickshaws, including a solar model, making us think the "world's first" claim here is perhaps a little dubious -- as it often is. Still, we'll give it world's first mass produced EV rickshaw.