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Juan Angel Mejia Rodriguez

Teacher Amanda Sundell

English

9 November 2017

Hybrid Vehicles: Environmental Impact

While researching websites and books about hybrid vehicles and the environmental impact that
they cause, I found some sites were they explain why they are not totally efficient. It is certain that
the pollution that they produce is reduced but there are some problems in their system specifically
in their battery. It is well-known that hybrid vehicles were invented to cut the damage that other
regular vehicles do, these vehicles work with two or more engines, either petrol or diesel. My goal
in this paper is to share an opinion holding on some research that I have done on whether if it is
really a contribution to the environment buying a hybrid vehicle or if it contaminates as much as
the conventional automobiles. To achieve this goal, I have organized my paper into three main
sections, which three of them have citations to hold on and give an opinion in different aspects and
finally a conclusion setting up the main cause of this essay.

If you're in the market for a new car, you've probably wondered whether hybrid cars are worth the
investment. While there are a number of benefits to purchasing a hybrid car, you should also be
aware of some of the potential negative environmental impacts of hybrid vehicles. When you're
fully educated on the pros and cons of hybrid vehicle purchases, you'll be more prepared to make
a car-buying decision (Williams). He is where we start talking about if they are really good for the
environment and if is it convenient to buy one, according to this research you need to have
knowledge of how these vehicles work, the advantages and the disadvantages. As it was said before
these vehicles work with an electric motor and a combustion engine (diesel or petrol). The pros on
this kind of vehicle are few such as less dependence on fossil fuel which makes the car cleaner and
requires less fuel to run causing fewer emissions, also this helps to reduce the price of gasoline in
the domestic market. Another advantage is the regenerative braking system that has incorporated,
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its function is that each time you apply the brake while driving a hybrid vehicle helps you to
recharge your battery a little. The main pro of a hybrid automobile is that it runs cleaner and has a
better mileage which supposedly makes it environmentally friendly, due to the twin powered
engine (gasoline and electric motor) that cuts fuel consumption and conserves energy. But not all
is nice there are more disadvantages than advantages such as, the less power that generates our
engines because of the amount of gasoline is less so these vehicles are more for driving and not for
acceleration. Another big disadvantage is the high maintenance cost of your vehicle because of the
presence of dual engine and continuous improvement in technology and higher maintenance cost
can make it difficult for mechanics to repair the car. It is also difficult to find a mechanic with
such expertise. The main con of these vehicles and which I will continue talking about is the
presence of high voltage in batteries, also due to the high voltage they are not quite safe, and in
case of an accident there is a high chance of you getting electrocuted. Beyond that these batteries
are rechargeable, so your vehicle has to be plugged in to be able to have energy and here is where
the main issue comes and make us doubt whether if it is not contaminating as much as a regular
car.

Hybrid cars reduce smog-forming emissions in the environment, but it may not be by as much as
you think. A 2004 report by the Connecticut General Assembly stated that when comparing a
traditional compact car to its hybrid counterpart, you can expect emissions to be reduced by
approximately 10 percent (Williams). It is true that these cars reduce in a small amount their
pollution and certainly it is a contribution but as I said before it is not the main issue. The problem
is when you connect your car to recharge your batteries. Where this energy resource comes from?
Plug-in hybrids and Battery Electrical Vehicles need to be plugged into a 120 volt power source in
order to fully charge their electric only systems. The reason this is can be problematic is that this
means they are effectively tapping whatever type of power plant is producing that energy; be it
coal, green energy, nuclear, etc. (Laue). Due to the production of electricity that these vehicles
need, here is where the pollution starts because in order to produce it you need to use toxic resources
for the environment (coal, nuclear, etc.). So the ten percent dont really work because of this way
of obtaining the energy that require each vehicle. Besides of the energy production the batteries
used are made out of nickel-hydride and lithium-ion batteries which were considered to be better
for the environment. According to a research nickel is a probable human carcinogen, and
improperly disposing of nickel-hydride batteries can pose an environmental hazard. The mining
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techniques normally used to get to these materials include strip mining, which leaves quite the
literal hole in the landscape (Laue).

(Laue)

So not only the materials extracted for the batteries are dangerous for the human healthy but also
it affects the planet at the moment they dig a hole to obtain the resource, it will never be the same
as it used to be. Also at the moment these batteries are useless and you throw them away and dont
dispose them correctly they liberate certain chemicals due to the heavy metals that they are made
of which are very poisonous for the environment, which probably ends up in the garbage causing
recycling problems. But there have been developments in these batteries to reduce pollution or
improve the issues caused by them.

The carmakers are waiting in the wings. Toyota and Honda place decals with a toll-free number on
their hybrid battery packs. Toyota offers a $200 bounty to ensure that every battery comes back to
the company. In a press release, Toyota states, "Every part of the battery, from the precious metals
to the plastic, plates, steel case and the wiring, is recycled." Honda collects the battery and transfers
it to a preferred recycler to follow their prescribed process: disassembling and sorting the materials;
shredding the plastic material; recovering and processing the metal; and neutralizing the alkaline
material before sending it to a landfill (Berman). According to this site, there are some methods
which are trying to recycle the most as possible to avoid all the wastes going to the landfills,
persuading the people to take their useless batteries giving them a bounty. Also, there are
investments coming from the automotive industry in the development of new batteries, experiments
with other materials less pollutant, such as lithium. Honda, Toyota, and the entire auto industry are
pumping millions of dollars into research regarding lithium-ion batteries for tomorrows cars. Their
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primary motivation is to reduce the cost and increase the potency of hybrid batteries. Fortunately,
supplanting lead and nickel batteries with rechargeable lithium batteries is also promising from an
environmental perspective (Berman).

As a conclusion hybrids do have great potential to improve total environmental impact if widely
accepted but that doesnt mean technology is a hundred percent green. Knowing the facts about the
negative impacts of a hybrid vehicle will help you make up your mind if in investing in a hybrid
car. Also deciding whether or not a hybrid car is right for you involves more than just a desire to
be environmentally friendly. You have to look at the resources in your area that can maintain and
sustain the car. Depending on the type of car you purchase you may need mechanics that are
familiar with it or an alternate fuel source. Even if you purchase a hybrid car there is more you can
do to lessen your effect on the environment. One of the most important considerations is how you
drive. You can replace many of your car trips with using public transportations, carpooling or even
riding a bicycle. Also it all has to do with where you live because you will know what is the main
source that the city obtains electricity is. If it is in a greenway it is very convenient but if it is from
a plant that burns coal or from a nuclear plant it is not useful. Besides that, I think that hybrid
vehicles do have a future in the automotive industry but the only problem is that a battery-less
pollutant has not been developed.
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Works Cited

Laue, Jeremy. tcagenda. 9 June 2017. 9 November 2017. <https://tcagenda.com/2017/hybrid-cars-

environmental-blessing-time-bomb/>.

McManus, M.C. Applied Energy. Vol. 93. United Kingdom: Department of Mechanical Engineering, 2012.
9 November 2017. <http://www.elsevier.com/locate/apenergy>.

Williams, Laura. lovetoknow. n.d. 9 November 2017.

<http://greenliving.lovetoknow.com/Hybrid_Vehicles_Negative_Environmental_Impact>.

Berman, Brad. Hybridcars. April de 2006. 9 de November de 2017. <http://www.hybridcars.com/battery-

toxicity/>.