We have the technology right now to make all new cars in the United
States get forty miles per gallon. The technology has been developed
and it can be implemented now, not in some far flung future. We don’t
have to give up our precious Suburban Assault Vehicles and squeeze
into “Tin Can Death Trap-Mobiles.” But, we’re not getting it because
people don’t know, they don’t care, or they’re not letting the right
people know that they know and they care. What’s more, our reliance
on fossil
fuels, which is the source of a good lot of trouble these days,
is completely unnecessary; in fact, it’s a perversion. Forces in government,
industry and the media in the United States are keeping quiet about
technologies that can end our dependence on fossil fuels, save the
environment and save lives.
We act as if going to war with Saddam Hussein is inevitable, as we
helplessly pump blood into our cars; we act as if global climate change
is some far off thing that we’ll never see the consequences of in
our lifetime, but this is not true. Recently, scientists on an expedition
to the North Pole were stunned
to discover that the North Pole had melted. We’ve already seen the
damage to the ozone layer in the form of a hole over the South
Pole that is twice the size of Europe.
Yet, this hole seems to be healing itself, giving us evidence that
the planet is in a dynamic state, that can heal itself if we stop
ravaging it as if it were Planet Prom Queen.
There’s no question that the internal
combustion engine is a major source of pollution. Recent studies
showed that the pollution caused by cars now causes more death than
accidents. The automobile’s total permeation into American life has
been aided by post- World War Two development, which emphasizes the
car over mass transit. Few would doubt that this generation is the
“me generation”… except perhaps the generation after us. But there
are solutions, and they are actually quite painless.
There has been a lot of buzz about Hybrid
Cars. Although they are thought of as being pretty new, the first
hybrid car was actually built way back in 1916 by the Woods
Motor Vehicle Company of Chicago. Hybrid cars are subject to a
lot of misconceptions, so allow me to clear some of them up. First
of all, you don’t have to plug them in. Let me explain it this way:
the fuel cell is like a big battery: a battery so large that, unlike
a regular car battery, it can move the car. When the car is not moving,
or when it just starts moving, the fuel cell moves the car, replacing
the need for an engine to idle. The fuel cell is charged by the kinetic
energy caused by the cars brakes. As anyone who knows about cars knows,
you get the worst mileage in the city; all that stopping and starting
and waiting for red lights. The Toyota
Prius, incidentally, actually gets better gas mileage in city
driving than highway driving because the fuel cell is doing most of
the work.
Hybrid cars are not impractical, nor are they some esoteric concept
that is ten years in the future. They are here now, in the form of
Toyota’s Prius, and Honda’s
Insight and Civic
Hybrid. Ford has promised a Volkswagen designed a concept car
that gets two hundred thirty nine miles per gallon. At recent auto
shows, Honda unveiled the Honda Dualnote, which later changed its
name to the Acura
DN-X. The DN-X combines a 300 HP V6 with a 100 HP fuel cell for
a whopping four hundred horsepower that still gets a guilt-free 42
miles per gallon. So, while our European and Japanese counterparts
are busy designing hyperefficient cars, General Motors gives us...the
Hummer H2.
Those of you that think your SUV’s are safer than cars are mistaken.
It’s a well known fact that SUV’s are built higher off the ground
and are more likely to tip over. It is true, however, that in a collision
between an SUV and a smaller car, typically the SUV driver lives and
the small car driver dies. That’s not safety--that’s selfish.
A technology that gets very little attention is Biodiesel.
Biodiesel is diesel fuel made from vegetable oil, such as hemp, soy,
or corn. Diesel engines can run on Biodiesel with little or no modification.
Compared to Diesel there is less smog and virtually no sulfur. Biodiesel
is ten times less toxic than table salt and biodegrades as fast as
sugar. Biodiesel can also be blended with traditional diesel.
Unfortunately, Biodiesel is more expensive than traditional diesel,
by about fifty cents per gallon and also harder to find. The only
Biodiesel gas station in Pennsylvania is in Export, PA. Currently
there are none in NY or NJ, but Maryland does have three state-wide.
Rudolph Diesel designed his engine to run on hempseed oil. At the
1900 world’s fair, Diesel ran his engine on peanut oil. Diesel died
in 1913. It wasn’t until after hemp
was made illegal in the late 1930’s that diesel engines ran on synthetics.
How ironic that Diesel, who designed his engine as a response to the
pollution and central control of wealth of the steam engine would
have his name associated with the pollution and central control of
wealth of petroleum. Hemp is the only biomass/biodiesel source that
is capable of making the U.S. energy-independent. Hempseed contains
30% oil. Farming only six percent of the continental U.S. acreage
with hemp would provide all of the U.S.’s gas and oil energy needs,
while at the same time reversing the greenhouse effect and renewing
the soil.
All told, our crisis of convenience is nothing but a sham. With fuel
cell technology and clean-burning Biodiesel, we could all be driving
earth-friendly, guilt-free cars and never even have to change our
lifestyle.
…Which begs the question: why aren’t we?
To answer that question, we have to look at two things: current regulations,
and current regulators. The Energy
Policy & Conservation Act of 1975 created CAFE regulations.
Since then, mileage increased from an average of 18 mpg in 1978 to
27.5 mpg now. The emissions ratings are for the average of a fleet,
not the individual cars. In addition, trucks fall under a different
category than cars, and since SUVs are technically trucks, they are
not subject to the same strict regulations. The answer then, would
be to make it mandatory for all trucks, from Ford
Explorers to semis and, perhaps most practically, buses, to have
a fuel cell.
Considering who is in power in the United States today, we may never
see these needed improvements any time soon. The Bush family is oil
mongers, Dick Cheney was a former CEO of Haliburton
energy. In other words, the less energy we use, the worse it is for
the people in power.
Fortunately, there are ways to make a statement. For example, buy
a hybrid car. Ironically, you can be more patriotic by buying a Japanese
car made in America than by buying an American truck made in Mexico.
Support your views, be vocal. Educate yourself and others. If there
is a Biodiesel pump in your area, consider buying a car that runs
on diesel such as the VW TDI. Support any efforts to legalize industrial
hemp. Until the day comes when hemp is legalized, you may never know
what you’re missing. Support laws that increase fuel efficiency. Vote
in local elections. If you are at a car show, talk to people about
how you, as a consumer, are concerned about the environment and/or
gas mileage. Car manufacturers listen to you. Feel free to send a
letter or email supporting a concept car you’d be willing to buy.
Support New
Urbanisms, which is a movement to develop towns designed around
public transportation and to have more park space. And, of course,
carpool, bike everywhere, take the train, and don’t use the air conditioner
if your windows are rolled down.
For More Information:
Biodiesel.org - Official Site
of the Biodiesel National Board.
Hempcar.org - A man is driving
across the country in a hemp-powered Mercedes. Also has good information
on the history of hemp as a viable fuel source.
Howstuffworks.com/hybrid-car/htm
- Detailed explanation of how hybrid cars work. Be sure to check out
their other information on gasoline, diesel, fuel cells, etc.
Hybridcars.com
