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In addition, the U.S. dependence on foreign oil poses economic and security hazards.
The National Resources Defense Fund figures that if fuel efficiency is raised by only
7.6 miles per gallon, the U.S. could eliminate all Gulf oil imports.
The quantity of CO2 released by a vehicle is basically proportional to the amount of
fuel consumed, therefore fuel-efficient cars can definitely contribute to stopping
global warming. HEVs have the potential to decrease CO2 gas emissions by one-third
to one-half and at the same time cut U.S. dependence on foreign oil. Compared to a
conventional car, the hybrids burn far less gas per mile and produce much less
pollution, especially greenhouse gases. The Toyota Prius, for example, reduces
normalized tailpipe emissions by up to 90% and greenhouse gas emissions by around
50%.
The environmental impact of HEVs then is twofold - firstly minimizing poisons being
produced by the burning of gas, diesel and other fossil fuels that are polluting the
atmosphere and secondly, reducing the U.S. dependency on foreign oil as well as the
depletion of the earth's resources. Because they use less gas by switching to the
electric motor on occasion and produce fewer pollutants when running on electricity,
hybrids offer the best solution available today to the environmental issues.
All electric vehicles would seem like the simplest solution to this problem since they
are 100% pollution-free, securing their power from batteries, the sun or hydrogen fuel
cells. However, since these methods have met
with minimal success - due to insubstantial range
or exorbitant costs - the HEV is the best we have
for now.
Over the next decade some of the kinks
in these alternative methods may or may not be
worked out, but at least the gas-electric hybrid
combination has the potential to seriously cut
toxins from the atmosphere.
Environmentalists point out the need for a sustainable transportation system - one
that serves today's needs as well as takes care of future generations. The current
system is not sustainable because it uses sizeable amounts of energy and creates large
quantities of pollutants. Cleaner, more efficient cars, like HEVs, are more
sustainable. As the automakers climb on board, consumers will need to follow to take
a sustainable system from possibility to reality.
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