Road transport remains the largest form of common transport globally more so in the USA but the traditional combustion engine stands accused of massive environmental degradation due to release of greenhouse gases (Larson et al, 2015). Two plausible solutions have been approached to resolve this problem; the use of natural gas propelled cars and the use of electric energy. Natural gas is mainly used in more powerful vehicles such as heavy duty trucks and 18 wheelers while full electric energy as well as hybrid engines are used on smaller cars such as sedans and hunchbacks (Khan et al., 2015). This creates two alternative uses of technology to try and save the planet through the replacement of the traditional engines. However, the new systems are not foolproof from the perspective of environmental degradation. This has led to recent research on whether the road transport industry is replacing one problem with another. Further, there is also the question of which among the two offered solutions provides a more plausible solution for the extenuation of environmental degradation through road transport.
The Demand for Cars
The initial phase of demand competition for gas cars versus electric cars relates to the demand for heavy duty transport as against smaller vehicles. As at the year 2017, the demand for trucks and 18 wheelers is relatively lower than the preceding years. This is mainly because of a preference for other means of transport for bulk goods such as rail and water ways. At the same time, the general demand for smaller cars such as sedans, hunchbacks and SUVs has continued to rise as people seek the convenience of private road transport as opposed to public transport (Larson et al, 2015). However, most trucks and 18 wheelers are owned by corporations which are more open to the idea of environmental conservation and lower eventual costs than are individuals. Albeit the general demand for cars is higher, the conversion to electric energy within the section is much lower. The demand for gas cars can therefore be said to be higher than that of electric and hybrid cars.
Delegate your assignment to our experts and they will do the rest.
Impact of Gas Cars and Hybrid/Electric Cars on the Environment
The gas car is generally similar to the traditional combustion car save for the replacement of diesel or gasoline with natural gas. The natural gas burns much better and also produces very little waste thus making it very safe for the environment. This only happens when the natural gas engine is properly manufactured otherwise methane gas can be produced. However, natural gas production in America is mainly conducted through the process of fracking. This is one of the most dangerous mining processes from an environmental perspective. It ruins the ground and produces billions of gallons of chemical infested waters. The degradation saved through using natural gas takes place at the point of manufacture of the gas (Jaccard & Goldberg, 2015).
Similarly, an electric car is only as good to the environment as the source of the electricity used. Much of the electricity in America is produced through combustion systems that use either coal or diesel. This process is just as harmful to the environment as the traditional engines, if not more. Further, both hybrid and electric cars use large fuel cells. The process of making these cells involves many chemicals and produces vast chemical waste which degrades the environment. When the fuel cell life lapses, they will also need to be disposed off which is injurious to the environment (Jaccard & Goldberg, 2015).
Cost of Production
It is on this point that the gas energy based cars exponentially beat electric and hybrid cars. As indicated, the overall system used in the gas truck resembles that of the traditional fossil fuel save for the combustion system. Ordinary vehicles have tanks to store fuel just as natural gas vehicles have tanks. Further, the use of gas to propel heavy duty engines is not new and has been used industrially for decades and has allowed for improved production systems (Khan et al, 2015). Electric energy on cars is however, a new concept that began with hybrid vehicles and finally mutated to full electric cars. The entire propulsion system of the vehicles is a relatively new technology, mainly proprietary thus expensive to procure. Further, hybrid and electric cars use a massive fuel cell. This fuel cell is complex and expensive to manufacture thus contributing more to the overall manufacturing cost of the hybrid and electric car (Larson et al, 2015).
Discussion and Conclusion
The gas cars and electric cars form plausible solutions for the replacement of traditional engine cars that use diesel or gasoline. It would however, be wrong to allege that the solution offered by these two options currently is saving the earth. Indeed, the natural gas used by gas trucks in largo volumes is produced through processes that occasion massive environmental degradation. Key among these processes is mining through fracking which has been recognized as dangerous to the environment and banned in many countries. Electric energy is also produced through processes that degrade the environment thus cutting back on the savings occasioned by the relative environmental safety of the electric car.
However, if safer ways of procuring gas and electricity are devised, these two car systems can actually help save the earth. From a perspective of demand, the mainly corporate owned gas trucks and larger vehicles have had more demand than the mainly personally owned electric and hybrid vehicles. Further, the gas trucks are also better than the electric car from the perspective of production costs. This is both based on the need for a large fuel cell for electric cars and also due to the newer and more advanced technology necessary. To save the earth, therefore, a lot more needs to be done about both gas cars and electric cars.
References
Jaccard, M., & Goldberg, S. (2015). Technology assumptions and climate policy: The interrelated effects of US electricity and transport policy. Via Electronic Mail , 89.
Khan, M. I., Yasmin, T., & Shakoor, A. (2015). Technical overview of compressed natural gas (CNG) as a transportation fuel. Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews , 51, 785-797.
Larson, P. D., Viáfara, J., Parsons, R. V., & Elias, A. (2014). Consumer attitudes about electric cars: Pricing analysis and policy implications. Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice , 69, 299-314.
