A Law About Combustible and Hydrogen Cars Research Paper

Introduction

The horrible man-made specter of pollution and global warming is looming on the earth that we live in, and that threatens the very air we breathe. The effects of global warming are all-destroying, and no one, including babies, people, plants, and animals, are safe anywhere on earth. This paper examines the exact nature of global warming and pollution caused by automobile exhaust gases and strongly recommends a law that restricts households from owning more than one automobile that runs on combustible fossil fuels while having as many alternative fuel vehicles as they want. The paper also provides a survey in which readers were asked to provide answers to questions.

Combustible Fuel Vehicles

The current state of Automobile Pollution

Schwartz (Schwartz Joel, 2003) has provided research on the trends in air pollution caused by automobiles and suggests that in spite of strict government regulations concerning automobile emissions and the introduction of oxygenated fuels, air pollution, and global warming will only increase.

Schwartz argues that though many state and federal laws are in place that requires old and new vehicles to meet strict emission norms, the increase in the number of vehicles, people preferring to drive for longer distances, increased use of SUV’s and pickups has had an overall damaging impact on pollution and poisonous gas emissions. While single models of vehicles may have lesser emissions, the overall impact of an increased number of vehicles is having a lasting effect on the atmosphere.

In metropolitan areas, on-road motor vehicles contribute about 50 to 80 percent of Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs), 45 to 65 percent of NOx (Nitrous Oxide), 40 to 60 percent of PM2.5 (Particulate Matter), and 85 to 95 percent of Carbon Dioxide (Watson JG, 2001).

Nature of pollutants from automobiles

According to a paper presented by Kisku (Kisku, 2004), diesel and gasoline engines used in automobiles cause three types of pollutions, and they are Evaporative Emissions, Crankcase Emission, and Exhaust Emission. The main constituents of pollution-causing gases are Carbon monoxide (CO), Hydrocarbon Compounds (HC), Benzene and Polyaromatic Hydrocarbons (PAH), Nitrogen oxides (NOX), Sulfur dioxide (SO2), Ozone (O3), Particulate matter (PM), Black smoke, Dioxins, Chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) and Carbon dioxide (CO2). Table 1. gives details of the constituents of pollution gases.

Table 1. Emission Factors for Gasoline Engines and Diesel Engines (lb/1000 gal of Fuel) (Kisku, 2004)

A report by EWG (Polluting Vehicles, 2006) names a few car models that it claims are the worst polluters. Some of the car models that figure in the list are Toyota Corolla Matrix, Chevrolet K2500 Avalanche, Dodge Ram 1500 Pickup, Chrysler Town & Country, Ford E250 Econoline, Ford Excursion, Subaru Impreza, Bentley Arnage, and Audi A8 L. Old cars that are more than four years and that have run about 100,000 miles emit on an average about twice the pollutants that new cars or cars with 40, 000 miles running. So the idea of lowering the vehicle emission norms and bringing stricter regulations do not have any real meaning since older vehicles will continue to run and cause pollution.

Problems caused by Polluting Automobiles

Many of the above pollutants cause severe health problems, including respiratory problems such as asthma, eye diseases, cancer, heart, and cardiac problems, which increase stress levels and generally have negative effects on the body. A report by EWG (Asthma and Automobiles, 2007) shows that 30, 000 people have had Asthma attacks, and more than 40, 000 people have to miss school or office due to Asthma attacks caused by polluting vehicles.

Global Warming

Global warming is a very dangerous phenomenon that would have cataclysmic effects on the earth and all life forms that exist on earth. According to published research, the immense pollution and release of pollution-causing gases in the atmosphere will gradually increase the mean temperature of the earth. This would cause widespread climatic changes, change the pattern of rainfall, causing glaciers to melt in the polar regions, increasing the height of oceans and seas, and so on. A major reason attributed to this effect is due to a large number of polluting gases released by automobiles, power generation plants, and general pollution. The gases rise upward and are trapped in the atmosphere, thus creating a greenhouse effect that would increase the temperatures worldwide (Barnett et al. l, 2005).

Hybrid Vehicles

Hybrid Vehicles have a dual power system and where diesel or petrol engine is placed along with an electric battery powered self-charging system. The prime power supply remains the gas or diesel engine, but when the vehicle is idling or when coasting and braking, the energy generated is stored in a rechargeable battery in the vehicle. The battery is connected to an electric motor and provides the energy needed when the car is climbing inclines, during start-up, and so on. Thus the hybrid vehicle is actually consuming lesser fuel and consequently causing lesser pollution (New 2008 Hybrids, 14 June 2007).

It must be noted that Hybrid Vehicles do not have zero pollution, but since they have dual power systems, the amount of fossil fuel burnt is lesser, and consequently, the pollution caused is lesser. Electric and battery-powered vehicles are regarded as zero pollutants, and these are powered by engines that run batteries that need to be recharged often. These are still in the experimental stage, and the main drawbacks are the limited range of around 150 miles between recharging, recharging time of about 8 hours, cost of the battery, and others (EVs, 2007). Fuel Cell cars present radically new technology and basically develop power by synthesizing hydrogen fuel and oxygen from the atmosphere. These vehicles only produce water as the byproduct and are regarded as the ultimate in non-polluting vehicles. But this is an emerging technology, and commercially viable and economic models are still some years off (FCVs, 2007). After examining the above arguments, it can be concluded that it is only Hybrid Vehicles that offer some positive hope of bringing down the pollution levels.

Hybrid Vehicles in the Market

Some of the leading automobile manufacturers have introduced commercially and economically viable models in the market. The pressure comes not only from reducing the emission of polluting vehicles but also from bringing down the cost of fuel and making cars more fuel-efficient. Table 2.Hybrid Cars Prices provide information about some popular Hybrid Vehicles.

Table 2. Prices of some Hybrid Cars (Price Pulse, April 2007)

The above vehicles are high-performance automobiles, and there are no underperformance issues reported. The US Government has offered tax credits of up to 3400$ for hybrid vehicles. This measure is designed to increase the sale of hybrid vehicles and make them more popular. The government has, however, implied that the tax credit would be phased out once the number of a specific model sold by the manufacturer exceeds 60,000, but this decision has not been implemented (Tax Credit, 2007).

Survey

A survey was carried out to develop an understanding of the public perception of Hybrid cars, pollution, and the effects of pollution and automobile emission on the respondents. 10 people were given the survey instrument, and the answers were recorded. The survey instrument and the results are provided in Table 3. Survey Instrument.

Table 3. Survey Instrument for the Impact of Pollution

Survey Results

The results of the survey are given below.

• Question 1. How many miles do you commute every day

4 people said up to 10 miles, 3 people said between 10 to 30 miles, and 3 said More than 30 miles.

• Question 2: How would you describe the pollution from automobiles along your route.

5 people selected “(a). Difficult to breathe” while four selected ‘(b). Some Discomfort’ and only one person said ‘(c) No problems’

• Question 3. Which area do you commute to

The answers were mixed to this question, and the respondents commuted to the city as well as the suburbs. None actually commuted to Out of Town.

• Question 4. Did you have any health problems that may be caused by air pollution

Nine out of ten people said that they had faced all three problems of (a)Severe breathing problem (b) Eye Irritation/ watering (c) Coughing, and severe cramps. The only person who claimed that there was no problem due to pollution.

• Question 5. Have you heard of Hybrid Vehicles

Eight out of ten people had heard or read about Hybrid vehicles and what they ran on. One person did not know what this meant, while another had vaguely heard from someone about the hybrid vehicles.

• Question 6. Would you be willing to buy a Hybrid Vehicle in the near future

Four out of 10 people said yes, while the remaining six said that it would depend on the price.

• Question 7. Would you support a law that restricts households from owning more than one automobile that runs on combustible fossil fuels while having as many alternative fuel vehicles as they want

All ten people responded as Yes when this question was posed. This means that the law would be welcomed by people.

Conclusion

Hybrid vehicles provide a means to reduce the quantity of polluting emissions of automobiles. These vehicles use an electric motor powered by batteries to support the main fossil fuel-powered vehicle. Hybrid vehicles are designed to reduce fuel consumption and consequently reduce the amount of pollution that is caused. A survey was conducted to assess the dangers of pollution if a law should be passed that restricts owning more than one vehicle that runs on diesel or gas. All the respondents said that they would support the law.

References

1. Asthma and Automobiles, 2007, Auto Asthma Index, Environmental Working Group.
2. Barnett, Tim P, Adam JC, 2005, “Potential impacts of a warming climate on water availability in snow-dominated regions”. Journal of Nature, Volume 438, PP: 303-309
3. EVs, 2007, ‘Electric Vehicles (EVs)‘, Fuel Economy Government: U.S. Department of Energy, Web.
4. FCVs, 2007, ‘Fuel Cell Vehicles (FCVs)‘, Fuel Economy Government: U.S. Department of Energy, Web.
5. Kisku GC, 2004, ‘Nature And Type Of Pollution From Automobiles And Strategies For Its Control’, Industrial Toxicology Research Center.
6. New 2008 Hybrids, 2007, ‘How Hybrids Get Such Great Gas Mileage’, Fuel Economy Government: U.S. Department of Energy. Web.
7. Price Pulse, 2007, Hybrid Cars News: Hybrid Cars.
8. Polluting Vehicles, 2006, Most Polluting in 2006, Environmental Working Group.
9. Schwartz Joel, 2003, ‘No Way Back Why Air Pollution Will Continue to Decline’, American Enterprise Institute, Washington DC, ISBN 0-8447-7166-X
10. Tax Credit, 2007, New Energy Tax Credits for Hybrids, Fuel Economy Government: U.S. Department of Energy. Web.
11. Watson JG, 2001, “Review of Volatile Organic Compound Source Apportionment by Chemical Mass Balance,” Journal of Atmospheric Environment, Issue 32, pp: 1567–1584