ALT-3 Are Electric Vehicles the Answer to High Gas Prices – Yes

From 3arf

Gas prices have become dangerously high and the media states that prices for gas are going to climb even higher in the coming months. The earth's oil supply is dwindling and there is no way to create more. The government is talking about alternative fuels but those fuels will still pollute our earth which causes global warming. There is another solution that is healthier for the environment, and possibly not as costly. The solution is electricity; this resource will never run out because it can be created. Electric vehicles do not use gas and can be charged at home. Electric vehicles eliminate the need for gas thus doing away with high gas prices.

Because the economy is dependent on gas, the prices are high for this dying fuel source.

Gas prices are on the riseIt is a fact that twenty years ago, in 1987 gas prices were $0.97 per gallon. Ten years ago gas prices were $1.46 per gallon. Today in California, gas prices are the highest they have ever been. The local gas station in Palm Springs is charging $3.26 per gallon this is the lowest price in the area.

Oil resources are perishingWhat some people don't care to realize, is that while we are driving around in our fuel powered vehicles, we are using up the earth's resources which can not be replenished. The oil companies like to use this fact to their benefit, by claiming that our resources are running low so we need to conserve, and the way to conserve is by charging higher prices.

Our economy is dependent on gas and oilThe oil companies claim that their reasons for raising gas prices is to prevent consumers from traveling so much, if consumers can't afford the gas they will not drive as much. That is not true, no matter what the price of gas, people will still need to travel. So the fact that the gas prices have risen another .20 a gallon, just becomes another inconvenience, people will not stop traveling.

Benefits to fuel powered VehiclesElectric vehicles can currently go 100 miles without needing to be recharged. But cars that run on gas average at 27.5 miles to the gallon. A smaller car can carry 10 gallons of gas and go for almost 300 miles before having to be refilled.

Car companies have been making fuel powered vehicles for at least 100 years. It is easier for car companies to continue to make these cars because they already know what materials are needed. Car manufacturers do not want to build electric vehicles because they are afraid that they will not earn as much profit making vehicles that run on electricity.

Manufacturers build fuel powered cars to be attractive to the consumer for example the Mitsubishi Eclipse or the Mustang Convertible, these are gorgeous cars compared to the Tango or the Dynasty. But the fuel powered vehicles have been in mass production a lot longer than electric vehicles.

Benefits to Electric VehiclesTechnology for electric cars will continuously improve. For instance the house hold computer is constantly improving; the technology in just the computer mother board has doubled in speed in just the last year. Computers will soon be able to retrieve information almost as fast as the human brain can think. Electric vehicles have that same technology available which can improve their speed and charging capabilities. One woman who loves her electric vehicle said, "I plug it in at night and can drive 100 miles the next day and go faster than 80 mph on the highway" (Paul, 2006, 1).Another advantage to electric vehicles is that they are much more reliable because they require less mechanical maintenance. Their engines are not polluted with oil, gas and other fluids because the entire car is electrical.

History of the electric carThe electric car has been around since 1900. Back then the electric car was more popular than the gasoline or steam powered vehicles because electric cars were cleaner, smoother riding, and noiseless. But in 1912 the internal combustion engine was created and eliminated the use of hand cranking to start the vehicle. This simple convenience caused the electric vehicle to be forgotten.In 1990 General Motors created an electric car prototype called Impact. Then in 1998 the California Air Resources Board decided that if such cars could be made, car companies should build them to better the economy. A mandate was made stating that 2 percent of vehicles sold in the state of California must be emission-free. By 2003 the board expected that number to rise to 10 percent. The car companies manufactured about 5,000 vehicles, but in 2005, due to pressure from the car companies the mandate was eviscerated. In order to cover their tracks the car companies that built the electric vehicles had the majority of the cars retired and crushed.

What is being done today?"The infrastructure to charge is already in place (electric outlets are everywhere), and the technology (batteries) has been tested in the field and greatly improved upon for over 15 years." (Paul, 2006, 17). A charging base has been created so the consumer can plug in their car at home.

A man named S.R. Ovshinsky created a Nickel Metal Hybrid battery for the electric car so it can now travel 140 miles with out needing to be recharged. However this battery was bought out by a major car company who thought it would be best not to put this battery in their cars. Instead they used another battery that does not get nearly as much mileage and does not allow the car to travel as fast as it could with the other battery.

A Hybrid car has been invented which uses both electricity and gasoline. This car is as fast as gas powered vehicles and gets good mileage on a single charge, and then the engine switches over to gas once the electric resources have been exhausted. The only problem with this car is that the use of gasoline has not been eliminated. Consumers will continue to buy gasoline but fortunately not as often.

More electricity can always be createdThere are many benefits to using electricity, unlike gas or oil, electricity can be created. Through wind power, water dams, solar arrays and many other ways, these sources will not harm our earth the way that oil has.Man has been making electricity since Thomas Edison discovered what it was, and how it can harnessed. Man has discovered natural ways that electricity can be created, that is why it is unlikely that the earth will ever run out of electricity. There are also more harmful ways to produce electricity such as power plants but thanks to technology hopefully in the future these types of sources will become obsolete.

Solar arrays"Of all the renewable energy sources available, solar cells have the smallest environmental impacts. Electricity produced from photovoltaic cells does not result in air or water pollution, deplete natural resources, or endanger animal or human health" (NESEA, 2001, Solar Electricity 14). Solar panels can be installed for private use. The government has also created incentive programs in California that give discounts to residents who are interested in having solar panels installed on their homes to create more energy. This is a clean source of energy that is created naturally through our sun rays.

Wind farms"Of all the renewable energy technologies, wind power is currently the most cost competitive when compared to traditional, fossil-fuel-based energy production technologies" (NESEA, 2001, Wind Power 7). Wind power is one of the fastest growing energy source being used around the world.

The wind farm in the San Gorgonio Mountain pass just outside of Palm Springs contains more than 4000 windmills which generates power for the entire Coachella valley. One Wind Mill can produce 300 kilowatts of energy in an hour that amount of energy can power a typical house for a month.

If consumers start to use electricity, gas and oil will no longer be needed.The economy is in a desperate need for change, the earth is running low on crude oil resources and some day they may completely disappear. If something is not done to prevent this from happening, the world will be in a crisis and bring about another dark age. Electricity is a clean source of energy that can be created by man. If more people request electric vehicles to be made, then the car companies will realize that there is a need for these types of vehicles. If everyone drove electric vehicles then there would be no need for gas or oil and this will eliminate gas prices.

ReferencesPaul, A. (2006) Who killed my electric car?

Retrieved October 21, 2007 From CNN

Website: http://www.cnn.com/2006/US/07/25/paul.commentary/

Northeast Sustainable Energy Association (2001) Wind PowerRetrieved October 21, 2007 From NSEAWebsite: http://www.nesea.org/energy/info/wind.html

Northeast Sustainable Energy Association (2001) Solar ElectricityRetrieved October 21, 2007 From NSEAWebsite: http://www.nesea.org/buildings/info/solarelectricity.html

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