of latent hobbies and hybrid vehicles
31 Mar
Disclaimer, this is a very technical post.
I got hit by my all time favorite bug sometime last year. Gadgets and geekery. I think it was the combination of Iron Man and the new Knight Rider series that sparked off the blazing inferno, until I discovered I my knowledge of electronics has severely reduced and to make matters worse, I faced the same issue I’ve always faced, the lack of microcontrollers in Uganda.
For the less savvy, microncontrollers are little microchips that you can program to do specific tasks. Unfortunately, they are very niche electronics pieces and targeted towards a market that hasn’t yet developed in Uganda, that is robotics, automation and embedded electronics.
Well, couple of months back, I began looking into importing some microcontrollers (for personal use, of course). I found an awesome site that could ship all the way to Uganda, and the prices were decent. Also, they stocked ridiculously cheap transistors, capacitors and nice little 74XXX family chips that are very handy for BEAM Robots. So now I’m looking for the dimes. It is a fairly expensive hobby, seeing as you can very easily fry one component and have to wait weeks to get a replacement.
And last weekend, I finally got my hands on an old remote controlled car, it was very dead, but I bought it because it was cheap and the parts were extremely unique, well suited for my next robot. I last built a “robot” years ago, S6 vacation I think. It was called Nigel. Very original huh? It was very rudimentary, purely analogue meaning it was not autonomous.
So I’m busy trying to first fix the RC car (the internals are a mess) to study its functionality, and if that fails, I’ll tear it apart and recycle the parts.
And this very nicely brings us to today’s main discussion.
Electric cars.
About a year and half ago, I had the pleasure of working with a small team at Makerere University. They were working on the electronic control components of the VDS 200, a hybrid car that was being built by a team of engineers from several Universities around the world. The Makerere University team needed a video/3D visualisation of the car in order to demonstrate its benefits at a stakeholder’s function.
My part was simply to make the presentation and get paid. But when I discovered what the project was all about, I was fascinated, and it turns out the project leader at Makerere, Jeremy, went to the same school as I did, so we established a rapport. He filled me in on the project and I got hooked. We kept in touch, but eventually commitments on either side made me lose track of how far they’d gone.
I met him a few weeks back, and he said he was starting up a small firm to handle some of the stuff he’s good at and he asked me if I want to be a part of it. Of course I did, because it involved many things I am deeply passionate about; embedded electronics, automated systems, cars and a greener planet.
We’re yet to discuss further, but it got me thinking:
Are hybrid vehicles really feasible in Uganda?
I personally believe they are, but my experiences in my beloved country have made me very skeptical. Here’s why:
Our Mechanics
The majority of our mechanics are self taught, meaning they have most likely never experienced any form of hybrid vehicle technology, leading to fairly expensive maintenance and repairs from niche repair shops.
Our Mechanics, again
Most of these mechanics are also very dishonest people. It can get very dangerous if they substitute poor quality electric / electronic parts in critical control systems. These are lives we’re working with here, not a TV sitting in the corner of a room.
Fuel
Some hybrid vehicles sometimes require a special kind of fuel (non fossil fuels) that will definitely not be readily available in the country unless the government implements a long term strategy targeted specifically towards greener vehicles.
Our beloved Umeme (Electricity)
Then there’s the small matter of our electricity woes. HEV (Hybrid Electrical Vehicles) require power to charge. Especially if they are fully depleted. Many of them recharge on the move, by re-harvesting energy dissipated during events like braking and using that energy to charge the batteries. However, for a car that is fully depleted, a charge from a mains socket is inevitable, and our beloved Umeme is notorious for power cuts. An extended blackout during the night could render you transport-less in the morning.
Our Roads
Our roads are pathetic. That much we all know. Many of the roads are riddled with what I like to call “instantaneous potholes”, the kind that just suddenly appear out of nowhere. I know there are hybrid SUVs that can handle our rough roads, but for most hybrid vehicles, it would be too taxing, and even then, they’d most likely be limited to strictly urban areas. [ Did you know we have a website for the Uganda Road Fund? ]
Cost
Hybrids are expensive. Most are initially more expensive than their fossil fuel counterparts and they also have hidden costs in the long term, although many pay off after a few years. The bigger question, however is our mentality. Ugandans have a well known “show off” mentality. We love having the latest gadgets and toys, and many times purchase items that are well beyond our means. Can we really pay all that money to purchase cars are not as flashy and more complicated than the average car?
Our government
And lastly, projects like this require the full support of the government, and currently, with MPs making lots of noise over wanting to purchase the latest gas guzzling SUVs, I highly doubt clean emission vehicles are at the top of my list.
I could be wrong, but I love playing devil’s advocate. So what do you think?
Are hybrid vehicles feasible in Uganda?
Finally, for those who still think hybrids are ugly, you need to check out Tesla Motors. They’re making some amazing cars, like the latest Tesla Model S, shown below. Click here for more pictures and info.
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Rogue FM: Transformers Soundtrack – Steve Jablonksy
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Offtopic:
Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic.
- Arthur C. ClarkeAdvancement only comes with habitually doing more than you are asked.
- Gary Ryan Blair
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Yawn… I skipped all the technical bits, read through the devil’s advocate and have come out safely on the other side to say hi.
Hi.
Hi Pete’s Mama.
Dude..i am glad to add one more person to my list of critical thinkers in this country. Very insightful observations!
Thank you Jeff. What happened to WAPI by the way?
me you lost me at the disclaimer. Honestly…but then i remembered i hadn’t commented on your experience with the boda boda guy in the previous post.
dude!i’d give anything to listen to that conversation…reminded me of the boda guy that used to take me from work to school and we would have our own press digest where we would tear apart everything that was in the news!
Good times!
The boda boda conversations are sometimes the highlight of my day. Those chaps are seriously taken for granted!
I fell in love with a Toyota Prius Hybrid looks so chic and OH MY GOD. Fuel Consumption very low, the I was told Uganda is not the country for the damm thing. It was very cheap by the way considering. Of course it was second hand
I would not dream of buying a second hand hybrid. I have an issue with second hand electronics.
Their consumption is impressive though.
hybird cars…hmmm…dont think it will work in this ug..maybe i dont have much faith but…nah..maybe in the next generation…
“the next generation” is fairly ambiguous…
that car looks delish!
I agree. It’s not a very shabby affair.
yo are a BOY! a melancholic boy and that is bad news coz you will truly be a sucker for gadgets… and you are a boy, but hi, like petesmama, i got so dazed with the electronic gizmos and read the other bits
I am already a sucker for gadgets.
spot on DK spot on!
king, i know of a project somewhere in the US i think that is harnessing the power of rough roads [vibration] as generators in the shock absorbers. that would so rock in africa with our not too smooth roads dont you think?