Green Cars
An Introduction and Brief Economic Analysis
Since its invention in the late 1800s, the car has been a major part of our nation’s history and development. As the car matured, it started to become the primary source of transportation for both people and goods. As their technology continues to advance, the demand for more fuel efficient and cleaner emitting cars began to rise, and thus, the green car was born. But what makes a car “green”?
What is a Green Car?
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) rates vehicles “greenness” based on several specific factors. If vehicles score in the upper tier of their class, they are given “Smart Way” certification. These scoring categories include: air pollution, fuel economy, and greenhouse gas. The air pollution score focuses on the amount of air pollutants that a car emits into the atmosphere. The less harmful gases the vehicle produces, the higher the score. Next, the EPA’s fuel economy score looks at the mileage a car gets based on accurate representations of real world conditions. They are only estimates, but the higher the estimated mileage, the better. Finally, the greenhouse gas score looks specifically at the greenhouse gases that a vehicle discharges. This score is based on the fuel type and the mileage. So according to the EPA, for a car to be “green”, it must sport good gas mileage as well as low harmful gas emissions. (2013)
Different Types of Green Cars
Hybrid and Plug-In Hybrid
There are many different kinds of green vehicles and one of the most popular and most common types is hybrids. Hybrid electric vehicles (HEV’s) and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEV’s) use a mixture of gas and electric power to help improve mileage and reduce emissions. An HEV only u...
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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.
Toyota was the first corporation to expose the very first hybrid car, the Toyota Prius. The Prius has been the most commonly profound hybrid since year 2000. The name Prius is virtually tantamount with the word Hybrid, as most would agree with. As demonstrated by their numbers, the Toyota Prius is by far the most well-known, with over one million cars sold solely in the United States to this day. Statistics show that most buyers that pursue this type of vehicle are mostly all for eco-friendly and/or economic trepidations (The Corvallis Advocate, 2012). When the Prius was initially presented, the car was costing Toyota $40,000 to build, and they were selling it for a low cost of just $20,000 at the dealer. Some of the perks this vehicle carries with them is the fact that the Prius does an outstanding job of receiving high gas mileage. Proving a greater MPG of 62, reporters all over the U.S. have met th...
The idea of the hybrid electric vehicle (HEV) has been around for longer than a decade, as many people may not have originally thought. In fact, hybrid vehicles have been in development for the past century. The combination of an electric motor and a gasoline engine has been stirring in the minds of scientists and inventors alike for many years. Hybrid cars have surpassed many feats as it's progressed through the years, such as increased gas mileage and reducing the pollutants that regular internal combustion engines expel. While the hybrid car is in high demand at the present time, some people believe these cars are just a quick resolution before bigger and better ideas, such as fuel cell vehicles, begin taking over the automobile industry. Still, the development of the hybrid car has had many effects on today's society and may continue to in the future.
Since the release of this first mass-produced of the hybrid vehicles the government has been doing a lot of things possible to be involved and also to regulate the purchasing’s of HEVs and PHEVs. Today, the President Obama has created a New Energy For America to plan for changes to its way the United States uses energy. The plan does include a section on the hybrid vehicles and plug-in hybrids. Soon the tax credits will be ended for its regular hybrid electrics vehicles. Now it is known, due to the rapid rate of the HEV sales the government has also withdrawn its tax rebates on HEV models, by giving exclusive tax cuts on EV and PHEV models, which based on its total electric charge that the battery pack can hold. Since then, HEV cars were popular among environmentally conscious drivers.
With new diesel technology in today’s world, I think people should consider trying or using new diesel cars and trucks as well as the use of clean diesel.
Most American cars are not hybrids or fuel-efficient, they are usually big SUV’s or trucks that get eighteen to ten miles per gallon. Most of Hondas, Toyotas, and Hyundai’s get around 20 to 30 miles per gallon, and hybrids get 50 miles per gallon. Peoples demand fuel-efficient cars because oil is i...
With a gasoline-fueled vehicle, buying gas to operate your car is a never-ending process. With the high price change of gasoline and oil, operating a gasoline-fueled vehicle tends to be very costly. While there are some types of small gasoline vehicles that get much better gas mileage than larger vehicles, even the most powerful gasoline cars will normally desire a contribution every month. According to some experts the only way a mainstream market for green vehicles wills materlize is with a pronounced and prolonged rise in fuel prices. (Buss, 4)
Hybrid cars use both gas and electric. The gasoline engine is the primary source of power, while the electric motor is used at low speeds. Emissions levels are reduced because the gasoline engine shuts off at low speeds. An additional benefit of the parallel configuration is that no outside source of electric power is required because the engine itself generates the required electricity. A Hybrid Electric Vehicle known as HEV have several advantages over traditional internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicles: Regenerative braking capability, which helps minimize the energy lost when driving. Engine is sized to average load, not peak load, which reduces the weight of the engine. Fuel efficiency is greatly increased, while emissions are greatly decreased. HEVs can be operated using alternative fuels; therefore they need not be depended on fossil fuels (http://www.ott.doe.gov/hev/what.html#hev). Another great thing about these machines is the mpg; on the average, a hybrid car gets anywhere from 55-70mpg on the hwy. This is what makes the car all worth having. Now all this sounds good, but there are some issues that must be addressed.
Today, people use their own personal vehicles to travel more than ever before. Personal transportation is no longer considered a luxury; it is now considered a necessity. The number of cars in the United States has been growing steadily since the 1970s. The number of miles traveled by cars has risen nearly 150 percent, yet the United States population has only grown roughly 40 percent during that time (hybridcars.com, Driving Trends). Although it may seem like we are advancing into the future, in reality, we are moving backwards from the effects these vehicles have on our bodies and the environment. The pollution produced by these vehicles has brought us to the day where we must find other modes of transportation that cause less harm to the world in which we live. Advances in technology have developed hybrid vehicles to try and slow down the amount of pollution. Driving a hybrid vehicle, instead of a conventional gas powered vehicle, can reduce the amount of pollution that affects our lives and the environment around us.
One of the clearest cases is found in the positioning of the cars. The dominant discourse is green in the category linking the consumer with Less eco / more efficient and less CO2, when what is expected of the marks are engines with alternative energy.
One of the very first things a buyer should consider when looking for a car is what kind of car he/she wants. Many different factors can affect the car buying process. For one, the buyer must consider how big of a vehicle he/she wants and safety features like airbags, seatbelts, and working brakes. Itemizing a list of accessories can also help narrow down what kind of car to buy. While some people might prefer a Sedan with a large back seat and seat warmers, others may prefer an extreme luxury car with full stereo systems and miniature televisions. Every person has different tastes in accessories; luckily, there is a vehicle that can fit almost every personality. Most new models have the latest technology installed, although some of the “newer” used cars have the option of adding in those accessories. Once the...
• Lower Operating Costs The per-mile fuel cost of operating an electric vehicle can be less than
Most people today fill up their car with different qualities of petrol, because that's what the average car takes. They don't usually consider an alternative for the petrol that they load into their cars. Although petrol is widely used, it is not the only source for a car to get its power from; diesel and electricity are alternatives to the general petrol used by most cars. Although different from each other, diesel and electricity are alternatives to the average gasoline received at a gas station. Diesel is a more concentrated type of fuel that is usually used by big automobiles because they require a lot of power in a little amount of time. Electricity is a method that uses the power of batteries to produce a low horsepower but, nevertheless fast automobile. Electric cars are generally created to be soundless and environment friendly. The purpose of this paper is to classify and educate the reader of the different types of fuel available for an automobile to use: petrol, diesel, and electricity. The general petrol, used by most people, is usually the only type of fuel accepted on the average car in the United States today.
...al combustion vehicle emissions. Sustainable practices, technology, collaborations are producing a new breed of vehicles aiming for a greener future for the world. These efficient vehicles seek to forge a green future.
There is no doubt that electric cars are the most appealing from of transportation in the world. They provide two of the most important key points of good transportation: reliable and efficient. They are reliable due to their simplicity of their power trains and the advancement of technology they have. They are efficient because they don't use any gasoline and because their motors can pass the zero-emission standard. Even though they may seem like a boring form of transportation, they offer good features that help keep the Earth's air clean and they help reduce pollution.