Thanks to 3Research – the car CO2 emissions reference site – for sending us this post.
The Story So Far
First there were horses. A while later there was steam. Then, at the beginning of the 19th century, came the internal combustion engine – an invention that revolutionised the entire concept of personal transport.
By 1893, the first petrol-powered engine had been developed, and the first diesel-powered car hit the roads before the end of the century. Within 20 years, the automotive industry had taken off, and, in 1914, Ford released the inexpensive Model T, heralding the beginning of an era of mass car ownership.
Fast forward to 1986, and there were around 500 million cars worldwide. By 2010, this had doubled to more than 1 billion.
So far, the flying cars envisaged in iconic films like Blade Runner and The Fifth Element haven’t materialised, but, more importantly, the way we fuel our cars hasn’t changed much at all in the last 100 years. In 2006, 95% of the entire global transport sector still relied on oil as a source of energy, with cars and vans accounting for roughly half of all CO2 emissions from transportation, and approximately 10% of all CO2 emissions generated by the burning of fossil fuels worldwide. And with the growth and rapid industrialisation of countries like China and India, the number of cars will only continue to increase in the coming years.
Make no mistake – our planet is getting warmer, and if we don’t find cleaner sources of energy, the consequences will potentially be catastrophic. The challenge for car manufacturers, as with fuel companies and all areas of industry, is to develop cleaner, more efficient technologies. First, though, we need to ask some difficult questions…
Are Hybrids Really The Answer?
The automotive industry has started moving in the right direction; nearly 5 million hybrid cars (which are powered by a combination of internal combustion and electric propulsion) have already been sold worldwide, delivering better fuel efficiency and less pollution than traditional vehicles. That’s great, but the fact remains that hybrids still use fossil fuels.
Are We Really On The Right Road?
As environmental campaigners point out, car producers and oil companies have a shared interest in maintaining the status quo. Sure, they might talk about social and environmental responsibility, making a few investments here and there in return for some good PR. But unless there is a genuine economic incentive, it’s hard to see these industries giving their full support to clean, sustainable fuel technology any time soon.
The onus is on governments to further incentivise investment in green innovations, and on us – the consumers – to base our buying decisions on what’s best for the environment. In the right legislative climate, and with enough education, we might just be able to beat our fossil fuel addiction and find a truly green solution.
Many so-called alternative fuels are already in use; there are millions of vehicles worldwide powered by liquid petroleum gas, natural gas, and ethanol, for instance, whilst 2.7% of the world’s road vehicles are powered by biofuels.
However, there are environmental issues associated with the production and burning of all these fuels. Similarly, there are serious problems with electric cars – whilst the vehicles themselves may not cause air pollution, they are only as clean as the electricity that powers them; if you’re charging a car through a grid that’s hooked up to coal-fired power plants, don’t kid yourself that you’re being green! Even cars running on nothing but compressed air come up against this same problem – if the energy used to compress the air isn’t clean, it’s just not as progressive as many would like to believe.
What Technology Really Deserves Investment?
One fuel that really could change the game is hydrogen. Hydrogen is the most abundant element in the universe, and, significantly, it can be produced without using non-renewable fuels or damaging the environment. Like conventional batteries, hydrogen fuel cells produce electricity through an electrochemical reaction. In this case, oxygen from the air is used to oxidise the hydrogen, generating clean electricity; water and heat are the only by-products. As well as powering vehicles, this technology could potentially replace the conventional power stations we rely on today. Governments in the US, Japan, UK and other developed economies have made strong commitments to the development of hydrogen fuel technology, but three major obstacles remain at present: Hydrogen production costs too much; hydrogen storage technology needs to be improved; and fuel cells are too expensive.
Redefining ‘Progress’
If we’re really serious about facing the challenge of man-made climate change, developing a clean fuel that’s cost-effective, efficient and practical would be a huge step forward. But there are lots of other things that warrant our attention – more investment in public transport would certainly help reduce the number of people travelling by car, for example.
At the same time, we may have to be prepared to sacrifice speed in favour of sustainability. We’d all love a future with cars that defy gravity and travel at supersonic speeds, but what’s more likely is that we’ll end up driving vehicles built for efficiency instead of power and performance.
Car manufacturers have built some amazing machines over the years, but it’s time to forget about making things bigger, faster and stronger, and focus on technology that will protect the planet and help ensure the survival of humankind.
In 1917, Einstein compared technological progress to “an axe in the hand of a pathological criminal.” Hopefully, we still have a chance to prove him wrong.
