Electric Car Reva

THE INDIAN PASSENGER CAR INDUSTRY contd..

TABLE III
PASSENGER CAR SALES IN INDIA BY VOLUME (1994-2000)

	Volume	Growth (% YOY)
1994	209,203	27
1995	264,822	27
1996	345,486	30
1997	410,992	19
1998	417,736	2
1999	409,624	-2
2000	638,815	55.8
2001	590,647	-7.54

Source: www.karvy.com

TABLE IV
A NOTE ON AUTOMOBILE POLLUTION

Automobiles are one of the major causes of environmental pollution. The increase in the number of vehicles on the road also increased pollution. Besides damaging the environment, automobile pollution has also been identified as one of the primary causes for many health problems like eye irritation, and lung and respiratory disorders. The major sources of pollution from automobiles are its emissions including hydrocarbons, nitrogen oxides, carbon monoxides and carbon dioxides. All these pollutants affect the environment in different ways. The nitrogen oxides damage the ozone layer, which protects the earth from the harmful ultraviolet rays. The oxides make ‘ozone holes'thereby allowing more ultraviolet rays to pass through. The oxides of carbon are major contributors to global warming. Carbon monoxide reduces the flow of oxygen in the blood thus causing health problems.

Automakers around the world have been working on new models reduce pollution. The ‘Big Three'– GM, Ford and Chrysler – were one of the earliest automakers to launch low-emission and zero-pollution vehicles. David E. Cole, director of the U-M Office for the Study of Automotive Transportation (OSAT) said, “Automobile manufacturers and their suppliers will continue to face many formidable challenges in the next decade as they address the growing environmental challenges, and the tough global competition and more demanding customers.”

Governments have also been working towards containing pollution caused by automobiles by implementing ‘emission norms.'These norms indicate the permissible emission levels from petrol and diesel vehicles. Introduced for the first time in Europe, the norms were called as Euro I and Euro II. These norms required manufacturers to reduce emission levels by making some technical changes in their products. India adopted the Euro norms as Bharat I and Bharat II respectively.

Source: ICMR

The first low-emission vehicles were the Hybrid Electric Vehicles (HEV), which combined the ICE of a conventional automobile and the battery and motor of an electric vehicle. The combination offered many advantages including fuel efficiency and environmental benefits. These vehicles were developed to overcome the disadvantages of an electric vehicle. The electric vehicles could be used only for short trips, as its battery had to be recharged after a few kilometers. Some of the first HEVs include Toyota's Prius, Honda's Insight and Civic.

In 1991, the GoI framed the first legislation on air pollution. By mid-1990s, the emission level for automobiles was tightened. The industry started using the latest technology and produced increasingly cleaner cars. It produced Low Emission Vehicles (LEV) in 1996 and Ultra LEV (ULEV) by 2000. By 2000, the new vehicles in the industry had emission levels, which were about 80% less compared to the 1989 levels. The emission level came down from 360 tons per day to 70 tons per day. A four-wheeler complying with the Euro II norms emitted 2-3 times less carbon monoxide and 3-4 times less hydrocarbons and nitrogen oxides.