World Environment Day: 5 Tech That Make Bikes More Fuel-Efficient

As the world faces growing environmental concerns, we have witnessed a global shift across the automotive industry. From being totally dependent on fossil fuels to going completely green with EVs. While some regard the latter as the only way, some still want more fuel-efficient combustion engines paired with hybrid systems. 

Either way, saving fuels and lowering carbon emissions is the endgame here. However, this soft power struggle started way before when various manufacturers came up with various techs to make our current favourite – the internal combustion engines – the most fuel-efficient of the lot. On World Environment Day 2024, we discuss what’s what and how they have enhanced our two-wheeler riding and driving experience by making us worry less about running out of petrol. 

VVT (Variable Valve Timing)

Controlling the open and close valve timings of an engine was regarded as one of the first breakthroughs in our endeavour to make engines smooth and efficient. As a consequence, it finds its application in every automobile – from ships to cars and even bikes. 

Variable Valve Timing further refines this machinery, You might have come across the term - VVA - that Yamaha uses a lot for its R15 V4, R15 M, MT-15, etc bikes. It translates to Variable Valve Actuation, which is pretty much the first generation VVT with two-step variations for different boosts of performance at two different RPM levels. This not only ensures constant torque delivery across the rev range but also makes the ride more engaging and fun too. As for efficiency, the fuel burn rate gets optimised.

Fuel Injection (FI) Technology

Fuel injection involves spraying the petrol in the form of tiny miniscule droplets into the combustion chamber. It works in tandem with the ECU, and a couple of sensors, due to which FI can accurately measure the amount of fuel that needs to be sprayed via its nozzles to the chamber. This prevents unnecessary fuel burn or wastage, and in turn, also makes them superior to conventional carburettor systems. While this technology was considered very premium and the first mass-production Indian bike to feature Fi was the Bajaj Pulsar 220, but given the stringent BS6 emission norms, fuel injection is present in all bikes and scooters sold in India. 

Real-Time Mileage Indicator

A very crucial info display on today’s bikes with all-digital clusters is real-time mileage indicator. The engine’s rate of fuel consumption is directly correlated to one’s driving/ riding style. By showing the driver/ rider the current state of fuel consumption allows one to make informed decisions that not only help us sustain the fuel for longer kilometres but also aids in better driving/ riding style. Several researches have been conducted which have further proved that RTM indicators have improved driving/ riding behaviour. 

Idle stop-start Technology (i3s Technology)

Available with almost all commuter motorcycles from Hero MotoCorp, i3s technology or idle-stop-start is a seamless mechanism whose primary objective is to reduce fuel consumption and emissions. This automatic system shuts off the engine when the vehicle is idle for a few seconds, and to restart the engine all you need to do is simply engage the clutch. 

Glide Through Traffic (GTT)

Although this is a TVS registered marketing term, Glide-Through-Tech or crawl tech allows the rider to effortlessly glide in peak bumper-to-bumper traffic situations, without any throttle input. This keeps the engine rpm at the optimal level and prevents any sudden knee-jerk acceleration which might eat into your efficiency, unnecessarily. This tech in bikes has again trickled down from cars, especially off-road ones, wherein it is used as an assistant to control the acceleration and braking, allowing the driver to focus on steering simply.