The EnviroLink Network.
www.envirolink.org
The Veggie Van Organization
www.veggievan.org
Columbia-Willamette Clean Cities Coalition
www.cwcleancities.org
Illinois Renewable Energy Association
www.illiniosrenew.org
National Biodiesel Board
www.biodiesel.org
Wednesday, April 16, 2008
Oil Conservation
With oil prices skyrocketing car manufacturing companies must look at alternative sources of fuel, and ways to make their cars as efficient as possible when burning gasoline. Oil conservation efforts in the auto industry can be defined by looking at alternate sources of energy and by increases the efficiency of oil burning engines. Automakers have taken different routes to deal with oil depletion. Some companies are making cars more efficient while others are experimenting with hydrogen and electric power. The government is also looking into alternatives to gasoline burning engines, whether with a completely different form of fuel or with a combination of electric and gasoline power. Making the leap from gasoline to an alternative fuel source would be a giant leap that would cost the government and the public large quantities of money.
Oil supplies are depleting and with our growing dependence on foreign oil the United States must find ways to conserve the remaining oil supplies. America has a growing dependence on cars to get to and from work and with cities expanding Americans will always have the need for cars. Studies have shown that Americans account for almost a quarter of all of the oil used in the world and two thirds of that is just on consumer automobiles (GAO 9). One way to conserve the oil used is to make gasoline based cars more efficient. One way of doing this is creating cars with smaller more efficient engines. The smaller the engine size uses less fuel but creates less power for the car. When consumers but big vehicles for example SUV’s they are also buying a bigger less efficient engine. Mercedes-Benz has designed a vehicle that shares the size of an SUV but will get the gas efficiency of a smaller car. Mercedes took their largest car and put a small engine that uses electric motors to assist the gas engine and uses recycled exhaust gases through a turbo charger (Mean vs. Green 64). With this technology consumers would still be able to have large vehicles, but they also will get better gas mileage and in the end use less gasoline. Along with the engine changes manufacturers are using materials, like carbon fiber, that are stronger than steel but carry half as much weight. These lightweight materials reduce the overall weight of the car therefore increasing the efficiency of the gasoline-burning engine. These advanced technologies involving engine efficiency and the lightweight materials that cars are built from are not very cost effective, and in addition to that the manufacturing capacity for materials like carbon fiber occurs primarily in the aerospace industry so it is not available for mass production in automobiles (GAO 64-65).
Another option to reduce oil use is by creating cars that use a combination of electric and gasoline power. These “hybrid cars” use a very small gasoline engine accompanied by a battery-powered electric motor. The car uses both sources of energy to power the vehicle, and while driving the gasoline engine can be used to help recharge the battery pack. Hybrid cars have different ways of increasing the fuel economy. For example, when a hybrid car uses its brakes it will also use the electric motor to slow down. This in turn will use the electric motor as a generator to charge the batteries. Hybrids also will automatically shut of the gas engine while stopped and just run on the electric batteries (Howstuffworks). Even though these hybrid cars are being used today, they still face challenges when producing them. The batteries used in hybrid cars are the biggest challenge faced by the manufacturers. The batteries are extremely costly and the usually will not last the life of the car. Even though hybrids are a bit more costly they are used more than any other alternative fuel source (GAO 64-65).
The dependency on oil could be completely eliminated if hydrogen power can be safely used in an automobile. Hydrogen power can be used to power vehicles and its only bi-product is water. This would help cut down pollution and could save the remaining oil resources in the world. Hyundai has built a hydrogen car, and it only emits water vapor (Mean vs. Green 62). Hydrogen engines can cost up to ten times more to produce than a regular gasoline engines. It is also difficult to store enough hydrogen to have a similar range as a gasoline engine (GAO 37). Hyundai has developed a concept hydrogen car that may meet all the requirements to be commercially sold (Mean vs. Green 62). Also, beginning this summer Honda will start a three-year lease program in Los Angeles for its new hydrogen powered car. This is meant to be an experiment for hydrogen powered cars because at the end to the three-year period the owners will have to give up the cars (Csere 64).
Along with hydrogen power, the Tesla Company has developed a fully electric sports car that can eliminate oil use completely. The Tesla uses over 6800 cells that weigh 700 pounds and with the rest of the engine added on it weighs almost half a ton. The car is claimed to have close to a 220 mile range but when you’re empty it may take up to four hours to recharge the battery (Csere 56). Electric cars have been around since the turn of the 19th century. In fact, electric cars set some of the first land speed records (Csere 56). Electricity is a much cheaper way to fuel a vehicle and does not ever require the use of gasoline. The electric car will face the same problems that hybrid cars face when it comes to battery cost and battery life. Furthermore, in the fast paced world that Americans live in it may not be possible for the public to spend up to four hours to refuel their car.
Another option to reduce the amount of oil that is consumed is by using renewable energy sources from food products and food waste. Ethanol and Biodiesel are both viable options to fuel vehicles. Fermenting plant sugars, and then distilling those sugars produce ethanol. Pure ethanol is not used to power vehicles, but it is mixed with 15 percent gasoline to produce E85, which is popular in the Midwest due to the amount of food waste available. The E85 production is expected to expand in the next 10 years and the amount of ethanol produced could triple in the next five to ten years. In some places ethanol can be priced as low as 1 dollar a gallon. However, the challenges that are faced when using corn ethanol involve retrofitting filling stations to support E85, and the initial capital investment that is required to produce the ethanol (GAO 57-58). Biodiesel is also a renewable fuel source but it is derived from vegetable oils or animal fats. Low percentage blends of Biodiesel can be used in most engines without modifications. Biodiesel is just as expensive as regular gasoline, and it is not completely understood so it would not be an effective alternative.
With oil supplies getting low and with gas prices skyrocketing it is time to find a viable alternative. The government, and car manufacturers are doing what they can to help conserve oil. Cars are being made more efficient, and new renewable fuels are be researched and tested. Even with new technologies and new sources of fuel the public must be willing to accept these changes and they must make the change to help conserve the oil supply.
Work Cited
Csere, Csaba. "Mean Also Means Green." Car and Driver Feb.-Mar. 2008: 52-64.
Fleay, Brian. "Oil Supply: the Crunch Has Arrived!!" 1 Apr. 2008.
"Howstuffworks "How Hybrid Cars Work"" 1 Apr. 2008.
"Mean Vs. Green." Automobile Magazine Nov.-Dec. 2007: 58-90.
Wells, Jim. United States. Government Accountability Office. Crude Oil. Feb. 2007. 1 Apr. 2008.
Oil supplies are depleting and with our growing dependence on foreign oil the United States must find ways to conserve the remaining oil supplies. America has a growing dependence on cars to get to and from work and with cities expanding Americans will always have the need for cars. Studies have shown that Americans account for almost a quarter of all of the oil used in the world and two thirds of that is just on consumer automobiles (GAO 9). One way to conserve the oil used is to make gasoline based cars more efficient. One way of doing this is creating cars with smaller more efficient engines. The smaller the engine size uses less fuel but creates less power for the car. When consumers but big vehicles for example SUV’s they are also buying a bigger less efficient engine. Mercedes-Benz has designed a vehicle that shares the size of an SUV but will get the gas efficiency of a smaller car. Mercedes took their largest car and put a small engine that uses electric motors to assist the gas engine and uses recycled exhaust gases through a turbo charger (Mean vs. Green 64). With this technology consumers would still be able to have large vehicles, but they also will get better gas mileage and in the end use less gasoline. Along with the engine changes manufacturers are using materials, like carbon fiber, that are stronger than steel but carry half as much weight. These lightweight materials reduce the overall weight of the car therefore increasing the efficiency of the gasoline-burning engine. These advanced technologies involving engine efficiency and the lightweight materials that cars are built from are not very cost effective, and in addition to that the manufacturing capacity for materials like carbon fiber occurs primarily in the aerospace industry so it is not available for mass production in automobiles (GAO 64-65).
Another option to reduce oil use is by creating cars that use a combination of electric and gasoline power. These “hybrid cars” use a very small gasoline engine accompanied by a battery-powered electric motor. The car uses both sources of energy to power the vehicle, and while driving the gasoline engine can be used to help recharge the battery pack. Hybrid cars have different ways of increasing the fuel economy. For example, when a hybrid car uses its brakes it will also use the electric motor to slow down. This in turn will use the electric motor as a generator to charge the batteries. Hybrids also will automatically shut of the gas engine while stopped and just run on the electric batteries (Howstuffworks). Even though these hybrid cars are being used today, they still face challenges when producing them. The batteries used in hybrid cars are the biggest challenge faced by the manufacturers. The batteries are extremely costly and the usually will not last the life of the car. Even though hybrids are a bit more costly they are used more than any other alternative fuel source (GAO 64-65).
The dependency on oil could be completely eliminated if hydrogen power can be safely used in an automobile. Hydrogen power can be used to power vehicles and its only bi-product is water. This would help cut down pollution and could save the remaining oil resources in the world. Hyundai has built a hydrogen car, and it only emits water vapor (Mean vs. Green 62). Hydrogen engines can cost up to ten times more to produce than a regular gasoline engines. It is also difficult to store enough hydrogen to have a similar range as a gasoline engine (GAO 37). Hyundai has developed a concept hydrogen car that may meet all the requirements to be commercially sold (Mean vs. Green 62). Also, beginning this summer Honda will start a three-year lease program in Los Angeles for its new hydrogen powered car. This is meant to be an experiment for hydrogen powered cars because at the end to the three-year period the owners will have to give up the cars (Csere 64).
Along with hydrogen power, the Tesla Company has developed a fully electric sports car that can eliminate oil use completely. The Tesla uses over 6800 cells that weigh 700 pounds and with the rest of the engine added on it weighs almost half a ton. The car is claimed to have close to a 220 mile range but when you’re empty it may take up to four hours to recharge the battery (Csere 56). Electric cars have been around since the turn of the 19th century. In fact, electric cars set some of the first land speed records (Csere 56). Electricity is a much cheaper way to fuel a vehicle and does not ever require the use of gasoline. The electric car will face the same problems that hybrid cars face when it comes to battery cost and battery life. Furthermore, in the fast paced world that Americans live in it may not be possible for the public to spend up to four hours to refuel their car.
Another option to reduce the amount of oil that is consumed is by using renewable energy sources from food products and food waste. Ethanol and Biodiesel are both viable options to fuel vehicles. Fermenting plant sugars, and then distilling those sugars produce ethanol. Pure ethanol is not used to power vehicles, but it is mixed with 15 percent gasoline to produce E85, which is popular in the Midwest due to the amount of food waste available. The E85 production is expected to expand in the next 10 years and the amount of ethanol produced could triple in the next five to ten years. In some places ethanol can be priced as low as 1 dollar a gallon. However, the challenges that are faced when using corn ethanol involve retrofitting filling stations to support E85, and the initial capital investment that is required to produce the ethanol (GAO 57-58). Biodiesel is also a renewable fuel source but it is derived from vegetable oils or animal fats. Low percentage blends of Biodiesel can be used in most engines without modifications. Biodiesel is just as expensive as regular gasoline, and it is not completely understood so it would not be an effective alternative.
With oil supplies getting low and with gas prices skyrocketing it is time to find a viable alternative. The government, and car manufacturers are doing what they can to help conserve oil. Cars are being made more efficient, and new renewable fuels are be researched and tested. Even with new technologies and new sources of fuel the public must be willing to accept these changes and they must make the change to help conserve the oil supply.
Work Cited
Csere, Csaba. "Mean Also Means Green." Car and Driver Feb.-Mar. 2008: 52-64.
Fleay, Brian. "Oil Supply: the Crunch Has Arrived!!" 1 Apr. 2008
"Howstuffworks "How Hybrid Cars Work"" 1 Apr. 2008
"Mean Vs. Green." Automobile Magazine Nov.-Dec. 2007: 58-90.
Wells, Jim. United States. Government Accountability Office. Crude Oil. Feb. 2007. 1 Apr. 2008
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