Lithium Ion Battery: The New “Oil” for Transportation Energy Source The global warming and its effects, which increase the average worldwide temperature, have been discussed by environmentalists extensively over the past few years. They believe that transportation systems, which have been built on an over-reliance of cheap oil, are known to be major causes of global warming. Over ninety percent of transportation medias, such as cars, trucks, ships, and airplanes, have internal combustion engines that are fueled by gasoline or diesel. In the United States, a slight increase of the gasoline price can ignite inflation. By increasing the price of oil and oil by-product by one-cent per gallon will cost the trucking industry at least three hundred fifty millions dollar annually that will translate directly into the higher price of goods (Oil and Transportation). Due to the nature of oil as a non-renewable energy source and its unstable price, people should reduce the consumption of oil and increase the production and use of lithium ion batteries as the replacement of oil as a power source in transportation medias. As the most popular energy source, oil price has had an astounding ability to damage the world economy. The 1973 Arab oil embargo, Saddam Hussein’s invasion of Kuwait in 1990, the hurricane Katrina, are few of many examples on how any disturbances of oil supply can cause major economic disruption within a short period of time. Just as the world economy was recovering from the global recession caused by the 2008 crude oil shock, when oil was traded above one hundred forty five dollar at New York Mercantile, the political unrest in several Arab nations might force the world’s economy back on its knees again. Less than three ... ... middle of paper ... ... Depletion Protocol, A Plan for a Sensible Energy Future. n.d. Web. 22 April. 2011 United States. U.S. Energy Information Administration. Eia.doe.gov. “World Crude Oil Prices.” 20 April. 2011. Web. 22 April. 2011. United States. Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs United States Senate. “The Role of Market Speculation in Rising Oil and Gas Prices: a Need To Put The Cop Back On The Beat.” U.S. Government Printing Office. 27 June. 2006. Print. United States. United States House of Representatives. “Oil and Gas in the 21st Century.” Democrats.naturalresources.house.gov. n.d. Web. 22 April. 2011 Quick, Darren. “Just How Environmentally Friendly Are Electric Vehicles?” Gizmag.com. Ecogizmo. 31 Aug. 2010. Web. 5 Feb. 2011. Smith, Frederick W. “A New American Energy Plan.” Fortune 163.2 (2011): 28. Academic Search Complete. EBSCO. Web. 2 Feb. 2011.
The United States has had several scares throughout its history in terms of oil, most turn out to be over exaggerations of a small event. However, these scares highlight a massive issue with the U.S. and that issue is the U.S.’s dependence on foreign oil. Why does it matter that our oil should come from over seas? In a healthy economy this probably wouldn’t be as relevant, but the U.S.’s economy is not exactly healthy at the moment. There are 4 things that I would like to address: what the problem is, how it affects us, what some solutions are, and what solutions I feel are best.
Scherer, Ron. "US to Tap Strategic Petroleum Reserve to Drive Gas Prices down." The Christian Science Monitor. The Christian Science Monitor, 23 June 2011. Web. 09 Apr. 2012.
Clark, W. W & Cook, G (2012). Global Energy Innovation. Santa Barbara, California: Praeger, an Imprint of ABC-CLIO, LLC.
Currently, the most important factor in the rise of gas prices is the increasing cost of crude oil. Unfortunately, the United States has three percent of the world’s oil reserves. (Horsley) In 2009, the United States was third in crude oil production as well as the world’s largest petroleum consumer. (e. I. Administration) Such consumption required and still requires the United States to import petroleum/crude oil from other countries.
In 2004, crude oil producers around the world expected a 1.5% growth in the world’s demand for crude oil. The actual growth rate was more than double the projections at 3.3%. This growth was due to rapidly industrializing of foreign countries such as, China and India. Therefore the lack of crude oil affected the supply of gasoline to consumers at the pump.
Elon Musk CEO of Tesla says, “We are running the most dangerous experiment in history right now which is to see how much carbon dioxide the atmosphere can handle before there is an environmental catastrophe” (Woodyard). But the real reason behind such a dramatic statement is because he just wants to sell his electric cars. Now, the essential issue is which form of transportation is better, gas or electric. This issue is worth debating because electric cars are beginning to be reliable. But that doesn’t mean people should follow the hipster and buy an electric car.
America is dependent on other nations for their ability to create energy. The United States is the world’s largest consumer of oil at 18.49 million barrels of oil per day. And it will continue to be that way for the foreseeable future considering the next largest customer of oil only consumes about 60% of what the U.S. does. This makes the U.S. vulnerable to any instability that may arise in the energy industry. In 2011, the world’s top three oil companies were Saudi Aramco (12%), National Iranian Oil Company (5%), and China National Petroleum Corp (4%). The risk associated with these countries being the top oil producers is twofold. One, they are located half way around the world making it an expensive to transport the product logistically to a desired destination. And two, the U.S. has weak, if not contentious,...
The unrest in the Middle East would be a valid disruption in normality of prices if the Middle East were exporting less oil than it did before the many revolutions. However, Saudi Arabia has said it will make up the difference in the supply if the supply were to drop of significantly (source). Other members of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) have vowed to “do more” if the region continues to become destabilized. Libya for example only accounts for 2% of the world’s resource of oil (source). Libya’s oil is special only because it contains 0% to .5...
Campbell, Colin J., Laherrere, Jean H. "The End Of Cheap Oil." Scientific American Mar. 1998: 78-83.
The U.S dependency on foreign oil presents many negative impacts on the nation’s economy. The cost for crude oil represents about 36% of the U.S balance of payment deficit. (Wright, R. T., & Boorse, D. F. 2011). This does not affect directly the price of gas being paid by consumers, but the money paid circulates in the country’s economy and affects areas such as; the job market and production facilities. (Wright, R. T., & Boorse, D. F. 2011). In addition to the rise in prices, another negative aspect of the U.S dependency on foreign crude oil is the risk of supply disruptions caused by political instability of the Middle East. According to Rebecca Lefton and Daniel J. Weiss in the Article “Oil Dependence Is a Dangerous Habit” in 2010, the U.S imported 4 million barrels of oil a day or 1.5 billion barrels per year from “dangerous or unstable” countries. The prices in which these barrels are being purchased at are still very high, and often lead to conflict between the U.S and Middle Eastern countries. Lefton and Weiss also add that the U.S reliance on oil from countries ...
The future American commuter will undoubtedly have to transition from the use of fossil fuels to new alternatives due to the diminishing availability of the nation’s oil resources. How will America respond to this upcoming issue? It is difficult to predict which alternative fuel source America will ultimately choose, but with the premier of Nissan’s electric powered Leaf and other companies; such as Tesla Motors and Chevy, with their electric cars ready for market, the electric car may be winning the race to become the new standard for the gasoline alternative. Electric cars resolve long standing environmental issues, but it will need to maneuver around many roadblocks to become a marketable consideration for the general public. The cost of electric cars, currently on the market, makes them an impractical purchase for the average consumer. If cost is not the growing concern in today’s economy which prevents the consumer from considering this option; they may deny the technological advance due to battery storage capabilities and the inadequate infrastructure in place to refuel and provide for them.
Gasoline plays an incredibly monumental role toward humanity in this day and age. It is used throughout the world in many different ways, from simple tasks like transportation, to more complex tasks like goods production. The recent fluctuating gas prices have made things very difficult for many, especially when gas prices went up to highs like $5 per gallon. However, Congress has recently passed legislation on the implementation of price controls on gasoline in order to combat this growing crisis. The responsibility of allocating gas to consumers was placed into the hands of the US Department of Energy.
Today, people try to find resources that do not impact on the ozone, or cost a large amount of money. Moreover, most people are not happy with unclean air, which causes an unhealthy environment to live in, and one of the reasons that make unclean air is a fossil fuel. There are millions of cars run daily, so they make the area impure; therefore, the electric cars are the solution for this problem. Electric cars powered by electric motors, and using renewable energy instead of gasoline, are more helpful. One author argues that electric cars are more useful than traditional cars to protect the environment, especially when they depend on the source that used.
...g the Energy Revolution." Foreign Affairs. Nov/Dec 2010: 111. SIRS Issues Researcher. Web. 21 Nov 2011.
The world that we live into today affords us the expectation that the flip a switch will turn the lights on. As populations increase and developing nations undergo dramatic economic growth, this energy demand will only continue to grow. The International Energy Agency (IEA) believes that “the world’s energy needs could be 50% higher in 2030 than they are today” (ElBaradei). Given this projected growth, it is necessary for world leaders must take action to secure the energy supply. Meaning that world leaders need to start seriously considering an alternative to non-renewable energy sources. “In 2012, the United States generated about 4,054 billion kilowatt-hours of electricity. About 68% of the electricity generated was from fossil fuel (coal, natural gas, and petroleum), with 37% attributed from coal” (U.S. Energy Information Administration). The fossil fuels that are used to supply over half of our country’s energy are in finite supply and are increasing in price to astronomical heights.