THE FUTURE OF AUTOMOBILES
I
n a few years you could be
paying much less to fuel your
car. Instead of going to a gas
station, you might be plugging
in your car at night or filling up
the tank with hydrogen gas,
with both fuels promising big
benefits over gasoline. Different car
companies are fighting over which
fuel will power the car of the future.
Who wins the battle will affect your
daily life and how you get around,
with the days of using gasoline
drawing to a close.
Pretty much all car manufacturers
are working to increase the
efficiency of cars that run on gas.
air pollution and contributing to global
warming. Even as gasoline-powered
vehicles become more efficient with
technologies like cylinders that shut
off when they are not needed, the
engines still pollute the air.
Electric cars promise to not pollute
the air at all. The only problem has
to do with how the electricity used to
charge a car's battery is generated.
Many people get their household
electricity from a plant that burns
coal, which produces even more
pollution than using gasoline. Other
methods for generating electricity,
like constructing dams, are also
negative for the environment. A
“Electric cars promise to
not pollute the air at all”
Car companies arguing for electric
cars include BMW, Tesla, Nissan,
General Motors and Kia. Advocating
for hydrogen as the fuel of the future
are companies like Toyota, Honda
and Hyundai. Some automakers like
Ford are exploring both electric and
hydrogen cars as they wait to see
what the future holds.
Environmental Impact
Burning fossil fuels negatively
impacts the environment, increasing
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CLARITY MAGAZINE march 2014
growing number of electric car
owners are taking it upon themselves
to generate their own electricity by
installing solar panels on their roof,
ensuring the operation of their car
truly generates no pollution.
Hydrogen cars also put off no
pollutants, with only water vapor
coming out of the tailpipe instead
of smelly exhaust. Right now the
way to produce hydrogen is with
electrolysis, or electrifying water.
How that electricity is produced
determines if using hydrogen as a
fuel creates pollution or not.
The Real Cost
According to Nissan, an electric
charging station installed at a
house costs around $2,200. At the
moment, charging the typical electric
car costs about $2 to $4, making
driving an electric car much cheaper
than driving one that is powered by
gasoline.
Early estimates for the cost of
hydrogen are somewhere between
$2 and $4 per kilogram. A kilogram
of hydrogen will take you further than
a gallon of gas, making hydrogen
less expensive. International war or
terrorism would not affect the cost of
hydrogen or electricity, making prices
fairly stable over time.
The Future of the Automobile
Electric cars are catching on quickly
after struggling with slow sales at