Who will kill the Oil Comapnies?
With the 2008 presidential elections approaching, the debates have begun and topics such as the war in Iraq, health care, the recessing economy, and immigration have gained notoriety as the most important national quandaries. Although the aforementioned subjects are indeed important and in dire need of attention, a downplayed issue in the political arena is the oil crisis. This subject requires great attention because according to the U.S. Department of Energy "[oil] supplies more than 40% of our total energy demands and more than 99% of the fuel we use in our cars and trucks." Furthemore, the U.S. consumes more than 25% of the world's oil and produces 25% of the world's carbon emissions while also increasing its yearly rate of oil consumption by 2%.
With that being said, it is necessary to increase the awareness of our nation's oil consumption rate and begin to initiate national, federal aided programs to lower both oil consumption and carbon emission rates. There is already promise for the future as subtantial automotive companies such as General Motors, Ford, Toyota, and Honda develop vehicles that use alternative sources of energy for power. However, there must be greater action put forth, specifically by the federal government to speed up the process of converting automotive dependency from oil to other various sources. Support solely from the major automotive corporations will not efficiently remove dependency of oil in the automotive sector due to the significant dominance of the oil companies and OPEC. There have been previous strides to convert dependency from oil to electricity, such as the development of the GM EV1 [1990], however, the oil conglomerates effictively prevented the electric car from passing the ZEV mandate. [This popular example can be further researched at http://www.whokilledtheelectriccar.com/]
Try, Try Again!
Although, the oil industry won the first battle, the war against oil dependency is not over and a second push for a change is clearly evident with stronger support from even more automotive companies. There has been a rise in innovation as car companies such as General Motors have added more vehicles to their lineup of fuel efficient automobiles. For instance, Chevy, a subsidary company of the General Motors conglomerate has made an almost complete shift to alternate fuel based cars as they have added 7 e85 ethanol based vehicles, 7 active fuel management vehicles, 1 hybrid vehicle, 1 electric car, and 1 fuel cell based car. The ethanol based vehicles are not a complete diversion from oil because the engine can use either gasoline or e85 (85% ethanol, 15% gasoline), however, the gasoline option is only a last resort in case ethanol is not accessible. This option provides the consumer with not only an efficient measure of transportation, but also an eco-friendly vehicle that mostly burns renewable resources such as corn and other grain products. Unlike the e85 based vehicles, the active fuel management cars use oil for fuel; however, the vehicles have an increased fuel efficiency due to the technology's ability to choose between 4 and 8 cylinders for specific driving situations. Futhermore, the hybrid, electric, and fuel cell cars are amongst Chevy's greatest innovations as the Chevy Tahoe Hybrid can be used as a four-wheel drive SUV, the electric Chevy Volt can use electricity, e85, gasoline or biodiesel, and the fuel cell based Chevy Equinox delivers performance speeds of upto 100mph. Although, these cars lack the luxury of high performance (140+mph) and ultra comfortability(V8-12 engines with 5-7 gears), they do address the necesities of a 21st century vehicle and altogether provide an initial push off of oil dependency.
Hybrid = Luxury?
Although the effort from General Motors has significantly popularized alternative fuel powered vehicles in the U.S., the lack of luxury and performance has left many environmentally unconcerned yet luxury driven citizens unattracted towards the new age vehicles. However, even now the affluent, ostentatious sector can now have hybrid options as Lexus has aggrandized the hybrid from being perceived as ugly and efficient, to luxurious and beneficial. Currently, they have released three hybrid models; the LS - the marquee vehicle of the Lexus flagship, the GS-the company's performance hybrid luxury sedan, and the RX- the most popular hybrid SUV in the market. With the release of these three vehicles, and more to come from not only Lexus, but also other elite manufacturers such as Mercedes-Benz, BMW, and Audi, the alternative fuel based vehicle market will surely expand and possibly overcome pressures from the oil companies with the aid of the federal government.
Evidence of this new appeal is seen through Rene Cuello, a Civil Engineering student at the University of Miami. Ever since the age of 12 while growing up in Puerto Rico, Rene has been an aficionado of car design and innovation. With the recent oil crisis and environmental risks coupled with oil dependency, Rene has been a proactive supporter of the alternative fuel industry.
-Mr. Cuello, what interests you in alternative fuel based cars
"Alternative fuel based cars interests me because they will provide a future for transporation after the depletion of oil. Additionally, the rising costs of oil have prevented me from traveling as much as I would like to and a cheaper alternative would allow me to move freely."
-Would you ever purchase a hybrid vehicle
"I would definitely purchase a hybrid in the near future because the price of the premium for the vehicle will drop in addition to a rise in the car's luxury. I have alway been a fan for comfortability and performance and I believe my needs will be satisfied by the hybrids of the future."
- Do you think there is competition for hybrids from other alternative fuel based cars
"Yes. I believe hydrogen based motors will provide immense competition for hybrid vehicles because it is solely independent of oil and is completely clean"
-Did you know the French based company MDI has developed an engine that uses compressed air as fuel? Do you think this is the biggest advancement so far?
"Yes. I've heard of the "Air Car" and believe it could be the future of transportation, however, just like the electric car, I am not sure if it will overcome the dominance of the oil companies and be able to pass through testing. I personally would love to purchase one of these vehicles because not only does it help clean the earth with 0 emissions, but it also provides me with a cheap and efficient mode of transportation"
-Do you currently own a car?
"I currently do not own a car because the gas prices have prevented me from doing so. While being a college student, it is difficult to not only pay for the high costs of tuition but also the costs of a vehicle along with parking and the ever rising gas prices. I can't buy a hybrid because the premium is too high and buying a relatively inexpensive vehicle would only hurt the environment with disastrous emissions. This is a recurring predicament for typical college students."
For more information on the topics discussed by Mr. Rene Cuello please visit
http://www.nsc.org/ehc/mobile/mse_fs.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hydrogen_vehicle
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