Betsy In The Twenty-First Century Grandfather loved his Model A Ford automobile but grandmother screamed at him when he cranked the starter to ignite the engine. O’Ma would say, "O’Pa, don’t you start that smoke belching contraption around my clean wash. Can’t you see the soot in the air from your darned machine? My clean sheets will be black as coal!" O’Pa replied, "Yes dear, I’ll take her for a spin and be out of here in a jiffy." My grandfather was one of the first owners of an automobile and one of the first to be scorned for the black clouds of smoke that his Model A belched. Like my grandfather, Americans love their automobiles. When the horse and buggy was replaced by the automobile, we became proud travelers of the road. We have different personalities and automobiles reflect our different styles. Like people, autos can be sleek or robust, conservative or flashy, large or small. They all, however, have gasoline powered internal combustion engines. Our love of our automobiles has caused many of our problems today. The internal combustion engine is reliable and powerful, making it possible to travel long distances at variable speeds. But it also pollutes the environment, specifically the air. Automobiles emit gases and particulate matter into the atmosphere, adding to the buildup of greenhouse gases and smog. Carbon monoxide and ozone fume emissions from exhaust pipes are filling the air we breath. Carbon monoxide prevents blood from bringing oxygen throughout the body. It causes breathing difficulty and is harmful to those with asthma and emphysema. Ozone creates smog which causes respiratory problems and reduces resistance to other ailments. Another emission is particulate matter. Particulate matter is a pollutant caused mainly by diesel vehicle emissions. The gas emission causes nasal and throat infections, lung damage, and other respiratory difficulties. These fumes are also detrimental to vegetation and water, and create a global warming greenhouse affect. They even contribute to erosion of rock and stone. Climate change and air pollution will always be a major concern because more people are driving every day. In 1950 America had 49.1 million registered cars on the road and in 1990 190.2 million registered drivers. In 1999 Americans bought a record number 17 million new automobiles. We are driving more than ever before. Today scientists, engineers, and legislators are studying air pollution because of major health concerns throughout the country. The Clean Air Acts of 1970 and 1990 were created to eliminate harmful emissions by automobiles. In the United States, California has led the way in demanding cleaner automobiles for cleaner air. In 1990, the California Air Resources Board (CARB) demanded that the major auto makers produce emission-free vehicles or face stiff fines. The CARB required that two percent of automobiles sold in California be zero-emission by 1998 and ten percent by 2003. In 1995 the wealthy automobile and oil companies reacted. They told the public that zero emission cars that were electric, natural gas, or alternative fuel powered were not desirable. John Wallace of Ford said, "As anybody who is familiar with today’s battery technology will tell you, Electric Vehicles (EVs) are not ready for prime time." Oil companies said that zero emission cars would be very expensive and taxes up to $18 billion dollars to promote them would be the public’s burden. Orange County Senior Citizens were bused into public hearings. They were given box lunches as they listened to auto and oil lobby representatives tell how their taxes would go sky high so that a few individuals could drive around in electric cars. The electric car had been looked upon favorably, the possible solution to air pollution. But in 1996 the auto and oil companies won public opinion. Legislators and regulators had to admit that battery technology with the electric car was not practical traveling or a viable solution to air pollution. The California Air Resources Board dropped the requirement that two percent of vehicles sold in the state must have zero-emission by 1998 but they maintained the ten percent requirement for 2003. The auto and oil lobbies would not admit that their beloved internal combustion engine and gasoline were detrimental to clean air. Executives of both lobbies said that acid rain does not harm the environment, that emission requirements are impossible standards, that the 1970 Clean Air Act is too demanding, and that technology has not advanced enough to produce efficient electric vehicles. The auto and oil lobbies wanted to look good just like politicians. In 1993 the Partnership for a New Generation of Vehicles was formed. The United States Council for Automotive Research is a partnership of government agencies and representatives of General Motors, Ford, and Daimler Chrysler. The Council has until the year 2004 to produce low-emission cars. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has ruled that 10% of auto makers’ vehicles must be zero emission during the first decade. The Partnership of the government and the "Big Three" is not a contract to mass produce low-emission automobiles. But the ten year partnership makes the government and the lobbies look good. The truth is the oil and auto moguls don’t want Americans to quit buying 121 billion gallons of gasoline every year. Nevertheless, this will eventually happen and the gasoline internal combustion engine automobile will be parked in memory lane. America has always been an independent country, able to provide for its well-being and success. We were the oil baron of the world, only second to Saudi Arabia. Our original oil inventory was about 260 billion barrels. In 1950 we produced half of the world’s oil. By 1970 we reached our peak and in 1997 we used up sixty-five percent of our inventory. Today we produce only forty-five percent of the oil we use. American oil reserve peaked in 1970 and some analysts, the pessimists, are predicting global production will peak as early as 2005 and others, the optimists, as late as 2020. The fact is that world oil reserve is running low and eventually will run dry. There will be oil for many years but the price will increase as the supply depletes. Why should America be dependent upon unfriendly countries for our automobile fuel! The facts are in and we have a clear course to follow. If we don’t get rid of the gasoline powered internal combustion engine, it will eventually kill us. We may not even be able to afford the poison that is killing us! While smog and carbon monoxide serve up the ozone of the day, we wait for the oil sheik to once again raise his price for a barrel of oil. For America to remain a healthy and independent nation, change is necessary. Jonathan Swift, author of Gulliver’s Travels said, "Necessity is the mother of invention." The possible replacements for the gasoline internal combustion vehicle are: the solar vehicle, the electric powered vehicle (EV), the internal combustion vehicle (ICV) that uses alternative fuels, and the fuel cell powered vehicle. Each is important in creating a clean air environment. Engineers, scientists, and concerned citizens have influenced the automobile and oil lobbies to think about a clean performing car, one that is better than ever. The solar vehicle (SV) is powered by the sun. At this time it is very limited and very expensive. Photo voltaic cells are placed on the solar car and they absorb energy from the sun but are unable to store it. The cells generate 1,500 to 2,000 watts of electricity which can transport one person at a maximum speed of 35 mph. When the sun goes down, the solar car is inactive. Presently solar cars cost between $45,000 and $100,000 and sometimes even higher. Someday the solar car may be the ideal transportation if engineers and scientists can create a way to store solar energy. The Electric vehicle (EV) is powered by storage batteries. Golf carts and forklifts are successfully operating EVs today. A number of test electric cars can travel approximately 80 miles before their batteries need recharging. The batteries could be charged at home during the night and the electric car would be ready to travel in the morning. For a car owner, this is not convenient and reliable transportation. And what if the car owner wants to take a trip that’s longer than eighty miles? In theory, you could leave your batteries at a service station for a charged set or you could get a "quick charge", taking about five to ten minutes. Either way would be very expensive and if many cars were using the "quick charge" the electric power companies would be burdened with large power surges. Electric power companies burn coal to generate electricity. Coal produces carbon dioxide and nitrous oxides, the same pollutants as internal combustion vehicles, that also cause deterioration of the ozone layer. Another type of electric car is called the hybrid vehicle. The HV is a combination of gasoline and electric powered vehicles. It would not charge its batteries over night or stop to exchange or "quick charge" its batteries. The hybrid electric car has a charger for its batteries. The charger is a gasoline-fueled internal combustion engine used only to charge batteries. Test results show mileage up to 80 mpg, low emission, and quiet performance. The mileage is measured by the size of the gasoline tank and not the number of batteries. The hibrid electric vehicle is very expensive and will never have zero emission because of its internal combustion engine battery charger. Alternative fuels replace gasoline and the internal combustion engine must be changed to accommodate the alternative fuel. Some of these fuels are methanol, ethanol, methane, and propane. The alternative fuels are cleaner than gasoline but the altered engine will cost between $2,500 and $5,000 more than the standard automobile’s. The altered fuels will not meet the EPA’s ruling of zero emission. The most intriguing and promising innovation for automobile fuel is the fuel cell. The first fuel cells were used in the 1960s space rockets. A fuel cell is composed of a cathode (+), a catalyst, an electrolyte, another catalyst, and an anode (-). Through a simple chemical reaction, the fuel cell changes chemical energy into electrical energy. Hydrogen is the fuel. Hydrogen enters the anode of the fuel cell and oxygen enters the cathode. The catalyst separates the hydrogen and its electron creates a current. The electrical current is used before it joins the cathode to form water. The fuel cell cars are very efficient and test models can travel up to 90 mph and a distance of 280 miles before refueling. The fuel cell engine is in the floor and the hydrogen container in the rear of the car. This provides as much passenger room as any other vehicle. Water vapor is its only emission. Because hydrogen is very flammable scientists and engineers are working on using water as fuel instead of hydrogen for the fuel cell. Since water is generated it can be reused in the fuel cell to create more electricity. Water would replace hydrogen and the highly flammable problem. The other major problem is fuel cell stations. For the fuel cell car to succeed there must be stations throughout the country. Gasoline stations must be retrofitted to provide hydrogen or another fuel for the fuel cell cars. Air pollution, global warming, and the world’s diminishing oil reserves have caught the auto makers’ attention. They are looking at the solution, the fuel cell. Presently Mazda, Toyota, BMW, Mercedes-Benz, Ford, GMC, and Chrysler are all working to produce fuel cell cars for the 2004 market. The fuel cell car has the range of gasoline powered cars, a noiseless engine, and it emits water. My grandfather and especially my grandmother would be very pleased with the fuel cell car. For further reading please see these Internet sites: Solstice / Air Pollution http://solstice.crest.org/efficiency/nrdc/mobility/airpollu.html Can Electric Cars Solve Air Pollution Problems? http://darwin.bio.uci.edu/~sustain/global/sensem/S898/Tomongin/Report.html Future Of Fuel Cells In Automobiles http://www.ems.psu.edu/info/explore/FuelCell.html Fuel Cells 2000 http://216.51.17.233/whatis.html Peeking into the Future: Electric Cars http://www.sepp.org/glwarm/samsungec.html United States Environmental Protection Agency http://www.evworld.com/conferences/futurecar2000/moge.html Why Detroit’s Going Green http://www.sierraclub.org/sierra/199907/carsidebar.htm When Will The Joy Ride End? http://dieoff.com/page138.htm Woman Motorist / Future Fuel http://www.Womanmotorist.com/MAINTENANCE/tomt//tt-autofuel-02.shtml
Copyright © 2000 Frank Dunsmore |