Month: February 2012

Fuel Economy

jepedro

Fuel economy has become a major concern over the past few years. There are many reasons why but mainly it is because of the ever rising gas prices and the growing concern over global warming. As we know, carbon dioxide contributes to the rise in Earth’s temperature. One of the contributors to the high Co2 levels is what is emitted from our vehicles (the transportation sector). Additionally, the US is very dependent on foreign oil and because of this dependence we have to pay whatever the market price is for gasoline because we have no other choice…or do we?

This image depicts how much energy is lost and from where when it comes to a vehicle.

The automobile industry has been making strides in trying to develop more fuel efficient cars.  One of these developments being the Hybrid vehicle. Hybrids use both traditional gas engines in combination with electric motors improving upon the vehicles overall fuel economy. One of the many cool features of a Hybrid car is the automatic start/shutoff. The car’s engine shuts off when it is stopped and comes back on when the gas is pressed. This is just one way that the car saves on energy.

Below is a simple diagram of a Hybrid Vehicle.


In addition to the Hybrid the automobile industry has also developed electrical vehicles which are powered by rechargeable batteries. These cars emit NO tailpipe pollutants into the air. With this plus, there are some downfalls to the electric car which may account for why they are not very popular. For one, the battery is very expensive and it is inconvenient for the driver  to have to keep recharging the battery. Some might say that this is a small price to pay for saving our planet but others may disagree when they are in a hurry to pick up their child from soccer practice and the car still has an hour left to charge!

Lastly, alternative fuel vehicles are an option. These cars use fuels other than gasoline to power them. Although this helps with our dependence on foreign oil these alternative fuels still pollute the air and contribute to the rise in temperature.

Below is a chart from Consumer Reports Feb. 2012 that lists the top fuel efficient cars.

 

Fuel Economy
Rank Make & model CR Overall MPG City MPG Highway MPG 150 mile trip MPG
1 Nissan Leaf SL 1061 861 1181 1241
2 Chevrolet Volt 612 452 761 702
3 Toyota Prius Four 44 32 55 53
4 Toyota Prius v Three 41 33 47 46
5 Lexus CT 200h Premium 40 31 47 46
6 Honda Civic Hybrid 40 28 50 50
7 Smart ForTwo Passion 39 30 44 46
8 Toyota Camry Hybrid XLE 38 32 43 42
9 Honda Insight EX 38 29 45 46
10 Volkswagen Golf TDI (MT) 38 27 49 44
11 Volkswagen Passat TDI SE 37 26 51 27
12 Volkswagen Jetta SportWagen TDI (MT) 36 25 49 37
13 Honda CR-Z EX (MT) 35 26 45 41
14 Volkswagen Jetta TDI 34 25 45 41
15 Fiat 500 Pop (MT) 34 25 42 41
16 Ford Fusion Hybrid 34 25 40 41
17 Scion xD (MT) 34 25 40 42
18 Mazda2 Sport (MT) 33 25 40 40
19 Fiat 500 Sport (MT) 33 24 42 41
20 Mini Cooper (base, MT) 33 24 41 41
21 Hyundai Sonata Hybrid 33 24 40 39
22 Honda Fit Sport (MT) 33 24 37 41
23 Ford Fiesta SE sedan 33 22 45 41

In conclusion, I think that it is a step in the right direction that the automobile companies are developing more fuel efficient cars. This is because, there are so many people on this Earth and many of these people drive cars on a daily basis. This fact greatly contributes to green house gas emissions and in turn, global warming. As I have stated in previous entries it is definitely going to take more than a few people driving Hybrid cars to end global warming; it is going to take a more drastic collaborative effort. I also, think that the automobile industry should continue to make advances because they have done great things and I will be interested to see what they will be able to do in the future.

References:

www.fueleconomy.gov/

http://www.consumerreports.org/cro/cars/new-cars/buying-advice/most-fuelefficient-cars/overview/index.htm

http://www.epa.gov/fueleconomy/

 

 

 

My Thoughts on Demand Response

jepedro , , ,

Demand Response are programs that are being proposed that will reduce energy use. As we know, the energy and power stations sector are the leading emitters of greenhouse gasses annually contributing greatly to global warming. Therefore, in theory reducing energy use would be ideal in working toward reducing our gas emissions and “solving” global warming.

With this being said, I feel like these programs will not be enough to make any significant impact in the short term. Seeing that we live in a society where we like fast results, rewards, and instant gratification I don’t think many people will volunteer to participate in Demand Response programs. And, even if they do catch on I feel as if they will be a short lived trend.

The reason I say this is because, the reward to the people willing to participate could be veiwed as insignificant. The Energy Collective proposes that participants willing to participate would receive between $25 and $50 in compensation. For most Americans this is too little of a reward to ultimately put up with having your AC turned off during the hottest summer days. Additionally, as I mentioned it is hard for people to look into the future and see what the long term benefits would be, we like to live in the present.

Lastly, I think the Demand Response program will be hard to implement on a voluntary basis. The reason I believe this is because many will have the thought that one person doing the “right” thing and using less power will not save our planet and in actuality this is true. The truth is, there needs to be a collective effort made by all individuals just as we see from our readings, that it needs to be a collective effort to improve sustainability from entire nations who are the leading green house gas emitters; not just one nation or not just a handful of people!

References:

Demand Response: What It Is & What It Means For You


http://science.howstuffworks.com/environmental/green-science/demand-response.htm
http://www.pge.com/mybusiness/energysavingsrebates/demandresponse/whatisdemandresponse/