Hybrids and Global Warming - Essay Example

? Hybrids and Global Warming Hybrids and Global Warming Hybrid vehicles are cars that use both electri and gasoline to power them. Hybrid autos represent a significant leap in energy conservation by its use of both gasoline and electricity to power its engine. A lot of models have become introduced in the market as the traditional vehicles continue to phase out slowly. Not only are the vehicles beneficial financially to the buyer but it is also environmental friendly. As oil deposits continue to dwindle and the gasoline prices ever increasing, it is advantageous to consider one when shopping for a car. A number of people keep asking what these vehicles are, are they efficient enough, will I be comfortable in it, and will I get stuck on the road while driving. Such are the questions that linger on the minds of nearly all buyers. Well, the essay will explain the history of the hybrid car, but also all its advantages, disadvantages and benefits to the environment that arises from owning these vehicles. Where did these vehicles come from? According to Richard (2007), there was a request for a patent for an electric motor power train and a hybrid gasoline in 1905 gave birth to the hybrid technology motors. During this era, energy saving features was not the concern of these new dual power models. Nevertheless the history of hybrid had become born. During these periods, the vehicle was not known for speed, and researchers took a lot of their time trying to develop with ways in which they would counter the terrific speed of the traditional vehicles. These were just but a tip of the problems the manufacturers would face in their quest for a green car. No sooner had they received the right of building high speed vehicles, than they discovered that, all the car speeds had surpassed their intended speed. Only a few people became interested in purchasing this hybrid technology. Other inventors had realized that this technology might give the electric vehicles an added advantage, if they got combined with the horsepower that was available through the use of gasoline engines. During these periods when hybrids were on the development lane, consumers were more fascinated about speed rather than gas. The manufacturers had to develop models that would accommodate these high speeds. A number of health issues were on the rise during these periods caused by the internal combustion engines. The United States saw it necessary to act in order to minimize the rising air pollution, and came up with bills that ultimately led to the interest in the manufacture of the electric vehicles. With the growing interest on the vehicle, it was necessary for an advanced battery to be produced that would give these electric vehicles a chance to be appropriate for use in the highways. A number of experiments become carried to check on how the shell life of the batteries. As pollution effects are getting worse and worse in key cities, nations like Japan and Germany took the manufacture of hybrid vehicles to a new level. Both the two nations were pioneers in developing the first hybrid vehicles with the creation of Toyota and the Volkswagen featuring prototype engines and hybrid taxis. America too was not to remain behind in this race for new technology. Honda built the first hybrid two seated vehicles in America and moved to increase their models. Another gas saving model, the Civic, got made available in a hybrid form. Why Hybrids over the traditional gasoline powered vehicle? This is one question on every potential car owner’s mind. Well, the solution is simple, it is an industry answer to both the rising pollution concerns and also the rising fuel costs. If a person considers a number of car models, it is quite evident that the Hybrid will stick up against the traditional fuel burning vehicles (Berman, 2007). Even though, the vehicles are slightly expensive, the added cost is minimal compared to the future long term benefits of having the car. The Hybrid vehicle saves more on fuel costs saving the driver quite a lot of cash. This is primarily one of the main reasons that make people purchase the vehicle. The hybrid models use less fuel per long distance as compared to the traditional vehicles. While the efficiency in fuel will be advantageous in the long run, the complete reduction in the gas emissions from the Hybrid will be of significant importance to the environment whenever it is on the road. The IRS also gives the buyers of the vehicles tax credits to encourage more buys of the vehicles. When the performance gets compared, the hybrid model has a much higher horsepower than the normal vehicles. This means that the normal vehicle has to work extra hard so as to gain the same high speed as the Hybrid. This will in time lead to wear and tear on the vehicle’s engine. The brakes of the normal cars use the force of friction. However, the hybrid cars use a developed process called regenerative braking. The brakes get put to an electric generator. When the driver brakes, the heat arising from the friction of braking turns to electricity, that gets used later to charge the battery. The extra load generated by the generator helps in slowing the vehicle quickly. Also, to add on the benefits of the hybrid over the normal vehicle, is that when the car is in an idling state, like at a red light, the normal vehicle runs continuously as the fuel becomes consumed. However, in a Hybrid vehicle, the engine automatically powers off when the vehicle is in an idling state. When the driver releases the foot away from the brake pedal and puts it on the gas pedal, the engine switches back. The engines of the hybrid vehicles only switch off when the driver turns the key or when it fails. Hybrid vehicles also contain a large power assist engine this means that the gasoline engine contains aid from the electric vehicle, fueled by this electricity coming from the generator (Wolf, 2012). A traditional car relies on the gasoline engine, to help power its driving. This means that it uses a lot more fuel than the hybrid vehicle. Also, there are hybrid vehicles that can use only electricity to drive, this means that its motor is powerful enough to move the entire vehicle at minimal speeds. According to what greencar.com, a site devoted majorly to hybrids, reports that these vehicles reduce the emissions of the greenhouse gas by nearly 25 percent as compared to the normal, traditional vehicles (Goodwin, 2012). A number of traditional cars require an oil change after every 30oo miles covered. Hybrids require an oil change after nearly 5000 miles covered. In future, hybrids will be a better bargain compared to the traditional vehicles. According to a survey conducted in 2008, it is a fact that 24 models of hybrids have a better ownership cost as compared to the gas powered vehicles. Advantages of Hybrid cars One of the leading factors that make people buy a hybrid vehicle is its favorable impact to the environment. Hybrids release considerably fewer greenhouse gases and carbon monoxide than the normal vehicles. This reduces the smog levels in the air and keeps the carbon footprint of the driver at considerably low levels. Since the vehicles use gasoline power and electric power, they burn less fuel than the other vehicles. A number of vehicles use a gallon for every fewer miles, while the Hybrid uses a gallon for whole lot miles than the standard vehicle. This is a significant difference in the driver’s pocket, especially if one is planning to go on a long journey, or spends most of his time in the vehicle. Traffic has remarkably little impact on the car’s mileage, as its electric motor does not use any fuel when the vehicle is not moving forward. Hybrid brings the notion of familiarity to the buyer. Unlike the electricity vehicles that need charging to function, hybrids operate in the same manner like the normal vehicle. A person just drives to the gas station, and refill the tank, giving the familiarity that makes them easier to embrace than other forms of vehicles (Hybridcars, 2009). The biggest limitation to the use of the electric car is its range. After moving for some distance, electric vehicle has to be recharged using its charging equipment. This can be a significant disadvantage especially when someone has a lot of errands to attend to, or wants to go for a trip out of the city. Hybrids, on the other hand, need no equipment and can go any distance given there is a gas station on site. There are a number of government benefits arising from the purchase of the Hybrid vehicles. The Federal government gives tax breaks to the people who buy certain brands of the hybrid autos. This saves the owner a lot of money helping to transfer the cost of purchase to other items The state and local governments also provide other benefits as well; the skill or ability to be able to use the vehicle pool lane with only a single driver, or also the ability to park the car at a meter without paying a dime. How traditional vehicles effect global warming These traditional vehicles release greenhouse gases into the atmosphere. These happen as a number of automobiles burn gasolines to generate the power needed to move the vehicle. When the gasoline burns, they emit pollutants in the form of greenhouse gases like methane and carbon dioxide. Carbon dioxide is the largest pollutant released in the environment (West, 2002). As the plants absorb this carbon dioxide, the numbers of vehicles is still rising in the globe, while the forests are reducing in number leading to the increase in concentration of this dangerous gas in the air. The greenhouse gases absorb the heat radiation emitted by the sun. Since the vehicles pollution increases, these greenhouse gases concentrations in the atmosphere, more and more of the thermal radiation gets captured and stored by the atmosphere. This situation leads to global warming. According to scientists, the greenhouse effect is the primary cause of this global warming that the entire global has been experiencing over the last century. To add more on the traditional vehicles and their effect on the environment, the fumes from the exhaust pipes of the cars pollute the air and are highly dangerous to the environment. The byproducts of the gas combustion get released into the atmosphere from the exhaust pipes of all running cars. These fumes have dangerous molecules that are detrimental to health of living organisms, like carbon monoxide that destroys the supply of oxygen to a person's brain, and also sulphur oxides, which can lead to respiratory illness or worsen other conditions existing in the body (O'Sullivan, 2008). Not only do the vehicles pollute the air, but they also affect water and land in general. Oil and all the other fluids found in the vehicle can leak from cars to the roads. These pollutants can become moved from the roads to the surrounding bodies of water or soil. When in the environment, the chemicals found in the fluids can contaminate or spoil the sources of water, destroy plant life, and affect other organisms considerably. In addition, the broken vehicle parts can fall from the vehicle or the litter people throw on the roads while driving can interfere with organisms natural habitats, and impact negatively the organisms that live there. What are the effects of global warming? The Arctic ice is thinning at a high rate, and the ice shelves of the Antarctic are breaking up quickly. According to McKibbin (2010), global warming will lead to an increase in the people affected by a huge margin. A number of disease carrying mosquitoes is spreading, carrying with them, dengue fever and other diseases. Spring is now coming earlier, and fall later, the growing season are now longer and warmer; the agricultural output in the third world nations will get significantly reduced. Millions of people are at risk of starvation. Big US cities might experience several hundred deaths per summer. The change in temperature has led to the decline in the variety of animal and plant species. The entire global eco system could be lost. Effect of CFC Gases Ozone is an oxygen form found on the earth’s atmosphere. Ozone shields the earth from all the harmful ultra violet radiations or life would cease to exist in the planet. If the ozone layer disintegrates, UV rays will penetrate the earth’s surface leading to an increase in cases of sickness such as skin cancer. The food chain will feel the effects of this destruction. This CFC or the Chlorofluorocarbons are in existence in the normal, daily lives. They are in the aerosols and also refrigerators (Shah, 2012). They are primarily used to cool down the food. The question is, do we understand the disadvantage of these gases? The CFC from the earth surface will combine with the Ultra Violet rays. This in turn, will react with the ozone molecules, turning the layer into oxygen leaving us with less protection. This depletion of the ozone layer will have severe effects to the future generations. Advantages of the hybrid cars to the environment Hybrid cars have a lot of advantages to the land. These vehicles produce significantly low waste to the environment compared to the traditional gasoline driven vehicles. People driving the hybrid vehicles release extraordinarily few amount of carbon dioxide to the environment. The vehicles also play a large role in the maintenance of Waste. Even though, hybrids require maintenance just like a regular car, its maintenance waste is much lower than those from the conventional vehicles. For example, the Toyota Prius braking design is efficient enough that people can travel up to 100000 miles without using the brake service (Wolf, 2012). This is majorly because hybrids do not have a braking system, rather slowing down or stopping gets done by the same electric motor that gives it power. Hybrids have an advantage on their batteries. Hybrids environmental effect of its battery type is lower than the other traditional batteries. The traditional batteries use lead that is highly toxic. Hybrid uses nickel metal hydrides that have way less toxic materials compared to the Nickel cadmium used by traditional batteries. Hybrid’s overall environmental effect depends majorly on how an individual uses the car. Those looking to change their vehicles with a hybrid should check at their driving patterns. If a person drives a lot, a hybrid will get situated best for the environment conversation. Nevertheless, if one does not possess a car and is searching for one, the hybrid is the ultimate choice as it reduces the environmental effects through its fuel efficiency. In conclusion, hybrids are the vehicles of the future. They are cost effective, minimize fuel costs and most importantly have significant, positive effects to the environment. The traditional gasoline powered vehicles are in the process of phasing out as the Hybrids take full charge of the automobile world. In order for us to live in a safe globe, global warming should be totally eradicated. Just like a baby learns how to walk by the first basic steps, it is through the adoption of this green technology like the Hybrid vehicles that will help turn the world into a better place, global warming will be a thing of the past, and nature will continue to co exist peacefully with each other. References Berman, B. (2007). When Old Things Turn Into New Again. NewYork Times , 18- 19. Hybridcars. (2009). Global Warming & Your Vehicle Choice. Hybrid Cars , 24- 28. McKibbin, B. (2010, June 4). Global Warming. Retrieved August 23, 2012, from http://www.weathervane.rff.org/ O'Sullivan, L. ( 2008). Hybrid Cars and Global Warming. Car Care Ownership , 13. Richard, M. G. (2007). How to Go Green: Hybrid Cars. Treehugger , 10-14. Shah, A. (2012, April 12). Climate Change and Global Warming. Retrieved August 23, 2012, from . West, L. (2002). All About Global Warming. Environmental Issues , 6. Wolf, M. (2012). The Benefits of Hybrid Cars. CarsDirect , 15. Read More