Should Cars Be More Efficient?
Should Cars be More Efficient?
SCI207: Dependence of Man on the Environment
04/21/2013
Should Cars be More Efficient? “Should we own vehicles that are more fuel efficient” is a question that a lot of people are asking now. And the answer is yes, we should own vehicles that are more fuel efficient to help our environment but there are also reasons why we are unable to own fuel efficient vehicles. This paper will be explaining both sides of this argument about whether we should own more fuel efficient vehicles or not. The arguments that will be covered will be if the pros of buying a hybrid and the cons of buying a hybrid, information about the costs of purchasing a hybrid and the mechanical pros and cons compared to a regular vehicle compared to a hybrid.
There are several pros about the cost of a hybrid compared to a regular vehicle. The first one I am going to talk about is the fact that you can take part of the Federal Tax Incentives for Hybrid Owners. This is a federal tax credit of up to $3,400! As long as you purchased your new qualifying hybrid after December 31st 2005 and before December 31st 2010 then you could be eligible for this credit. The amounts of credit for each manufacturer being to phase out once that manufacturer sells over 60,000 vehicles. There are a few other stipulations as well, like your new hybrid has to be used mainly in the United States. You will have to make sure to fill out a form 8910 when you fill your taxes to ensure that you do get the credit.
The second pro of having a hybrids is that they do get better gas mileage so you are saving money every time you have to fill up your tank. Much of the fuel efficiency comes from improvements in aero dynamics, weight reduction and, the biggest change: a smaller, less powerful gas engine (Dunn, 2006). Hybrid cars normally get around 35% better mileage than regular gas vehicles. But to get these amazing mileage numbers you have to make sure that you are driving slower and not
SCI207: Dependence of Man on the Environment
04/21/2013
Should Cars be More Efficient? “Should we own vehicles that are more fuel efficient” is a question that a lot of people are asking now. And the answer is yes, we should own vehicles that are more fuel efficient to help our environment but there are also reasons why we are unable to own fuel efficient vehicles. This paper will be explaining both sides of this argument about whether we should own more fuel efficient vehicles or not. The arguments that will be covered will be if the pros of buying a hybrid and the cons of buying a hybrid, information about the costs of purchasing a hybrid and the mechanical pros and cons compared to a regular vehicle compared to a hybrid.
There are several pros about the cost of a hybrid compared to a regular vehicle. The first one I am going to talk about is the fact that you can take part of the Federal Tax Incentives for Hybrid Owners. This is a federal tax credit of up to $3,400! As long as you purchased your new qualifying hybrid after December 31st 2005 and before December 31st 2010 then you could be eligible for this credit. The amounts of credit for each manufacturer being to phase out once that manufacturer sells over 60,000 vehicles. There are a few other stipulations as well, like your new hybrid has to be used mainly in the United States. You will have to make sure to fill out a form 8910 when you fill your taxes to ensure that you do get the credit.
The second pro of having a hybrids is that they do get better gas mileage so you are saving money every time you have to fill up your tank. Much of the fuel efficiency comes from improvements in aero dynamics, weight reduction and, the biggest change: a smaller, less powerful gas engine (Dunn, 2006). Hybrid cars normally get around 35% better mileage than regular gas vehicles. But to get these amazing mileage numbers you have to make sure that you are driving slower and not
References: Baxter, E. (n.d.). How much does it cost to replace a hybrid battery? Retrieved from http://auto.howstuffworks.com/fuel-efficiency/hybrid-technology/hybrid-battery-cost1.htms Dunn, P. (2006, January 19). Hybrid cars -- pros and cons. Retrieved from http://phys.org/news10031.html HybridCarsPros.com. (2012-2013). Toyota hybrid cars. Retrieved from http://hybridcarspros.com/toyota/toyota-hybrid-cars.html Sperling, D. (1994). Future drive: Electric vehicles & sustainable transportation. (p. 104). Covelo, CA, USA: Island Press. Retrieved from http://site.ebrary.com/lib/ashford/Doc?id=2000946&ppg=119