Improved Technology

Throughout the decades there have been many improvements in the technology of cars to aid in decreasing air pollutants. During the 1920s traveling by automobile became increasingly popular and by the 1930s the number of cars entering National Parks increased from 15,000 in 1916 to roughly 900,000 by 1931.1 Though, besides switching to electronic ignition rather than using points in the 1970s, which paved the way for multipoint fuel injectors, many other car improvements relating to emissions did not start to appear until the 1990s.2 In the 1990s urban air quality started to become an increasing concern, leading manufacturers to pay attention to tailpipe emissions.3 To address this concern, many manufacturers would add additional treatment equipment such as the catalytic converter, though increasingly prominent was the introduction of electric vehicles.4 The first mass-produced hybrid electric vehicle was the Toyota Prius, though the first manufacturer to enter the American market was Honda during the years 2000-2005.5 Honda offered a vehicle with an aluminum body, making use of lightweight materials, while also using an aerodynamic design, aiding in the fuel efficiency of vehicles.6 Toyota Prius would eventually be introduced into the American market, however, another prominent manufacturer would be Tesla, first appearing in 2008 with the Roadster, a battery-powered electric vehicle (BEV).7

Tesla, being a BEV, is powered by a battery that runs completely on an electric motor. The batteries for BEVs are recharged through an electrical outlet. With electric vehicles there is a change from direct current to alternate current, taking energy from the battery to run the motor.8 BEVs lack alternators but are capable of recharging the car’s battery during braking to save battery life.9 As BEVs have a large reliance on battery power, there is a larger concern about the size and type of battery required. However, there has also been an emergence of plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs). These are similar to BEVs as both vehicles primarily run on battery life. Though PHEVs have a back-up gas reserve and engine in cases of battery depletion, extending the life of BEVs. However, these reserves can also help in cases of extended travel, using gasoline for longer trips and electricity for short travel.10 However, some automobile manufacturers expect that hydrogen fuel cell vehicles (HFCVs) will also be another alternative to BEVs. Rather than storing electricity, HFCVs will use a fuel cell to convert stored hydrogen into electricity and then will operate as an electric vehicles.11

  1. Fischer, Claude S. “Changes in Leisure Activities, 1890-1940.” Journal of Social History 27, no. 3 (March 1, 1994): 453-475. ↩︎
  2. Frischetti, Mark. “Complete Burn.” Scientific American 290, no.4 (April 2004): 98-99. ↩︎
  3. Magnusson, Thomas. “Hybrid-Electric Vehicle Developments 1990-2012.” Stockholm Environment Institute, n.d., 9-20. ↩︎
  4. Magnusson, Thomas. “Hybrid-Electric Vehicle Developments 1990-2012.” 9-20. ↩︎
  5. Magnusson, Thomas. “Hybrid-Electric Vehicle Developments 1990-2012.” 9-20. ↩︎
  6. Magnusson, Thomas. “Hybrid-Electric Vehicle Developments 1990-2012.” 9-20. ↩︎
  7. Magnusson, Thomas. “Hybrid-Electric Vehicle Developments 1990-2012.” 9-20. ↩︎
  8. Delucchi, M.A., C. Yang, A. F. Burke, J.M. Ogden, K. Kurani, J. Kessler, and D. Sperlin. “An Assessment of Electric Vehicles: Technology, Infrastructure Requirements, Greenhouse-Gas Emissions, Petroleum Use, Material Use, Lifetime Cost, Consumer Acceptance and Policy Initiatives.” Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society A: Mathematical, Physical and Engineering Sciences 372, no. 2006 (January 13, 2014): 1-27. ↩︎
  9. Delucchi, M. A., et. al. “An Assessment of Electric Vehicles: Technology, Infrastructure Requirments, Greenhouse-Gas Emissions, Petroleum Use, Material Use, Lifetime Cost, Consumer Acceptance and Policy Initiative.” 1-27. ↩︎
  10. Delucchi, M. A., et. al. “An Assessment of Electric Vehicles: Technology, Infrastructure Requirments, Greenhouse- Gas Emissions, Petroleum Use, Material Use, Lifetime Cost, Consumer Acceptance and Policy Initiative.” 1-27. ↩︎
  11. Delucchi, M. A., et. al. “An Assessment of Electric Vehicles: Technology, Infrastructure Requirments, Greenhouse- Gas Emissions, Petroleum Use, Material Use, Lifetime Cost, Consumer Acceptance and Policy Initiative.” 1-27. ↩︎