Are Electric Vehicles Our Future?

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The automobile has come a long way from the day of the first car in 1886. It has gone through many improvements regarding its power, comfort, safety and the way it looks. From a certain point of time people have also started to worry about its impact on the environment. All sorts of vehicles emit greenhouse gases into the air in various amounts. Many regulations have been introduced stating the allowed amount of these gases a vehicle can produce and therefore, compelling car manufacturers to make their vehicles friendlier towards the environment. Along with lowering the amount of greenhouse gases, the U.S. has been trying to lower its dependency on foreign oil. In the past the most common way to approach both of these problems was to make cars more fuel efficient. However, lately electric vehicles or EVs have been getting the most attention. Although EVs have improved and become more available to the consumer, we should not rely solely on them and should research, improve and finance other technologies, such as internal combustion engines or hydrogen powered vehicles. There are many aspects that limit the use of EVs and their suitability as the only solution to the proposed problems. One of the biggest obstructions is the batteries used in cars powered by electricity. They are heavy and even though “electric motors are about four times more efficient than internal combustion engines”, “gasoline still has 20 times the energy density of batteries” (Bryce). In addition, the range (around 100 miles), which the batteries are able to provide a vehicle, cannot compare to a range of about 400 miles a vehicle with an internal combustion engine (ICE) can offer. Furthermore, it takes a few hours to recharge a battery, but less than five m... ... middle of paper ... ...hicles." Renewable Energy. 2012. Opposing Viewpoints in Context. Web. 19 Nov. 2013. Burns, Lawrence D., McCormick, J. Byron and Borroni-Bird, Christopher E. “Vehicle of Change.” Scientific American. Oct. 2002: 64-73. Web. 19 Nov. 2013. Fuhrmans, Vanessa. "Hydrogen Fuel Cells are Down, but perhaps Not Out." Wall Street Journal (Online). 23 May 2011. ProQuest. Web. 19 Nov. 2013. Knight, Ben. “Better Mileage Now.” Scientific American. Feb. 2010: 50-55. Web. 19 Nov. 2013. Mufson, Steven. "The Car of the Future -- but at what Cost?; Hybrid Vehicles are Popular, but Making them Profitable is a Challenge." The Washington Post. 25 Nov 2008. ProQuest. Web. 19 Nov. 2013. Ogden, Joan. “High Hopes for Hydrogen.” Scientific American. Sept. 2006: 94-101. Web. 19 Nov. 2013. Paine, Chris. "5 Myths about Electric Cars." The Washington Post. 28 Apr. 2013. ProQuest. Web. 19 Nov. 2013.

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