Hybrid-Electric Vehicles and Hydrogen Vehicles - Essay Example

? Two Non-pollutant Technologies to Prevent Air-Pollution of Vehicles: Hybrid-Electric Vehicles and Hydrogen Vehicles s Tutor’s Name Date Two Non-pollutant Technologies to Prevent Air-Pollution of Vehicles: Hybrid-Electric Vehicles and Hydrogen Vehicles Introduction During these days air pollution due to harmful vehicle-exhaust emission is one of the occupying concerns of modern man. Indeed exhaust-emission is “generated by the fuel-air mixture burning in internal combustion engines, both gasoline-powered and diesel-powered” (US Department of Energy). Also the Emissions often contain evaporated fuel produced within “the vehicle when it is stopped, and again during fueling” (US Department of Energy). Though vehicle-exhaust harmful pollutants are terribly dangerous to human health, the concerns about air or atmospheric pollution mainly grow in response to the drastic natural and climatic changes in the world-environment. One of such concerns of the scientists and the climatologists about the changes in the environment is ‘global warming’ that is directly resulted from vehicle-emission related air pollution (Dispensa & Brule, 2003, p.87). There are about seven pollutants, such as carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, Nitrogen Oxides, sulfur dioxides, etc found in vehicle emission. More than half of these pollutants have serious greenhouse effects on the nature and directly takes part in global worming. Due to the hazardous effects of vehicle emissions on human health and world environment, scientists and technologists have come up with the ideas of a number of non-polluting vehicle technologies that will greatly contribute to the reduction of the vehicle-emission related air pollutions. Present non-polluting technologies primarily pivot on reducing the emissions. Two of such pollution-resistant technologies are: Hybrid Electric Energy vehicle (HEEV) and Hydrogen fuel Combustion vehicle (HFCV). Pollutants in Traditional Fossil Fuel Vehicle Emission Traditional fossil fuel vehicle pollutions are related to three sectors such exhaust, evaporation and refueling emission. While evaporation and refueling pollute the environment by directly mixing the evaporated fuel with the air, the exhaustion related pollutants are produced by combusting and burning the fuels while producing a number of substances that pose great threats to both human health and environment. A study by the US Department of Energy shows that there is a number of pollutant substances produced at different stages of the combustion in a vehicle engine. Whereas most of these pollutants are carcinogenic, the greenhouse gas emissions such as carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, etc are responsible for the rise in the temperature of the atmosphere. The carcinogenic substances are mainly responsible for causing cancer in human body. A list of vehicle exhaust pollutant along with their causes and effects are shown in the following table: Traits of Vehicle Emission that Need to be addressed Reducing air pollution is, to a great extent, a technical issue that depends on the availability as well as the adaptability of technologies with modern lifestyle, as Kjellstrom says, “Technologies to reduce pollution at its source are plentiful, as are technologies that reduce pollution by filtering it away from the emission source” (819). Technologies that contribute to the reduction of air pollution involve the use of lead-free fossil fuel and the use of “catalytic converters on a vehicle’s exhaust way. These technologies show significant results in the reduction of some particular air pollutants from vehicles. Yet the slogan that ‘the cleaner the air, the better the world’ does not always goes with the expectation of modern trade and commerce. Air pollution intervention programs often find it difficult to make themselves cost effective as well as adaptable to modern lifestyle. For example, while Hydrogen Fuel Combustion technologies hold a great prospect of being the replacement of the fossil fuel energy, they are not cost effective. Such obstacles that make their places in the scientists’ “need to be addressed” list are as following: a. Scientists attempt to introduce new fuel formulation that is supposed to lessen the air pollution. b. Introducing cost-effective processes of producing sulfur and lead-free fuels c. Oxygenating the fuels in order to lessen the rate of incomplete combustion d. Placing catalytic converter on the vehicles to reduce the emission of CO2, CO, NO2, etc. e. Introducing vapor recovery technologies or attempt to reduce the evaporation of fuel in the fueling stations f. Take initiatives to invent future technologies such as HEEVs and HFCVs that will be harmful emission-free and therefore, be environment friendly. Hybrid Electric Energy Vehicles Generally there are two types of electricity empowered vehicles: rechargeable battery supported vehicles and hybrid electric vehicles. Battery empowered vehicle normally use electricity supplied by larger power plants, while HEVs have some onboard electricity-generating plants. Though electric vehicles are often called “zero emission vehicles”, in reality, it is not so. The fact whether electric vehicles are pollution-free or low pollutant emitters depends on certain conditions. If the electricity is generated from the combustion of some materials that produce air pollutants, vehicles running on such electricity are not pollution-free. Indeed electricity generated by the combustion natural gas has lower pollutant emission; while renewable source based electricity production is almost zero emitter of pollutant, as in this regard, Kampman says, “If electricity is produced from lignite or coal, well-to-wheel CO2 emissions are ….equal to the emissions of a comparable ICE car….Electricity from renewable sources, such as wind, solar or hydro energy, would result in zero CO2 emissions per kilometer” (6). Battery operated electric vehicles (BOEV) are normally empowered by electricity stored in rechargeable battery. Electricity is supplied to the motor from the battery. Normally the slowing or stopping system of an electric vehicle includes the reigning the power supply to the motor along with the traditional brake-system. But a hybrid electric vehicle (HEV) has its own electricity generating system embedded within its body. The electricity generating system consists of an engine and a generator, where the engine is engaged in producing the kinetic energy that is converted to electric energy by the generator and stored in the battery. For renewable energy, the electricity generating system is replaced by a similar renewable resource converter. Two types of power-flows are used in hybrid electric vehicles. They are: a. series power flow, b. parallel power flow. From a utility perspective, parallel power-flow system is more convenient than the series power-flow system, since in parallel power flow, a vehicle can be run by combustion power and/or electric power. Because of getting an internal combustion engine produced power directly to wheel, a vehicle can easily be provided with sufficient accelerating power where needed. Hydrogen Fuel Combustion Vehicles Hydrogen fuel combusting vehicle engines are mostly similar to the traditional fossil fuel engines with some modifications for using hydrogen as fuel. Since the emission of a hydrogen fuel engines is the evaporated water, such vehicles are considered as zero-emission vehicles. The only obstacle of introducing a hydrogen fuel vehicle commercially is its expensiveness. The components that are used in such vehicles are highly expensive. As Joseph Romm, a U.S. Department of Energy official, says "A hydrogen car is one of the least efficient, most expensive ways to reduce greenhouse gases" (). Again, in February 2009 the Los Angeles Times reviewed the hydrogen fuel technology as following, "Hydrogen fuel-cell technology won't work in cars.... Any way you look at it, hydrogen is a lousy way to move cars." (). Hydrogen fuel cell is another hydrogen-based technology that is free of pollutant-emission. A hydrogen fuel cell is designed to produce electricity to empower a vehicle. While in an internal combustion engine, hydrogen are used as the replacement of the fossil fuel, liquid hydrogen are allowed to react with liquid oxygen in order to produce the electricity from the reaction of the two components. Conclusion Air pollution due to the vehicle exhaust emission is one of the major threats to human health and environment. Because of the increasing number of vehicles that are run mainly by fossil fuels, this threat is rising high. Therefore, pollution-free environment policies as well as introducing emission technology, is imperative for the authorities of the world. Hydrogen fuel combustion vehicles and hybrid electric vehicle can serve as low emission technology. But this reduction is not as easy as it sounds, because industry-based modern crucially pivots on the burning of fossil fuels in various purposes such as transportation, mills, factories, constructions, etc. Therefore a solution plan needs to retain the current development of the society as well as reducing. An effective strategy to reduce the emission of greenhouse gasses must focus on the replacement of fossil fuels with non-greenhouse-gas-discharging fuels. Works Cited Boyd, Robert S. (May 15, 2007). "Hydrogen cars may be a long time coming". McClatchy Newspapers. Retrieved 9 May 2008. Dispensa, J. and Brule, R. J. (2003) ‘Media’s social construction of environment issues: Focus on global warming’, International Journal of Sociology and Social Policy- A Comparative Study, Vol. 23, No. 10, p. 87. Kampman, Bettina. Green Power for Electric Cars. Delft, CE Delft, January 2010 Kjellstrom et al. “Air and Water Pollution: Burden and Strategies for Control”, Disease Control Priorities in Developing Countries. London: Pollution Control Policy Center. 2007 US Department of Energy, “Vehicle Emissions: Just the Basics”, August 2003, available at Read More