Executive Summary

Ever increasing energy requirements and the entailing inefficiencies in the transport sector have provided basis for the present project on "Assessment of Current Levels Fuel Efficiency in Road Transport Sector". Of particular interest is this intermediate report entitled "Back Ground Information, and Sample Selection/Experiment Design". In fact, the project demanded collection of information from the Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEM) related to fuel efficiency and exhaust emissions.

The consultants have searched the available literature and contacted local as well as foreign dealers/manufacturers of the vehicles for OEM data. This hunt provided engine efficiency curves which indicate variations of fuel consumption, torque and horsepower with the engine RPM alone. The curves as well as other information were silent as to the optimum/preferred levels of fuel efficiency/exhaust emissions with the usage of machine, whereas the study direly demanded the same. Resultantly, the consultants had to depend on estimations of the optimum levels of fuel consumptions. In short, a well maintained commercial truck and an intra-city urban transport wagon were selected for estimation of the expected levels of fuel variations with the hours of operation of vehicles. Thus the data were generated and also graphically presented within the engine overhauls up to expected life of about twenty years. This data would provide, at least a reference for comparisons with the real life situations. As regards the expected levels of diesel emissions; they were equivalent to the National Environmental Quality Standards (NEQS) of Pakistan. In addition, OEM data on engine fluids, lubricants, their grades, change intervals, tire sizes and inflation pressures were also gathered in order to compare the recommended and real life practices.

A survey, for selection of sample trucks/wagons for the study, was conducted at the designated stations all over the country. One hundred fifty trucks and fifty wagons as per TOR were selected at various study stations. Efforts were made to select the vehicles varying in makes, ages, and state of maintenance plying under variety of road and terrain conditions. Though techniques for data analyses have been identified, however, the appropriate statistical methods for the data analyses would be decided after acquisition of the field data.

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