An energy expert is urging the government to provide tax relief and incentives to promote Hybrid vehicles in Sri Lanka helping to protect the environment for future generations and to lessen the damage from toxic gases emit from automobiles to keep the citizens free of health hazards.
Dr. Nuraj I. Rajapakse, Academic Dean - Monash College, Sri Lanka and Associate Professor & Expert on Hybrid Vehicles, ANC University College told journalists in Colombo recently that cars and trucks powered by internal combustion engines burn gasoline or diesel, creating new poisonous compounds that are pumped into the air including carbon monoxide (CO), nitrogen oxides (NOx), hydrocarbons (now classified as volatile organic compounds, or (VOCs), and particulates. These compounds are themselves toxic. Further, NOx and VOCs combine with sunlight to create a complex chemical stew whose primary component is even more insidious pollutant— ground-level ozone. Ground-level ozone is a powerful respiratory irritant that causes breathing problems, worsens respiratory illnesses like asthma, and even contribute to premature death in some vulnerable members of the population.
Hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs) reduce emissions and fuel use through increased fuel economy. So far, full-HEV technology has been used to reduce automotive fuel use by up to 40% and reduce emissions to meet most stringent air quality standards, Dr. Rajapakse said. On average, hybrids reduce lifecycle emissions of greenhouse-gases (GHGs) by about 30%, similar to the reduction in oil use, he added. Hybrids can reduce tailpipe emissions by up to 90% and the greenhouse gas (CO2) emissions by as much as 50%.
These vehicles are part of a solution to Sri Lanka’s energy woes that includes increased development of domestic resources, diversification of resources, additional conservation measures, and research and development. He pointed out that less noise pollution since hybrid cars are much quieter than gasoline-powered vehicles while they are idling or on electric mode. Since less gasoline is required to drive the same distance, the hybrids reduce the reliance on imported crude oil that will save foreign exchange. “Decreasing our dependence on energy supplies would help to make our nation more secure as the Sri Lankan economy is less vulnerable to fluctuations in the world oil market,” he said.
Depending on their design, hybrid electric vehicles employ electric motors solely to assist the gasoline motor during brief periods of high demand, such as acceleration, or larger electric motors to power the vehicle by itself. Most designs use both the gas engine and electric motor together at periods of highest energy need, such as a prompt acceleration. During times of lesser power needs, such as lower speed cruising, the vehicle relies on only the engine or motor, depending on the state of the battery and the size of the electric motor and battery, he disclosed. |
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