Local professor encourages adoption of hybrid vehicles

ANC University College Colombo Associate Professor and Academic Dean Dr. Nuraj I. Rajapakse stressed the benefits of society’s increased use of hybrid vehicles at a press briefing on Tuesday.

However, it is not merely a question of importation – the cars would require specific kinds of maintenance shops and parts not currently in possession. More than anything, Rajapakse stressed, increased awareness and knowledge was needed.

Hybrid cars outperform conventional cars in a number of different aspects: less reliance on harmful fossil fuels (and the unpredictable market that goes along with it), better gas mileage, less emissions, batteries that last 80 years, and even less noise pollution as hybrid engines are substantially quieter.

One major advantage hybrids have over conventional vehicles is their superior efficiency in traffic situations. Conventional engines operate at a very low efficiency in traffic-like conditions and at slow speeds, as opposed to hybrid engines which flexibly allocate resources to constantly run at top efficiency.

The technology for hybrid vehicles has been around since the 1980s. The difficulty of adaptation is a failure of implementation rather than a failure of technology.

“Without local expertise, car companies are reluctant to sell hybrids here,” Rajapakse said. Especially with hybrids, Sri Lanka has something of a second-hand car culture – not only are hybrids not manufactured in country, they aren’t directly sold here from foreign companies – local dealerships purchase them and function as a middle-man.

Rajapakse suggests that fully-fledged testing facilities and service/repair centres would help lure companies with hybrid models – Toyota’s Prius or Honda’s Civic Hybrid being the best-selling examples.

In order for a hybrid car culture to truly thrive, it needs an infrastructure to support it. This infrastructure would involve repair shops and mechanics across the country – ones specifically keen on the inner workings and anatomy of a hybrid car.

For example, vehicle mechanics must wear insulated rubber gloves while repairing the vehicles due to their reliance on electricity (206 volts compared to conventional 12v batteries), and their work spaces must be free from possible conductive clutter that could cause serious injury or even death.

Least of all the vehicle parts specific to hybrids aren’t easily found in repair shops islandwide. The lack of knowledge also causes many vehicle parts to be needlessly replaced rather than repaired. Rajapakse is optimistic: “This is the future in any country.”

In the USA, for example, hybrid vehicles are expected to rise to 85% market control by 2030. Despite lacking the proper infrastructure, there are an estimated 3,500 hybrids driving on Sri Lankan roads with another 2,000 in Customs. He recommends islandwide campaigns to raise awareness for the reliable vehicles and the support they need.

Cars aren’t the only vehicles up for hybrid consideration – buses and even airplanes stand to gain from the technological advances.

Dr. Rajapakse is perhaps Sri Lanka’s leading expert on the matter, specialising in active vibration and noise control, hybridisation, control and simulation of batteries for hybrid-electric vehicles, bio-fuels and vehicle dynamics.