It is quite clear that the rising crude oil prices have put heavy pressure on governments all over the world to curb fuel costs. One must be clear that a major chunk of the fuel is taken in by the facilities that they offer to the citizens, like the trains and road transport vehicles, carrying essential goods and other requirements. After this, the consumption of personal vehicles will be taken into consideration. The proposed rise in prices is immense and would have a chain reaction to follow, unless we strike oil under our chairs! There are whole lot of developments proceeding ranging from hybrids to fuel cells to water powered cars, the feasibility of which is much in debate.
India alone has spent a whopping Rs41 crore on research and development on alternative fuels during the past three years. This is a considerable amount, and a clear indication of the seriousness of the issue. It’s good to see that biofuels are getting their due recognition and biodiesel in particular would take over. But as a prologue to the above said, technology can do a lot right now to push the day of reckoning a little further. This will also give a suitable amount of time for research, development, experimentation, and results to be obtained. If or when the day arrives when we wholly and completely depend on alternate fuels for the moving parts we are assured in terms of affordability and practicality. This is when Energy efficient technology plays a major role. This is not a substitute but something that moves parallel to the alternate fuel development. They are available now to some extent but then come at a considerable price that could be revised.
To begin with, there is Variable Valve Timing and Lift. The flow of air and fuel into the engine is controlled by valves. Thus the time period (timing) and degree of movement (lift) of these valves can be optimized by these systems, thereby increasing efficiency. Cylinder Deactivation, as the name suggests deactivates those engine’s cylinders when they are not needed. This technology cannot be used for 4 cylinder engines as there is a marked decrease in performance. Turbochargers and superchargers essentially send in more air into the engine for igniting, but work in different ways, the purpose being the same, resulting in more power. This can help the manufacturer to use smaller engines without sacrificing performance. Along with this, Direct Fuel Injection is an excellent addition where the fuel mist can be controlled as it is directly injected into the cylinder, thereby increasing efficiency with higher performance figures and higher compression ratios as well. Integrated Starters or Generators are a little new. These essentially work in way so as to completely negate the fuel loss during idling as it switches off the engine and can be started up when the accelerator is pressed. Along with this, Regenerative Braking is also used whereby the mechanical energy from the brakes is saved up in the battery and is used to power the automatic starter.
Most of these are in use but a lot of tweaks can be incorporated to enhance the overall contribution in terms of efficiency. They also play a significant role in terms of savings with regards to the individual vehicle lifecycle. Recently the US administration released a requirement from the new generation of cars and trucks seeking more fuel efficient vehicles. They were looking to set up an average figure, failing which the vehicle would not be made road legal. This is a plan for 2015. Similar talks have been circling around the globe raising eyebrows from car manufacturers alike. But the truth is for all to see with the rising prices and measures have to be taken. As much as we say that we live for today, tomorrow does dawn upon on us. It will not be long for the international community comes together in matters of such critical public interest unless as I said earlier we find a fresh oil rig at the dwindling poles or the Hubble finds something for someone to monopolise! Until then we have to work with our on the rise IQ levels and high speed internet to find a solution.
