Electric Auto; Is It A Necessity To Survive?
Global warming advocates would have you believe that the electric auto is a necessity if the world is to survive. Automakers would like you to believe the same thing, if you are not going to buy one of their internal combustion vehicles, but are willing to pay a premium for an electric auto. Are electric autos a smart move? Let us discuss further in this article.
Why are electric autos becoming more and more like a viable mode of transportation? One reason is the sustained high oil price. Consumers seemed not to notice the need for better fuel efficiency when the price of oil fluctuated around a low price. But as the mid-point of that fluctuation steadily increased, consumers took note.
With emerging and growing economies like that of China and India, demand for automobiles continues to grow. With the increase in demand for automobiles in China and India, comes the increase in demand for oil. Having only a few sources for the precious resource, demand is beginning to outstrip supply…thus the sustained high oil prices.
Do electric autos make sense? Maybe. Here is what you need to consider. An electric auto does not just get an electrical charge from nowhere. In the most discussed electric autos, the charge will come from one of two things. One is an electrical outlet. Two is from hydrogen. If plug-in hybrids become prevalent, then we must consider the overall impact of using our own power grid as the fuel for our transportation. Will the use of this electricity offer a substantial saving when compared to gasoline? Considering that power companies are essentially government allowed monopolies, the future is unknown. Will the power grid be able to handle the increased load? We will have to wait and see. On the environmental front, how environmentally friendly will plugging in to drive be? Let's consider that the most commonly built power plant type in the United States is a coal burning plant. What good is it for the environment to replace emissions from automobiles with that of coal power plants? That seems like the old adage of robbing Peter to pay Paul. If hydrogen fueled fuel-cell vehicles become prevalent, we must consider how we will extract hydrogen from whatever compound is used for fuel. If water is the fuel, then electrolysis is the answer, but that requires a lot of energy to start with. Where does that come from? Some have been researching using chemical reactions to extract hydrogen from compounds, but those tests result in hydrogen and some highly toxic compound. What do we do with that? The pro in both of these scenarios is that the US's energy dependence on oil will be reduced, which means its dependence on oil producing countries will decrease. That is a positive, as the US can then champion its causes without fear of falling due to a choke hold on its energy.
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