Wally Rippel Chapter Summary

“We can break our dependence on oil…and become the first country to have one million electric vehicles on the road by 2015,” President Obama said in his January 2011 State of the Union address (Institute for Energy Research 1). While this may sound promising, the practicality and merit in achieving this goal remains unclear. Auto manufacturers have been working on plans for electric cars for years, especially the three largest companies in the US: Chevrolet, Chrysler, and Ford. These companies have been hoping that the development of electric cars would create a sort of lifestyle change for consumers, both weaning the U.S. off of its dependence on foreign oil and breathing life into the market for auto sales at the same time. Electric cars are often sold as zero emissions, but technically that is only true once they are charged and in terms of their tailpipe emissions. After all, they have to get their energy from somewhere and, more often than not, the electricity used for charging is supplied by traditional coal fired power plants. The real question then is whether the source and amount of energy required to build and supply an electric car with power is actually cleaner and more economical than a traditional combustion automobile. As it turns out, the answer is both unexpected and fairly complicated. In order to assess whether the use of

Everyone around the country needs to work to lower emissions into the air to reduce the greenhouse gases trapping heat in the atmosphere. I am not a fan of electric vehicles but, they are better for the environment than gas or diesel vehicles. They release less gases into the air and can be recharged almost anywhere with solar panel charger adapters. Some companies like, Tesla and VIA (General Motors Company) have made a dream for a person to own and be able to afford one.

The electric car, once the “zero-emissions” darling of environmentalists, is sometimes maligned as an “emissions-elsewhere” vehicle, since the electricity to charge its batteries must be generated in electrical generation plants that produce emissions. This is a reasonable point, but we must then ask how much pollution an electric car produces per mile – accounting for all emissions, starting from the gas or oil well where the source fuel is extracted, all the way to the final consumption of electricity by the car’s motor. When we work through the numbers, we find that the electric car is significantly more efficient

Electric cars impose a serious risk on the oil and gas industry. The extent by which this market succeeds reciprocally defines the extent by which the oil and gas industry deteriorates. As with all forms of technology, there comes a point in time where one form of technology no longer appears to be useful in comparison with an applicable alternative. The current inhibitors of electric car adoption are the price of batteries and vehicle performance. With that being said, battery prices dropped over 30% just last year and are expected to continue dropping. Projections estimate that 35% of cars will have a plug by 20401. However, even in the next few years, companies such as Tesla, Chevrolet, and Nissan plan to offer electric cars on the market at an affordable price. The question then becomes: when the oil and gas market will be displaced by the electric market? If both markets produce a vehicle of similar price and quality, then it is reasonable to assume that a customer will choose the option that is more eco-friendly. The moral issue still remains: should the vehicles of tomorrow be fueled by gasoline or are viable options readily available and acceptable?

The documentary Who Killed The Electric Car? focuses on the evolution and later destruction of the electric battery-powered vehicles manufactured between 1996 and 2003. The documentary examines the forces that took part in this process of destruction – automobile companies, oil companies, batteries, consumers, government, hydrogen fuel cells, and the California Air Resources board. In this analysis, I choose to focus on the role that the automobile companies played. My argument is that the automobile companies sabotaged the electric car because it was apparent to them that they could not make a large profit from them like they could from larger vehicles.

One driving force of change is technology. The automobile industry is constantly focusing on technology in order to make themselves and their cars better. They constantly compete to be the “first” one to have the newest and best idea. One of these ideas is an electric vehicle. GM, Ford, and Toyota all have electric automobiles. GM has the Chevy Volt. Volt One of Ford’s electric cars is the Electric Ranger. Ranger Toyota had the Rav4 EV, but due to discouraging sales it stopped production. “Toyota remains committed to developing an "Eco Vehicle," one that will have a minimal impact on the environment.” Rav4 One purpose of the electric automobiles is to have the ability to drive to work using only electricity. Currently during longer trips you would have to use a combination of electric and gasoline power. Electric Car

In this speech I have explored the history where they are today, and what is to come of electric cars. The electric car will get you to where you want to be without polluting the air. As Jay Leno once stated after driving the Tesla electric car, “If this is the future, I’m not that

Electric vehicles are a huge step towards the future of our planet. They don’t require gas and don’t run on fossil fuel, which is a good benefit to the world because fossil fuel is one of the main causes of climate change and global warming. People need to consider purchasing electric vehicles that run on clean energy and not oil. My awareness is to show people that cars that run on fossil fuel are damaging our planet and it could lead to a very catastrophic future. Electric cars are a great solution for this issue and could prevent climate change. We shouldn’t get rid of all the cars and vehicles that runs on gas because most of the world population wouldn’t approve that. If a big percentage of cars worldwide were electric, it would help solve a lot of issues including climate change. Electric cars need to be under reconsideration for society.

In 2016, there were 17.55 million cars sold in the US and electric vehicles (EVs) made up less than 1%, accounting for 150,000 vehicles, – up from 17,500 sales in 2012. EV’s have been slow to capture market share, although their growth may allude to a tipping point in the near future.

As the United States unite in the global effort to monitor the use and waste of energy, fuel efficient or hybrid cars such as the Toyota Prius has dominated the market over the SUV’s who once adored every American driveway. With much doubt, in 2004, the Prius has become the leading selling vehicle in America. The sleek design has caught the eye and pockets of many Americans who prefer the “gas sipper” over the “gas guzzler.” (Kotler & Armstrong, Principles of Marketing, 2010)

Through my research question, I hope to learn whether electric vehicles make a big enough difference to help our environment. I also want to explore why we have not gone entirely electric and specific reasons as to why people are afraid of change. People find switching to an electric vehicle to be a huge lifestyle change.

One of the best ways of improving corporate image in the automobile industry is by ensuring that the industry satisfy the needs of consumers. These needs would include the utility derived from their product, the safety assurance of the brands and the overall best performance in the lifetime assessment as for the environmental effects. There is a global concern over the carbon dioxide emission in the Automobile industry and the consumers are now given a chance to adopt a lifestyle that is caring to the environment. The electric and Hybrid brands have promised to revolutionize and rival the traditional cars in their economy on fuel and their friendliness to the

Imagine never being locked out of your disgusting gas-guzzling vehicle in sub-zero temperatures pumping your car full of toxic chemicals and then later emptying your bank account to pay for the environment killer ever again. This reality is near and approaching faster than ever before. Although, it is not completely beneficial. It is evident that at an international level, electric cars are needed. But, this is only one side of the story, despite common belief, electric vehicles are not always good for the environment. It is true that they will benefit bank accounts, however, the only way for electric cars to improve the environment is if they are powered by clean renewable energy.

If we have a look at traffic today, we see more and more cars that are powered by electricity instead of the ecologically harmful fuel most cars used to drag their power from. Although the first electric car was invented by the Scottish inventor Robert Anderson between 1832 and 1839, a crude electric carriage powered by non-rechargeable primary cells, between now and then the majority of cars we found on the streets were powered by fuel. But still, although more than 2 million electric vehicles now travel the world’s roads, they only make up 0.2 percent of the total light-duty passenger vehicle share around the world. And still, this is a major step in the right direction. In 2016, the number of electric cars increased by 60 percent, and in 2015 by 77 percent. Electric cars sure are in the ascendant, just why is that a good thing? The answer is quite simple and everywhere known; vehicle pollution. And because this vehicle pollution is a major problem for us and our environment, the negative externalities of this vehicle pollution are going to be analyzed and advice on how to solve or better, get rid of the problem, is going to be offered.

Electric cars are automobiles that are powered by electric motors, which utilise electrical energy stored in batteries (Lave et al., 1995). Electric cars were introduced in the 1880s and were first popular in the late 1800’s and early 1900s (Mitchell et al., 2010). Unlike traditional cars which rely on internal combustion engines and gasoline, electric cars use motors powered by electricity and this process gives them torque, allowing them to accelerate (Lave et al., 1995). Recent advances in battery and electrical manufacturing and concerns over increasing oil prices and greenhouse gas emissions have led to the development and growing popularity of electric cars (Sandalow, 2009; Sperling & Gordon, 2009). Some governments around the world are now offering their citizens incentives in order to encourage the purchase of electric cars instead of traditional automobiles (Shinnar, 2003). These incentives are typically found in form of tax credits and subsidies (Shinnar, 2003).