How Great Britain (Top Gear) sees us!

Top Gear,the most famous and widely acclaimed motorshow on this planet,aired their Christmas Special India episode on 28th December,2011. What is pretty surprising is that our country is repeatedly being referred to as an 'economic superpower' by Top Gear's host,Jeremy Clarkson. He,as fans would know,is infamous for his blunt critical views,sometimes even fanatical. Though gallantly portrayed, the other disbelieving inference is the distressed economic condition of Great Britain which was apparently the theme of the episode. This was the country that has ruled not just us but quite a portion of the world in history. I am sure Bhagat Singh and Subash Chandra Bose would be having a pleasant smile in heaven. The three British iconic cars(Rolls Royce,Mini and Jaguar) they were driving, are no longer owned by British companies. This is evidence to their troubled economy and the fact that Jag is owned by our very own Tata says something about our economy.

The host of praises did not end there.As their journey started from Bombay and ended in the Him-ma-layas traversing through Jaipur and Delhi,Jeremy was kind enough to note that the Dabbawallas of Mumbai have an incredible efficiency of 99.996 % without the help of any modern technology. He even described the hills as 'like Switzerland,only better'! He was surprisingly humble enough to describe the Great Britain as a small island nation.Lord Ganesh in place of the 'Spirit of Ecstasy' of the Rolls Royce was a gesture of appreciation of our culture by James May. All these are a refreshing change to the 'Bhuka Nanga India' perception of our country.

So why is most of our country deprived of the 'Superpower' status? Is Anna right,or the fact that we are questioning it is indeed the real issue - our attitude problem. Skepticism and being hypercritical are too set in our ways. For example,the Tata Nano is the biggest victim of something wonderfully ours being killed by us. Top Gear showed that the world's cheapest car emerged triumphant among the Ambassador and the Auto-rickshaw.The former - a half century old beloved mammoth and the later - a bare bone tuk-tuk(as the world knows) that failed to go uphill which ironically is often compared to the Nano. Sadly both of them are highly accepted by our society,while the technically superior Nano is mocked upon here.This car in London would be exempt of the congestion charge because of its less than 100g/CO2 green ways. We are so eager to bash a new product that we fail to see how brilliant it is and that the company has given effort to upgrade it to an even better product, is not on our mouths. Gandhi,Anna or the Nano way,all of us have to step up to the new image of our country so that next time the Big 3 come here,Jeremy wont have to point out the alarming death rates of our erratic roads.

Electric cars are not just green,they can be fun and practical too!

Imagine:

1. Freedom from Gasoline
Owning an electric car means not having to visit petrol pumps ever nor worrying about global oil prices.Powering the car is as easy as plugging in a mobile phone charger. That too anywhere be it home garage or office or shopping malls or quick charging points.Running costs are extremely low. Operating costs of a Nissan Leaf is lower than a rupee per km,while it is around 5 rupees in average for a gasoline car.

2. Fewer trips to A.S.S(After Sales Service)
The electric car has no engine oil,spark plugs,air/oil filter,radiator,carb/EFI,turbocharger,clutch,silencer and catalytic converters/DPFs.In fact the electric motor has only one moving part.This means long service intervals that would require only a few check ups with meters and occasional brake pad changes. Lesser parts also means low service bill and greener too. This also translates to higher resale values as except for batteries,hardly anything needs replacement.

3. Performance
This is the answer to petroheads who have been predominately skeptical about power in electric cars.Electric motors offer higher torque than diesel engines too.The availability of 100% torque at 0 rpm ensures unimaginable 0-60 figures and more usable power. Our own crude electric Reva is reported to out do some sedans when the lights turn green. Coupled with it is the lower centre of gravity due to heavy batteries on the floor which aids handling.

4. Zero tailpipe emissions
No heat,CO2, SO2, NO2 or any other pollutants emitted. Even if the source of electricity is dirty coal,electric cars are still 25% greener and leave our cities smog free. With increasing number of solar,wind,hydro and nuclear power plants,electric cars will be carbon neutral.

5. No Idling/starting issues
Electric motors consume no power on idling unlike gasoline engines. Idling at traffic stops leads to wastage of fuel.A normal gasoline car consumes about 100ml of fuel in 5 minutes of idling. Starting an electric car is as simple as turning on a switch. It requires no cranking.

6. Cold starts are a passe'.
Independence from air and temperature in electric cars ensures a 'ready to use' attitude in all weather conditions.

7. Convenience
Be it charging or starting,electric cars are a lot easier to operate that gasoline cars.Absence of a lot of parts promise fewer breakdowns. Air conditioners and other gadgets can be independently used irrespective of whether the motor is running or not. Even braking requires lesser effort due to regenerative braking. The power delivery being smooth and jerk free ensures a comfortable ride.Electric cars are noiseless too,just a barely audible hum is generated.

8. Regenerative Braking
A lot of power is wasted during braking or moving downhill since the engine doesn't loose speed as quickly as the car. This energy can be stored in batteries while braking. In fact braking adds up range in an electric car.

9. Efficient
Availability of 100% torque at all times,absence of energy wastage at idling and regenerative braking makes electric cars very efficient. Clogged filters,old engine oil can cause loss of efficiency in gasoline cars by a factor of 20. Since electric cars do not have these parts, their efficiency hardly ever falls. The new Tesla Model S doesn't have axles too. The motors are attached directly to the wheels and hence there is hardly any loss of power in transmission.

10. Safer
Absence of bulky engines on the front help in having better crumple zones.The heavy battery on the floor ensures a rigid cabin.

Yet we aren't seeing many of them on roads.Reasons : Expensive and Limited Range.
For example,the Nissan Leaf takes around 7 hours to charge its expensive lithium ion battery from zero on a normal 240 V supply. Optional 480 V supply can do 80% in 30 minutes,but at the cost of reducing battery life. Even though it comes with a million mile warranty on the battery pack,it is still expensive at 30 grands of US dollars. Nissan promises a range of 160 km (of sedate driving) on a full charge. While the range is good enough for everyday office commutes and in city travelling, charging stations have to be made for inter city touring. Limited range has lead to a phenomenon named 'Range Anxiety' which can be addressed by hybrids like the Toyota Prius or the Chevy Volt.Hybrids have limited pure electric range coupled with gasoline generators which can be tanked up like normal cars. Hybrids are more like a transition phase.Even though they have the goodness of electric cars,they are heavy and unnecessarily complicated. Their pure electric range can instill confidence in electric car technology in skeptics and this can drive down the cost too.
The Tesla Model S looks far more promising with ranges of range from 220 km to 480km choices.It is priced similar to the BMW 5 Series and claims to handle better than the German king.Apart from 5 adults,it can seat two children in the boot.The front bonnet is also a storage space along with the boot. More crumple zones in the front due to absence of engine and rigid cabin due to heavy battery on floor makes it safer than any other sedan. Elon Musk, the CEO of Tesla Motors is not afraid to say 'The Model S is not the best electric car, it's the best car of any kind.'
It might be fanatical to say that some people don't want the electric car to come up because it has the potential to put off big oil companies and A.S.S out of business.Even automotive consumables like lubes and filters are a billion dollar industry.Introducing a Carbon economy and Green Fanaticism could be the answer to such conspiracies which they exist.Tax credits (7500$ in the US) have certainly helped matters,still a lot more funding is required. Proper charging infrastructure and improved technology are required. The future looks promising with big players like BMW entering electric car technology.Toyota believes solid state battery could achieve ranges of 1000 km per charge and Nissan is looking at developing a rapid 10 minute charger. With high oil prices and depleting,polluting hydrocarbons,the day is not far before the sweet music of V8s are only to be found in museums.