Josh Dion
The automobile industry needs to set standards to increase gas mileage. They need to set these limits because the efficiency of burning fossil fuels is very low and creates CO2 which goes into the atmosphere. The automobile industry is using doing several things to increase gas mileage in cars. We know one new type of car is hybrid. These cars use two energy sources, electric and gasoline to run a car. With this technology gas mileage has increased by a huge amount. The auto industry must meet standards and build cars that have better mileage.
One way the auto industry will increase gas mileage in cars in because of the U.S. setting higher fuel efficiency standards. These standards that the Obama administration has come up with require that automakers nearly double the average fuel economy by 2025 (VLASIC). This means that the average would be a huge 54.5 miles per gallon. In my opinion I would like to see little to no fossil fuel burning because it increases the global warming effect. According to this article, the Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE), wants an average of 29 miles per gallon, which is required right now (VLASIC). One way is to force automakers to make cars more efficient and one of the only ways to do this is implementing some form of a secondary energy source.
I wanted to learn more about how Hybrid cars work so I found this website to be helpful (How). I found that Hybrid electric vehicles combine the benefits of gasoline engines and electric motors (How). Hybrid cars are configured to do different things for example starting the car, accelerating, and running the radio. One awesome feature of hybrid cars is regenerative braking (How). This is when electric motor applies resistance to drivetrain causing wheels to slow (How). Then in reaction to this, the wheels turn the motor which works like a generator, this converts energy waited during coasting and braking into electricity which is stored in the battery (How). These cars have been a huge breakthrough in the recent years and have improved fuel economy. They are more efficient than gas only cars. These hybrid cars are another way the automobile industry has increased gas mileage.
This image shows the basic idea of how regenerative braking works in a hybrid vehicles.
http://www.fueleconomy.gov/feg/hybrid_diag.gif
One of the most well-known automobile makers, Ford, is investing in, and engineering ways to increase gas mileage in cars. This article explains how the new Ford model C- Max get 47 miles per gallon. Compared to Toyota, Ford is winning in fuel economy (Seetharaman). The only downside to this is that these cars are not affordable for most people because of the poor economy. This shows that the auto industry in America is trying to increase gas mileage in cars. More than 1,000 Ford engineers are devoted to advanced vehicle development and Ford plans to hire more (Seetharaman). Engineers are hired to solve these problems to make a car more efficient.
Overall, The United States is working on making gas mileage better. Auto companies are creating more efficient cars that burn less fuels, which is good for fuel economy. This is still only the beginning. Cars are still new and we have much to learn about the efficient ways of traveling. Hybrid vehicles are very new in the auto industry and can still be improved. This day in age we need the motivation to build more efficient machine and need more engineers.
Work Cited
“How Hybrids Work.” How Hybrids Work. US Department of Energy, 27 Sept. 2013. Web. 10 Oct. 2013. <http://www.fueleconomy.gov/feg/hybridtech.shtml>
Seetharaman, Deepa. “Ford Brings Hybrid, EV Work In-house to Beat Toyota.” | Reuters. Reuters, 15 Aug. 2012. Web. 10 Oct. 2013. <http://in.reuters.com/article/2012/08/16/us-ford-investment-idINBRE87F01F20120816>.
VLASIC, BILL, and John M. Broder. “U.S. Sets Higher Fuel Efficiency Standards.” The New York Times. New York Times, 28 Aug. 2012. Web. 10 Oct. 2013. <http://www.nytimes.com/2012/08/29/business/energy-environment/obama-unveils-tighter-fuel-efficiency-standards.html?_r=0>.