Electric cars have gained popularity over the past couple of years for their fuel efficiency and the miles per gallon one can obtain from driving them. Hybrids seem to be the new “pet rock” and “smiley face” of the auto industry. These type of vehicles have become a trend. Hybrids have value in all areas except one…we would still be dependent on foreign oil if all American cars were hybrids.
Many Hybrid vehicle engines represent a combination of electric components and traditional gas engine components. A lot of hybrids are actually still gas powered vehicles with an electric option. Although these vehicles greatly reduce the need for foreign oil, they do not end that need. There is a balance between what is environmentally conscious and what is important to the American economy.
What are the alternatives? Natural gas represents some of the best things hybrid vehicles have to offer with the reduction of American dependency on foreign oil. According to NaturalGas.org,”
Natural gas is the cleanest of all the fossil fuels. Composed primarily of methane, the main products of the combustion of natural gas are carbon dioxide and water vapor, the same compounds we exhale when we breathe. Coal and oil are composed of much more complex molecules, with a higher carbon ratio and higher nitrogen and sulfur contents. This means that when combusted, coal and oil release higher levels of harmful emissions, including a higher ratio of carbon emissions, nitrogen oxides (NOx), and sulfur dioxide (SO2). Coal and fuel oil also release ash particles into the environment, substances that do not burn but instead are carried into the atmosphere and contribute to pollution. The combustion of natural gas, on the other hand, releases very small amounts of sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides, virtually no ash or particulate matter, and lower levels of carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, and other reactive hydrocarbons.”
Does natural gas actually represent innovation and self sufficiency for the future of the American auto industry? Traditional gas (found at gas stations) is actually made from crude oil (petroleum). America only contains roughly 3% of the world’s oil reserves according to most sources. Americans consume however 25% of the world’s oil. Natural gas is not a renewable resource, but America contains many more natural gas reserves in the ground than crude oil. Estimates by the Energy Information Administration suggest there are 283 trillion cubic feet of natural gas in the ground in America.
Hybrid vehicles represent great innovation, but natural gas vehicles may provide us with more clean options for transportation in this country. Natural gas is an alternative all around energy source. Why aren’t more people exploring ways to use this resource? Good question!
