Hybrid cars more effective in India, China than the US.
By Deepak Chitnis
WASHINGTON, DC: New research released by the US Department of Energy indicates that hybrid-powered cars are significantly more effective and fuel-efficient in India and China than they are in the US.
The research, conducted at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, found that the thing people complain the most about in heavily populated countries like India and China is actually one of the main reasons that hybrid cars are so much more effective there: the constant, never-ending traffic.
Because of the heavy traffic, cars spend a lot of time idling, not moving a whole lot, and are frequently stopping, therefore spending very little time putting up highway numbers and zooming along. This helps save fuel, as hybrid car engines stop when in low-power situations, and the efficiency of hybrid batteries also helps regulate fuel consumption. A system called regenerative braking also contributes to mitigating fuel usage.
The results were found by Berkeley Lab scientists Samveg Saxena and Amol Phadke, who worked in conjunction with lead researcher Anand Gopal.
The trio simulated drive cycles in two of India’s most populous and notoriously congested cities, New Delhi and Pune, and compared the results of a hypothetical hybrid engine system with that of the conventional Maruti Alto. The simulated drive cycles and Modified Indian Drive Cycle, which is used to create the official fuel economy rating, were also used to discover the data in the report.
The Indian government has already taken note of the study, especially since its findings surpass what was already believed about hybrid cars. So far, the understanding has been that hybrids are only about 29% more efficient than standard automobiles, but the new report says that they are actually about 47-48% more efficient (and 53-55% more in China).
Gopal is part of the International Energy Studies Group at the Berkeley Lab. He has a Ph.D. in Energy and Resources from University of California, Berkeley, an M.S. in Environmental Systems Engineering from Humboldt State University and a B.S. in Civil Engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Madras.
Saxena is a member of the Grid Integration Group at Berkeley Labs, and is an alumnus of the University of California (UC) Berkeley. Phadke is also in the International Energy Studies Group, like Gopal, and has 40 scientific works published in his name. He has a Bachelor of Engineering degree from Government College of Engineering, Pune, India and a M.S. and Ph.D. from the Energy and Resources Group, from UC Berkeley.
The goal is for India to have at least 6 or 7 million hybrid and/or electric vehicles on the road by the end of the decade, which will drastically cut down on fuel emissions throughout the notoriously pollution-heavy country. Vehicle ownership in India and China is expected to jump up in the coming years, making the goal difficult but feasible. The report’s findings come just one day after the US government announced a pilot program to develop clean energy solutions for the subcontinent, part of a concerted effort to cut down on harmful emissions.
The Berkeley Lab, part of DoE, is managed by the University of California. It has produced 13 Nobel Prize winners, and 57 of its active scientists are members of the National Academy of Sciences (NAS), one of the highest honors for a scientist in the United States.
(Photos courtesy of the Berkeley Lab.)
To contact the author, email to deepakchitnis@americanbazaaronline.com