Archive for January, 2009

In basic Science lessons, the emergence of global warming is due to many factors we constantly penalize to the environment. The chain reaction has come into its obvious persistence by just merely observing what people do to damage the planet Earth. Some people might be aware or even unaware of their contributions to the eventual destruction of the environment. Global warming is undoubtedly an indication of a battered world. Environmental issues actively participate in daily news that some people and organizations do something to repel the worst case scenario but outnumbering these concerned citizens are people who do not care to fight the bout between restoration and annihilation.

However, as global warming begins to take its toll, there are still many ways wherein we can create a safer environment for the future generations. A simple and concrete way of caring for the nature is an enormous contribution. You do not need to be an environmentalist to grab the essence. You must just be fully aware of the factors which can directly or even indirectly affect the natural flow and condition of the environment.car

Pollution has long been a diversified issue causing global warming. This detrimental factor is brought about by the long standing exposure of the environment to hazards such as vehicular smoke. Since more and more people feel the need to have their own cars as primary necessity, more and more cars are purchased and run in the streets. The pile up of the production results to a strangling clouds of smoke pollution accumulated in the air, and thus causing global warming in long term basis. The continuity of this scenario can be most lethal in the future.

It’s the oddest looking car in India. This quirky, plastic (okay, ABS on a steel frame) two-seater has a visible following in its home town Bangalore, and is travelling to other cities in India and abroad – especially London.reva

The Reva is electric. It goes less than 80 km on an 8-hour charge (and this declines as the lead-acid batteries age), but is cheap to run. A lithium-ion model charges quicker and runs longer, but costs more.

A Reva i costs Rs 4 lakh. You spend Rs 5,000 a year on electricity if you do 1,000 km monthly (compare with Rs 35,000 in fuel bills for a petrol car). Corporate buyers get 80 per cent depreciation, against 20 per cent for petrol Cars – over Rs 80,000 in tax savings in the first year. Though you’ll spend on new batteries two years later, maintenance is cheap. And there are other tax gains – subsidies in Delhi, for instance, add up to over Rs 1 lakh.

So is it safe, this light, oddball two-seater (you can squeeze in kids or bags in the back)? Well, an earlier model failed crash testing in the UK. The two new models have a reinforced chassis, collapsible steering and front disc brakes, and the Reva i has done well in 40 kph crash tests in India. You may not want to use it on the highway, but it’s a nice little “neighborhood electric vehicle”, as the US classifies it. Europe calls it a “quadricycle”, exempting it from crash tests.