Envirofit: Retrofit Engine Kits To Reduce Southeast Asia's Pollution
by Kimberley D. Mok, Montreal, Canada 
on 08. 5.07
Those ubiquitous two- and three-wheelers of South and Southeast Asia – which contribute massive amounts of pollution in the region – could be on the way to getting a green makeover. Envirofit, an independent, non-profit company established at Colorado State University in 2003, is now working to develop and distribute affordable retrofit kits that will improve the fuel efficiency of two-stroke engines, commonly used in many of the two-wheeler taxis and three-wheeler auto-rickshaws in the Philippines, India, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Pakistan and other parts of South Asia.
Traditional two-stroke engines emit an amount of pollution equal to 50 modern automobiles using four-stroke engines. Originally developed for snowmobiles, the direct injection technology of the kits has been now adapted so that the retrofit system eliminates the carburetor and fuel is instead introduced directly into the engine cylinder, thus conserving more unburned fuel. According to Envirofit, the kits could cut fuel consumption from 35 to 50 percent and decrease the emissions of a two-stroke engine by 90 percent – translating to not only reduced pollution but also cost-savings for ordinary taxi-drivers.
Currently, Envirofit is working with local partners and smaller, sustainable start-ups in the Philippine cities of Vigan and Puerto Princesa to install and service a projected 2 million kits. With an Asian Development Bank estimate of 100 million two-stroke vehicles in Southeast Asia alone, there is an enormous market for the kits, but the challenge is to find ways to make it “extremely well-engineered and affordable” for the typical Filipino taxi-driver who earns US $3–5 per day, says Dr. Bryan Willson of Envirofit. Through micro-financing, they hope to make it less cost-prohibitive.
In June, the retrofit kit project received recognition in the area of clean transport and mobility from the World Clean Energy Awards in Basel, Switzerland. Given to acknowledge efforts to bring innovative and efficient renewable energy strategies into the mainstream, Envirofit hopes that the international kudos will give retrofitting a boost of credibility when they showcase the kits in Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, and India later this year.
::Worldwatch Institute, ::Envirofit
See also::Microcab: An Urban Zero-Emissions Taxi Cab, ::Yamaha Bicycle Taxi Hybrid
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Would it be possible to improve lawnmowers' efficiency with these retrofit kits? Does anyone know of such an existing option?
More polluted gas brings poor health,the kits can obviously reduce waste and save the energy as much as possible ,so ,indeed a good invention,but also add additionally cost.the man can want to take the cost especially when they are not weathier in south asia?
The automobile company had better install the kit to the two-wheelers so the consumer will have to spend on it and the measure can reduce the gas pollution,do u think so this is a good idea?
Most lawnmowers are already 4 strokes, and should be relatively simple to buy a Honda or Briggs&Stratton replacement engine if your's is a 2 stroke or old and worn out.
Check with a lawnmower repair shop, they should have plenty to choose from.
xiangcailee, the kits save so much money on gasoline and two-stroke oil that they pay for themselves in less than a year. They cost about $300 US, installed, which is a lot for an owner of a two-stroke taxi making just a few bucks a day. But loans are being provided in the Philippines, and the savings on gas and oil make the payments, plus some extra money to go into the taxi owner's pocket.
Bart/JC -
Yes, you are indeed correct that one can simply swap out an old motor from a lawnmower, bike, or what have you. However, the problem with this in a developing country is that no one in their right mind would throw out that old two-stroke engine. They'll repair it and find some other use for it - it will end up polluting somewhere else.
The original concept for the Envirofit retrofit kit came from a CalStart challenge to clean up snowmobiles being used in the U.S. The Envirofit retrofit being sold in the Philippines is customized for use on a particular type of bike. As I understand (and don't quote me), to customize the retrofit kit for use on other bikes costs a few hundred thousand dollars -- which can be a challenge if the population of vehicles to be retrofitted is small, but is certainly not cost-prohibitive if there is a sufficient "market" of bikes to be retrofitted.