Environmental Challenges of the American Auto Industry
Since it rose in the 1900s, the American auto industry has been one of the leading industries in the US, and has flourished and matured over time. Ford, General Motors, and Chrysler became the biggest names in the industry, and their mass produced automobiles turned into the primary way that Americans get from place to place. In fact, from my experience, the automotive culture is still more active in the US than any other country I've been to. People rely on their personal cars to get anywhere, even in many big cities.
However the auto industry has not only shaped the world for the better. It has always faced environmental challenges and problems, some of which are global competition, new
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From the first, switching from cranked up or steam powered automobiles to today's self driving cars and electric cars, there is a steady progress in the industry towards functionality and ecologically friendly creative alternatives that make cars better and better over time, and the companies in the industry have to keep up with this, or sink. There are plenty of automobile companies happy to take over the top spot in the market if one of the others fails to recognize the progress and doesn't meet the expectations of the consumers. Cars now are powered with batteries, gasoline powered cars fill the batteries and keep them going by exploding the gas in a controlled place, in the engine, creating energy to refill the battery but also creating pollutants let out in the exhaust pipe in back. Nowadays new technology allows people to rule out the exhaust entirely, or at least partially, by using batteries charged up at home or at charging stations. The issue with the battery not lasting very long is solved by the concept of hybrid cars, which go on battery until they run out and then they switch to gasoline power to refill. I have ridden in a fully electric car. It can only drive for about an hour and a half, but rides so smoothly it's almost like gliding – it's wonderful. Which leads me to consumers' preferences. In this day and age, people want highly efficient cars, that don't guzzle more gas than
on the automotive industry and with the population encouraging more fuel efficient and lower polluting transportation the future of the automotive industry will likely respond to those demands. The environment will likely become an increasing concern with the automotive industry. The effects of a change to a more environmentally friendly automotive industry are yet to be seen but I can assure you that all American households as well as the United States government and other countries will be watching.
Increasing environmental awareness, coupled with a responsible American government and improved technology, have all contributed to the comeback of low-and zero-emissions vehicles in the US. It remains to be seen whether the automakers and oil companies will once again work to halt this progress, or embrace it as the technology of a more responsible future.
The Automotive, or electric car industry particularly, comprises all those companies and activities involved in the manufacture of electric motor vehicles (EV), including most components, such as engines, bodies and rechargeable batteries or another energy storage device. The industry’s principal products are passenger automobiles. Despite the fact that the first electric cars were produced in 1880s , the advances in internal combustion engines, especially the electric starter, soon diminished the relative advantages of the electric car and became the dominant design in the market. Due to this the EV was almost a forgotten industry staying in the early stage of development, conforming to less than 1% of the automotive stock
That’s a lot of fuel consumption and for some reason people wonder why there is so much air pollution. Now there are trucks getting 25 miles per gallon and cars getting 40 miles per gallon. That is a huge jump from 14 to 16 on average (UofM News Service). The automobile has had a huge impact on the everyday lives of Americans. It makes it possible to travel and get to work.
Buying a car is usually going to be the first big purchase a person will make in their life. It is actually considered the second biggest purchase, right behind buying a house. Cars now can do things like park themselves and even drive themselves. Electric cars are also a thing that is getting a lot of attention and studies show that they will be what dominate our streets and highways in the near future. Many people turn to electric cars because they are very efficient to our pockets. Not spending money on gas for the rest of your life is a huge selling point for many people. The problem is that recharging your car takes so long that sometimes it is not even worth it. Electric cars are also very good for our environment. Electric
Automobiles play a major role in today's society. Almost every American owns at least one motorized transportation vehicle. Some say they make our lives better by reaching places faster than before. Others say they are a harmful to the environment. Have they made our society better or worse? They may be fast, but do we as humans want our environment to suffer because of time. Face it, cars pollute. And they release destructive chemicals into the air. Air pollution can threaten the health of many subjects in the environment including human beings.
The chief disadvantage of EV's is that they usually can travel no more than 100 miles before their batteries must be charged (Harverdink, 1). While on the other side I only need to fill up the gas tank every 200 miles. Now, if you've ever been to Sitka, Alaska then of course you realize that from one end of the island to the next it is only about 14 miles, which is just the main road. There are all sorts of smaller roads that lead to more houses and stores. Being a teenager like myself, in a small town all that you can do is cruise around to kill some time. My boyfriend and I pretty much drive 100 miles in a day. Just from going back and forth and back and forth. Then we at least have one more day of doing that before we have to fill up the tank again. So for me, I think that it is better to have a gas car rather than electric.
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.
Climate change in automotive industry represent both threat and opportunity in the business. It gives opportunity for the car makers to develop a new technology that is more environmental friendly, which can reduce the amount of green house gas emission. It also gives the carmakers to create a more energy efficient in their operations, which can cut the unnecessary production costs. Other opportunity is the fact that they will use this global concern to further research and investigate the use of creating a new energy source, and helping reducing the pollution caused by the use of fossil fuels.
The substantial increase in the demand for EV’s came just in time as we are slowly but surely running out of oil. Some estimate that by the year 2040, 35 percent of all vehicles will be electric (Sullins, 2017). An article from the U.S. Department of Energy stated that “Electric vehicles hold a lot of potential for helping the U.S. create a more sustainable future. If the U.S. transitioned all the light-duty vehicles to hybrids or plug-in electric vehicles, we could reduce our dependence on foreign oil by 30-60 percent, while lowering the carbon pollution from the transportation sector by as much as 20 percent (energy.gov, 2014). It’s obvious that gas-powered vehicles have harmed our planet with their emissions. Although EV’s cannot reverse that damage that has been done, they can eliminate, or at least slow down, the inevitable demise that our planet is headed towards. Along with the beneficial environmental factors that correspond with electric cars, there are also beneficial financial factors. The average American spends about $2,000 on gas annually. In the future, charging stations will charge roughly $12.00 for a full charge, which is about 300 miles. This means that the average American will save about $1,400 per year on these specific car
Electric cars are becoming increasingly more necessary, and have more advantages than disadvantages. Electric cars help to decrease the noise, pollution as they are much quieter. They do not emit any (or much less) carbon emission than petrol cars. Electric vehicles are the greenest mode of transport in the personal transportation industry. For each litre of fuel used in an engine produces more than 2.5kg of CO2. CO2 will be produced by an electric car but still a very little amount. It is also possible to use renewable power or a green energy supplier in the electric car. Thus it would lead to less polluted and safe working environment for all of us. However, safety is a big concern with using vehicles. The fluids in the batteries actually take impact better than a fully made gas car because it is not that flammable. Petrol cars and diesel cars are more flammable than electric cars so they are greater of taking impact in the event of an accident. I think that this is a very good reason because fewer people would get injured or hurt. This would save money because electricity is cheaper than gas and electric cars are easy to operate. Also is very ECO –friendly which mean that it is cheaper to run and have to pay very little road tax. In a pure electric vehicle there’s nothing combustible and have far fewer moving parts than you would find in a petrol or diesel car.
Electric vehicles today come as small as bicycles and motor scooters and as big as buses. In Melbourne, for example, we are using electric powered trams as public transport. Many people fancy electric vehicles because they have many advantages compared to petrol fueled vehicles. The benefits are: • Quiet, Clean Driving Experience On a personal level, electric vehicles offer a quiet, fume-free, smooth driving experience.
To begin the negative effects of automobiles are very mild and should not be taken too seriously although it sounds bad the positive outweighs the negative. Automobiles deplete a good amount of natural resources such as steel, aluminum, copper, lead, zinc, and rubber (The Environmental Impact of Automobiles). Because of automobiles air pollution has lost wheat, corn, soybean, peanut crops about one point nine to 4 billion dollars in crops (The Environmental Impact of Automobiles). The U.S alone uses over 10.8 million barrels of oil each day just to keep automobiles running (The Environmental Impact of Automobiles).
Electric cars were recently introduced to the auto world. They are very fuel efficient while still having all the practicalities of a regular car. They are quiet and have zero emissions. They also are cheaper to maintain and cheaper to own then a gas powered car. Even though car enthusiasts dislike the idea of going fully electric, it is a very conscientious choice. Electric cars might seem like a useless form of transportation, but they offer features that help keep the Earth clean.
The fast population growth rate of humans means that the necessity for transportation vehicles is also enormously increasing. Studies have shown that in 1999 the worldwide number of vehicles registered was 700 million. From this huge number of vehicles, the US has a large share, which includes 200 million cars and light trucks. The number of cars worldwide also grew three times faster Competition for good things like public health, making the earth safe to live are positive aspects of competition, but global competition can also have a downside concerning the environment. This is true for the production of vehicles, as companies are coming with designs and new models with improved engines, but fuel consumption and the pollution of the air remains the same.