Why don't the R&D of car companies assign the responsibilities and the reward ?

Question

Why don't the R&D of car companies in hot climate assign the responsibilities and the reward to some outside group for some solution to these general problems being faced by most of the people at large and since long :-
They buy ac cars for status. But, when it's the question of using it, they are reluctant as it is a luxury because of cost of petrol in order to maintain better gas mileage, otherwise it sucks fuel and the fear of engine life is there. So, it is used only when one can't bear the heat anymore. Moreover, outside air is polluted and the AC air is stale because it is being recirculated.

Answer 1

You pose some interesting questions. Car companies do contract out the R&D and manufacturing of many, maybe most, components. This is especially true of software. In the US nearly all vehicles, regardless of status, come with air conditioning although it remains an option on some vehicles. I agree that the use of A/C does significantly reduce fuel economy. In spite of continuous improvement in the efficiency of compressors, the energy consumed to convert a gas back into a liquid is at the expense of mileage. The use of A/C does not reduce engine life any more than going up a hill does. All A/C systems, I am aware of, draw in outside air unless you select the "Max air" control. Older "dealer installed", as opposed to factory installed, systems, and of course commercial airliners, do recirculate cabin air.

You are correct that reduction in air pollution caused by motor vehicles must continuously improve. This situation is amplified by the continuing growth in world population and the destruction of forests.

Answer 2

Although this question is specific to the Ac system of the automobiles in India, the fact remains that in India there is hardly any Research and PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT, that is done systematically, based on ACTUAL NEEDS and priorities. The result is that in nearly all products, whether it be the Automobile or the common Household Pressure Cooker, our manufacturing companies are just "also rans" who wish to merely take advantage of the REAL GAP BETWEEN DEMAND AND SUPPLY. It is true that business plays its game in the MARKET and wins when they have appropriate customers to buy their products. But, as pointed out, India is a huge market (read this from what President Bush told recently in the Senate, asking for support to his nuclear deal, to tap the huge Indian Market!) and we may not be off-track if we say - ANY ONE CAN SELL ANYTHING IN INDIA!!!

Be that as it may, let us come back to the automobile. The BIGGEST PROBLEM IN THE AUTOMOBILE, apart from various aspects of Production/ Manufacturing, is that concerned with ENERGY. To understand this, let us look at the "best" ENERGY EFFICIENCY of the Internal Combustions Engine that drives every vehicle. The approximate average TOTAL ENERGY available in the fuels (Petrol, Diesel, etc) would be about the equivalent of 11 KWH per Kg of the material. This means, if we were to burn ONE Kg of any of these fuels, the ACTUAL HEAT ENERGY AVAILABLE WOULD BE EQUAL TO 11 ELECTRICAL UNITS. However, due to various practical engineering inefficiencies, the FINAL ENERGY THAT WOULD BE AVAILABLE AT THE WHEELS TO "PUSH" THE VEHICLE IS THE EQUIVALENT OF ABOUT 3 KWH TO 3.3 KWH(maximum). When we require certain gadgets and other additional systems to be used, such as the Ac system/ Wind-shield wiper/ Automatic Window opener ...etc, the energy available at the wheels would be reduced still further. The ENERGY "LOST" in the operational processes work out to the equivalent of 7.7 KWH. This is a HUGE loss. In fact THIS WRITER WISHES TO OPINE THAT THE REASON FOR GLOBAL WARMING IS PRIMARILY DUE TO THIS HUGE "HEAT SPEW" INTO THE ATMOSPHERE THROUGH FUEL BURNING IN THE AUTOMOBILES AND AIRCRAFTS.

To understand how much this really is, let us look at what the city of Bangalore does by burning about 80 Million liters of fuel every year in automobiles alone. This is the equivalent of about 220, 000 L per day; and that means Bangalore Cars/ Buses/ Trucks spew out 1, 694, 000 KWH. This heat could heat up about 2, 200 tons of water to boiling point!!!

The question is: WHAT ARE OUR AUTOMOBILE MANUFACTURERS DOING TO EITHER REDUCE THIS OR UTILIZE THIS HUGE ENERGY WASTES?

This is only one of the various material facts of INEFFICIENCY that the auto manufacturers have to ponder and answer. But is any body listening or even "THINKING?"