The Paradox of Science

The problem with Science, or more specifically engineering, is that, like religion, it takes belief!

My saying the unsaid would be of academic interest only, if any interest at all, for...those taking interest in uninteresting matters, but for Kaar, belief is central.

It is not about the 'belief' that one must have in...oneself, for example, or in a cause, as this one, but it is something more practical, more scientific, more engineering-ish.

Without further ado, let me just reveal that what I was talking about was the chassis of Kaar. Ideally, it should have been ready ages ago, but the underlying reason it hasn't been completed yet is our mistrust in engineering.

What sounds so fascinating in class...second moment of area resisting bending to applied loads sounds so utterly ridiculous in practice. The 1 inch diameter tube, that should theoretically not bend on paper, seems flimsy and unable to bear the loads it is supposed to take.

The analyses in computer softwares and simulations...well, they simple lie!

Our distrust, or the self-conflicting nature of science? Lets find out tomorrow!

Nothing to write: how about more pictures from the Shell Media Event?

Black and White. Evil and good?

This little clip made it to the National TV Channel!

Malik Basharat with the HOD Dr Mahmood A Khan

Kaar, invoking your conscience

Interesting. Even the kids couldn't say no!

Whats up doc?

Yeah, thats the Kaar

Raising mass awareness. Conservation in our vehicles and beyond

Dutch Ambassador, sharing a light moment

Peak Oil, the Dutch, and us

He wouldn't just go :-)

While everyone was at work, Malik Basharat sneaked past for another cup of tea

Panthera. Stupid name!

Man. Moment. Machine

The team

The team, part 2

In all its might and glory, Kaar

Why Kaar?

'Who made this?'

The Indus guy apparently liked the video more than the Kaar!

The engine

'Tum log konsa engine use karo ge? motorcycle ka?'

'Nahi, us se bhi chhota!'

'Nahi to battakh ka engine lagana hai?!!!!!!!!!!'

('You guys are going to use a motorbike engine?'

'No, an even smaller one!'

'So, its going to be a duck's engine?!!!!!!!!'

The Indus-trial

Indus Toyota Motors had invited all teams from Pakistan to send in their designs to them so that a technical committee would review them and select a team, and sponsor them in their project.

After an apparently thorough review, they shortlisted three teams from the northern region (which included 15 teams from UET Lahore, UET Taxilla, EME College NUST, GIKI and Air University).

Kaar was among those shortlisted, and on the 17th, we met Shehryar Piracha from Indus Motors, who was interviewing all the shortlisted teams. It was apparent that the main hurdle to Kaar being sponsored was the Indus Motor's budget. After a discussion with him, members of the teams decided that despite all the odds, we will not compromise on the efficiency of the vehicle.

However, whether or not we are funded, the fact that we were shortlisted shows these things:

1. We are among the 3 best teams from the northern region at least

2. We are the best team in the Urban Concept Category from the northern region at least

3. We are among Indus's best shots at getting some glory for themselves and the nation

Woodwork for the body

This should have come before, but the Kaar is beginning to get into shape, with the wood work of the body completed.

The wooden structure would be used as the pattern for the final fabrication in fiberglass composite material.

Obviously, in its present state, the edges are quite sharp, but these would be properly curved once the final stages of fabrication begin. This was something mentioned at the SEM Media event, although the implications from certain quarters that the extension of the kaar in 3D would increase the co-efficient of drag by three times (3D, get it?) were deemed too puerile and attempts at sabotage! :-)

For us, the fact that a friend from Cornell in US has called this design cool is enough!

While the Petroleum Minister, Naveed Qamar was kind enough NOT to visit any stall at the SEM Media Launch event, the Dutch Ambassador and the guy from Malaysia (High Commissioner I guess) showed keen interest in our project.

We weren't going to miss a few snaps, were we? :-)

SEM 2010 Media Launch

The SEM 2010 Media Launch was, quite frankly, a disappointment!

There were no big multinationals as Shell Pakistan promised. There were no potential sponsors. There was no media either!

The only media personnel that were there either didn't cover the event well, or didn't cover it all. The top two dailies of the country got it horribly wrong. Dawn's report today (18th) is full of inaccuracies that include the 'fact' that Petroleum Minister Naveed Qamar visited the stalls of the team. He left immediately after his terse speech without visiting the stalls. The News didn't make such errors, but that was more because of the lack of coverage than anything else.

So, now to the event itself...

15 teams from NUST, GIKI, UET Lahore, UET Taxilla and Air University set up their stalls. In fact, the students were there from around ten am. The event itself was to begin no earlier than 3.30 pm.

In fact, Kaar took center stage right from the beginning as we were the team whose work showed at the stall. The showcase item was the wooden replica of the body, which was painted in bright colors, but which, more importantly, would be used for the final construction with fiberglass composites.

Among the 15 stalls on display were the following:

Teams Aqua and Panache from GIKI, Teams PakWheelers, Bekaar (ours obviously), Zaafir, Rumy and Fursaan from EME College NUST, Teams Wolverine, Innovators, Synergy and Team UET from UET Lahore, Team Bolt from UET Taxilla and Team Hexa-K from Air University.

Later on in the show, both the teams from GIKI stole the limelight as they brought in their vehicles, which are in an advanced stage of development.

And yeah, just as a formality, among those present were the Dutch Ambassador to Pakistan and some high ranking guy from Malaysia (ok, so I have forgotten their names). Students from NUST PNEC and GIKI, who participated in SEM 2009 in Germany last year also gave lots of tips to the participants.

Lots of people said lots of things...

working on a dream

A cost-effective solution

To more serious matters...

...whether the supposed millions of rupees being put into the projects by teams is even worth it. Apart from the 'experience' and all this hogwash that we have been flagrantly believing in.

Whether the vehicles thus produced are even road-worthy, marketable, a long-term practical solution, or even slightly cost-effective...

So, without ado, let us first rule out the 'vehicles' from the prototype category. These are supposedly futuristic concepts with stellar mileages, but fact of today's life is that you don't go to the dentist in a coffin that is as comfortable as an iron maiden, even if it has got feminine curves on the outside.

Urban concept vehicles are slightly more car-ish, and with better fuel economies than today's production cars. But that doesn't answer the question of them being cost effective, does it? Student teams have been looking for money, technical support, material et al of between o.4 million to around 1.4 million (PKR).

The second fact of today's life is that you get a second-hand Mehran, not exactly good-looking but the steed for a big portion of the portion of people with cars, for less than 0.4 million. But, does it boast of the high mileages the students promise...no! But keep in mind that the third fact of life is that concentrating very heavily on when to turn the engine on or off is the last thing you want when navigating on Pakistani roads. And so, it is a simply a comparison of the relative driver comfort, mileages and initial costs between the Shell Eco Marathon vehicles and those already on the road today.

On the testimony of the results from previous years, working on such vehicles is well worth the effort!

However, the key to this is striking a balance. While there is nothing wrong with putting in effort for the greater good, if costs of such projects exceed the six digit mark, then one is led into thinking if THAT is worth a try too?

The new logo...

Behold!

The new logo of Kaar...well technically, it's not the 'new' logo as it is the first and only logo. The one on facebook was supposed to buy us time to have a proper one designed :-)

So...it does not exactly have the oomph of the BMW logo, a sacred animal as in the Ferrari logo, or the crass recognizability of the Mercedes logo...

In fact, the world might not change one bit...no hiccups, no tremors. People would still buy Hondas and Fiats. Ferrari would still dominate the Bahrain Grand Prix (actually, it just did). And Italian, well they would still be Italians.

But with the logo, we have shining light (actually, we don't, but what else do I write?) that would symbolize our struggle, that would remind us of our cause, that would instigate us into action (more of it that it), and that would tell us that in some ways, we have done in six months better than what Volkswagon, or Rolls Royce, or Honda, and most definitely Kia, could do in decades of engineering ;-)

Kaar, a symbol worthy of the cause, Kaar.

over-time

Mom, on coming home late on Thursday:

"Ye gaari hai ya larki?"

(Is this about a car or a girl?)

:-)

Learning from our mistakes

Even the best amongst us are liable to error. And we are mere mortals.

Only the following quote by Edison should suffice:

I have not failed. I've just found 10,000 ways that won't work.

Obviously, this is not to mean that the present design harbingers success, for it could be another discovery from the realm of ways that don't work...only time will tell...

Here, there, everywhere

Trying to make a super-economy vehicle and making a super economy vehicle are, unfortunately, two different things.

We have been unsure whether the frame would actually hold, whether the body would wouldn't drag, that the engine would work at its good rpms...but what we have never been unsure is on the need for conservation.

There are real issues over vehicle emissions, over declining oil reserves and over rising oil prices. The dynamics of changing production are complex ranging from lesser available in future to politics. It is far difficult to produce more than to consume less. And that is the essence of conservation.

While our main focus has been on designing and fabricating a fuel efficient vehicle, spreading the message of conservation has not been of secondary importance. The message to conserve, to use less, with proper (common) sense, more efficiently, we have taken far and wide...

Here in Islamabad...

Nearby, in Taxilla...

Far away (350 km), in Lahore...

The emphasis of our presentations has been as much about our own project (the vehicle) as about the conservation, and while our success (or otherwise) on the track would be a subjective issue, the message we have taken hic-et-ubique will not.

simplex munditis

Simplex Munditis!

That's what...those who used to speak Latin...used to say...Simple and Elegant. This timeless maxim is more or less the fundamental of most design activities even today.

And it is this timeless maxim that a bunch of Bekaar people have used in the design of Kaar! At least the simple part.

No needless motors, no needless turbochargers, no needless super-capacitors...

No fancy framework...

Obviously, adherence to the fundamentals of vehicle dynamics was ensured, but the idea of keeping it simple at this stage of such a huge project for such a mega event, where success comes as much with time, experience and building upon work of previous years in addition to creativity and critical thinking, is much of what Kaar is all about.

In these initial stages of fabrications, the wisdom behind keeping it simple has been apparent.

Marching on...

March is a good month to...well...start marching.

It was with heavily palpitating hearts that we have (finallllllllllllllllly) started fabrication. So yeah, we are busy...don't expect much here.

Being involved with such a project for the first time, we feel that there are two things to making a fuel efficient vehicle. Making a vehicle, and making it fuel efficient.

For the time, lets just hope we do the first part right :-)