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Hydrogen Electric Cars

            As advances are made in science, and America continues become a more civilized and environmentally conscious society, we begin to focus on things in our every day life that can be improved in order to resolve current pollution problems and future resource problems. A topic that specifically pertains to both of these issues is the use of fossil fuels to power automobiles.
             Fossil fuels are a nonrenewable energy resource. This means "these resources are being used much faster than they can be produced and the amount of these materials is finite" (Eldon D. Enger). The use of fossil fuels is growing each year across the world at an alarming rate and most of this growth is attributed to consumption by automobiles. Between 1999 and 2001 the total world demand rose from 74.7 million barrels per day to 78 million barrels per day (Eldon D. Enger). Consumption of fossil fuels at this rate will eventually cause this resource to be depleted. This stresses the need for an alternate energy source to power automobiles, and the redesign of the combustion engine to use this new energy source. .
             Pollution of the air from fossil fuels is a problem that society has been aware of for quite some time. The Environmental Protection Agency reports "carbon monoxide results from incomplete combustion of fuel and is emitted directly from vehicle tailpipes." The EPA also states "nationwide, two-thirds of the carbon monoxide emissions come from transportation sources, with the largest contribution coming from highway motor vehicles. In urban areas, the motor vehicle contribution to carbon monoxide pollution can exceed 90 percent." This shows a direct correlation between the burning of fossil fuels by vehicles and pollution of our environment. .
             The United States government has taken some action to control this problem by implementing The Clean Air Act in 1970. This act gives primary responsibility for mobile source pollution control to the Environmental Protection Agency.


Essays Related to Hydrogen Electric Cars

1. Hydrogen As A Viable Answer

... current automobiles which run on gasoline and emit harmful gases which destroy our environment, Hydrogen powered cars have zero emissions. Remarkably, the byproduct of using Hydrogen in cars is water. That means cars will release water vapor into the environment rather than carbon dioxide and carbon monoxide. Hydrogen is considered an alternative fuel because it is renewable and is the most abundant ... earth. Knowing the possibilities Hydrogen Fuel has to offer, many automobile manufacturers have already exhausted many years of research and development into bringing these cars to the fo...

  • Word Count: 2192
  • Approx Pages: 9
  • Has Bibliography
  • Grade Level: Undergraduate

2. Cars

... Philadelphia-based Morris and Salom Company. In 1896, the Woods Motor Vehicle Company of Chicago became the first American manufacturer of electric cars. The Electrobat was one of several electric cars, which competed in a race sponsored by Illinois publisher H.H. Kohlsaat. He had challenged inventors to come up with a car that ... motor is reversed, changing the rotation of the motor and causing the power train to make the wheels go in the reverse direction. Most electric cars have a regenerative braking system. That means the friction that builds up in the brakes charge up the battery....

  • Word Count: 1474
  • Approx Pages: 6
  • Has Bibliography

3. Electric Vehicles

... in the new fleet of EV's arriving, but there are new types of batteries including nickel-metal hydride, zinc-chlorine and sodium-sulfur. Today's electric cars come standard with regenerative breaking. Regenerative breaking is where the braking system recharges the battery. The motor acts as a generator when stopping and converts ... least in theory.There are several types of fuel cells, but all consist of two electrodes surrounding an electrolyte. Oxygen passes over one electrode and hydrogen passes over the other, generating electricity, water and heat.? (Economist 66) The only waste pr...

  • Word Count: 3020
  • Approx Pages: 12
  • Grade Level: High School

4. Hydrogen Fuel and Electric Cars

... one or more automobile, it is a massive industry that needs a fuel other than gasoline or fossil fuels. Scientists have created a hydrogen powered car which is exactly what the future needs. However, people don't exactly want to pay for such an expensive car. Additionally, ... hydrogen, then it will be better funded and will become less expensive to the public. "The cheaper clean energy is, the more likely countries are to enact policies that promote its adoption." (Michael Levi - SIRS Researcher) Another big thing in the automotive industry that the U.S. needs to stress is electric cars...

  • Word Count: 774
  • Approx Pages: 3
  • Has Bibliography
  • Grade Level: High School

5. Fuel efficient cars

... a viable alternative to the internal combustion is pressing. Hybrids are the bridge between the gas-guzzlers of today and the fuel sipping innovations of tomorrow. Hybrids unlike fuel-cell cars and electric satisfy three requirements: reasonable prices, convenient refueling, and range unhindered by spent battery. The batteries in the Honda Insights recharge under braking, controlling their energy from their wheels ... Instead of lining up at the gas pump, owners of vehicles with hydrogen fuel cells would buy tanks of liquid or gaseous hydrogen. In a hydrogen fuel cell, hydrogen joins to o...

  • Word Count: 1287
  • Approx Pages: 5
  • Grade Level: Undergraduate

6. Hydrogen Instead Of Gasoline

... trying to find a way to extract this energy, rather how to split the water molecules into hydrogen and oxygen. Hydrogen can be used to power cars, rail engines, airplanes, to produce electricity and heat. But, although the technical breakthrough in 19th and 20th century brought hydrogen into experimental use in many applications, there are still many problems to deal with. There sure is ... this statement seems to me to be somewhat biased, because taxes seem to be included in gasoline prices and in hydrogen prices not. Significant change to hydrogen as a power source could be the develop...

  • Word Count: 2745
  • Approx Pages: 11
  • Has Bibliography
  • Grade Level: Undergraduate

7. Hydrogen as a Possible Fuel Source

... only constrained to the state of California, which can be viewed as biased from someone who disagrees with hydrogen being a fuel source because the state of California has a very large population and more technology for the hydrogen market to grow. This issue relates to electric cars being surveyed in California based on the state's demographics and characteristics. Air quality in the United States ... may drastically be improved if the cars on United States highways are converted to hydrogen fuel-cell vehicles. Life on Earth will also benefit from the ... conversion of vehicles through...

  • Word Count: 1191
  • Approx Pages: 5
  • Has Bibliography
  • Grade Level: Undergraduate

8. Hybrid Cars

... economy of conventional vehicles. This combination offers the extended range and rapid refueling that consumers expect from a conventional vehicle, with a significant portion of the energy and environmental benefits of an electric vehicle. HEVs have several advantages over conventional vehicles: HEVs can reduce dependency on fossil fuels because they can run on alternative fuels. Special lightweight materials are used to reduce the ... loss and recover the energy used to slow down or stop a vehicle. Fuel cells generate electricity through an electrochemical reaction that combines hydrog...

  • Word Count: 481
  • Approx Pages: 2
  • Grade Level: Undergraduate

9. Future of Fuel Cell Powered Cars

... a month. With the oil prices rising and the amount of gasoline in demand climbing each year; people and companies are looking for alternative methods to power cars. Fuel cell powered vehicles may be one strong contender. The science of fuel cells is hard for many people to understand. In simple terms, a fuel ... fuel cells dates back to the mid 1800's when British scientist, Sir William Robert Grove first came up with the idea of splitting water into hydrogen and oxygen by the use of electricity. Grove's work did not accomplish much until NASA began tests on it in the early 1960s. NASA ...

  • Word Count: 1155
  • Approx Pages: 5
  • Has Bibliography
  • Grade Level: High School

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