...fuel sources, explain the pros and cons of using alternative fuel technology such as Hybrids, Battery power, Diesel, Biodiesel, and Natural Gas, and also the factors that will impact the American people having to find resources easily, which can be difficult. Energy Act of 2005 As early as 2005 the United States knew that we could not rely on fossil fuels indefinitely and did not want to rely on foreign oil. The Energy Act of 2005 sec 301 defined what the Alternative Fuels are: Ethanol, Biodiesel, Propane, Natural Gas, Hydrogen, and Electricity are all naturally produced domestically in the US. Currently the US has learned that burning gasoline is bad for the environment, and when you burn gas you create bi products such as Carbon Dioxide, Nitrous Oxide. According to an EPA study the Green House gasses that affect out atmosphere are made up of 82% Carbon Dioxide, 3% Fluorinated Gas, 6% Nitrous Oxide, and 9% Methane.(Refer to graph 1). Overview of Green House Gases EPA.gov As you can see the bulk of the emissions are carbon monoxide and carbon dioxide. The global goal is to reduce the amount of carbon emissions in the world, not just in the US. The goal is to create a smaller carbon footprint on the planet Earth and slow down the rate of global warming. Pros and Cons of alternative fuels Hybrids Hydrogen is currently being explored as an optional fuel source that can power an electric car or an internal combustion...
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...Should Cars be more efficient? David Hayes Dependence of man on the environment (SCI207) Jacqueline Poole March 4, 2013 There are many things that have gone into shaping the society we live in today. The fabric of our culture has changed and changed again in response to new additions which have woven their way into our lives. But, none has affected our society as deeply as the automobile. From the way we work and play to how we design the buildings we call home, the automobile has created in many ways a car culture with its own status symbols. However, while the automobile has changed the lives of us all in a positive light; this does comes with a price, and the price is our environment. Currently “cars and other highway vehicles continue to emit some 60 million tons of carbon monoxide per year. Motor vehicles also emit as much as 50 percent of our carcinogenic and toxic air pollutants, such as benzene and formaldehyde. And heavy vehicles, particularly diesel-powered buses and freight trucks, constitute a significant source of soot and other unhealthy fine particles that, when inhaled, lodge in and damage human tissue.” (Turk, J & Bensel, T 4.3) In this paper, I am going to debate why cars should be made more efficient for the sake of saving the environment in which we live in. I will then give the different options as to how cars can be built to be more efficient; and then, debate as to why these options would not be a wise decision for some. Even with all the different...
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...because according to Consumer Reports they have a 30% better fuel economy than a gasoline vehicle. Also they are more affordable than a hybrid vehicle. According to The Diesel Page, diesel engines get better mileage than gasoline engines. Diesel engines also do not have spark plugs or distributors so you do not need to worry about the usual maintenance of these two things. Diesel engines are built to be used for hauling and they usually also last longer than gasoline engines (Health Research Funding). While speaking of hybrid vehicles, let’s backtrack to the solar and electrical vehicles. According to How Stuff Works solar powered cars have many practical problems with them. Solar powered cars do not gather enough energy to move the car very quickly, there cannot be too much weight in the car otherwise it will slow it down and use more energy. Solar cars also do not have a very good way to store energy. The layout for solar power is good for buildings, but it is much too heavy to out in a car so it does not have much room to store the energy that it captures. The research of the solar cars though has not gone to waste. The researchers are looking into putting small solar panels in vehicles that use gas so that they can get better mileage, and fuel efficacy. Now that we have talked about solar energy in cars let’s move to electrical energy in cars. There are a few...
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...fall from 4.8% to 1.3%. Toyota needs to move fast to revert this tendency. Taking into account the bargaining power of customers and suppliers, the positioning of the different competitors and substitutes and the risk of new entrants, one could say that delaying the Prius would represent a potential loss for the company of establishing before its competitors a new market, different from the traditional automobile industry (Exhibit A). It is recommended that Toyota continue to pursue the development and production of a hybrid fuel-efficient vehicle to be put in the market as early as 1997. Analysis: The automotive industry is facing new challenges regarding customers being more environmentally concerned and sensitive towards fluctuations in the prices of gas. This potential market segment would be interested in a hybrid powertrain such as the one being developed by Toyota. The company has a longstanding history of producing efficient, reliable and valuable cars. Toyota Production System exemplifies the company’s commitment to learning; all of the employees of the organization are committed to...
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...making it harder for consumers to take advantage of this “greener” technology while also saving money. The company has also decided to implement a widespread corporate restructuring initiative to help alleviate company debt as a result of rising costs of employee healthcare, benefits, and pensions. Such a plan includes the closure of over a dozen North American plants and manufacturing lines, as well as making substantial job cuts. This three-year endeavor is necessary in keeping General Motors in line with competitors. General Motors is struggling to keep up with its competition in hybrid technology. In order to become a major competitor in the automotive market GM needs to penetrate the hybrid market. In the past few years this market has more than doubled and GM has done nothing to obtain market share. The suggestion is that General Motors needs to implement a strategy to produce hybrid automobiles and take market share away from its Asian competitors. Table of Contents Introduction 4 Company Background 4 Situational Analysis 5 Industry Analysis 5 Competitive...
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...LOTUS CAR RENTAL/ALTERANTIVE FUEL VEHICLES Stephen McCauley Comm/215 University of Phoenix June 7, 2013 INTRODUCTION Lotus car rental, one of the world’s leading car rental companies, is in a position to take advantage of a great opportunity. This is an opportunity to be one of the first car rental services to provide our consumers with alternative options to fuel-powered vehicles, and to rise above the competition. Adding alternative fuel vehicles to our car rental fleet will increase our car rental turnover and improve the company's image to consumers. Creating a fleet of Alternative fuel vehicles for Lotus rental cars would be a very wise decision. There is a strong movement towards using alternative fuels for many reasons. The consumers are now motivated to drive vehicles that not only protect the environment, but also save money. More and more car manufactures are providing vehicles that use alternative fuels or flex fuels. This movement in the market place is gaining momentum. It would be wise for Lotus to lead this market by providing this service to the consumer. Today environmentally concerned consumers are looking for ways to not only save the environment, but also save money. Oil prices are constantly on the rise and turmoil in the oil producing regions has not helped alleviate the problem. Taking these considerations and research into account, we feel that Louts Rental Cars should invest in an alternative fuel vehicle fleet. BACKGROUND ON ALTERNATIVE FUELS ...
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...isolated system is conserved eventually, energy can be changed from its original form to a different form are from one object to another. This energy law applies use which is taken energy and changing into a different form, one example is Solar Energy; energy from the sun can be changed in to useable energy for homes, schools, hospitals etc. The energy conservation law also applies to considering that some energy is wasted during the change, it’s impossible to change energy and not waste some of it. Cons and Pros of fossil fuel and oil, natural gas, and coal are pros consist of higher efficiency, it’s less expensive than none conventional reason being it’s easy to change and process them also has the ability to power the globe, the cons of fossil fuels are they have the biggest emitters of greenhouse gases which is mainly the reason for climate change and global warming. Coal mining creates quakes that’s also believed, they are none renewable so that makes it the biggest con. Nuclear Energy creates small amounts of oxygen and it generates huge amounts of electrical energy. Waste is radioactive when produced in these plants. Uranium is the energy source which has a limited supply; nuclear power plants could encourage terrorist attacks. This source of energy is renewable. Solar energy it provides energy to homes with solar panels and there’s no up keep required most of the energy is produced in the light because the panels become larger, these panels are very costly. Wind...
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...passed about the use of different energy which include fossil fuel: oil, natural gas, coal, nuclear energy, solar energy, wind power, water (hydro) power, and bioconversion (biofuel) these laws could allow the possibility of tax incentives. The use of different types of natural energy can pave the way for a greener earth. Although, some may argue that there are pros and cons of such energy. In this paper we will be discussing these pros and cons as well as two provisions of the Energy Policy Act, 2005, including its tax incentives. 1.) The law of conservation of energy states that energy may neither be created nor destroyed (The law of conservation of energy, n.d). 2.) The pros and cons of fossil fuel: oil, natural gas, and coal. The pros are its high efficient, cheaper than non-conventional forms of energy because it is easy to extract and process them and it the potential to power the entire globe. The cons are Fossil fuels are believed to be the largest emitters of greenhouse gases, responsible for global warming and climate change. It is also believed that coal mining creates earthquakes. The biggest con of all is that they are non-renewable. Nuclear Energy creates little amount of CO2 and it can generate a great amount of electrical energy in one single plant. But these plants produce radioactive waste; the energy source is uranium which there is limited supply. Also nuclear power plants could entice terrorist to attack. Solar energy is renewable source of energy...
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...Atmospheric Issues Ramrit Rai ENV/100 September 9, 2015 Professor Suman Ghosh Atmospheric Issues There is an opening for a new business in the City of Sparksville. There are three businesses that are trying to land the opportunity of opening a business in the city. The first is a distribution warehouse, a hybrid car factory and an oil refinery. Each of these businesses has its pros and cons that will affect the city in different ways. Impact on Pollution One of the major effects that a new business in the city can have is on the environment. There is a possibility of an increase in pollution of the waters and air of the city. Bringing in a distribution warehouse would have the least amount of impact on the city in terms pollution but the increased amount of trucks for the shipping would cause an increase in the emissions which in turn would affect the air quality in the city. The amount of jobs this business would bring to the city is not a proper recompense for the increased pollution. The hybrid car factory is a choice that would balance the pollution caused with the increased amount of jobs and the bump in the economy of the city. The car factory has the ability to sustain the economy for the future and not just for the present. The oil refinery while it brings the most jobs to the city will have the largest adverse effect on the environment of the city. An oil refinery is the most controversial business that we can bring into the city. Impact on the Population ...
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...the competition. A company does this by an area within the market that is untouched or has low competition. According to Chan and Renee (2004) “Competing in overcrowded industries is no way to sustain high performance. The real opportunity is to create blue oceans of uncontested market space.” An example of a business that is currently doing this is Tesla Motors. Several car companies have released electric or hybrid cars, but they have all been unaffordable, and never stylish. The only company that has made them and actually focused on making them appeal to consumers is Tesla Motors. A red ocean move that Tesla could have taken would be to just enter the automotive market and build conventional vehicles. They could have made their vehicles so they are a hybrid, or just gas powered only. The biggest pros of this are that the technology is already there and it would be easy to make the cars affordable. Less money would have been spent in research and design and they could have been mass produced rather quickly. But, it is the cons of being in a red ocean that drive a business to enter the blue ocean. The cons of using a red ocean strategy are that the automotive market is heavily saturated. The companies that are already making conventional vehicles are very well established and has the entire infrastructure built to over produce. When entering a red ocean it is very difficult to emerge as a leader. There are two primary ways, you either have a higher level of quality over the...
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...has witnessed a gradual introduction of environmental friendly vehicles that use clean and renewable energy to encourage less pollution and safer environment. The manufactures of these vehicles have introduced into the market three categories of electric passenger car namely Hybrid electric vehicle (HEVs), Battery-electric vehicles (BEVs) and Plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs). However consumer response to these electric vehicles has been sluggish and it is widely believed by market analyst that as the market awareness grows there will be an increased rise in demand for electric cars. Opinion among industry analyst suggest that incentives will simulate the growth which falls on different assumptions such as gasoline prices, government purchase incentives, fuel economy standards and availability of electric cars. 2. Company Background Sanger Automotive Companies, Inc., was founded in 1950 in Fort Myers, Florida as a Cadillac dealership and has consistently grown over the year acquiring 8 lines of luxury car franchise therefore becoming one of the most successful auto dealership in the United States posting an annual sale of $700 million in 2011. Today, Sanger Automobile Company is a major player in luxury-car dealership in Florida regardless of the brand which they represent. The company value preposition is delivering exceptional customer service and has developed a good reputation with...
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...nations develop and become economic equals with the rest of the world, and it will definitely be a challenge to make sure that they do it in a way that is environmentally sustainable. This though is very possible as I believe if while they are developing they need to focus on transportation and their sources of energy. It is a widely known fact that transportation (mainly cars) is the main source of CO2 released into the atmosphere and the main cause of air pollution, which contributes to global warming. This is important because when peripheral countries are developing this becomes a priority to make sure that they develop in a sustainable way with the best ways of transportation. While peripheral countries are developing core countries should work with them and stress the importance of the development of hybrid cars and public transportation. This would allow for a large reduction in air pollution as public transit removes a lot of cars from the streets which reduces CO2 emissions. Hybrids would help as they reduce all greenhouse gases from when the car is idling or just sitting at a traffic light. If hybrids are a not successfully introduced a suggestion that has worked fairly well in Toronto is to adopt by-laws that make idling for more than two or three minute’s illegal and subject to some sort of fine or penalty. A second way that would allow for a low footprint is to make sure that the energy sources that they are using are environmentally friendly and renewable. For example...
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...electric car different from a normal one? 2 II. Why an electric car is the best for you 3 1. Driver benefits 3 Graph 2.1: The total cost of ownership of an electric car versus a traditional car. 4 2. Environmental benefits 4 Picture 2.2.1: EV Environmental benefits 5 3. Economic benefits 5 III. The disadvantages of using an electric car 6 Conclusion 7 Introduction The electric car was one of the most innovative technologies to be constructed, and it gave new light and opportunity for the world and the people in it. It is unclear about who you could give credit to for inventing the electric vehicle, but there were several inventors who decided to take part in this incredible structure. It was invented as a small scale model powered car in 1828, and it was designed popular by Anyos Jedlik who was from Hungary. Robert Anderson also was another inventor who created an electric power carriage, and these inventions led to more opportunities for inventions. Before the electric vehicle was really implemented in the 21st century, pollution and many hazards of fuels were destroying many natural resources, but it has dramatically changed since the car was officially introduced. Cost and energy efficiency was a major reason why it had to be introduced to the world, by hopefully going green and reducing pollution. I. How is an electric car different from a normal one? The motors of those cars are also different. As its name indicated, an electric car is power-driven...
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...summarize our target consumer and current market conditions. Then we will cover variables that weigh on supply, demand, and equilibrium prices. Next, we will consider the pros and cons our firm faces while identifying the effect on our competitiveness and long-term profitability. Then, we will evaluate factors that influence fixed and variable costs. Lastly, we will provide recommendations on how GM can grow their profits and increase their competiveness. The Product The Chevy Volt was a concept designed by Bob Lutz Jon Lauckner of General Motors ‘GM’ in 2006 to overcome many of the limitations of pure electric vehicles while retaining many of the beneficial elements. The purpose of this car was to leap-frog the technology of the Prius hybrid. The theory of this concept was a car that would be able to drive on electricity for the first forty miles, and then a generator would run gasoline to extend the range of the car. In 2010, the production version was able to achieve 35 miles on electric and average 37 miles per gallon for an additional 342 miles (King, 2013, p. 1). This fall the second-generation Volt will go on sale with some notable changes. Most impressive is that the electric range will increase to 50 miles and will achieve 41 mpg on regular unleaded. They also added an additional seat in the back and made the car less distinctive and more main stream. GM was also able to increase the...
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...weekends or free time to gain a college degree. Margins is the next principle, margins are small changes to a plan of action. The last principle of individual decision-making is incentives. Incentives are anything that encourages or promotes a change in person’s behavior (Bauman, 2002, p.1-5). People make decisions everyday in which they compare the marginal benefits to the marginal cost. A few years ago the price of fuel reached a record high. These fuel prices caused consumers to stop purchasing gas guzzling SUVs and owners were even trading them in for environmentally friendly hybrids. Consumers also relocated closer to their jobs, repaired their older four cylinder cars, used public transportation, and carpooled to save a few dollars at the gas pump. During this tough economic time the government authorized tax breaks for hybrids and dealers were offering cash back deals for purchasing hybrids. If the dealerships gave reduced prices for the more expensive SUVs or a buy one get one free deal more...
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