Converting to Hybrid Cars in Delhi (40% Reduction in Operating Costs)

@ Indian Express - Delhi will need radical measures to tackle its air pollution problem and the Delhi government’s odd-even initiative is a just one of the many things that can be done. IP university graduate Nikhil Khurana seems to think he has a better alternative — get more cars to go hybrid.

Hybrid cars run on more than one energy source, for instance petrol plus electricity, and also fall under the exempted categories in Delhi’s odd-even scheme. In India, the options available in the market under clean/alternative fuel category are rather few and some of these vehicles are priced beyond the reach of a regular customer. However, 23-year-old Khurana has developed a ‘Hybrid car conversion kit’ which can convert a normal car into a hybrid for around Rs 1 lakh. “This is our published patent technology and apart from providing a clean or alternative fuel technology, the hybrid kit also increases the mileage of a car by 40 per cent and reduces its running cost by 30 per cent,” says Khurana.

After the hybrid car conversion kit designed by Folks Motor — a company set-up by Khurana with his friends — is installed, the vehicle can be easily run on either fuel or power modes. “Currently we are offering fuel plus electric kits as the government regulation doesn’t allow us to use this technology with CNG,” he says. “Once the car is running, the batteries get charged automatically and can be used to drive the vehicle at a maximum speed of 60 km/hour.” So, if a car runs around 10 km on fuel then it can run for 4 km on the batteries improving the total mileage by 40 per cent,” he adds. The battery charges to its maximum limit if the car runs for 70-75 km and gives extra mileage of 30-35 km.

Check out the inforgraphic on Emissions Analysis for Odd/Even Days in Delhi

The Best and The Worst of the Pollution Masks

This is an article @ My Health Beijing

Which mask is the best against pollution? I can’t really answer that for everyone, as our faces have different sizes and shapes. I’ve recently shared results from three large tests, which unfortunately didn’t review many of the consumer masks I’ve used. But I can now tell you exactly which of those popular masks is perfect for me, and maybe we all can learn a bit from my adventure. Here’s my tale.

Selling masks in India is the new big business

In my seemingly never-ending quest for the best research on masks, I recently started to correspond with the research team at 3M, and during our conversations they very nicely offered to let me use their TSI Portacount Pro+ machine at their testing lab in Beijing (with no oversight of my results or article). This is the most widely used machine to officially test a mask’s effectiveness on a person’s face, and on a nicely smoggy day (another typically hazardous AQI over 150) I tested nine masks to find out which worked best for my face: three 3M models; Totobobo; Vogmask; Respro Techno; I Can Breathe Honeycomb; Lvdun 绿盾; and a surgical mask.

Bike Taxi Service @ Delhi's Metro Stations

Ahead of the second round of odd even scheme in Delhi and to solve the problem of last mile connectivity,Promto, has started the 1st two-wheeler electric bike-taxi service in Delhi.

The Delhi based company started by our professionals, Nikhil Malik, Karan Chadha, Pawneesh Rampal and Romesh Kumar has come up with 20 battery operated eco-friendly two-wheeler taxi service. The service is available from Connaught Place (Metro station gate no. 7) to give rides within a radius of 5 kms.

Infographic - Emissions Analysis for Odd/Even Days in Delhi

Started as a pilot for four days from Friday, 1st April, Promto has been doing around 150 to 200 rides per day. The two wheeler service is now available for the people of Delhi for Rs 5/Kms. Initiated amidst Delhi’s ongoing war against air pollution, the team of Promto decided to roll out a greener way of tackling the problem through battery operated bikes equipped with in-built GPS systems, verified & well-mannered drivers as and when required. The two-wheeler taxi can be booked by calling on 82528-82528 or by hailing from Connaught Place metro station, gate number 7.

Apart from solving the issues of last mile connectivity and pollution, Promto is here to solve the employment situation in the city by creating job opportunities for the riders through its fleet expansion plans of 500 battery-operated bikes in another 6 months and 10,000 electric bikes in the upcoming 3 years.

Read more @ India Info Online

Delhi Government Initiatives.... Odd/Even Phase 2 Starts on April 15th, 2016

@ Economic Times - Delhi government today issued a notification on the fortnight ­long odd­even car­ rationing scheme that comes into force from April 15, but there is still no clarity as to how parents would pick up their children from schools during the implementation period. The Arvind Kejriwal government has decided to exempt women and cars carrying schoolchildren in uniform in the second round of the road­ rationing plan. Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Saturday said that there are cases where a child may not be in the car on one side of the journey and it will cause a little trouble to parents. Kejriwal advised parents to explore the car­pooling option or "adjust" their children with neighbours as there will be just nine working days during the scheme.

Infographic - Emissions Analysis for Odd/Even Days in Delhi

In the notification, the city government said violation of odd­even rules will attract a fine of Rs 2,000 in accordance with the provisions of sub­section (1) of section 194 of Motor Vehicles Act, 1988.

Air Quality in Delhi (daily updates)

Other exemptions include VIP and CNG cars, cases of medical emergency and cars carrying disabled persons. On Saturday, Chief Minister Kejriwal had said that his government was "seriously" mulling a proposal to enforce the odd­even scheme for 15 days every month. Transport Minister Gopal Rai said Delhi Transport Corporation (DTC) and Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) have geared up to tackle any extra rush as commuters turn to public conveyance during the period when the odd­even scheme is in force. "Metro will increase its trips to 3,248 per day and add 30 coaches.

What's Polluting Delhi's Air?

Extra security personnel would be deployed and number of ticket counters at metro stations would be increased," he said.

India Set for Above Average Monsoon

In line with recent predictions by private weather forecasters, India’s official weather forecasting agency too has said the monsoon is likely to be “above normal” and likely to be 106 per cent of the average of 89 cm. Monsoon rains within 96 per cent and 104 per cent of this average are considered “normal” in the terminology of the India Meteorological Department (IMD). “The monsoon will be fairly well distributed but southeast India will get slightly less rain,” IMD Director General, Laxman Rathore told a press conference in New Delhi on Tuesday. He also said some regions would see floods and that the chances of drought — defined as a deficit of 10 per cent or more — were only one per cent this year.

More @ The Hindu

Indian Ports More Cargo Than 7 Seven Years Ago

@ ToI - India's 32 prominent ports handled 1,080 million tonnes of cargo in 2015-16, compared to 1,052 million tonnes in the previous year as exports fell through the year and import remained muted due to the economic slowdown and a fall in the value of key commodities, led by oil and metals.

Data, however, showed the 12 major ports witnessed a 4.3% rise in cargo traffic, estimated at 606 million tonnes. The private sector players, which have an over 40% share, saw an under 1% rise.Cargo handled by them increased from 471 million tonnes to about 475 million tonnes during 2015-16. Sources said one of the major reasons behind this is the decline in import of coal because of increased domestic production.

Industry insiders said several initiatives, including greater monitoring had improved the efficiency of major ports. The revival of port sector is also evident from the trend of a reduction in average turn around time from 2.55 days in 2012-13 to 2.03 in 2015-16. The average output of ship berth per day has also increased from 11,800 tonnes to 13,809 tonnes during this period.

More @ Times of India

Reduction in Smog Linked to Major Improvement in Children's Health

The finding expands on the landmark USC Children's Health Study, which a year ago reported that kids' lungs had grown stronger over the past 20 years as pollution levels in the Los Angeles Basin declined. In the current study, USC researchers examined a health issue that makes many parents anxious while pulling at their pocketbooks: bronchitic symptoms that could land otherwise healthy children in a doctor's office or hospital.

To assess respiratory symptoms, USC scientists studied children in eight California communities and defined bronchitic symptoms over the preceding year as a daily cough for at least three consecutive months, congestion or phlegm not related to a cold, or inflammation of the mucous membranes, according to Kiros Berhane, lead author and a professor of preventive medicine at the Keck School of Medicine of USC.

The study, published April 12 in the Journal of the American Medical Association, followed 4,602 children in three cohorts as they aged from 5 to 18. During 1993 to 2012, children and their parents from Long Beach, San Dimas, Upland, Riverside, Mira Loma, Lake Elsinore, Alpine and Santa Maria answered questionnaires about children's health. Air quality was continuously monitored in each community.

The study found that tiny particles called particulate matter 2.5 (PM 2.5) -- which can penetrate deep into lungs and cause serious health problems -- dropped by 47 percent from 1992 to 2011 in the study region. USC researchers were able to associate cleaner air with improved children's respiratory health. Kids with asthma were 32 percent less likely to suffer from bronchitic symptoms, and children without asthma experienced a 21 percent reduction in these respiratory problems.

Moreover, nitrogen dioxide, which can reduce resistance to respiratory infections, decreased by 49 percent in the same two decades. USC researchers linked the drop in nitrogen dioxide with a 21 percent decrease of bronchitic symptoms in children with asthma and a 16 percent decline of bronchitic symptoms in kids without asthma.

Read More @ Science Daily

Even Low Levels of Air Pollution Appear to Affect a Child’s Lungs

In "Lifetime Exposure to Ambient Air Pollution and Lung Function in Children," researchers report that children exposed to higher levels of air pollution, including fine particulate matter (PM2.5) and soot (black carbon), had worse lung function than those living in less polluted areas. By age eight, the lung function of children living within 100 meters of a major roadway was on average 6 percent lower than that of children living 400 meters or more away.

Researchers found:

• Children living the closest to major highways had the greatest reductions in their lung function.
• Recent air pollution exposures most negatively impacted lung function measures.
• Children who experienced greater improvements in air quality after the first year of life (either due to a move or changes in local pollution around the home) had better lung function compared to those whose air quality did not improve as much.

"These important findings are from a novel study combining modern modeling of exposures to air pollution with robust measurements of lung function, conducted in a community with pollutant levels now under EPA standards," wrote Cora S. Sack, MD, and Joel D. Kaufman, MD, MPH, of the University of Washington, in an accompanying editorial. "This adds to the urgency for more work to understand the impacts of these low-level exposures on human health."

Read More @ Science Daily

Myanmar Increasing the Coal Share

@ Climate Change News - Myanmar’s new government is set to mushroom coal’s share of its energy mix, despite manifesto pledges to boost clean energy and cut air pollution. The National League of Democracy (NLD) took power last Wednesday, formally ending nearly five decades of oppressive military junta. 

Aung San Suu Kyi’s party will stick to existing targets to increase coal-fired power from 2% to 30% within 15 years, as it expands energy access in a country with one of the world’s lowest electrification rates. That urgency will take precedence “resulting in a few steps back on climate change,” said Miguel Chanco, regional expert at the Economist Intelligence Unit. “After all, approximately 70% of the population still does not have any such access to power,” he said in an e-mailed statement. “On that note, the temptation of cheap coal will be hard to ignore and I suspect that the new government, at least in the near term, will pursue the broad targets outlined in the Energy Master Plan.”

Indonesian and Thai coal firms are reportedly lining up to build power stations. The World Bank, however, has refused to finance projects as they contribute to climate change and air pollution. Myo Myint, an energy expert at the bank, said in comments reported in February by Thai media: “There is still potential for hydropower and gas reserves left untapped. We have yet to explore coal and those reserves found so far are poor in quality.” “To my knowledge, we will have to import coal if we set up coal-fired power plants. So I believe we should first try to run on resources at hand.”

In 2011, hydro provided 74% of electricity, gas 21% and coal 3%. By 2030, they want a third of electricity to be powered by coal, 38% from hydro and 20% from gas. They are also aiming for 7.2 million new grid connections. Suu Kyi, who is set to govern despite being constitutionally barred from the presidency, was initially appointed as energy minister among three other briefs. She will now remain foreign minister and minister in the president’s office, a statement said on Monday.

The NLD pledged to promote small-scale renewable energy for households and reduce industrial air pollution in its manifesto pledge, Chanco said. The state committed to increase forest cover to 30% of land area and generate 38% of its electricity from hydropower by 2030, in a submission to the Paris climate accord last year.

Golden Temple Turning Brown

The chronic air pollution blanketing much of Northern India is now threatening the holiest shrine in the Sikh religion, making the once-gleaming walls of the Golden Temple dingy and dull. There is little to be done short of replacing the 430-year-old temple’s gold-plated walls – an expensive project already undertaken more than a century ago and then again in 1999.

To cut down on pollution, environmentalists and religious leaders have launched a campaign that includes persuading farmers to stop burning spent crops to clear their fields, removing industry from the area and cutting back on traffic. The famous community kitchen or “langar” that serves up to 100,000 people free meals every day at the temple is also switching from burning wood to cooking with gas.

But so far the campaign hasn’t had much impact, with change happening slowly and still no pollution monitoring equipment installed. “As far as pollution goes, we are paying attention,” said Jaswant Singh, environmental engineer at the State Pollution Control Board, a government regulatory authority. “We are in the process of procuring equipment so that we can check the pollution area, pollution from every source on a day-to-day basis.” Officials have also banned burning trash or cooking with certain fuels in restaurants and communities nearby, but enforcement so far remains weak.

More @ NDTV

Delhi Government Initiatives.... 1260 km in Delhi to be Dust Free - Vacuum Cleaning and Greening

Delhi's roads are set to get a green makeover with Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal today launching a drive for 'greeening' and vacuum cleaning of roads. Mr Kejriwal inaugurated the Greening Delhi initiative in the national capital, and said the move will deal with road dust, which is one of the major sources of air pollution in the national capital. A senior government official said that bald patches of roads will be greened to reduce the pollution caused by road dust.

Mr Kejriwal further said that the vacuum cleaning of the roads will also begin from tomorrow so that no dust will cause air pollution in the capital. "Congrats Delhi. Vacuum cleaning and greening of PWD roads begins. Greening will complete by Oct, vacuum cleanin (sic) on all roads in 2 months," he tweeted. Making a political pitch ahead of municipal polls set to be held next year, the Delhi Chief Minister said his government was cleaning 1,260 km roads of PWD and next year, it would clean MCD's roads after winning municipal polls.

More @ NDTV

Humor in Pollution - Saving All Kinds of Energy

@ This is Indexed

New Tesla Model-3 Costs $35,000

Even before Tesla unveiled its new Model 3 on Thursday night, more than 115,000 people had already paid $1,000 to reserve one of the highly-anticipated electric cars.

These early buyers didn't know what the car would it look like -- a lot like a smaller Model S with an up-turned nose -- or that it would have a starting price of exactly $35,000. They also didn't know that it would go from zero to 60 in less than 6 seconds and have a range of at least 215 miles. "We don't make slow cars," CEO Elon Musk said at the car's unveiling, adding that these are minimum specs the company hopes to exceed. "You will not be able to buy a better car for $35,000, or even close, even if you get no options," he said later.

More @ CNN