Penny wise: Most city automobiles have wasteful engines

Obsolete technology, poor maintenance blamed for high fuel consumption.

LAHORE:

Most automobiles in the city are running on engines with fuel consumption disproportionately more than what the manufacturers claim for those models. Engineers say reliance on unauthorised mechanics affects engine efficiency and increases fuel consumption. They also point to a large number of automobiles running on carburetor engines.

As many as 386,151 out of 668,115 automobiles (57.7 per cent) in the city have been manufactured by Suzuki, according to a 2010 Excise and Taxation Department document. An authorised Suzuki dealer suggests that the figure may have risen to 64 per cent. Only 23 per cent of the Suzuki cars in the city have engines with electronic fuel injection (EFI) system, which consume less fuel compared to those with carburetor engines.

There are 6,938 Mitsubishi cars and 5,018 Nissan cars in the city. Most of these run on diesel, which has a greater impact on air quality. Emissions of nitrogen oxides by cars with diesel engines range from 20.5 per cent to 65 per cent of total emissions. For those running on CNG and petrol, the ratio is between 0.1 per cent and 0.15 per cent and between 8.6 per cent and 14.4 per cent, respectively.

A 2008 study by the Pakistan Council of Scientific and Industrial Research had concluded that cars with inefficient engines release high levels of carbon dust and oxides of nitrogen and carbon.  Oxides of nitrogen cause respiratory diseases in children and irritation in eyes. The study found that 70 per cent of pollution in the city was caused by emissions from automobiles.

Mehran, the car used by the largest number in the country, accounts for the most of the Suzuki cars with carburettor engines. On petrol, the car can cover 15 km per litre within the city and up to 18 km on highways. Experts believe poor maintenance reduces Mehran’s output to about nine km per litre of petrol. “Carburettor engines installed in Mehran are highly inefficient. Such engines were abandoned in Europe by mid 1980s,” says Shahzad Ahmed, an engineer who works at an authorised car dealership.

Its Indian counterpart, Suzuki Maruti, has an engine with electronic fuel injection (EFI). This enables the car to cover 23 km per litre of petrol, says environment engineer Tauqueer Qureshi.

Other popular Suzuki vehicles in the city are Cultus, Swift and Liana. Cultus and Liana drive up to 17 km per litre of petrol on highways and 14km per litre on city roads. Swift covers 15 km per litre of petrol on long drives and 14 km within the city. Since 2007, Liana, Cultus and Swift are manufactured with EFI-powered engines.

Shawash Saigol, an authorised Suzuki dealer, says carburettor engines are not the only cause of fuel inefficiency and air pollution. He holds unauthorized roadside mechanics responsible. “Mehrans are mostly owned by people who go to unauthorised mechanics believing they are cheaper,” he says, “These mechanics will prefer inferior spares over original vehicle parts.” In the long run, this leads to fuel inefficiency, says Saigol. For most old Cuores, Santros and Cultuses too, fuel inefficiency has more to do with ‘cheap’ maintenance, he argues.

A private company is now marketing devices it claims improves fuel efficiency of EFI engines by over 20 per cent. Shoaib Ashfaq Qureshi, chief operating officer of the Future Technologies, says Panther and Panther Plus devices are suitable for EFI engines up to 1,800cc and 2,000cc, respectively.

Qureshi says the devices have been very successful with Toyota and Honda cars. He says Mehran, Cultus and Cuore users need up to Rs30,000 to install the device. “They need to install an EFI kit first. The device will then cost them Rs7,500,” he says. He says most users of these cars don’t install the devices because they fear resale value of their cars will fall.



Published in The Express Tribune, July 16^th, 2011.