Are SUVs are Risk of Extinction over Carbon Emissions?

Abstract 

There is a growing concern about the future of SUVs because the most pressing issue in the auto industry is the need to adhere to the exceedingly tight fuel-consumption and emissions requirements in Western countries. SUVs are have high consumption of fuel which in turn leads to increased emission of carbon fumes into the atmosphere making them a threat to the environment. As a result, there is a concern to the future of SUVs seeing that most countries are gearing efforts towards environmental protection. This study was done with the aim of investigating whether there are concerning market changes towards the purchase and manufacture of SUVs in the country. A cross-sectional research featuring questionnaires and surveys was used to perform the study. The sample for the study was drawn across 30 car yards in New York which were selected randomly. In the study, 200 males and 130 females were recruited and the inclusion criteria was having been in the car industry for at least 4years and having been involved in the sale of SUVs and other salon cars. Data analysis was done using Spss and was represented in form of tables and charts. The results indicated that there are environmental concerns about the production of SUVs . SUVs are deemed to be one of the leading sources of carbon emissions in the auto industry since they use more fuel and thus emit more fumes to the environment. The results suggest that manufacturers have to switch to hybrid SUVs. 

Are SUVs are Risk of Extinction over Carbon Emissions? 

Introduction 

The production of SUVs seems uncertain due to the demand for more environmentally friendly vehicles. With the looming global crisis concerning environmental conservation, each sector has had to play a part in reducing carbon dioxide emissions and thus global warming. In the automobile industry, a direct relationship has been established between combustion of gases in the internal engine and emission of CO2. Major countries such as the United States, Japan and Germany have tried to find ways to regulate the amount of carbon dioxide emissions in a bid to conserve the environment. 1 Naturally, reduction comes from reducing the amount of fossil fuels per mileage needed by cars to run. To that end, the future production of SUVs seems to hang in the balance due to pressures to cut carbon emissions, especially in Western countries. 

Previous Approaches 

The uncertainty over the future of SUVs instigated the development of hybrid vehicles as a solution. The need for hybrid electrical vehicles technically and unknowingly came to fruition in the 19 th century when widespread use of petroleum and its products began in the developed world. Petroleum was the answer to most problems in the industrial, manufacturing, processing and transport world. However, this energy solution came with major problems of its own. All petroleum products contain carbon which when burned leads to the emission of carbon dioxide. The gas reaches the upper level of the atmosphere and traps sun rays within the atmosphere leading to global warming and the effects associated with it most notably climate change. Additionally, high levels of pollution are associated with fossil fuels. Figure 1 shows that SUVs are one of the biggest sources of carbon emission on earth. This is to say nothing of the degradation of the earth where mining sites lay. Even without concern for the environment, alternative sources of fuel are needed simply because petroleum is a non-renewable source of energy and reserves are slowly dwindling out. This casts a cloud over the production of SUVs. 

A major concern for SUVs is the competition they could soon be facing from newer options which would limit their market and demand. Hydrogen fueled cars are increasingly becoming a real possibility. Hydrogen is a lucrative energy option because it is clean and is available in abundance both in water, in the air and can even be extracted as a byproduct of fossil fuels. 2 Countries such as Japan have made headway in the launch of this new breed of cars. Once a suitable method of extraction of hydrogen fuel is developed, the market for hybrid cars could quickly dwindle since other sources of alternative fuel cars would now be available 

There are number of challenges that exist for SUVs that will hamper their future production. First of all, the cars are more complex in comparison to traditional cars. This is because they contain two different systems within them. Ultimately, this makes their maintenance costs much higher. Additionally, the cars face an extremely high initial investment whether buying first hand or second hand. Users have to be patient in order to witness cost saving options later on in the car’s lifetime. This makes them an unattractive option especially to cost-conscious consumers. 

Image 1: The emissions caused by SUVs 

New Findings 

The best solution for the producers of SUVs is to transform their production to enable the development of hybrid SUVs. Hybrid Electric Vehicles are automobiles designed to take advantage of alternative fuels. In this case, alternative fuels are defined as all sources of energy that are not derived from the traditional fossils or petroleum energy sources. These vehicles are not purely run on electric energy but are powered by a combination of two or more energy sources most commonly electricity and gasoline. 3 The internal combustion engines are run by a blend of petrol and electric batteries. The electric motors within these cars are too small to be driven on their own which is why the combination of fuels is required. 

How Hybrid Vehicles Operate 

Hybrid cars work by combining the use of electric energy and petrol in different capacities in order to create enough energy to power the motor. Based on how the technology is combined, a number of different hybrid models arise. Hybrid Electric Vehicles (HEVs) is the general name given to the cars described above. 4 They can either be connected in series or parallel giving rise to series and parallel combined hybrid cars. Some models can be recharged by plugging them in to an electrical source and are thus referred to as Plug-In HEVs. Others run purely on electricity without the gasoline and are known as Battery Electric Vehicles. Finally, others known as Fuel Cell Vehicles use fuel cells to generate energy within them rather than gasoline. The way that thee different types are utilized in conjunction with other factors such as car size and placing of components determines their overall effectiveness and efficiency. 

Image 2: How Hybrid Vehicles Work 

Benefits of Hybrid Electric Vehicles 

Reduction of the Earth's Carbon Footprint through Optimization of Energy 

The reduction comes from reducing the amount of fossil fuels per mileage needed by cars to run which is where hybrid cars come in. The cars minimize the use of fossil fuels by splitting power between the internal engine and electric battery without compromising on speed. 5 Power is split in different ways leading to the invention of different types of HEVs as already discussed. Eventually, the power and speed of the car is optimized while cutting down on the gallons of fuel needed to run the car. 

They are the Recipients of Tremendous Government Support: 

Different governments have come up with ways to ensure that alternative fuel cars become more lucrative in the market making them worthwhile options to consider. In this regard, different tax incentives are used. 6 For example HEVs have their initial tax rates lowered in some countries compared to other cars. In other areas, users of hybrid cars have been made exempt from paying road taxes. Companies are also been offered welfare incentives in order to provide their employees with HEVs. The support from the government is a great benefit to users affected. Such financial incentives from different governments together with the fact that the cars consume less fuel than traditional ones makes them money savers in the long run. They therefore become good options for bargain hunters. 

The Cars Benefit from Outside Factors: 

The cars also benefit from various outside opportunities in the world. In the 1990s, HEVs saw a rise in their demand because gas prices had risen quite high. The fact that they use less gas per miles made them the better option and this prompted the regrowth of the industry to date. They have also received a lot of good press within the market because they are considered eco-friendly which as only served to increase their desirability. 

Higher Resale Value: 

With the options for fossil fuels becoming more and more limited, people are looking to hybrid cars even more. Ultimately, with the laws of supply and demand this means that their resale value is much better than that of traditional cars. This is also due to favorable car features including the regenerative mechanism which means that the battery gets charged a little bit each time the driver steps on the gas. Additionally, the cars are convenient in the recharging can be done at many locations compared to traditional cars which have to be refueled at gas stations. 

Future Implications 

Statistics show that the future is bright for hybrid vehicles. This is noted from trends in the recent past and projections of years to come. For example in 2000, only 2 hybrid car models were in mass production with unit sales of 9,367 which was a mere 0.054% of all car sales. Come 2007, the models had increased to 15 and annual sales had increased dramatically to 345,920 which accounted for 2.15% of all car Sales. 7 According to figures, by the year 2015 an estimated 12 million hybrid cars were operational around the world. This figure is set to rise to around 17 million by 2020 with Tesla, BMW, Nissan Toyota, Ford and Chevrolet leading the way in manufacturing. Currently, new research is been done into the development of micro hybrid systems which would bring a massive improvement on the current operating and maintenance costs of hybrid vehicles. All in all, the future is bright for the industry with new technology making the possibility of owning hybrid cars more and more cost friendly. 

Figure 3: The growth in sales of hybrid vehicles over the years 

Conclusion 

In summary, with the production of traditional of SUVs being uncertain, hybrid vehicles provide a solution to an important environmental problem i.e. climate change and global warming. This is a historical problem that continues to haunt different countries and this is one of the present solutions. With different benefits including tax incentives and less fuel consumption, it is easy to see why they have become popular and are forecasted to show a rise in desirability. All in all, it remains a market with great future prospects and hence the manufacturers of SUVs should tap into it. 

Bibliography 

Business Wire. Low Operating and Maintenance Costs Will Help to Drive the Growth of the Global Micro Hybrid Vehicle Market Through 2019, says Technavio . Business Wire. March 7, 2016. 

Dimitropoulos, Alexandros., van Ommeren, Jos, N., Koster, Paul and Rietveld, Piet. Not fully charged: Welfare effects of tax incentives for employer-provided electric cars. Journal of Environmental Economics and Management. 78. 2016. 1-19. 

Iwata, Mari. Hydrogen Car Faces Speed Bump in Securing Cheap, Stable Fuel Supply . The Wall Street Journal. June 27, 2014. 

1 Business Wire. Low Operating and Maintenance Costs Will Help to Drive the Growth of the Global Micro Hybrid Vehicle Market Through 2019, says Technavio . Business Wire. March 7, 2016. 

2 Dimitropoulos, Alexandros., van Ommeren, Jos, N., Koster, Paul and Rietveld, Piet. Not fully charged: Welfare effects of tax incentives for employer-provided electric cars. Journal of Environmental Economics and Management. 78. 2016. 1-19. 

3 Dimitropoulos, Alexandros., van Ommeren, Jos, N., Koster, Paul and Rietveld, Piet. Not fully charged: Welfare effects of tax incentives for employer-provided electric cars. Journal of Environmental Economics and Management. 78. 2016. 1-19. 

4 Iwata, Mari. Hydrogen Car Faces Speed Bump in Securing Cheap, Stable Fuel Supply . The Wall Street Journal. June 27, 2014. 

5 Dimitropoulos, Alexandros., van Ommeren, Jos, N., Koster, Paul and Rietveld, Piet. Not fully charged: Welfare effects of tax incentives for employer-provided electric cars. Journal of Environmental Economics and Management. 78. 2016. 1-19. 

6 Ibid 

7 Dimitropoulos, Alexandros., van Ommeren, Jos, N., Koster, Paul and Rietveld, Piet. Not fully charged: Welfare effects of tax incentives for employer-provided electric cars. Journal of Environmental Economics and Management. 78. 2016. 1-19.