Small Idea; Big Impact on Fuel Economy-A Design Thinking Approach
How many of the vehicle owners check the the tyre pressure of their vehicle in a systematic manner. Except a few, many of us tend to check the tyre pressure in a random manner, only when there is no crowd in the air filling point in a retail outlet. Tyres generally lose air naturally at a rate of up to 2 PSI every month. Ensuring the air in your tyres is topped up not only prolongs the life of the tread, but also improves fuel efficiency as there is less rolling resistance (RR) with the road. If the tyre is deformed due to lack of air, you’ll be using more fuel to provide motion because of the added friction with the road.
Department of Applied Mechanics Division of Vehicle Engineering and Autonomous Systems Vehicle Dynamics Group, Chalmers University of Technology, Sweden has done a detailed study on Influence of Tyre Inflation Pressure on Fuel Consumption, Vehicle Handling and Ride Quality in 2013. According to the above study, the main motivation for properly inflated tyre is to distribute the vehicle load evenly across the tyre footprint thereby providing good contact with the road, passenger comfort, responsive handling and uniform tyre wear. It should be remembered that it is the air pressure inside the tyre that supports the weight of the vehicle.
In the case of under-inflated tyres, the tyre life could be reduced considerable if the tyre pressures is maintained low for long periods of time. Tyre manufacturers Michelin and Goodyear have claimed a reduction in tyre life of up to 30 % if tyres are operated 20 % below recommended pressure . Tyre also bends and distorts more, resulting in over-heating and increased rolling resistance. Tyre inflation pressure plays an important role in the vehicle’s fuel consumption. The results of a survey released by the US Department of Transportation’s NHTSA in 2001 showed that a decrease of 0.55 bar, from the recommended inflation pressure, resulted in the reduction of fuel efficiency by 3.3%, in miles per gallon. This survey also found that one in four cars on the road had at least one tyre that was under-inflated. With over 12 million cars added (in 2012) to the roads each year, it is possible to imagine the impact having proper tyre pressure can have on the economy and ecology of a nation.
The above figure indicates the number of vehicles added to the road in India. If we assume that 50% of the vehicle owners do not check the tyre pressure regularly, what would be the impact on fuel economy? The numbers would be mind-boggling. How can the gravity of the problem be solved using a small idea?
Before plunging into the idea, let us have the approach of a design thinker. Why not we empathize and look from the vehicle owner perspective? Why do people refuse to check and fill air on a regular basis? In a fast moving world, people do not have time and patience for any sundry things. To inflate all the 4 tyres in a vehicle, it may easily take 5 minutes. If some vehicles are already waiting in the air filling station, one has to wait for 10–20 minutes for filling air depending on the number of vehicles waiting. Without fuel, vehicle cannot run and hence people go to fuel outlet. But with under-inflated tyre, a vehicle does not stop. So, people do not care about under-inflated tyres and move on. Some are not even aware of the impact of low tyre pressure on fuel economy. Rest are not bothered about the low fuel efficiency.
With this empathy on the end-users, let us explore how the waiting time can be reduced at the air filling points. Why not take less time to fill air in the tyre? Why not all the tyres be filled at the same time? Yes; The solution is to fill all the tyres at the same time, so that people need not wait more than 2–3 minutes for filling all the tyres. The solution is already available. I have seen this kind of facility in one of the fuel outlets in Chennai (Adyar). I believe that the system is supplied by irapl.com. This Bangalore based company says that for first time in India, that they have come out with a superior alternative to the traditional tyre inflators with faster filling speed. The new Multi-Air inflator inflates up to 4 tyres simultaneously saving 60% time compared to filling from a single tyre inflator.
Since the solution is already available, what do I suggest anything new?
My humble suggestion to Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas of Government of India and specifically to organizations such as Petroleum Conservation Research Association to insist all fuel retail outlets to install the multi-tyre inflator system that can fill air for all the four tyres at the same time.
I have not done a detailed cost-benefit analysis on this small suggestion, but I am sure that the impact on fuel economy would be huge? Will the agencies concerned look into this?
