Electric Automobiles - Research Paper Example

Electric automobiles exist as one more application of trends involving “going green” and other environmentally friendly campaigns. The issue of electricity in cars, however, is particularly important because automobiles have been identified as a large-scale contributor to global greenhouse gases as well as local pollution. Put in this context, the issue of the switch from gasoline-powered automobiles to electric automobiles takes on even greater significance. But despite the economic and social impetus that such a switch seems to be gaining in the public mind, there still exist almost insurmountable barriers to a fleet of automobiles on the world’s roadways powered by electric cars. And not all of these roadblocks have to deal with culture and politics; some of them have to do with chemistry and chemical principles governing the operation of an electric car. Nevertheless, there is no sense in which the complete conversion of automobiles to electric power is impossible. Some say the technology to achieve this goal already exists; it is only a matter of getting the chemistry and physics of the product to work in a way that is cheap, clean, and achieves the environmental goals that have inspired the move toward automobiles powered by electricity. There are a number of arguments to be advanced in favor of a switch from gasoline-powered vehicles to those powered by electricity: some economic, some political, some moral, and those based in science. Arguments that refer to costs usually speak of cost in terms of fuel, oil dependence, or pollution, all of which are valid political and economic arguments. But from the perspective of chemistry, there seems to be an equal amount of valid claims to be made in support of electric cars. The most convincing of these reasons involve a single principle: namely, that electricity, like hydrogen, “is not an energy resource but an energy carrier” (Shinnar 455). This defines the primary chemical and physical difference between “clean” energy sources and sources such as gasoline. In terms of the history of electric vehicles, competition between gasoline power and electric power was actually quite fierce leading into the 20th century. Early in the century, electric cars were used about as frequently, if not more, than their gasoline-powered counterparts. But for some reason, the popularity of electric cars peaked in 1912 and waned considerably as gasoline infrastructure made the gasoline-powered vehicles more practical for common usage (Adler 11). Why exactly electric cars lost their popularity is not known for certain. However, one reason may because of the size of the battery in most commercial electric cars, which, even a century ago posed a problem for the cars themselves. Batteries today take up a considerable fraction of the car’s size because of the lower specific energy produced by the battery than by carbon-based fuels like gasoline and natural gas. By having a lower specific energy, the batteries used in electric cars must be larger and larger in order to produce enough for the power needs of the vehicle. But even with a very large battery, an electric car travel less distance than a gasoline-powered car of the same size and power. Infrastructure to support the use of electric cars is currently in development but lags behind gasoline infrastructure considerably, due to the commercial dominance of gasoline-powered vehicles throughout the 20th century. To help with long-range journeys in electric vehicles, pilot cities such as Tokyo and others have built battery swapping stations to help users ride their cars for longer distances without having to worry about a charge (Moss 80). Such infrastructure weakens the infeasibility argument against the widespread use of electric cars in modern countries. However, as the use of electric cars becomes more commonplace, at the expense of gasoline-powered vehicles, it is inevitable that more and more battery swapping or charging stations are developed to meet the increased demand for such resources along roadsides in modern countries that can support such infrastructure. Along the lines of chemistry’s application to the use of electric cars, there is one additional argument to support a switch. This argument deals with how scientific advancements in electric vehicle technology are dynamic, while advancements in gasoline vehicle technology are static. That is, the technology governing the use of gasoline fuel in powering transportation has remained relatively unchanged for quite some time, especially in terms of fuel economy. But with respect to the kind of technology that may one day be used in electric cars, the potential for innovation and advancement is virtually limitless. This is all driven by a growing demand for “electro-mobility” (Leisner, Cojocaru and Ossei-Wusu). Demand for electricity technology increases in proportion to the demand for energy storage. An example of one such innovative development in electricity storage is the new application of electrochemically produced porous semiconductors and nanowire arrays (Leisner, Cojocaru and Ossei-Wusu). Because gasoline technology is well-developed and well-established in terms of a petroleum industry, there is no competitive drive to create a novel solution to the world’s energy needs. On the other hand, in the burgeoning marketplace for new ways to store energy, innovative results are the key to separating one idea from the next. Arguments against electric cars, like the arguments for them, encompass both economics and chemistry. According to one author, “perhaps the strongest argument against electric cars is an economic one” (Somalwar). A decrease in the price of gasoline by a shift to electric cars in one area will inevitably ease price pressures on gasoline everywhere, giving incentives to those who drive gas-guzzling vehicles (perhaps in countries where electric car infrastructure does not exist). Additionally, the use of electricity to power vehicles gives dirty coal “a backdoor entry into transportation” (Somalwar). That is, by consuming energy from coal, electric cars not only fail to reduce emissions, but perhaps add to them by increasing the net amount of fossil fuels burned. However, the argument that using electric cars produces a net increase in the amount of fossil fuels burned represents a significant misunderstanding of cause and effect. Estimates by the Department of Energy put the reduction index of carbon dioxide emissions at 30%, given a widespread switch to electric vehicles (DOE). This net total decrease in emissions cannot be accompanied by a net total increase in the burning of fossil fuels. The misunderstanding behind this objection to electric-powered vehicles likely results from a mistake regarding the amount of fossil fuels burned to power a gasoline and electric power car respectively. On this misunderstanding, the amount of gasoline required to power a gasoline-powered car distance X is equivalent to the amount of coal/natural gas required to power an electric-powered car that same distance X. Nevertheless, this simply is not the case. Gasoline, to the extent that it is directly converted into carbon dioxide as well as other pollutants, always produces more total carbon emissions than other fossil fuels used to power cars that do not use gasoline. Although this argument works against gasoline-powered cars in that electric cars are better for the environment, this same logic seems to place electric cars lower on the totem of ideal solutions, below technologies like hydrogen-powered cars. Hydrogen vehicles convert the chemical energy of hydrogen into the kind of mechanical energy necessary for movement, either by means of hydrogen-oxygen reactions in a fuel cell or by directly combusting hydrogen within the internal combustion engine. Like electricity, hydrogen is an energy carrier, so it does not contain energy itself; rather, the use of hydrogen would depend on the creation of new energy from the hydrogen reserves. However, hydrogen does not occur naturally, so it must be produced from energy sources. Like electric powered cars that run on technologies such as lithium ion batteries, the hydrogen car uses machinery that is dependent on other forms of energy production, such as fossil fuels. This is precisely why the argument that hydrogen-fueled vehicles are better (or have more potential) than cars powered by electricity. Since hydrogen must be produced, either by burning fossil fuels or with renewable energy sources, it faces similar problems as those presented to the electric car. Since electric and hydrogen cars are on the same level, it makes sense that a hybrid technology, or an independent use of the two technologies in vehicles, would suffice. At this point, it is unclear which of the two forms of energy carriers would be more desirable in new-age vehicles, because the technology is still in its infancy and far away from widespread commercial production. But a long-term investment in electric cars, as opposed to hydrogen cars, is desirable for two reasons. First, the production of liquid hydrogen is inefficient and would require far more infrastructure development than would be necessary for electric infrastructure (Brown). Second, low energy content per volume would require storage in vehicles to be significantly larger than it is even for today’s large batteries that power electric cars (Brown). These facts should make development of electric automobile technologies a higher priority than their bulky (and considerably more dangerous) hydrogen-powered counterparts. Thus, we see that the problem with electric cars not only exists in making an efficient battery that will last the user for a long trip, but also with how the energy that the battery will carry is produced. Energy can be produced from a number of sources; unfortunately for the environment, a vast majority of these sources today burn fossil fuels and consequently put carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. This first issue relies on the sustainability of lithium-ion batteries, primarily in terms of how much lithium there is to mine in the earth, and whether these lithium ion batteries can reduce their carbon footprint, which currently stands at about 70kg carbon dioxide per kilowatt-hour (Armand and Tarascon). Once these questions about current battery technology are answered, then plans to make the technology efficient and accessible can be made. Another potential issue is the impact of widespread usage of electric cars on the electricity system. If managed properly, the introduction of electric cars to the wider public could ultimately benefit the electricity system. This benefit to the system may extend to “the impact of the electric car on the spot price level and its volatility” (Tirez, Luickx and He). The spot price of electricity is the price quoted for an immediate payment and delivery of the commodity. In other words, electric cars may ease pricing pressures on electricity wherever they (and the infrastructure to support them) arise. The authors attribute this pricing ease to the fact that, now, electricity cannot be stored in economically suitable quantities. After the widespread advent of electric cars, millions of energy storage containers (the electric cars) will store and use electricity. Although this possibility is presented as an objection on the basis that it will increase demand for fossil fuels, if the development of renewable energies continues, the issue of having a clean energy source for vehicles becomes a moot point. Less volatility and lower energy spot prices can also result in wide-ranging benefits to society, freeing up resources for other uses of energy. Clearly, there are chemical and economic problems in terms of the feasibility of a switch from gasoline-powered automobiles to those powered by electricity. But the benefits of electric cars evidently outweigh the costs of remaining tied to the same petroleum-driven paradigm. Advances in battery technology make possible the widespread production and marketing of electric vehicles in order to reduce carbon emissions and end economic dependence on oil-producing countries. Relative to other new-age transportation solutions, like hydrogen power, electricity by means of batteries makes more sense in terms of energy output. Along with other benefits, like easing on the price of energy, a switch to electric cars may provide one step in the direction toward the building of a so-called “green economy”. But if society is to take such a step, it must be taken with other instrumental paces along that same path. Works Cited Adler, Dennis. Speed and Luxury: The Great Cars. New York: MBI Publishing Company, 2007. Armand, M. and J.M. Tarascon. "Building better batteries." Nature 451 (2008): 652-657. Brown, Lee F. "A comparative study of fuels for on-board hydrogen production for fuel-cell-powered automobiles." International Journal of Hydrogen Energy 26(4) (2001): 381-397. DOE. Net Generation by Energy Source: Total. 14 October 2010. 27 October 2010 . Leisner, Malte, et al. "New Applications of Electrochemically Produced Porous Semiconductors and Nanowire Arrays." Nanoscale Research Letters, 5(9) (2010): 1502-1506. Moss, Dave. The Efficient Drivers Handbook: Your Guide to Fuel Efficient Driving Techniques and Car Choice. New York: Veloce Publishing PLC, 2010. Shinnar, Reuel. "The hydrogen economy, fuel cells, and electric cars." Technology in Society 25(4) (2003): 455-476. Somalwar, Sunil. Prius and Prejudice: A Case against the Electric Car. 8 July 2008. 27 October 2010 . Tirez, A., et al. "Possible impact of electric cars on electricity spot prices." 7th International Conference on the European Energy Market (EEM) 2010. Madrid: CREG, Brussels, Belgium, 2010. 1-6. Read More