Conserving Fuel Or Face? Essay, Research Paper

A Formula One race car accelerates from 0 to 60 mph in under 3 seconds. How could a car that goes 0 to 60 mph in 12 seconds ever be considered cool? The people at Engine Technology International must be impressed because they’ve crowned the gas-electric hybrid powerplant from the Honda Insight as International Engine of the Year 2000.1 The truth is, with a 95-mpg potential and a 110 mph top speed, the Insight is turning everybody’s head while at the same time giving environmentalists a beacon of hope that the conventional gasoline engine may soon be shown the door. The Sierra Club honored the Honda Insight with its Award for Excellence in Environmental Engineering. This is the first product award ever given by the 108-year-old environmental group.2

We’ve heard about the electric automobile revolution for years, but only now are those promises becoming a reality. With several models available right now from Alabama dealerships, the dawn of the alternative fuel vehicle (AFV) is beginning to touch every corner of the nation. But the most important thing about these new vehicles is their superiority in some aspects to the gas-only cars and trucks we’ve all come to depend on. No longer built just to “send an environmental message”, the latest breed of vehicle can perform on par with many of the conventional vehicles you see on the road today, while giving its owner the advantages of unbelievably high fuel efficiency and extremely long operating range. The Honda Insight Hybrid EV combines a small 1.0 liter 3-cylinder gasoline engine with a 144-volt NiMH electric motor giving the Insight a range of up to 700 miles, all at a cost of around $20,000.3

With the number of companies in the electric transportation industry embarking on bold new acquisitions, the stage is now set for a more robust and competitive EV market, offering consumers a wider range of alternative modes of transportation. DaimlerChrysler has positioned itself for the future through a strategic purchase of Global Electric MotorCars (GEM), currently the largest producer in the United States of electric vehicles that can be licensed for use on public roads, producing approximately 5,000 units per year. DaimlerChrysler along with Ford Motor Company will soon be the first to sell neighborhood electric vehicles (NEVs) in the United States.

Sales and leasing figures for battery and electric-duty light passenger vehicles for the last 4 years have risen from 39 units in 1996 to 1277 units in 1999 with those figures projected to be substantially higher for the year 2000.4 Honda has sold 2407 Insights since the car was introduction in 1999.5 By far the most popular AFV, the Insight can be credited with bringing an instant legitimacy to the alternative fuel vehicle segment of the industry. The hybrid powerplant has gained worldwide notoriety for Honda and AFVs thanks to the Insight’s 68 MPG highway rating. With a 150% increase in the price of gasoline in the last year, it’s hard not to notice the benefits of these emerging technologies.

The Honda and vehicles like it are just interim technologies. Their main problem is that they still use gasoline and consequently produce the same OPEC dependency and emissions problems. Other AFV technologies are gaining momentum though. Indycars produce tremendous amounts of horsepower solely through the use of Methanol. Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) and Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) powerplants use fuel types that produce significantly lower emissions than gasoline while still producing great amounts of power. Chevrolet and Ford have adapted this technology to some of their small and medium-sized trucks. The hazards of having a highly-compressed fuel on-board, however, are potentially great.

Ideally, the development of Zero Emission Vehicles (ZEVs) will reach breakthroughs that give them the minimum specifications required by the average consumer. At this time, the Chevrolet EV-1 Electric (NiMHI) has the longest range of any of the ZEVs at 130 miles. The average gas powered automobile can go about 400 miles before the need to refuel arises. Also refueling time for battery-based powerplants is significantly longer than the average fill-up.

There is hope for dramatic improvements. Battery technology is long overdue for a major leap forward in capacity. And the development of solar-powered vehicles and fuel-cell technology gives us hope that one day, all vehicles will give us the power and range that we need while having a minimum negative effect on the environment. The goal of preserving our precious natural resources while at the same time eliminating the damage done to our atmosphere makes the research and development of alternative fuel vehicles not only a great challenge, but also a noble venture.

Bibliography

1. Dennis Simanaitis, “Tech Tidbits,” Road & Track Magazine, December 2000.

2. Stephen Schowengerdt, “Honda puts price on low-emission Accord,” Environmental News Network, www.enn.com.

3. Models: 2001 Insight, Honda Automobiles Website: www.honda.com.

4. Electric Vehicle Association of Americas, EV Market Information: Battery Electric Light-Duty Passenger Vehicle: 1996-2000: www.evaa.org.

5. Electric Vehicle Association of Americas, EV Market Information: US Hybrid-Electric Vehicle Sales/Leasing: www.evaa.org.