America Must Develop Alternative Fuel Vehicles :: essays papers

America Must Develop Alternative Fuel Vehicles A commandment One race car accelerates from 0 to 60 mph in under 3 seconds. How could a car that goes 0 to 60 mph in 12 seconds ever be considered cool? The people at Engine Technology International must be impressed beca aim theyve coronate the gas- galvanising car hybrid powerplant from the Honda acuteness as International Engine of the Year 2000.1 The true statement is, with a 95-mpg potential and a 110 mph top speed, the brainwave is turning everybodys head while at the same condemnation giving environmentalists a beacon of hope that the formulaic gasoline locomotive may soon be shown the door. The Sierra Club honored the Honda perspicacity with its Award for Excellence in Environmental Engineering. This is the first product deliver ever given by the 108-year-old environmental group.2Weve heard about the electric automobile revolution for years, but only now are those promises neat a reality. With several models available right now from Alabama dealerships, the get by means of of the alternative fuel vehicle (AFV) is beginning to touch every boxful of the nation. But the most important thing about these upstart vehicles is their transcendence in some aspects to the gas-only cars and trucks weve all come to depend on. No longitudinal built just to send an environmental message, the latest livestock of vehicle can perform on par with many of the conventional vehicles you see on the road today, while giving its owner the advantages of improbably high fuel efficiency and extremely long operating chemical chain. The Honda Insight Hybrid EV combines a small 1.0 liter 3-cylinder gasoline locomotive with a 144-volt NiMH electric motor giving the Insight a range of up to 700 miles, all at a cost of around $20,000.3With the military issue of companies in the electric transportation industry embarking on bold new acquisitions, the stage is now set for a more robust and private-enterprise(a ) EV market, offering consumers a wider range of alternative modes of transportation. DaimlerChrysler has positioned itself for the future through a strategic purchase of Global Electric MotorCars (GEM), currently the largest manufacturer in the United States of electric vehicles that can be licensed for use on public roads, producing approximately 5,000 units per year. DaimlerChrysler along with Ford Motor confederation will soon be the first to sell neighborhood electric vehicles (NEVs) in the United States.Sales and leasing figures for battery and electric-duty light passenger vehicles for the brave 4 years have risen from 39 units in 1996 to 1277 units in 1999 with those figures projected to be substantially higher for the year 2000.