Fucon Technologies has developed an innovative magnetic fuel energiser, called Fucon, which can save fuel up to 15 per cent. And what's more, the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Delhi has confirmed the fuel saving in a series of tests.

With environmental damage estimated as being worth more than 5 per cent of India's GDP, there is a felt need for serious policies designed to control pollution. The energiser, says its maker, Rahul Parikh, is not a massive project, but it can make a silent little contribution to check pollution.

The Fucon magnetic fuel energiser is clamped on to the fuel inlet pipe of a car. The random fuel molecules get streamlined through the powerful and focussed magnetic force of the energiser, thus reducing fuel combustion by 15 per cent and also bringing down carbon dioxide and hydrocarbon emissions by 50 per cent. So Fucon doesn't just help save fuel, it also helps reduce pollution.

After conducting a series of tests, IIT Delhi concluded that the device had resulted in "tangible improvement in fuel consumption, reduction in carbon dioxide and hydrocarbon emissions" and "improvement in power".

A car with the magnetic energiser has been tested to bring down daily petrol consumption by 1.5 km per litre if it is driven for 100 km. The average of a vehicle also brought down the daily petrol consumption by Rs 25 in a day and Rs 750 in a month. Priced at Rs 1,860, the energiser can go a long way in controlling pollution and saving fuel simultaneously. What is more, it can also be used in autorickshaws, which are a major source of pollution in metros.

Despite its clear potential, the road to success has not been easy for Rahul Parikh, managing director of Fucon Technologies Pvt. Ltd. Despite being a commerce graduate, Parikh always had a keen interest in science exhibitions. So reading and learning about science came naturally to him. "I always tried my hands at different things. This energiser took some three years to make, but I think it's worth it. And what is more important is, it contributes to the environment. This, I think, is a very important concept and with the rising levels of pollution, I think we should look at the problem more seriously."