Mitigation Strategy:

Efficient Vehicles
Niki Harrison
Why Make Efficient Vehicles?
The amount of cars on the road is set to triple by 2050
CO2 output from cars is projected to double to six gigatons
U.S. cars and light trucks together consume 8.2 million barrels of oil each day
300 million metric tons of carbon/year

Center for Climate and Energy Solutions

Simple Methods
Use solar panels to power air
conditioning units in electric cars
Low rolling resistance tires
Fuel economy displays
Weight reductions (example: headlights) Stack Exchange

Limiting the frontal area of cars

Regenerative braking
Electric generator
Hydraulic motors to product compressed air
Can save up to 50% of the energy while
braking

National Highway Traffic Safety Administration

Alternatively Fueled Cars
Hybrid Electric
Relies on gasoline or alternative fuel
Has an electric motor to store energy but does not need to be charged
Plug In Electric
Relies on an electric motor
Gasoline powers vehicle when electricity is depleted
All Electric
Can travel around 100 miles
Acceptable 90% of US household trips
Flex Fuel
Can operate on any blend of gasoline and ethanol
Energy and Emission Problems
In locations where electricity is
supplied by coal, electric cars may
create more emissions
In Colorado, a 35 mpg gasoline powered
car creates less emissions than the
average electric car

Carnegie Mellon University

Safety Implications
Death rates in mini cars in crashes
involving multiple vehicles are aout
twice as high as in large sedans
Fit, Fortwo and Yaris performed poorly
in frontal collisions with midsize cars
Team Crocodile Eco Car
Weighs 50kg and is shorter than a traffic cone
Reduced vehicle noise
Mechanics: The Physics of Crumple Zones
Pedestrian safety
Now adding sound effects to vehicles at low
speed
Driver Inconveniences
All Electric Vehicles
Average travel distance: 80 to 100 miles (luxury models 200-250 miles)
Charging Time: 30 minutes (with fast charging) to nearly 24 hours
Battery replacement can cost up to $6000
Variations in weather can affect the range of plug-in electric vehicles by more than
25%
Heating, cooling, electronics, charging devices impact the range of electric vehicles
Being forced to change vehicles
Raising the price of fuel; cranking up the showroom tax cranking up the road-tax
on gas guzzlers; parking privileges for economical cars or fuel rationing we
could simply ban the sale of any car whose energy consumption is more than [a
certain amount]
Sources
Scientific American
https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/how-to-reduce-car-made-pollution/
Hybrid Cars
http://www.hybridcars.com/hybrid-research
Center for Climate and Energy Solutions
https://www.c2es.org/federal/executive/vehicle-standards
Sustainable Energy- Without the Hot Air
https://canopy.uc.edu/bbcswebdav/pid-20638450-dt-content-rid-52578715_1/courses/meta_rutzee_620/sewtha.pdf
Stack Exchange
http://mechanics.stackexchange.com/questions/24499/what-is-regenerative-braking-and-why-dont-we-use-it
Tire Rack
https://www.tirerack.com/landing/fuel_efficiency.jsp
US Department of Energy
http://www.afdc.energy.gov/vehicles/electric_basics_phev.html
http://www.afdc.energy.gov/fuels/ethanol_benefits.html
Washington Post
https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/electric-cars-and-the-coal-that-runs-them/2015/11/23/74869240-734b-11e5-ba14-318f8e87a2fc_story.html?utm_term=.bce8
3c528e52
Scientific American
https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/electric-cars-are-not-necessarily-clean/
Forbes
http://www.forbes.com/2009/04/13/car-crash-tests-lifestyle-vehicles-crash-test-report.html
Department of Energy
https://www.energy.gov/eere/electricvehicles/electric-car-safety-maintenance-and-battery-life
The Hybrid Shop
http://www.thehybridshop.com/battery-conditioning/questions/how-long-does-a-toyota-prius-hybrid-battery-last/
Department of Energy
https://energy.gov/eere/electricvehicles/maximizing-electric-cars-range-extreme-temperatures