Hybrid cars need public’s support to clear smog

President George W. Bush proposed a $1.2 billion plan to
research and develop fuel-cell cars in his State of the Union
speech last month.

Although I question the President’s sincerity, being the
oil-friendly conservative that he is, at least he’s making
the necessary point that the United States needs environmentally
safer vehicles. The president mentioned fuel-cell vehicles for
numerous political reasons ““ most likely the United
States’ need to break its crippling dependence on foreign
oil. But I would also hope that he mentioned it for a simpler, more
obvious reason: it’s better for our health and our
environment.

Few people understand just how fuel-efficient vehicles
work. The two most popular models are the fuel cells and the
hybrids. The president promoted the electrically powered
fuel-cell vehicles. 

Let’s get realistic. Fuel-cell vehicles aren’t
popular, and the public has yet to become comfortable with
them. This is where hybrid vehicles come in.

Hybrid electric vehicles are cars that possess both a small
combustion engine and a battery. The combustion engine is used as a
power source only at high speeds, while the battery takes over at
low speeds. And here’s the shocker: the car recharges the
battery itself by recapturing the heat usually lost in
braking. This process is called “regenerative
braking,” and the benefits are numerous. 

According to the Union of Concerned Scientists, hybrids would
reduce smog pollution by 90 percent. Not only will there be
less smog, but drivers will get better gas mileage as well. By
taking advantage of two power sources, hybrids can achieve greater
gas mileage than any car on the road today. Toyota’s
prize, the Prius, will go about 450 miles on a single tank of gas,
while Honda’s hybrid vehicle, the Insight, will travel about
700 miles on a single tank.

But perhaps it’s too good to be true. After all, the
hybrid isn’t perfect. It still emits pollution, and
although it has two power sources, it is difficult and fairly
expensive to repair. Replacement of the battery alone costs at
least a couple thousand dollars. Even more imperfect are the
pathetic designs that currently represent the hybrid vehicles. The
Toyota Prius looks more like a couch with wheels than a car with
which you would want to pick up your date. And as for
Honda’s FCX, it looks more like a Twinkie.

What’s more, car companies claim that there is no demand
for fuel-efficient vehicles. However, some car analysts believe
that many people are currently demanding fuel-efficient vehicles,
but car companies are ignoring these requests for the sake of
profit. 

Honda claims that there never was a demand for its electric
vehicle, the EV PLUS, when in fact there was a waiting list of
government agencies that wanted to purchase the vehicle for their
fleets. Honda turned away many of these agencies, saying that
retail consumers could generate more data about the use of the
batteries. However, only individual consumers who passed a rigorous
application process could purchase Honda’s electric
vehicles. 

Honda only made 330 electric vehicles, based on its excuse of no
public demand. Critics argue that Honda never gave electric
vehicles a chance and failed to promote the vehicle. 

Car companies’ reluctance to produce and sell electric
vehicles can be changed, if demand is increased. The California
Energy Commission has proposed providing incentives for sellers of
fuel-efficient vehicles. It has also suggested the initiation
of a cash incentive system for dealers who sign up to sell only
cars that are environmentally safe and have a high gas
mileage. In addition, the commission wants to create a
prestigious award for the dealership that sells the most high gas
mileage vehicles in a year. The government hopes this will
“increase” demand ““ a thing that car companies
heavily rely upon. The general goal is that car companies will
eventually design environmentally safe vehicles.

Imagine a world full of hybrids. Pretty and picturesque,
isn’t it? Not only will we have clean air and protect
the ozone layer, but we’ll also be able to see Los
Angeles. 

Our nation is begging for fuel-efficient vehicles. We import
half of our petroleum, we use up 25 percent of the world’s
energy, and we drive SUV’s. President Bush proposed $1.2
billion in research, but even that’s not
enough. It’s time for car companies and our government
to recognize and meet our needs. It’s time for them to
realize that health and progress are better than money and
stagnation.

Kim is a third-year communications and international development
studies student.