Car Owner In Pune Coats Car With Cow Dung To Beat The Heat

Summers can be horrible in India and this forces some people to do crazy things to beat the heat. But someone in Pune came up with a novel idea and meticulously coated their Maruti Omni with cow dung to keep it cool.

While Pune is not exactly counted among the hottest locations in the country, the city has seen temperatures soar over the years.

Maruti Omni coated in cow dung

As temperatures continue to increase, people are facing the brunt. This explains the presence of a Maruti Omni wrapped in cow dung. All the metal surface of the Omni is covered in cow dung. Only the windshield, bumpers and lights are spared.

Screengrab/YouTube

Given how well the cow dung has been coated, it appears the owner believes that its wrapping can help cool down his van.

Cow dung works on the principle of thermal insulation. Traditionally, in rural India, there is a common practice of applying cow dung on floors and walls allowing it to dry, as it is believed that coating it makes the structure remain warm in winters and cold in summers.

Can cow dung really cool cars?

Scientifically, such cow dung coatings are used in mud huts. They are often moist, which helps in keeping the interior cool as the water evaporates from the surface.

There is no such research on whether a car coated with cow dung repels heat. This also begs the question, what happens once the metal is exposed to sunlight? It will definitely heat up. Also, given the fact that the front section of the Omni van is completely wrapped in cow dung, this will trap the engine heat inside instead of having the desired cooling effect.

The cow dung may help reduce heat from sunlight, which could possibly mean external body panels have lower temperatures. It is possible that a cow dung-wrapped car will get less heated in the sun,

However, we are not so sure how well it works on a car. Since a lot of heat also radiates into the car¡¯s cabin through the large glass windows and windshield, the greenhouse effect still plays a major role in increasing the cabin temperature of the vehicle.

This is not the first time that a car has gone through this cow-dung treatment. We have seen multiple cars in the past as well.

In 2019, a woman in Ahmedabad coated her Toyota Corolla Altis with cow dung to keep it cool.

The photos showed that the sedan had been completely coated with cow dung.

Gujarat: Sejal Shah, a resident of Ahmedabad has covered her car with cow dung to beat the heat, says,' The heat was getting unbearable. I have used cow dung in my house for flooring & from that experience I thought of doing something with my car.' pic.twitter.com/xTLFhbzX8h

¡ª ANI (@ANI) May 24, 2019

After the photos went viral, news agency ANI met the owner of the car, Sejal Shah who claimed the car is ¡°cool without even air-conditioning¡±.

¡°It not only keeps my car cool but also helps in preventing pollution. The harmful gases that are released while we use car AC increase the temperatures and contribute to global warming. I drive my car switching off the AC as the cow-dung keeps it cool,¡± Sejal Shah had told ANI.

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