Automakers move into an era of green cars

Automakers move into an era of green cars

M. Ihsan Darius, Contributor, Jakarta

As market demands continue to change, players in the
automotive industry must adapt to the changing situation. Vehicle
designers continue to innovate. New technologies continue to be
developed.

Today, an awareness of the significance of protecting the
environment has permeated the world. As they do not want to be
responsible for environmental pollution, car manufacturers are
seizing the opportunity to apply green technologies. As a result,
we can see the emergence of environmentally friendly automobiles
of various types and designs, ranging from the simple to the
sophisticated.

A demonstration of some of these green technologies could be
seen at the Gaikindo Auto Expo 2005 held in Jakarta recently.
Being green in automotive technology is an inevitability, given
the prevailing trends in the automotive world. Take for example
Mercedes-Benz, which featured its A-Class Fuel Cell, or Toyota,
which introduced its Fine-S and Prius cut engine. A breakthrough
in green technology was a common trend in the expo arena. Some of
these technologies were there only to attract car lovers, as it
is still a long way before they can be applied in Indonesia.
Others have been adopted for new automobiles that will soon be
launched here.

According to the chairman of Association of Indonesian
Automotive Manufacturers (Gaikindo), Bambang Trisulo, two issues
-- the environment and future energy sources -- are indeed a hot
topic of discussion in the world's automotive industries.
Advanced countries in Europe, the United States, Japan and Korea
have are pushing the creation of these green technologies.

"An awareness has now begun to develop in Asia that the use of
environmentally friendly energy is a necessity despite the
constraints in terms of regulation and implementation," he noted.

The key to the application of green technologies is efficient
automotive competition. As the supply of oil thins, most car
manufacturers are devoting attention to the use of alternative
energy. In fact, in the 1980s, automotive industry principals in
developed countries began to eye electricity as a source of power
to drive the engine. Unfortunately, high production costs remains
a constraint in this sector.

Hence, some cars feature a combination of a conventional
engine and an electric engine. These two sources of power work
together to drive the car until it can reach quite a high level
of efficiency. Other hybrid automobiles use fuel cells.

Today, most car manufacturers, particularly in Japan, have
mass produced these hybrid automobiles. Toyota, for example, has
marketed its Toyota Prius, Camry and Land Cruiser FCHC in Japan.
Honda also has a hybrid car, the Insight, which is driven by
electrical power plus a gasoline-fueled engine that uses one
liter of gas to cover a distance of 23.4 kilometers on the
highway or 21.65 kilometers in the city.

Honda also has developed fuel-cell cars. The Honda FCX, a car
with a futuristic design driven by electrical power obtained
from ionization, was exhibited at the Gaikindo auto expo this
year.

PT HPM president director Kenji Otaka said the FCX has been
introduced to show that a car adopting green technology can be
mass produced. This car is provided with a composition of fuel
cells that produce electrical power resulting from a chemical
reaction between hydrogen and oxygen.

In a fuel cell system, hydrogen atoms are ionized to produce a
number of ions and electrons that are then recombined with oxygen
to continuously produce electricity and water. A motorized
vehicle using this technology will produce a very clean power
train because hydrogen is used as a source of energy while its
emissions are not hazardous.

BMW has also produced automobiles with hybrid power. In 2003,
this German manufacturer launched the BMW X2, which integrates an
electric engine and a combustion engine. In this way, the
conventional mechanical system will be boosted during
acceleration. Several high-performing capacitors are also placed
in the engine to help produce the necessary power.

According to data compiled by PT BMW Indonesia, this
particular automobile not only demonstrates a response to torque
increases up to 1,000Nm, but it also shows that it can cut fuel
consumption by 15 percent in comparison with conventional cars.
"The problem we have with hybrid cars is that they are still too
expensive as a solution," said BMW Indonesia's director Helena
Abidin.

She said the head office of BMW in Germany had also launched a
Series-7 luxury car using hydrogen as its fuel. In 2003, a
hydrogen-powered engine was introduced at the Frankfurt Motor
Show. BWM is one of the pioneers in the development of
automobiles with hydrogen engines. This alternative energy has
been chosen because the exhaust resulting from burning hydrogen
does not pollute the environment.

Of course, for a variety of reasons not all the cars resulting
from these innovations will be available in Indonesia. One of the
reasons is that these technologies are quite expensive. Agents in
Indonesia even find it difficult to adopt the simplest technology
that will comply with Euro 2 regulations. "The reason is that the
quality of oil fuel here does not support the application of this
technology," Helena said.