EGEE Essay 2

8/7/2019 EGEE Essay 2

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The Transportation ChallengeClip, clop, clip, clop.

The smell of horse manure laced with the early morning rain tickled my nose as we rode

over the hill and saw a steeple rising in the distance. No, I was not arriving for a wedding in a

fancy carriage. Instead, I sat sandwiched between two Amish girls in a plain, black buggy

making our way to church in Pearisburg, Virginia. Navigating the undisturbed country roads, my

lungs felt rejuvenated. Even the air tasted sweet.

According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration, transportation held

responsibility for emitting 1,930 million metric tons of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere in

2008. After spending a weekend with the Amish, I would consider the single horsepower buggy

to be the cleanest method of transportation in terms of CO2 emissions. If the world would giddy-

up instead of rev-up, then global warming would cease to be an issue. Unfortunately, with our

current economic climate contingent on energy and fossil fuels, mass conversion to the Amish

lifestyle would be unfeasible. Therefore, we must find more suitable and efficient ways to

transport people and goods on the road amidst unstable oil prices and concerns over global

warming.

Traditional internal combustion engines for automobiles have an overall energy

efficiency rate of only 15% (EPA). The rest of the energy generated from inputted fuel suffers

loss in forms of waste heat, idling, and braking. Although new technology and federal

regulations have improved overall fuel economy in recent years for regular road vehicles, these

efforts are not enough to significantly reduce harmful effects on the climate or Americas

dependence on foreign oil. Furthermore, the current rate of fossil fuel consumption will soon

deplete the earths resources, subjecting future generations to deal with mounting insecurity and

catastrophic consequences resulting from our exploitation.


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On a brighter note, recent developments in fuel efficiency offered new possibilities for

modern society to adapt to more secure transportation methods and energy sources. In 1997,

Japanese car company, Toyota, released its first generation of hybrid electric vehicles (HEV) that

were also readily available to and widely accepted by the public sector. These sleek-looking

sedans, designed to increase fuel efficiency by 50%, utilized a grid-independent and series-

parallel engine system. The revolutionizing technology still depended on a conventional fossil

fuel engine, but now the energy generated from the engine would charge a battery, which

powered an electric motor that ultimately drove the vehicle (Evans 155). Most efficient in urban

driving environments, the series-parallel system greatly reduced typical gasoline usage by

shutting down the engine and relying solely on the charged battery to power the car. Normal

energy loss resulting from braking was also averted in HEV vehicles, where a generator

absorbed any losses to recharge the battery. Vehicles like Toyotas Prius could be one effective

way to trim our current fossil fuel dependence and carbon footprints. However, problematic

factors such as the high cost to own and operate a HEV, as well as peoples tendency to drive

more must first be addressed before we see significant positive results.

With the aid of advancing technology, more sustainable techniques have been created to

meet the transportation needs of the future. Increased battery capacity gave way to plug-in

hybrid electric vehicles (PHEV) and all-electric vehicles (EV), both of which are the next step to

a fuel-independent economy. The PHEV relies even less on a conventional, fossil fuel powered

engine. Relying on an externally-charged battery, PHEVs can commute a typical city dweller to

and from work with one single charge. If the battery runs out, then the conventional engine acts

as the back-up plan. Soon to be commercially available, EVs are capable of traveling up to 200

miles with one charge, a range that is considered sufficient for 90% of all household vehicle


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trips according to the U.S. Department of Transportation Federal Highway Administration.All-electric vehicles do not rely on a fuel engine at all, making it a zero-emission contributor.

Although electric vehicles hold the power to transform the modern world, we must wisely

take into account that plug-in cars still contribute to air pollution indirectly because its electricity

source still comes from fossil fuel and nuclear power plants. Along with implementing

environmental-friendly vehicles on the road, we need to evolve to and invest in more renewable

energy sources such as solar and wind power. The fossil fuel industry lacks political stability and

significantly adds to global climate change. Meanwhile, nuclear power can suffer from severe

meltdowns and accidents like the Chernobyl and Fukushima incidents. It is better to take small

steps than to take none. If transportation accounts for a quarter of the total global demand of

energy (Evans 141), then a single step in converting to electric road vehicles, instead of turning

Amish, can surely reduce human dependence on oil and any negative impacts on the

environment.


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Works Cited

"Alternative Fuels and Advanced Vehicles Data Center: Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicle Basics."

U.S. Department of Energy. Web. 13 Apr. 2011.

.

"EIA - Emissions of Greenhouse Gases in the U.S. 2008-Carbon Dioxide Emissions."

U.S. Energy Information Administration. Web. 13 Apr. 2011.

.

Evans, Robert L. Fueling OurFuture. Cambridge: Cambridge Univ., 2007. Print.

U.S. Department of Energy. "Advanced Technologies & Energy Efficiency."F

uel Economy.

Web. 13 Apr. 2011. .

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EGEE Essay 2