The Hindu : Tamil Nadu / Chennai News : Fuel conservation group lists tips to cut consumption

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, May 02, 2007
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Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu - Chennai

Fuel conservation group lists tips to cut consumption

Swahilya

IN A JAM: A scene of rush-hour traffic on Anna Salai. — Photo: R. Ragu

CHENNAI : With traffic planning dominated by vehicle numbers, road congestion and safety, conservation of automobile fuels — a non-renewable source of energy — seldom gets the attention it deserves from urban planners or road-users.

The Petroleum Conservation Research Association (PCRA) has estimated that the loss of one drop of diesel per second amounts to a loss of 2,000 litres a year. In its tips on energy conservation for buses and trucks, it has recommended a technically sound and fine-tuned engine.

The PCRA recommendations are the outcome of a research project on the relationship between traffic planning and fuel consumption that was taken up at New Delhi in association with the Central Road Research Institute and the Indian Institute of Petroleum.

The PCRA calls for the judicious use of clutch and brakes, switching off the engine at stops for over two minutes, car pool systems and reducing unnecessary loads which increase fuel consumption, using the recommended grade of engine oil and periodically checking tyre pressure.

A reduction in weight by 50 kg can lead to two per cent saving in fuel consumption. Engine oil that is thicker than the recommended grade can cause a two per cent increase in consumption and a 25 per cent decrease in tyre pressure can increase fuel consumption by 10 per cent and reduce a tyre's life span by 25 per cent, states the PCRA citing several studies.

The study points out that driving in the incorrect gear leads to a 20 per cent increase in fuel consumption.

A fuel saving of 6 per cent can be achieved by tuning the car regularly and driving at a steady speed of 45 to 55 kph. Tests on Indian cars have proved that an extra mileage of 40 per cent can be achieved at a speed of 40 kph.

The report points to the need for avoiding rapid acceleration, hard braking and sudden stops.

V. Sivakumar, chief regional co-ordinator, southern region, PCRA said the studies on oil conservation and road traffic began at New Delhi as a model experiment.

"It was found that there was a wastage of Rs. 7 to 8 crore a month due to vehicles idling in traffic jams," he said.

Pavan Raj, Additional Director, PCRA, said by switching off the vehicle while waiting for 15 seconds or more at a signal can save Rs. 994 crore per year in New Delhi.

The PCRA has asked transport authorities in New Delhi to put up hoardings urging vehicle users to switch off for a waiting time of 15 seconds. Traffic planning, from the standpoint of oil conservation, will be taken up in a big way at Hyderabad and New Delhi as model steps, he said.

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