Zero Emission Vehicles - Case Study Example

Affiliation Due Introduction Zero Emissions Vehicles (ZEV) are cars that do not emit any tailpipe emissions from the on-board source of energy. ZEVs do not emit greenhouse gases from their source of energy. According to California Air Resources Board (CARB), it only considers pollutants released by the source of power that the vehicle uses. Vehicles considered ZEVs include vehicles that use fuel cells, electric cars, animal-driven vehicles, bicycles and plug-in hybrid vehicles. This paper will examine the challenges of meeting the ZEV mandate set by CARB, the steps applied to meet the requirements of the mandate from the perspective of an automobile industry. Plug-in hybrid vehicles are hybrid cars with high capacity batteries that can be charged by plugging them into an electric outlet or charging station. They store enough power from the electricity source to considerably reduce their petrol consumption under usual driving conditions. Types of plug-in hybrid vehicles are series plug-in hybrids and parallel plug-in hybrids. Series plug-in hybrids use the gasoline engine to generate electricity while the electric motor spins the wheels. Parallel plug-in hybrids use interconnected gasoline engines and electric motors that propel the vehicle in most driving sessions. The power for fuel cell vehicles is derived from electricity generated by hydrogen within a fuel cell. The fuel cells come out as considerably pricy since platinum is used in their design as a catalyst, while it is imperative that be produced and sustainably contained within the cells. Fuel cells have to be kept at low temperatures for maximum performance. Electric vehicles are automobiles that have use electric motors powered by rechargeable batteries. Electricity can be from an external source of electricity, solar power or generated by the on board engine. Battery swapping is a procedure that involves replacing the spend battery from the electric with another fully charged battery at designated stations in a short period of time. Battery swap stations enable the electric vehicles to exchange the worn-out batteries with fully charged batteries in a computerized process. Battery swapping is quick and very convenient if battery swap stations are available in the driving area. Car manufacturers will receive credits depending on the sale of zero emission vehicles. Companies that do not meet the target credit requirements can purchase them but a certain percentage of those credits must be earned from selling ZEVs and not hybrids. The owner of the vehicle benefits because costs of transferring and maintaining the batteries are exclusively with the battery swapping station Electric vehicles usually need recharge after covering 200 – 300 miles. Electric vehicles are advantageous when contrasted with vehicles that have internal combustion engines owing to the fact that they do not emit pollutants, they are more efficient in terms of energy consumption and they function to cut down on fossil fuel dependence. Their battery packs are, however, considerably expensive pricy and are quite heavy. Electric vehicles are more efficient than fuel cell vehicles. Policies and Steps the Automobile Industry Should Take to Meet ZEV Requirements The Zero Emission Vehicle program was enacted by the California Air Resources Board to encourage the use of zero emission vehicles within the state. The key objective was to cut down the air pollution levels along with the emission of greenhouse gases within metropolitan regions like Los Angeles, Sacramento and San Francisco in which the pollution ascribed to automobiles was quite rampant. Another aim was to reduce reliance on costly and diminishing fossil fuels provisions. In order to meet the requirements and guidelines by the health board, several guidelines were put in place by CARB to regulate use of zero emission vehicles. CARB has managed to contain the control air pollutants emissions along with the emission of greenhouse gasses and into an organized package that carries out and out guidelines. The revolutionary approach similarly constitutes efforts made to support and further accelerate the plug-in hybrid numbers as well as zero-emission vehicles within California. CARB is mandated with the certification of new passenger cars, light-duty trucks as well as medium-duty passenger automobiles like ZEVs in the event that the automobiles are ascribed to zero exhaust emissions attached to any criteria within all the feasible operating variations and conditions. Automobile manufacturers must produce and deliver vehicles with a minimum percentage of ZEVs as follows: models made between 2010 and 2011 require 11% ZEVs, models made between 2012 and 2014 require ZEVS of 12% and models to be manufactured in 2015 to 2017 must fulfil a 14% ZEVs minimum. The guidelines also provide breaks and incentives for compliance with transitional zero emission vehicles (Berman). From the perspective of the automotive industry, among the approaches of meeting these requirements is producing vehicles with low emissions. The automobile manufacturer must comply by fitting their vehicles with energy sources such as fuel cells or making them electric in order to have zero emission vehicles. The manufacturer must ensure that the vehicles meet exhaust emission standards. This is to make the vehicle completely free of any measured harmful substance emission. Many vehicle producers have opted to use hydrogen powered fuel cells whose sole by-product is water. Another option is to install swappable batteries or rechargeable battery packs on new vehicle designs (Kruer). Automobile manufacturers are also designing cars with smaller more efficient engines. This is meant to greatly reduce the amount of emissions from the gas to a minimum low. Smaller engines also use less fuel thus reducing the pressure on petroleum resources. Car manufacturers are designing and assembling cars with lighter material. Lighter vehicles are expected to produce less emissions are compared to heavier vehicles. Another strategy is to improve fuel efficiency. The automobile industry is steadily shifting towards cars with higher fuel efficiency. Fuel efficient vehicles release less smoke and air pollutants. This is a major step towards meeting the obligations required of them by CARB. Automobile manufacturers are also targeting to have charging stations on all major routes in the state. This is to enable car owners with electric vehicles to get access to ready charging stations for recharging or to swap their batteries. This will be a major step in convincing consumers to purchase their zero emission vehicles. Some car producers have decided to roll out ZEVs in all states in order to reduce costs and reduce the levels of pollution from cars countrywide. Challenges Facing Automotive Manufacturers in Meeting CARB Requirements The chief problem that car manufacturers are facing in meeting CARB regulations is the high cost of fuel cells and batteries. Fuel cells and rechargeable batteries are also not readily available. The manufacturer has an obligation to produce vehicles that are of low cost to the consumer. The lack of charging stations is another major hindrance to manufacturing ZEVs. Lack of charging stations also makes the ZEVs less desirable to consumers and hence companies have low sales and thus incur losses on ZEVs. Conclusion Zero Emissions Vehicles are automobiles that do not emit any tailpipe emissions from the on-board source of energy. These include plug-in hybrid cars, vehicles powered by fuel cells and electric cars. Types of plug-in hybrid cars are series plug-ins and parallel plug-in. ZEVs have an advantage over vehicles with internal combustion engines as they emit no pollutants, have higher energy efficiency and reduce independence on fossil fuel. Battery swapping is a procedure that involves replacing the spend battery from the electric with another fully charged battery at designated stations in a short period of time. Car manufacturers receive credits depending on the sale of zero emission vehicles. The Zero Emission Vehicle program was enacted by the California Air Resources Board to encourage the use of zero emission vehicles within the state. The main objective was to reduce the levels of air pollution and emission of greenhouse gases. To meet this requirements, automobile manufacturers are creating cars with smaller engine, using lighter materials to build cars, establishing charging stations and designing cars with fuel cells and rechargeable batteries. The main challenge that automotive manufacturers face is the high cost of producing ZEVs. Works Cited Berman, Brad, San Francisco Prepares for Arrival of Electric Cars: Interview with Bob Hayden, City of San Francisco, 2010. Dealer Study– Plug-in Hybrid & Electric Vehicle Research Center. Dealer Study – Plug-in Hybrid & Electri Vehicle Research Center. Web. 10 Nov. 2014. . Ready Set Charge Carlifornia: A Guide to EV Ready Communications. 3rd ed. Vol. 1. California: Oxford, 2011. 85. Print Southern California Plug-in Electric Vehicle Readiness Plan:Model Zoning Ordinances and Building Codes. 1st ed. Vol. 1. California: Luskin Center for Innovation, 2012. 24. Print. 2012 Zero Emission Vehicle Credits." Zero Emission Vehicle Credits. 1 Feb. 2001. Web. 10 Nov. 2014. . Kruer, Rachel. "Office of the Mayor City of Los Angeles." Mayor Villaraigosa Announces Streamlined Electric Vehicle Home Charger Permitting And Inspection Program 2.32 (2010): 3. Print Web. 10 Nov. 2014. . Read More