Open Access Article Originally Published: November 04, 2009
Parked in the carport of Faraz Khan's Karachi home is a faded, tired-looking Suzuki Mehran hatchback that the U.S.-trained (Cornell University) software engineer bought for 90,000 Pakistani Rupees (PKR), or just over a $1000US.. The ICE was toast, but the manual transmission was still good. Having rebuilt a 1967 Jeep CJ for off-roading in the rugged mountains of his native Pakistan, Khan decided his next challenge was to build an electric car; and the aging Mehran would be the donor vehicle. His web blog has more of the technical specifics on the project.
Petrol, as gasoline is called in Pakistan, and diesel have to be imported and it's relatively expensive, costing the equivalent of $3.20US a gallon (66 PKR per liter), a price "well out of reach of the local population, delving them further into poverty," Khan explains. Since Pakistan doesn't require fuel economy ratings, comparable Suzuki products typically can get around 45 mpg, which translates into the equivalent of about 4.3¢ US per kilometer or in 3.6PKR on petroleum. Khan estimates the cost of operating his converted Mehran at 1PKR/km at current electric power rates in Karachi. The motor, controller and charger he mail ordered from
Driving electric in the crowded streets of Pakistan's largest city makes sense economically and environmentally. Khan estimates that the car, which uses a 6.7 inch Advanced DC electric motor with 16.5kW peak power, a Curtis 1209B controller and a Zivan NG1 battery charger, along with locally produced UPS 12V lead-acid batteries consumes about 5Ah at 45 km/h. He calculates this is comparable to getting 133km/liter of petrol. At higher speeds between his home and office where he runs Emergen Consulting, an Open Source core software development house, the car consumes 9Ah at upwards of 70km/h. That's like getting 74km/liter or 180 mpg in US fuel economy terms. If more drivers followed his lead, it could have a huge impact on the country's growing debt.
He explains, "Pakistan has no oil and is in extreme foreign debt. Of the $6.5bn Crude imported, 70% is used for refinement into gasoline. Out of the $5bn additional oil products imported 50-60% makes it way back into the automobile in form of diesel and lubricants. You can safely say that automobiles suck up at least $7bn worth of foreign currency. For a country with a GDP of $160bn, that is a large chunk!"
"At $3.20 per US gallon, gasoline is borderline unaffordable in Pakistan. A middle class salary is defined as $500 per month (before taxes). Out of this you can safely assume he spends anywhere from $50-$100 every month on fuel for commuting very small distances. Due to jam packed roads, internal combustion cars spew havoc on the roads with pollution and fuel wasted idling. On average, a car in Pakistan's major city (Karachi) delivers 20-30% less efficiency than what's quoted by the manufacturer."
Of course, the electricity to charge Khan's car and any future EV's that take to the streets of Lahore, Karachi and elsewhere in Pakistan, comes largely from thermal electric plants. Karachi's first nuclear power plant went on line in 1972. While the country does have hydropower, much of its generation comes from burning oil, gas and coal. Additionally, according to TED Case Studies under-investment in infrastructure and generation capacity leaves a significant gap between demand and production estimated at 2,000 MW annually. Demand is growing at more than 8% per year and it is projected that the country will need to add an additional 50,000MW of capacity by 2018.
Further complicating the matter are the built-in inefficiencies in distribution and outright theft of power. Much of the power lines used across Pakistan are steel instead of copper. Pakistan estimates it looses as much as 3,000 MW annually due to its "dilapidated distribution system" and load shedding, a fact Khan acknowledges.
"Pakistan, like many third world countries, has a shortage of electricity. So blackouts are fairly common, occurring on a daily basis. However this has become such a norm that most people have backup power systems in their homes, including banks of batteries and back-up generators.
"We still buy air conditioners dont we? Those are purely luxury items and consume FAR FAR more electricity than a EV!
GO TO NEXT PAGE >>
|
| Times Article Viewed: 1885 |
|
|
|
Reader Comments
1 comments so far...
07-Nov-2009
98091
| |
Now that is what I would call a spirit lifting story. Good for you Faraz. After over eight years of a constant stream of stories of fear,mass murder and military adventurism promoted by US corporate media and sold like snake oil as some form of promoting democratic principles(democratic principles appear to be lacking here so far) in Afghanistan,Iraq and even Pakistan we see a real Pakistani do the right thing and show the way to a much brighter future for his country than all the napalm,predator drones and M16's ever could. Again keep up the good work Faraz and just remember there are many of us who don't approve of the still active BUSH CRIME FAMILY.
Posted by: Lawrence elliott
|
|
