Hybrid Cars

I write this to discuss the flaws of hybrid cars. Many people think that a hybrid car is one of the new modes of transport that is efficient, friendly to the environment and cost effective.

However, I think this is not the case. If you live in Australia, you know that all the powerplants are powered by burning coal. A hybrid car must recharge its batteries from this source of electricity. Many people think that the battery inside the car runs on electriciy and therefore reduces co2 emissions. However, the electricity used to charge the battery comes from a powerplant that burns coal. Therefore, when use charge your hybrid car to use the battery, aren’t you getting energy from the powerplant and therefore burning more coal? Therefore the co2 emmission side of benefits is canceled out by the need to burn more coal. (coal emits 2.1kgs of co2 per kilo, petrol emits 2.3kgs of co2 per kilo)Even if you live in a country like America where nuclear power plants are used, co2 emmissions are used in the process of mining uranium and transporting it. The wastes aren’t too environmentally friendly either.

They may also think that hybrid cars are more efficient. However, a petrol car only has one energy conversion process. and some energy is wasted in this process, converthing chemical to kinetic energy. However, to turn the electric motor, the enery follows much more conversions and therefore more energy is lost in these conversions. The coal must heat water to turn a turbine, the turbine spins a generator which generates the electricity and the electrity is converted to kinetic energy again by the motor. There are 3 processes in this, and more energy is lost, and therefore less efficient.

Many people think they are saving on fuel costs. However, a few factors can outbalance this. Firstly, hybrid cars have a much more complicated engine and system. Therefore it would cost more to repair such a car, and high maintainence would be required. Plus, the battery, due to its heavy use must be replaced, and that can be very expensive. Plus, due to its higher price compared with petrol cars, one must drive it for years before he/she benefits financially.

I think there is a better solution than this primative one. Especially not the use of diesel, biofuels or ethanol. I think one way to go is either hydrogen fuel cells, though these are expensive and complicated. However, we sould let technology find better ways. Another is the use of nuclear fusion reactors in cars. These are very efficient, don’t create large amounts of waste and runs on hyrdogen. (And no, nuclear fusion reactors are not like fission reactors. They don’t emit dangerous radiation or blow up)