Hybrid cars and EVs

Are hybrid cars as eco friendly as they are made out to be? Hybrids and EVs (electric vehicles) are supposedly the solution to our self made problem of greenhouse gases, global warming and high cost of fuel. They are like the halo cars for our generation. But are these vehicles really the cure to our woes and be the savior and solution to our current gas guzzling, atmosphere polluting to the point of choking our globe, generation. A recent study conducted by the Norwegian Science and Technology University has it that, the EVs and Hybrids are not as eco friendly as they seem. For instance, consider the lifecycle of an EV that contains the ingredients like nickel and copper in the toxic batteries that powers the vehicles all the way to the energy sources that supplys power to the electric grids. The study maintained that the problem is actually shifted from the vehicle manufacturers to the power companies. It is due to the simple fact that the electricity needed to power up the cars comes from lignite, coal and heavy oil combusting plants. These are all pollutants that also contribute significantly to the environmental damage. Even the supposed clean Hydro power generated from dams will involve felling of a very large tract of trees that in turn may have to relocate natives of the land or affecting the natural habitats of the animals in the region. Basically, most forms of power generation in one way or another has some affect on the environment, apart from maybe solar and wind powered energy. As for the hybrids and EVs .They have batteries that have a lifecycle and after a point will need to be disposed off. As of last year, there were more than 3 million Toyota hybrids sold and that number is actually much much higher today when taking into account the EVs and Hybrids sold by the other car makers. It is difficult to imagine the amount of pollution that will result in the disposing of the toxic batteries. On another level, the study did also allow that EVs powered by the European electricity mix does have an impact that can result in a 10% to 24% decrease in global warming potential. Although, the downside is on the building of the cars, which still has an impact on human toxicity, eco toxicity, freshwater europhication, and metal depletion. It essentially signifies that the Hybrids and the EVs are just an interim solution to a very long term problem. So is there an ideal solution to the problem? The way things are now with our current state of technology towards car making that is largely dependent on the propulsion options, it is an indication of what direction the car makers are heading in developing future vehicles and what the engines of the future will be like. For a few years, Automakers have been exploring the Hydrogen powered propulsion option that was tabled among other options. This energy source is still being debated because of the involvement of tank weight, high storage pressure and the dangers associated with storing liquid hydrogen in cars. It is unlikely that vehicle manufacturers will stray very far from the internal combustion engine at present, so the aim may be to determine an alternative combustible source of fuel that may be able to power the current generation of engines. Bio fuel has been around a few years and the car manufacturers have been dancing with this option for some time.The stuff is renewable, it doesn’t pollute and the CO2 emission is offsetted by the growing of crops and mainly it is a readily available technology. The modern diesel engines have been proven to be highly fuel economical but can also provide good power without the noisy clatter commonly associated with diesel engines. Audi proved that by winning the Le Mans in a diesel engine. Bio-diesel has all these properties but will the petroleum conglomerates tolerate the technology to be used by the masses.There are billions at stake if these technology were to be introduced that they will probably attempt to slow it down or to create obstacles to the smooth transition of the introduction of bio fuel to the world. We need a replacement for the fossil fuel that the world consumes urgently but the prospects of that happening soon is dim especially when recent discoveries of huge reservoirs were made at the North Pole.That means that petroleum is here to stay for a while longer. And as EVs and Hybrids are a brief solution to easing the environmental concerns .Bio fuels is what the world should gamble on or Hydrogen (provided that a way can be found to safely store and use it), are the obvious and accessible choices for solving the ills.