Efficient Vehicles Report

The number of cars on the road worldwide is set to triple by 2050. CO2 output from cars
is projected to double, becoming a record six gigatons. US cars and light trucks alone consume
8.2 million barrels of oil each day and produce 300 million metric tons of carbon each year. The
challenge in reducing carbon emissions produced by US drivers is overcoming their attachment
to their vehicles and general indifference toward climate change. Other countries who strongly
support carbon reduction, have less of a dependence on personal vehicles, or less personal
attachment to their vehicles. Those countries can redesign and replace vehicles without major
consumer resistance. The traits of the American public make it necessary to approach the concept
of changing designs very carefully. Automobile manufactures should begin with small changes
and work upward toward completely electric vehicles. Gradual changes in design will allow cars
to become more efficient without public outcry.
 The easiest way to introduce the idea of efficient vehicles to reduce carbon emission is to
make changes in vehicle production that do
not impact the style or performance of the car.
Most consumers would not notice or have
concern with the following changes in
vehicles. Using solar panels on the roofs of
vehicles can power air conditioning units,
radios, internal lights, or outlets. The design,
especially of taller vehicles, is minimally
Figure 1 National Highway Traffic Safety impacted; various cars already on the market
Administration use this technology. Low rolling resistant
tires, harder tires with less grip, reduce the amount of energy need to overcome static friction and
allow the car to move. Fuel economy displays make drivers statistically drive more efficiently
due to their awareness of their real-time mile per gallon (MPG). Simply asking someone to drive
more efficiently or reminding them of their efficiency can significantly improve average fuel
economy. Implementing MPG displays in all
vehicles can expand these fuel savings. Weight
reduction of parts, for example headlights,
allows for an overall better MPG. Limiting the
frontal area of cars allows for better
aerodynamics and weight reduction.
Regenerative breaking places an electric
generators or hydraulic motors to produce
compressed air than regains energy lost during
breaking. Up to 50% of the energy can be Figure 2 National Highway Traffic Safety
Administration
recovered using a regenerative system. This
energy can be recycled to power electronics or other components of the car. The alternative
braking system can also increase the lifetime of brake pads, saving consumers time and money.
Stop-start systems can shut down cars after prolonged idling to reduce emissions when the car is
not in motion. Reducing idling will also save drivers money by reducing the amount of fuel
wasted.

Once the American public becomes accustom to small changes in their vehicles to reduce
carbon emissions, car manufactures can begin the next phase of efficient vehicles. Flex Fuel cars
can operate on any blend of gasoline and ethanol, and the hybrid electric vehicles rely on
gasoline or alternative fuel. The car has an electric motor to store energy but does not need to be
charged. They allow for a smaller engine, battery power of auxiliary power needs (radio), and
reduces idling. Both vehicles options change very little of the customers daily routine. They still
must pull into a gas station to fill up their car, and they do not have to plug their vehicles in to
charge. The final stage relies on cars that need to be charged to operate. Plug in electric vehicles
rely on an electric motor; gasoline powers vehicle when electricity is depleted. All electric run
completely on battery power. New options can travel around 100 miles and are acceptable for
90% of US household trips. As consumers work their way from flex fuel to electric vehicles, the
changes seem less drastic and as a logical upgrade.

An additional way to bring American consumers on board with the idea of efficient
vehicles is to present the amount of money and time saved when using efficient vehicles. The
cost savings of more efficient gasoline powered cars will be an amazing first step in transitioning

Figure 3 Alternative Fuels Data Center

the American public away from the older and less efficient vehicles currently on the road.
Reduced idling features will save consumers additional money by preventing wasted fuel.
Regenerative braking reduces wear on braking systems, allowing less frequent purchases of
brake pads. Once the market transform to dependence on electric vehicles, stable energy costs
and changing gasoline prices allow consumers to fill up electric vehicles for less during
periods of high prices. Also, less maintenance is required to the reductions of fluids, such as oil
or transmission fluid. There is a decrease in parts that can break due to movement or leak fluid.
The incentives and tax credits given by companies and the government to consumers who
purchase green vehicles will also provide financial incentives. The charts below show average
cost and time savings when switching to more efficient vehicles.

Efficient Vehicles Average Cost Savings

Source Type Average Savings ($)

IRS Service Tax Credit $2500-7500
Fuel Consumption Idling reduction systems $45/year
(based on average car
performance)
Fuel Consumption Low rolling resistance tires $27/ year
Fuel Consumption Fuel economy displays/ $366/ year
behavior changes
Fuel Consumption Removing weight and drag $30/ year
(per 100 lbs)
Fuel Consumption Switching to a hybrid $702/ year
electric vehicle
Fuel Consumption Switching to an electric $1098/ year
vehicle
Maintenance Oil Change (every 3000 $250/ year
miles)
Maintenance Brake maintenance $75/ year
Maintenance Spark plug replacement $400 over lifetime of car

Efficient Vehicles Average Time Savings

Source Type Amount (Hours)

Environmental Protection One time state motor 1 /year
Agency vehicle emissions
inspections (in states
where required)
Maintenance Oil change (every 3000 2.5 / year
miles)
Maintenance Brake maintenance 1 /year
Maintenance Engine or fluid based 2-5 /year
maintenance
 Although using more efficient vehicles
reduces carbon emissions and saves consumers
money, there are current downsides to the process.
The first is the electrical dependence on coal
impacting vehicles overall emissions. In locations
where electricity is supplied by coal, electric cars may
create more emissions than gasoline powered vehicles
with high MPG. In Colorado, a 35 MPG gasoline
powered car creates less emissions than the average
electric car. America has two examples from other
countries of the possible downsides of turning to
electric vehicles before limiting coal dependence.
China has nearly tripled its sales of electric cars by
turning to them as the solution to their air quality Figure 4 Carnegie Mellon University
problems in their larger cities. Unfortunately, their electricity generation heavily depends on
coal; their reliance on electric vehicles are simply redistributed to the areas near the power
plants. The Netherlands have discovered the rapidly increasing need for electricity has electric
cars are sold. The electricity needed to power their electric vehicles will increase by fifty percent
by 2023. Their reliance on coal increased in 2015 to compensate for the overall increase in
electricity demand. The United States must reduce its electrical dependence on coal before we
turn completely to electric vehicles; if we follow the model of gradually changing the efficiency
of vehicles, we will have time to correct this issue.

The second problem stems from the safety issues that arise switch from current vehicle
designs to more efficient vehicles. The current method of making vehicles much smaller to
increase efficiency also presents problems when trying to convince consumers to change cars.
Death rates in mini cars in crashes involving multiple vehicles are about twice as high as in
large sedans. The death rate is single vehicle crashes was seventeen prevent less for mid-size cars
than minicars. Fit, Fortwo and Yaris performed poorly in frontal collisions with midsize cars. The
automobile industry needs to ensure they do not jeopardize passenger safety in the effort to
reduce emissions. Low crash ratings are a very easy way to lose the publics support; consumers
will not want to change to a more efficient vehicle if it is less safe than their current car. The
reduced vehicle noise produced by electric vehicles can also endangers pedestrians. Due to lack
of combustion engine, very little noise is created by an electric vehicle, especially at low speeds.
Electric vehicle manufactures are now adding sound effects to vehicles at low speed, protecting
pedestrians from stepping out in front of them.

American automobile manufacturers can reduce the publics dependence on fossil fuel
powered vehicles by slowly implementing change. Beginning with minor changes to current
gasoline power cars, implementing battery storage, and ending with fully electric cars will allow
consumers to gradually see the benefits of fuel efficiency without having the make large and
conscious decisions.

Essay Sources
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May 2016. Web. 03 Apr. 2017.
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Table Sources
"Benefits and Considerations of Electricity as a Vehicle Fuel." Alternative Fuels Data
Center: Benefits and Considerations of Electricity as a Vehicle Fuel. N.p., n.d. Web. 19
Apr. 2017.
"Efficient Driving Behaviors to Conserve Fuel." Alternative Fuels Data Center: Efficient
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"Fact #861 February 23, 2015 Idle Fuel Consumption for Selected Gasoline and Diesel
Vehicles." Fact #861 February 23, 2015 Idle Fuel Consumption for Selected Gasoline and
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 "Idle Reduction." Alternative Fuels Data Center: Idle Reduction. N.p., n.d. Web. 22 Apr.
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Tips to Increase Fuel Efficiency Save Gas, Save Money and Protect Energy Resources.
Publication. N.p.: New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services, 2013. Print.
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http://www.afdc.energy.gov

https://energy.gov/eere/vehicles/fact-861-february-23-2015-idle-fuel-consumption-selected-
gasoline-and-diesel-vehicles

http://www.afdc.energy.gov/conserve/equipment.html

http://www.afdc.energy.gov/conserve/idle_reduction_basics.html

https://www.fueleconomy.gov/feg/savemoney.shtml

http://www.afdc.energy.gov/conserve/driving_behavior.html

https://www.des.nh.gov/organization/commissioner/pip/factsheets/ard/documents/ard-39.pdf

http://www.afdc.energy.gov/fuels/electricity_benefits.html

http://www.fleetcarma.com/fleet-operating-costs-electric-vehicles/