Analysis of the Hybrid Cars Technology - Term Paper Example

HYBRID VEHICLES 1. Introduction Hybrid vehicles technology in simple terms is combining two or more sources of energy. Hybrids use the traditional internal combustion engine and the electric motor to enhance fuel efficiency or economy without sacrificing performance. It decreases emissions of conventional vehicles and rises above the shortcomings of electric powered Vehicles. More importantly, it has a unique ability to capture and store kinetic energy, which is normally wasted by conventional vehicles, and it does not need to use the ICE at all times and therefore fuel-efficient and environment friendly. The discussion on this research will focus on the hybrid car’s technology, the electric, and the fuel efficient hydrogen powered vehicles, and the environment friendly ‘green’ cars of today. It will also the discuss consumer’s perception and attitude towards the new breed of economical and environment friendly cars, the government initiative and the benefits of hybrid vehicles to our economy and well-being. 2. Hybrid Cars A typical hybrid car has a gasoline engine and gas tank, an electric motor and batteries, a generator which in some cases, the electric motor can also serve as an electric generator when not being used as a motor, and a power split device or transmission that will send engine power to where it is needed at a certain time. It can be to the wheels driving the car, to a generator to recharge the batteries, or to some combination of the various options. Hybrid cars are typically outfitted with a regenerative braking and coasting system such that when the car is breaking or coasting; an electric motor acts as a generator capturing and storing energy that would otherwise be lost and wasted. For the point of view of a typical consumer, a hybrid gasoline-electric car is fuelled only with gasoline. The battery for the electric motor is charged either by the gasoline engine driving a generator, or by otherwise ‘waster’ energy (kinetic energy during costing or breaking) generating electricity. The batteries never need to be charged from an external source since the vehicle itself is propelled either by the gasoline engine driving with the wheels, by the electric motor, or by both, depending on the most efficient method in a particular situation. Hybrid cars are automatically monitored and regulated by an on-board computer and in some cases, during braking and stop-and-go traffic; the gasoline engine automatically shuts down completely, resulting in zero exhaust emissions and no usage of fuel. When the gasoline engine is running, temperature and other parameters are constantly regulated to keep it and the catalytic converter running at the lowest level of emissions (McKinney and Schoch 2003, p.217). Toyota Prius is the world’s first mass-produced hybrid car; the Prius was made available to consumers in Japan in December 1997 and in 2000, it was introduced to the American market. Honda was not far behind Toyota in the race to produce the first commercial mass-produced hybrid cars and actually introduced the Honda Insight hybrid vehicle to America in 1999. Similarly, a few American automobile manufacturers started, selling hybrid sports utility vehicles in 2005 (McKinney and Schoch 2003, p.236). 2.1 Electric Cars Electric cars use electricity stored in large battery banks to power vehicles. Although their main advantage is that they produce little or no emissions, they still have significant disadvantages. Emission savings from the auto are somewhat offset by the continuous requirement for electricity to charge the batteries, because the world’s electricity is still derived largely from fossil-fuel powered generation plants, and the emissions from the plant that generates the electricity to charge the batteries. Electric care also suffers from limitations in range between charges and lack of infrastructure (charging stations) to recharge batteries (Pinderhughes 2004, p.174). This is the reason why car companies considered an alternative source of renewable energy in the form of hydrogen. 2.2 Hydrogen Powered Cars In the future, energy systems would serve as an energy carrier like the one electricity does today. The energy used to produce hydrogen would be delivered to customers as electric power and heat. Much of our hydrogen supplies would be use in fuel cells, which generate power on demand. Micro turbines, engines, and larger turbines could also burn hydrogen-natural gas fuel mixtures. Hydrogen’s biggest advantage over traditional hydrocarbon fuels is that hydrogen can be pollution free. When combines with oxygen in a fuel cell, hydrogen produces only electricity and water vapour. However, burning hydrogen with air can produce some emissions, and many of hydrogen’s properties make it difficult to store and transport cost-effectively, though less so than electricity. In a future hydrogen economy, fuel cells could provide power in three broad markets: automotive, stationary, and portable. In automotive applications, fuel cells and electric motors would replace engines in cars, trucks, and buses, as well as in ships and possibly trains and small planes. Hydrogen’s primary advantage in these transportation uses is the tailpipe exhaust is reduced or eliminated. Fuelling stations would dispense hydrogen for vehicles, and equipment would become available for home fuelling. In stationary micro power market, fuel cells could provide electricity for homes, businesses, industry, and utilities, complementing conventional power. Hydrogen fuel cells could replace batteries in uninterruptible power supply systems, for instance, or generate electricity during peak demand periods or emergencies. Many stationary fuel cells would incorporate reformers to convert natural gas into hydrogen. In portable applications, fuel cells would replace batteries in laptops, cell phones, and other small devices, and other small devices. In these micro power and portable markets, fuel cells, have the advantage never losing their charge as batteries do, as long as hydrogen is supplied. In terms of market maturity, portable applications of fuel cell are closest to commercial use. Stationary fuel cell micro power plants are already on the market but are too expensive for wide spread application. Niche markets include customers who require high power quality and reliability. Test of automotive fuel cells are being done in a variety of vehicles worldwide and will begin to enter commercial markets around 2015 to 2020. Their type of electrolyte classifies fuel cells: phosphoric acid, molten carbonate, solid oxide, and alkaline, as well as polymer electrolyte membrane. Most automotive and portable applications use PEM (proton exchange membrane) fuel cells, while phosphoric acid and solid oxide systems are better suited for stationary micro power. Molten carbonate fuel cells could supply utility and industrial power, while alkaline fuel cell would continue to be used in aerospace applications (Bussy 2005, p. 26). Technically, hydrogen is lightweight and takes up a lot of space. Compressing hydrogen gas to fit into a storage tank requires energy, more than is needed to compress natural gas. Hydrogen turns into a liquid only at extremely cold temperatures or -253 degrees in the cryogenic range. Liquefying hydrogen also consumes energy as does liquefaction of natural gas. Oil, gasoline, and other fuel cells that are liquid at room temperature are easier to store and transport than hydrogen. However, hydrogen contains more energy per unit of weight of any known fuel. It is about three times the energy of gasoline weighing the same amount and almost seven time that of coal. Hydrogen’s energy content is 52,000 Btu per pound or 120.7 kilojoules per gram. This factor is one advantage of hydrogen over other fuels. Moreover, hydrogen has a low energy content per unit of volume, however, only about one third the energy of hydrocarbons taking up the same amount of space at normal temperatures and pressures. That is why hydrogen has to be compressed or liquefied to store it in useful quantities. When cooled to a liquid, hydrogen takes up just 1/700th as much space as it does in its gaseous form. This the reason why hydrogen is used as a fuel in rockets and space mission, which require an extremely lightweight, compact, high-energy fuel (Bussy 2005, p. 93). Hydrogen can also be stored in compounds call metal hydrides, and possibly in the future in microscopic structures made of carbon. However, hydrogen is highly flammable in the presence of air. Only a small of energy is needed to ignite hydrogen and make it burn. In addition, it has a wide range of flammability, meaning that it will burn in low concentrations as well as high ones, say 4% to 74% by volume in air. Hydrogen cannot be detected by people’s sense of smell, so a leak of pure hydrogen could be hazardous if it accumulates. Hydrogen burns with an almost invisible pale-blue flame, making hydrogen fires hard to see. However, because hydrogen is so light and buoyant, it dissipates more rapidly in air than natural gas, reducing the risk of explosions, and it cannot seep into the ground like oil or gasoline. Like electricity, hydrogen does not exist freely in a usable form, but it can be made using natural gas or other primary energy sources. The main difference is the product, electrons or hydrogen molecules. Compared to electricity, however, hydrogen is easier to store (Bussy 2005, p.4/93). In the summer of 1996, an elegant-charcoal-grey sedan with bold lettering on its side reading BMW Wasserstoff-Antrieb or BMW Hydrogen Propulsion was introduced to the World Hydrogen Conference in Stuttgart. BMW’s 5th generation LH2 car was unveiled in the spring of 1999 at the opening of a demo refuelling station dispensing both liquid and gaseous hydrogen at Munich’s airport. The fully automatic LH2 pump is an electro-mechanical marvel; the driver pulls up and inserts a magnetic-stripe ID card into a reader and an arm then swings out, lock onto the car’s fuelling port, and fills the tank with about 120 litres of hydrogen in about 90 seconds. In 2000, as a part of BMW’s ‘Clean Energy’ program, 15 “750hL” sedans were deployed in several German cities. Three of these cars use a 5-Kw PEM fuel cell instead of the conventional alternator and battery to generate onboard power fuel ignition, electronics, and zero-emission air conditioning. In Japan, the Musashi Institute of Technology which long in the international forefront of developing LH2 power for automobiles has built several generations of LH2 powered i.c.-engine cars and trucks, including the Nissan sport-coupe conversion and a produce-delivery truck. In the Kyoto Global Climate Change conference in 1997, Musashi displayed an LH2 fuelled Nissan station wagon, the “Musashi 10” (Hoffman 2001, p.123). 2.3 Green Cars As stated by ACEEEs Green Book car guide according to Anderson and Anderson (2004), the list of Greenest Vehicles list is comprised of gasoline-powered cars. The list is topped by the hybrids, Honda Insight and Toyota Prius, which use standard gasoline and do not need to be plugged in. They are alternative to ICEs that can be treated like regular car with no special plug, cords, or charging stations. This remarkable recommendation by a “green” or “environmental friendly”, emphasize that fact the electric vehicles are not in demand by the general public and that battery technology alone has not progressed as expected, but the technology for hybrid electrics is moving forward (p.152). A green car is ‘environment friendly’ and is measured by its emission, see (Fig.1.0) The rating system reflects the vehicle’s lifecycle environmental impact, 0 means the greenest vehicle, and 100 for the most polluting vehicle. The evaluation includes all the aspects of producing and using the fuel. The Fuel Cycle includes primary production, extraction, transportation, refining, and vehicle operation. The Vehicle Cycle includes the car’s manufacture, assembly, and disposal. The air emissions are assessed according to EU regulated emissions for CO- carbon monoxide, NOx-Oxides of Nitrogen, HCs-Carbons, and PM-Particulates, and SO2-suphur dioxide. Moreover, assessment of the 3 main greenhouse gases associated with transport such carbon dioxide (CO2), nitrous oxide (N2O), and methane (CH4) (Green Car Guide 2007, p.1). 3. The Difference of Hybrid from Conventional Cars As we mentioned earlier, hybrid cars, has low emissions and can attain remarkable gas mileages. Normally, they run 52 miles per gallon in the city and 45 miles per gallon on the highway. These efficiencies are not remarkable but the reverse of what is expected of most standard gasoline or diesel vehicles where higher mileages are attained on the highway and lower mileages in stop-and-go city traffic. In contrast, a hybrid car thrives in heavy slow, congested traffic because the gasoline engine can completely shut down for periods of time, leaving the car powered by the electric motor, and during breaking, the generator recaptures energy. (McKinney and Schoch 2003, p.217) One notable difference of hybrid cars from conventional vehicle is its fuel source. Fossil fuels are non-renewable energy sources cannot be replenished. More importantly, there is a limited supply of fossil fuels and no more sources are being created. Consequently, we must ask how long our fossil fuels will last and regrettably, there is no exact answer to this question (Kotz and Treichel. 2005, p.288). Hydrogen, as an energy carrier in the future, could free us from transporting fossil fuels such as piping for natural gas, trucking gasoline, and importing oil. Hydrogen could bring the same fuel energy to use, but in a different useful form. In a hydrogen economy, all we are really doing is shifting the delivery method from hydrocarbons toward hydrogen. One of the hydrogen’s advantages is that it can serves as a basic unit of currency in the energy marketplace. Again, this is similar to electricity. The use of electrons as a common denominator throughout our energy systems greatly simplifies our lives. The energy services we receive do not depend on how those electrons are produced. What people get are lights and air-conditioning on demand, not energy per se. Hydrogen would excel in the same way (Bussy 2005, p.3). Both hydrogen and electric power can be made from any fossil fuel or from any renewable resource, such as wind and solar energy. The beauty of the hydrogen model is that it is now wedded to any specific primary energy source or technology. Hydrogen’s flexibility of production would also allow it to be phased into our existing energy systems in whatever way is least disruptive to any particular locale or economy. For instance, in the sunny Israeli desert, hydrogen might be produced directly from solar power, while in a coal-rich spots of the United States; gasified coal might be used to make hydrogen, if clean processes can be developed. In addition, if new sources of energy are discovered and developed in the future, they could be used to make hydrogen with affecting delivery of energy services to the customer. We would not have to change the way we obtain or use our energy, since it would be brought to us in the same way. Hydrogen could complement electricity as an alternative energy delivery service (Bussy 2005, p.4). Together, hydrogen and electricity can satisfy most of our future energy needs and, in fact, would compete with each other to do so. In the foreseeable period, hydrogen would coexist as another form of energy alongside electricity. Hydrogen would win out in application where it has an edge over electricity, and vice versa. Hydrogen and electricity are closely related. You can use electricity to produce hydrogen, and you can use hydrogen to produce electricity. This means that if hydrogen and electricity were both in widespread use, they could substitute for each other easily. This flexibility would be valuable in terms of getting the most use out of our existing equipment and infrastructure, and our economy’s energy systems could become even more versatile than they are today. In the more distant future, an all-electric economy might be the only alternative to hydrogen. However, enormous strides would be needed to develop better technologies for storing electricity, and power generation would have to become much cleaner and more efficient. Instead, many engineers think that hydrogen and electricity will complement each other quite nicely in the future. Renewable sources would generate electricity, and hydrogen would store and deliver it (Bussy 2005, p.4). 4. Hybrid Car Consumer and the Government Hybrid car technology has evolved to a point at which commercial models are available from some of the major can companies such as Toyota, Honda, and BMW being notable examples. Virtually all of the major companies are at least planning a hybrid. Now that the public is using hybrids, it will undergo the test of long-term durability and maintenance. Hybrids are comparatively complex since they have two drive systems, so perhaps may prove to be expensive to maintain. The use of these vehicles can require by some form of legislation at state or federal level. In the United States, the state of California is the leader in setting legislative goals for introducing such cars, with the laudable intent of improving air quality, particularly in congested urban areas. However, genuine acceptance is more likely to come from the public’s wanting to own such cars, not being required to do so. A significant shift away from our traditional gasoline-fuelled internal combustion engine vehicles will occur when consumers decide that they really want hybrids or electric cars. Consumer acceptance is a necessary criterion for the success of new vehicles. Consumers expect a better alternative to modern gasoline-fuelled vehicles, which are remarkable and usually require a little major maintenance for many expect, and can now go for long periods between routine tune-ups. Consumers are used to that, thus new vehicles will have to approach that level of technical reliability. Similarly, most consumers, except perhaps those living in small towns and rural areas are used to having a gas station within close proximity, often open round the clock everyday of the year. A few minutes spent at the gas pump suffice to refuel the vehicle and consumers are used to that, too. Likely, a wide acceptance of electric or hybrid vehicles may require a significant change in consumer’s attitudes, a change perhaps brought about by concerns for the environment. (Schobert 2002, p.471). In 1999, according to Anderson and Anderson (2004), polls indicated that the public was not so much enamoured with the ICE (Internal Combustion Engine), but by the concept of a private automobile. Many would be willing to buy an electric vehicle if the performance and price were comparable to the ICE. Range is the performance issues most often mentioned. Consumers want to travel several hundred miles on a single charge at a comparable price. The electric is also at a disadvantage because the designers had not found an alternative to using the battering for powering the government required heating. The energy must come from the battery, reducing power and range. Other factors include the fact that consumers want luxury extras, like air conditioning, power steering, power windows, etc. All of those add-ones deplete the batteries and shorten range considerably. The trade-off is not one the buying public is interested in making. A third reaction of those polled name battery replacement and driving around in a vehicle filled with acid as contributing factors to the resistance of buying electric vehicles. These perceptions make marketing an electric vehicle challenging, but still give promise that buyers will come if the product meets the buyer’s expectations (152). According to Allen et. al. (2001), the Environmental Report of 1998 of the current CO2 situation in the area of transport, almost 90% of CO2 emissions are coming from motor vehicles. Consequently, government’s plans to reduce CO2 emissions by 25% through improvements in fuel efficiency based on hybrid car technology, introduction, and sales of clean energy vehicles. The move was based on the results of the research that most CO2 are emitted during a motor vehicle’s daily operation thus the best way to reduce this is by reducing fuel consumption (p.243). 5. The Environmental Benefits of Hybrid Cars The choices we make in other areas of our lives also have impact on the production of harmful nitrogen oxides and other greenhouse gases. For instance, choosing to drive a fuel-efficient car or hybrid car that runs on electricity as well as gas can help. So can choosing energy-saving appliances and electronic devises, such as those complying with EPA. The more we work together to reduce the amount of consumed fossil fuels and the more we support improved technology that reduces the output of nitrogen-based and other greenhouse gases, the better life will be for all of us in the 20th century. The burning of fossil fuels is a major source of nitrogen in the environment. Nitrogen oxides are produced when coal or oil is burner. This results in the production of a biologically usable for of nitrogen, nitrate, which is deposited from the atmosphere onto the earth. Burning of fossil fuels is also a major source of nitrous oxide gas, which has increased in the atmosphere over the last few decades. The rise in the atmosphere’s amount of nitrous oxide indicates that there has not only been an increase in temperature. Global warming could cause trees to die off in both rain forest and temperate areas. Drought and changes in temperature that make the environment unsuitable for growth could cause trees to disappear rapidly. Trees remove carbon dioxide from the air, so if there were fewer trees, more carbon-based gases would remain in the air making the global warming even worse. This would set up a vicious cycle, as increased global warming would kill still more of the trees necessary to contain it. The loss of plant species would likely also lead to a loss of the animals that live on or in them, thus further reducing biodiversity (Freedman 2006, p.34). Hybrid cars are not entirely free of fossil fuel but the amount is so minimal that it can greatly help in the reduction of harmful nitrous oxide. As we mentioned earlier, hybrid cars can attain zero emission in certain situation thus, it is ‘green’ and more preferable than conventional vehicle. 6. Conclusion Hybrid cars have a definite advantage over conventional vehicle since it is not only powered by gasoline but an electric motor. This electric motor acts as generator capturing and storing energy that would otherwise wasted. The batteries of hybrid cars never need recharging unlike electrically powered vehicles and it is computer controlled to use the most efficient method of propulsion. Electric cars are potentially emission free but the large battery banks and the lack of recharging infrastructure makes it impractical at this time. More importantly, emission saving from EVs is indeed offset since charging its batteries requires generators that are entirely getting its power from a fossil fuel-based source. Hydrogen on the other hand is flexible and it can get its source from almost any existing energy systems in whatever ways and least disruptive to any particular locale or economy. Green cars such as hydrogen-fuelled cars can considerably help in reducing harmful emissions in our environment as it was designed to be ‘environmental friendly’ with very little fossil fuel required. Consumers will likely favour hybrid cars over the conventional fossil fuel powered vehicles predominantly to save the environment. 7. Work Cited List Allen Penny, Bonazzi Christopher, David Gee, 2001, Metaphors for Change: Partnerships, Tools, and Civic Action for Sustainability, Published 2001 Greenleaf Publishing, ISBN 1874719373 Anderson Darrel Curtis, Anderson Judy, 2004, Electric and Hybrid Cars: A History, Published 2004 McFarland & Company, ISBN 0786418729 Busby Rebecca, 2005, Hydrogen and Fuel Cells: A Comprehensive Guide, Published 2005 PennWell Books, ISBN 1593700431 Freedman Jeri, 2006, Climate Change: Human Effects on the Nitrogen Cycle, Published 2006 he Rosen Publishing Group, ISBN 1404207449 Green Car Guide, 2007, What Green Car? Emission Ratings, The Independent Guide for Green Cars in UK, online, Date of Access: 11/14/07, http://www.whatgreencar.com /emissionsanalysis.php Hoffmann Peter, 2001, Tomorrow's Energy: Hydrogen, Fuel Cells, and the Prospects for a Cleaner Planet, Published 2001 MIT Press, ISBN 026258221X Kiley David, 2004, Driven: Inside BMW, the Most Admired Car Company in the World, Published 2004 John Wiley and Sons, ISBN 0471269204 Kotz John and Treichel Gabriela, 2005, Chemistry & Chemical Reactivity, Published 2005 Thomson Brooks/Cole, ISBN 053499766X McKinney Michael and Schoch Robert, 2003, Environmental Science: Systems and Solutions, Published 2003 Jones and Bartlett Publishers, ISBN 0763709182 Pinderhughes Raquel, 2004, Alternative Urban Futures: Planning for Sustainable Development in Cities, Published 2004 Rowman & Littlefield, ISBN 0742523675 Schobert Harold H., 2002, Energy and Society: An Introduction, Published 2002 Taylor & Francis, ISBN 1560327677 Westbrook Michael, 2001, The Electric Car: Development and Future of Battery, Hybrid and Fuel-Cell Cars, Published 2001 IET, ISBN 0852960131     Read More