Introduction
The depletion of fossil fuels and the increased levels of vehicular that are being expressed across the world made the automobile companies to look for alternatives to the conventional internal combustible engines that run on petrol and diesel. One of the most important inventions in the field of automobile history is the hybrid engine technology. Hybrid cars combine the conventional petrol powered engines with the electric motors. A small petrol engine that is fit inside a hybrid car operates a dynamo that produces electricity (Barett nd). The electricity that produced will be in turn utilized for running the electric motor which turns the cars wheels. Hybrid engines give higher fuel efficiency and are smoother to operate. However, the increased complexity of a hybrid car’s engine increases the cost of manufacturing a hybrid car. The world’s first hybrid car, the Toyota Prius, was released in the year 1998 and was received well in the market (Cars Direct 2012). Since then, a number of automobile companies have successfully developed and marketed hybrid cars. Efforts are now on to produce hybrid cars that run on diesel, which can further improve the fuel efficiency and pollution levels. Some automobile experts and environmental activists allege that hybrid cars are not as environment-friendly as they are projected to be. According to them, hybrid cars harm the environment in an indirect way than by just releasing harmful gases into the environment. Evidence from the recent scientific also highlights the harmful effects of hybrid cars. Despite the praise in favour of hybrid cars, they are not as environment-friendly as they are projected. More investments need to be made in competing technologies that can be friendlier to the environment.
Benefits of Hybrid Cars
Right from the time they were first introduced in the market, they touted to be good alternatives to the conventional cars with internal combustion engines. Below are some of the benefits cited by environments and automobile users due to the hybrid cars:
- Lesser emission of CO2 during operation.
- Braking systems that recharge when the cars brakes are applied.
- Higher fuel efficiency.
- Cheaper than conventional gasoline and diesel cars in the long run.
- Lesser maintenance when compared with the diesel cars.
- Smooth and soundless operation when compared with the diesel cars.
However, hybrid cars increased the spare parts that are required for making the multiple engines (electric and small internal combustion) engine that are used in them. All these requirements increased the complexity of making a hybrid car. Increased complexity means higher price for the car and the higher service costs. Users of hybrid cars also need to pay for the costs incurred for the replacement of the cars batteries.
The Harm Caused by Hybrid Vehicles
Hybrid cars are not as environment-friendly and are harmful to the environment due to the materials used in manufacturing them and other reasons. Some arguments against the hybrid cars are elucidated below:
Use of Nickel. Despite not being completely run on fossil fuels that can pollute the environment, Hybrid batteries use big batteries to store the electricity that is generated through the inbuilt dynamo. Storing large quantity of electricity requires big batteries that are made using harmful metals and chemicals. One key metal that is used in the making of the batteries is Nickel. Nickel mines have a profound impact on the surrounding habitat. The smelters where Nickel is purified also have a negative impact on the people and environment. Areas surrounding the smelters are not habitable for any living things. NASA has recently declared the areas surrounding a smelter as a dead zone and started using it for testing moon rovers. Nickel smelters emit the toxic gas Sulphur Dioxide which can damage the environment of surrounding towns and villages. Acid rains that can destroy crops in faraway places is another negative effect of Nickel mines and smelters. The modern batteries used in cars and that use Lithium-Ion are harmful to the environment. Discarded Lithium-Ion batteries can pollute the environment and increase the increase of cardiac and intestinal disorders among the people who inhale it.
Higher Energy Requirements for Making a Hybrid Car. Due to the complicated manufacturing process involved in the manufacture of a hybrid car, it requires long and complicated supply chains for getting all the required spare parts and ingredients to the place For example, for manufacturing the batteries that are used in hybrid batteries, Nickel that is mined in Canada is sent to a refinery in Europe. The refined Nickel is then sent to China to make Nickel foam. Nickel is transported to Japan for making the final batteries, which are finally fit in the cars sold in USA. This extended supply chain increases the carbon footprint for making a hybrid car. According to a study conducted by CNW Marketing Research, Inc., the energy requirements for making a Prius is higher than for making a Hummer (Torres). While a Prius costs US$ 3.25 per each mile driven over a total lifetime of 100,000 miles; the fuel guzzling Hummer just costs US$ 1.95 per mile driven over a life time of 300,000 miles.
Usability as a Standalone Electric Car. A major benefit cited by some experts regarding hybrid cars is that their batteries can be charged separately and hence could be used as full-fledged electric cars which do not need any fossil fuels (Frugal Trader 2008). However, this argument in support of hybrid cars can at best be termed as hollow as the most of the electricity that is generated in the world today is done by burning fossil fuels like coal and gas. Even though the use of electric vehicles does not result in any direct air pollution on the streets, CO2 and other harmful gases that are secreted from the burning of fossil fuels pollute the environment.
No Savings while Driving on Highways. The main argument in favour of using hybrid cars is that they give higher mileage when compared to the conventional cars which run on gasoline and diesel. While it is true that hybrid cars give higher mileage per gallon of fuel burned on the city highways, their mileage on the city roads almost equals to that of the regular cars on highways. This makes the higher energy consumed in making hybrid cars an additional burden on the environment.
Usage of Rare Earth Metals. A lot of rare earth metals like Aluminium and Lithium are used in the manufacture of Hybrid cars. Rare earth metals cannot be easily extracted from the earth and requires complicated mining procedures like strip mining. Strip mining involves procedures like mountain top removal, which actually involves blasting off a mountain top with dynamite. A lot of waste sludge containing materials like diesel, mercury, and other harmful chemicals is produced in strip mining. As this sludge is freely released into the environment without any purification, it can cause severe damage to the water resources and the environment in general. Excess sludge that is left out in valleys and streams makes the place permanently toxic and unfit for humans for a long-time. Blasted rocks with rare metals inside them are transported in trucks to refineries exposing them to the environment. According to an estimate each hybrid car requires 70lbs of rare earth metals to be mined which can cause heavy damage to the environment. The land that is used for the mining of rare earth metals cannot be used for any other purpose like agriculture for a long-time. While federal laws necessitate mining companies to re-vegetate the land, the faster rate at which the land is mined makes it difficult for companies to re-vegetate the land. The energy required for processing rare earth metals and using them in the factories is also higher than the regular metals. Nearly, 10 to 20 percent of the greenhouse gases related to a hybrid car during its life-time are emitted during the manufacturing stage itself.
A Case for Conventional Cars
While the modern hybrid cars are falsely trumpeted as being less damaging to the environment and giving higher mileage, it is the conventional cars that are becoming sophisticated and turning environment-friendly. The strict emission norms that are stipulated in Europe and other countries around the world made automobile companies to increase the fuel efficiency of gasoline engines. According to a recent study, gasoline engines that are made now give at least twenty five percent more mileage than those made ten years back. Diesel run cars, which were traditionally blamed for higher emissions have also started turning greener. According to automobile experts, the current automobile engines just use a fraction of the energy from the fuels on which they run. Making engines that can better utilize the energy in fossil fuels can greatly increase the fuel efficiency of conventional cars in the future.
Many modern diesel cars use latest technology that prevents the harmful substances from being released into the air freely. Advancements like the ‘clean-diesel’ technology have reduced the emissions levels of diesel powered cars and trucks to levels that are lower than that of the gasoline engines (Paula). As diesel engines give fuel efficiency that is equal and sometimes higher than that of many hybrid models, they make a good case for being environment-friendly. The manufacturing of diesel cars does not require the heavy use of rare metals and the complicated manufacturing process. The increasing sophistication of conventional cars also made many environmental activists suggest diesel run cars over the modern hybrids.
After growing continuously for a decade, the oil prices have started decreasing in the year 2014. Increase in the production of shale gas in USA is expected to result in a further fall of fuel prices. Another factor that is leading to a decline in fuel prices is an increase in the production of crude oil in the middle-eastern countries due to the end of hostilities there. Artificial fuels like ethanol too are gaining momentum. The increased availability of alternative fuels like ethanol made automobile companies to make more automobile models that work on these fuels. For example, most of the cars now sold in Latin American countries can be run on ethanol. All these factors make a good case to use conventional cars with internal combustion engines than the hybrid cars which can cause a lot of indirect damage to the environment.
Conclusion
Since the time the first hybrid cars were first released into the market, nearly two million people have chosen them (Fortenbaugh 1). Many of the buyers of hybrid were drawn to their promise of being safe to the environment. However, facts and the past evidence surrounding hybrid cars show a different picture. While their direct impact on the environment in the form of greenhouse gases emitted is nominal, the higher energy required for making them nullify all the promised environmental benefits. The nickel/lithium-ion batteries that are used in them are also harmful to the environment. Their prospect of being able to be used as standalone electric cars is also baseless. The increasing fuel efficiency of cars driven by gasoline and diesel make them more environment friendly than the hybrid cars. Hence, the buyers of cars need to exercise proper caution before selecting an environment-friendly car.
Works Cited
Barrett, J. The difference between gas and hybrid vehicles. nd. Web. 28 Oct 2014.
Cars Direct. What is the difference between a hybrid car and an electric car? Nd. Web. . 28 Oct 2014.
Fortenbaugh, Colten 2012, ‘Hybrid Cars’: Not so Environmentally Friendly. 9 Oct 2012. Web. 28 Oct 2014.
Frugal Trader. Hybrid vs. gasoline vehicle comparison. 2012. Web. 28 Oct 2014.
Paula, Matthew. Do diesel cars and trucks save you money? Not always. 8 Aug 2012. Web. 28 Oct 2014.
Torres, Elissa. Hybrid Cars May Not Always be so Eco-friendly. nd. Web. 28 Oct 2014.
