PHYSICS 839: POWERING THE FUTURE
Debate Statement
Electricity Group C
“In 20 years, how will we power our cars?”
10/14/2010
Nicholas D. Mortimer, Thanh H. Nguyen, Theodore W. Zimmerman, Dylan J. Freedman, Josh B. Meth
Background Information
In 1832, Scottish inventor Robert Anderson invents the first crude electric carriage powered by
non-rechargeable primary cells. In 1900, the electric automobile is in its heyday. Of the 4,192 cars
produced in the United States 28 percent are powered by electricity. During the 1920’s, the electric car
ceased to be a viable commercial product because of the desire for long-distance vehicles, the lack of
horsepower, and the availability of gasoline. In 1997, Toyota unveils the Prius – the world’s first
commercially mass-produced and marketed hybrid car – in Japan. Nearly 18,000 cars are sold during its
first year. Around year 2000, a few thousand all-electric cars (such as Honda's EV Plus, G.M.'s EV1,
Ford's Ranger pickup EV, Nissan's Altra EV, Chevy's S-10 EV, and Toyota's RAV4 EV) are produced by big
car manufacturers, but most of them are available for lease only.
The first hybrid gasoline-electric cars are hitting the U.S. market. Although it has been a slow
start, they will eventually compete with gas-only cars.” Toyota has a 12,000 car limit of producing its
Prius Hybrid, and five months before it was launched there were 7,300 people on the waiting list.”
(Roosevelt)1. Measured against the 17 million cars and trucks sold yearly in the U.S., it is only the
beginning.
The promise of the hybrids is that consumers won't have to make sacrifices in style,
performance or comfort to drive them. Unlike battery-electric vehicles, hybrids combine a small gasoline
engine with an electric motor and travel under their own power. A hybrid car combines two power
systems: an electric motor, powered by nickel-metal hydride batteries, and a highly efficient gas engine.
For driving in the city, The Toyota Prius uses pure electricity for starting up, traveling slowly or idling. Its
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Roosevelt, Margot. "HYBRID POWER." Time 156.24 (2000): 94. Academic Search Premier.
EBSCO. Web. 13 Oct. 2010.
gas engine kicks in for more power. For driving on the highway at high speeds the gas engine is the
primary power source; electricity provides a boost. When the car brakes, or coasts, the wheels drive the
electric motor, which is a generator to charge the batteries back to full strength.
“We can’t move to a hybrid car right now because we need the new technology first to support
the ‘infrastructure’” (Zakaria, 'IT'S LIKE A MOON SHOT')2. We currently are not pouring money into the
support of electric cars because we need a battery that can support the vehicles planned on being built.
These vehicles, right now, cost substantially higher than people will pay right now. But governments are
currently trying to subsidize manufacturers in attempt to get costs down. “The purchase decision for an
automobile involves five things: quality, fuel efficiency, safety, smart-useful design, and value.” (Zakaria,
'IT'S LIKE A MOON SHOT')3.
Slowly, but surely, electric cars are gaining fans in powerful places. Ford, General Motors, and
Chrysler are developing an electric battery to better serve the United States growing industry of electric
cars. Up until this point, the majority of these cars have looked similar to space craft that should have
been on the moon. In order to maintain power to these vehicles, strong batteries are required.
California’s Clean Air Act requires 2% of all new cars sold in the state must be emission free. “California
is the biggest car market in the U.S., accounting for 15% of all U.S. car sales.” (McWhirter)4. Fueled by
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Zakaria, Fareed. "'IT'S LIKE A MOON SHOT'." Newsweek 156.5 (2010): 50. Academic Search
Premier. EBSCO. Web. 13 Oct. 2010.
Zakaria, Fareed. "'IT'S LIKE A MOON SHOT'." Newsweek 156.5 (2010): 50. Academic Search
Premier. EBSCO. Web. 13 Oct. 2010.
McWhirter, William, and Edwin M. Reingold. "Off and humming." Time 141.17 (1993): 53.
Academic Search Premier. EBSCO. Web. 13 Oct. 2010.
federal funds which may reach up to $100 million dollars, these three companies need to develop an
advanced battery which will be the key to building a marketable electric car.
Pro Electric Car
The conventional vehicles of today run on substances such as petroleum and oil based fuels.
Most of our fuels, are imported from foreign countries, thus making our economy mostly dependant on
foreign countries. The cars of tomorrow will run solely on electricity, the need to import oil and
petroleum will be no more. Electric cars are our future, they will reduce dependency on foreign oil, thus
boosting out economy, “Today, the U.S. imports 57% of its oil, costing some $1 billion a day. Vehicles
fueled by electricity boost our own economy. And by using power from the existing grid, plug-ins can
reduce greenhouse gas emissions by one-third.” ('Preserve vital incentives')5. Another plus to switching
to fully electric cars would be the reduction of greenhouse gasses, or gasses that destroy the ozone
layer.
Electric vehicles, which will replace gasoline with electricity, are essential in order for the U.S. to
drop its dependency on oil. Plug-in cars are much more expensive than conventional gasoline cars as of
right now. By 2012, there will be about 15 different electric vehicles available to the public. “In a recent
Consumer Reports survey, more than 25% of respondents said they will likely consider a plug-in electric
car for their next vehicle”. (Should you plug in?)6. Electric vehicles allow people to drive moderate
distances using no gasoline and producing no emissions, which will reduce overall driving costs. Gasoline
costs around $3.00 per gallon. “If electricity costs 11 cents per kilowatt-hour, at about 3 miles per kWh,
it translates into 4 cents a mile vs. a car getting 30 mpg, which would cost 9 cents per mile.” (Should you
plug in?). “According to studies, if 20% of cars were plug-ins by 2050, carbon-dioxide emissions could be
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"'Preserve vital incentives'." USA Today n.d.: Academic Search Premier. EBSCO. Web. 13 Oct.
2010.
"Should you plug in?." Consumer Reports 75.10 (2010): 48-51. Academic Search Premier.
EBSCO. Web. 13 Oct. 2010.
reduced by 163 million metric tons as well as saving 550 million gallons of gasoline a year” (Should you
plug in?)7.
In an effort by federal, state, and local governments, electric cars are becoming more and more
popular due to many incentives. The government is giving a $7,500 tax break to the first 200,000
customers of each major model, plus regional benefits exist such as California is giving a $5,000 tax
credit towards zero-emission vehicles. Our current administration in office has made electric cars the
main source of reducing our nation’s dependency on oil. A lot of new data and research is being done to
maximize potential buyers across the country. “Cars like the Nissan Leaf will have communication
modules installed in the battery, which will allow Nissan to monitor the condition of the battery and
how it is being used.” (Bill)8.
With support from the government and industry, EVs look like a promising break through. The
Obama administration has offered generous subsidies to manufacturers that are building the electric
cars and to the consumers that are buying them. On paper, electric vehicle’s appeal is looking pretty
good. The potential in fuel savings is astronomical. Electricity will be the source of power of our cars in
our near and upcoming future.
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"Should you plug in?." Consumer Reports 75.10 (2010): 48-51. Academic Search Premier.
EBSCO. Web. 13 Oct. 2010.
BILL, VLASIC. "First Buyers of an All-Electric Car Also Get a Trunkful of Perks." New York Times
08 Oct. 2010: 1. Academic Search Premier. EBSCO. Web. 13 Oct. 2010.
Con Electric Car
Batteries today do not have enough energy per cell to power Electric Vehicles (EV), they weigh
too much and battery life and charging the battery is still unproven to consumers. After the batteries
have been developed, the next step is to be able to support the batteries with a good enough
infrastructure that is going to be able to utilize these vehicles to full capacity, making them worthwhile.
This is a hard enough task in itself. “As of now, we do not have the technology in order to move to a
‘hybrid future’ today.” (Zakaria, 'IT'S LIKE A MOON SHOT')9.
“Electric vehicles have a limited driving range on electric power and a standard 110-volt outlet
will take up to 8 to 10 hours to charge an electric car.” (Should you plug in?)10. Although electric cars
produce no emissions when they are running on electric, the energy that is generated at the power
plants for the cars to use produces emissions. EV’s will have change driving habits of American’s to short
distance driving. The life expectancy of the battery packs, as well as the replacement cost, is still an
unknown to consumers. EV’s can go a reasonable distance, but they still are not at a reasonable cost.
These EVs cost a lot more than consumers will be able to afford to spend due to their high initial costs.
“The Chevy Volt’s battery alone is estimated to cost $8,000 and other EV’s batteries will cost around
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Zakaria, Fareed. "'IT'S LIKE A MOON SHOT'." Newsweek 156.5 (2010): 50. Academic
Search Premier. EBSCO. Web. 13 Oct. 2010.
"Should you plug in?." Consumer Reports 75.10 (2010): 48-51. Academic Search
Premier. EBSCO. Web. 13 Oct. 2010.
$18,000.” (Should you plug in?)11. Electric cars need to be plugged-in in order to be fully recharged. And
it is nearly impossible to find places to charge an electric car in public.
The question that needs to be answered is: will drivers go along with the hype of electric cars?
Despite all the government jump-starts and the hype, prices will still start off high which will allow for
many consumers to sit and watch. Limitations of these EV’s will cause many Americans to have to drive
differently. Toyota has had millions of recent recalls involving simple problems. EVs are an entirely new
set of hardware and software and bugs could take years to be fixed. The proposed batteries have been
used in cell phones for years but never have been used on such a large scale basis. Any bad press will
hurt the public’s confidence in buying an EV. Consumers will not pay for an unproven technology
especially if they have to pay extra.
Although Electric cars are increasing in popularity and will be the car of the future, there is Cons.
Cost for electric cars, even with federal aid, remains high. Batteries are extremely expensive and heavy,
and during an accident acid could leak out. Long recharge times and limited production also continue to
be drawbacks for the electric car. Being that the electric car is relatively new there may be difficulty in
getting your vehicle fixed if it breaks down, and it will take years to figure out all the bugs and glitches.
Therefore, electric cars will not be what are powering our future cars.
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"Should you plug in?." Consumer Reports 75.10 (2010): 48-51. Academic Search
Premier. EBSCO. Web. 13 Oct. 2010.
Works Cited
Background / How Electric Cars Work
McWhirter, William, and Edwin M. Reingold. "Off and humming." Time 141.17 (1993): 53. Academic
Search Premier. EBSCO. Web. 13 Oct. 2010.
"HYBRIDS, HYBRIDS EVERYWHERE." Popular Science 264.3 (2004): 20. Academic Search Premier. EBSCO.
Web. 13 Oct. 2010.
Zakaria, Fareed. "'IT'S LIKE A MOON SHOT'." Newsweek 156.5 (2010): 50. Academic Search Premier.
EBSCO. Web. 13 Oct. 2010.
Fletcher, Seth. "ELECTRIC CARS CHARGE AHEAD." Popular Science 275.2 (2009): 17. Academic Search
Premier. EBSCO. Web. 13 Oct. 2010.
Roosevelt, Margot. "HYBRID POWER." Time 156.24 (2000): 94. Academic Search Premier. EBSCO. Web.
13 Oct. 2010.
Pros
"'Preserve vital incentives'." USA Today n.d.: Academic Search Premier. EBSCO. Web. 13 Oct. 2010.
"Should you plug in?." Consumer Reports 75.10 (2010): 48-51. Academic Search Premier. EBSCO. Web.
13 Oct. 2010.
BILL, VLASIC. "First Buyers of an All-Electric Car Also Get a Trunkful of Perks." New York Times 08 Oct.
2010: 1. Academic Search Premier. EBSCO. Web. 13 Oct. 2010.
Newman, Rick. "A Stuttering Start for Electric Cars." U.S. News & World Report 147.4 (2010): 47-49.
Academic Search Premier. EBSCO. Web. 13 Oct. 2010.
Betts, Bryan. "Electric highway." Engineering & Technology (17509637) 5.13 (2010): 59. Academic Search
Premier. EBSCO. Web. 13 Oct. 2010.
Cons
Dworetzky, Tom, et al. "Gentlemen, Don't Start Your Engines." Discover 30.11 (2009): 39. Academic
Search Premier. EBSCO. Web. 13 Oct. 2010.
"GM aims to cut its EV battery costs by 90%." Automotive Engineer 35.3 (2010): 5. Academic Search
Premier. EBSCO. Web. 13 Oct. 2010.
Newman, Rick. "A Stuttering Start for Electric Cars." U.S. News & World Report 147.4 (2010): 47-49.
Academic Search Premier. EBSCO. Web. 13 Oct. 2010.
"Should you plug in?." Consumer Reports 75.10 (2010): 48-51. Academic Search Premier. EBSCO. Web.
13 Oct. 2010.
Zakaria, Fareed. "'IT'S LIKE A MOON SHOT'." Newsweek 156.5 (2010): 50. Academic Search Premier.
EBSCO. Web. 13 Oct. 2010.