Summer
is well and truly upon us and it feels more hellish than the last one.
Global warming is a reality and the automobile, which spews out millions
of tonnes of carbon dioxide, a greenhouse gas, is largely responsible
for making the earth a hotter planet.
But as if to make amends, cars today do a fine job of insulating you against
the atmosphere they have dirtied. The insides of modern cars are cooler
and more inviting then ever before and air-conditioning or the lack of
it is something motorists no longer rant and rave about. Also, the days
of driving with a wet cloth on the fuel pump to combat vapour lock (standard
summer practice on petrol Ambys) are long gone. In fact, I can’t
think of any car sold these days, with perhaps the exception of the Maruti
800, that has an ineffective air-con.
AC penetration on Indian cars is up from 60 percent in 1996 to 85 per
cent today, which clearly shows the demand for this vital life-support
system, especially in peak summer. If a car doesn’t have a decent
air-con it won’t sell; this is one of the reasons why people stopped
buying the Maruti 1000. Its small compressor simply couldn’t beat
the summer heat.
Market feedback reveals that complaints of excessive fuel consumption
are at their maximum during summer. With air-con usage always at 100 per
cent and the high ambient temperatures (which lowers air density and engine
efficiency), that’s not surprising. However, there are other factors
that burn fuel which car owners don’t know about. These days, chauffeurs
waiting on the job tend to cool off inside the car with the engine idling
and the air-con switched on. It’s more effective (and expensive)
than the traditional way of taking shelter under a tree.
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June 2001 