small in size, big problem

The Western world has come a long way in its drive to reduce air pollution from vehicles. Just over a decade back, the focus was on total suspended particulate matter (which includes natural dust too) and the black smoke vehicles emitted. Epidemiological evidence made governments shift the focus to respirable particles (particles smaller than 10 micron).

Dirty fuel

When Faridabad resident Rajendra Dhankar's eight-month-old Santro began to belch white smoke like a run-down truck, he rushed to the vehicle's manufacturer, Hyundai. What had caused the engine to so wheeze was heavily adulterated fuel. The company replaced the piston and the ring. Dhankar's car was as good as new again. But even as he swore to henceforth buy petrol only from Delhi (Faridabad is a satellite town of Delhi), Hyundai hit the panic button.

Four-stroke complements CNG

VEHICLES and fuels must be seen as a system and not in isolation. Even a clean fuel like CNG may emit high air pollutants if the vehicle engine technology is inefficient to burn the fuel. This is the message from the first detailed testing of CNG three-wheelers in Delhi by researchers from University of British Columbia, Canada.

How about a long drive

IT IS the star attraction on the campus of SRM University in Chennai. Though in a nascent stage, it has the potential to give solar car manufacturers like Reva and Venturi a run for their money. Its innovators, a team of 10 electrical engineering students in their final year and pre-final year, claim the car is highly energy efficient and could hit the market in a year.

40 km for Rs 5

STUDENTS at SMS Institute of Technology in Lucknow are desperately waiting for mechanical engineering professor Bharat Raj Singh—to see his motorbike that runs on air.

Bumps on road fuel cars

Shock absorbers help vehicles recharge from speedbreakers NEXT time your car hits a bump on the road do not curse. Rather, use these shockers to increase the fuel efficiency of your vehicle by 10 per cent. A new shock absorber developed by a team of researchers can generate electricity to fuel your vehicle when it hits a bump.

A UK review on low-carbon cars

The uk's review of technologies and fuels for reducing carbon emissions by vehicles is complete. Chairperson of the review Julia King, while discussing the study in Mumbai recently, claimed that complete de-carbonization of road transport through hydrogen- and electric-powered vehicles was a realistic goal for the uk for 2050. By 2030, she said, per kilometre co2 emissions could be reduced by 50 per cent.

More to Auto expo than Tata's Nano

The weeklong Auto Expo, which concluded in Delhi on January 17, showed contrasting trends--low-priced cars, reincarnated buses for public transport and high-end technologies that promise a green future. The cynosure was Tata's Nano with its populist price tag that perhaps made the expo attract record number of visitors. Besides Tata Motors, Bajaj Auto also announced its foray into the ultra low-cost car segment. They are out to lure the aam admi and are setting the trend in frugal engineering in the mini-segment. Predictably, small cars ruled the roost.

EU adopts safe hydrogen car proposal

The European Commission has for the first time adopted proposals to encourage the development as well as marketing of clean and safe hydrogen cars. Brussels however acknowledged that the technology may have little impact in the next 10 years.

EU adopts safe hydrogen car proposal

The European Commission has for the first time adopted proposals to encourage the development as well as marketing of clean and safe hydrogen cars. Brussels however acknowledged that the technology may have little impact in the next 10 years.