techdirections November 2012 : Page 13

Environmental and Cost Concerns By Edward J. Lazaros ejlazaros@bsu.edu M OST high school stu-dents are at an age when they are learn-ing to drive. They of-ten want to offer input when their parents decide on what vehicle to purchase, so the activity described in this article should have direct personal interest for them. It allows students to use technology and mathematics to determine the environmental impacts of vehicles and the estimated costs of vehicle ownership. Speciﬁcally, students will select two hybrid gas-electric vehicles and two internal combustion engine vehicles and use mathematical cal-culations to determine the estimated cost of purchasing and fueling the vehicles over a six-year period. Stu-dents will also explore the environ-mental impacts of hybrid gas-electric vehicles and internal combustion engine vehicles. The activity gives students prac-tice with English and language arts skills through using software to gen-erate an electronic slide presentation that includes information identiﬁed through Internet research and math-ematical calculations. More broadly, students will also learn about the nature of technology, technology and society, and the designed world, and develop abilities of a technological world. Edward J. Lazaros is assistant pro-fessor of technology and coordinator of the online Master of Arts in career and technical education, Department of Technology, Ball State University, Muncie, IN. Background company to lower prices. Honda is also looking to cut the cost of its The average U.S. fuel economy of hybrid vehicles while improving their an internal combustion vehicle is 21 technologies (Honda, 2008). miles per gallon (Rockhold, 2005). Still, many gas-powered vehicles Hybrids get about 46 miles per gallon are less expensive than comparable on average. The cost of fuel per gal-hybrids. This raises the question of lon has risen signiﬁcantly in recent years and could continue to rise. Gasoline is a nonrenewable energy re-source, and experts note that oil and gas reserves may be depleted within the next few decades (Demirbas, 2010). Kuo (2012) writes, “As we all know, the world’s oil will be peaking within the next few years and, at the current levels of consumption, we can expect to run out of oil Photo 1—Researching fuel-efficient vehicles in the 2040s” (p. 8). Basic economic principles of whether they are actually less ex-supply and demand indicate that pensive in the long run—or do the prices may rise because the demand savings in fuel costs associated with is there and the supply is limited. the hybrids make up for their higher Gas-electric hybrid vehicles and purchase price? One thing to add to internal combustion vehicles have this consideration is that there are both positive and negative aspects multiple batteries in a gas-electric related to cost and environmental hybrid vehicle and their replacement impacts. At this point, the purchase would cost a substantial amount of price of a gas-electric hybrid vehicle money. Potential buyers should iden-is generally more expensive than its tify their personal preferences and gas-powered equivalent, usually by weigh the costs and beneﬁts. several thousand dollars or more. Then there are environmental Some of the higher cost may be due impacts to consider as well. In gen-to the fact that they were put on the eral, gas-electric hybrid vehicles market relatively recently, and some have better results on emissions manufacturers are working to lower tests because they release less their cost. Note that the 2011 Lincoln nitrogen gas, carbon dioxide, and MKZ hybrid sold for the same cost as carbon monoxide than a vehicle its gas-powered version (HybridCars. powered by an internal combustion com, 2010). Lincoln is not the only www.techdirections.com TRANSPORTATION 13 A Peer-Reviewed Article Comparing Cars—

Comparing Cars— Environmental and Cost Concerns

Edward J. Lazaros

MOST high school students are at an age when they are learning to drive. They often want to offer input when their parents decide on what vehicle to purchase, so the activity described in this article should have direct personal interest for them. It allows students to use technology and mathematics to determine the environmental impacts of vehicles and the estimated costs of vehicle ownership. Specifically, students will select two hybrid gas-electric vehicles and two internal combustion engine vehicles and use mathematical calculations to determine the estimated cost of purchasing and fueling the vehicles over a six-year period. Students will also explore the environmental impacts of hybrid gas-electric vehicles and internal combustion engine vehicles. The activity gives students practice with English and language arts skills through using software to generate an electronic slide presentation that includes information identified through Internet research and mathematical calculations. More broadly, students will also learn about the nature of technology, technology and society, and the designed world, and develop abilities of a technological world. Background The average U.S. fuel economy of an internal combustion vehicle is 21 miles per gallon (Rockhold, 2005). Hybrids get about 46 miles per gallon on average. The cost of fuel per gallon has risen significantly in recent years and could continue to rise. Gasoline is a nonrenewable energy resource, and experts note that oil and gas reserves may be depleted within the next few decades (Demirbas, 2010). Kuo (2012) writes, “As we all know, the world’s oil will be peaking within the next few years and, at the current levels of consumption, we can expect to run out of oil in the 2040s” (p. 8). Basic economic principles of supply and demand indicate that prices may rise because the demand is there and the supply is limited. Gas-electric hybrid vehicles and internal combustion vehicles have both positive and negative aspects related to cost and environmental impacts. At this point, the purchase price of a gas-electric hybrid vehicle is generally more expensive than its gas-powered equivalent, usually by several thousand dollars or more. Some of the higher cost may be due to the fact that they were put on the market relatively recently, and some manufacturers are working to lower their cost. Note that the 2011 Lincoln MKZ hybrid sold for the same cost as its gas-powered version (HybridCars. com, 2010). Lincoln is not the only company to lower prices. Honda is also looking to cut the cost of its hybrid vehicles while improving their technologies (Honda, 2008). Still, many gas-powered vehicles are less expensive than comparable hybrids. This raises the question of whether they are actually less expensive in the long run—or do the savings in fuel costs associated with the hybrids make up for their higher purchase price? One thing to add to this consideration is that there are multiple batteries in a gas-electric hybrid vehicle and their replacement would cost a substantial amount of money. Potential buyers should identify their personal preferences and weigh the costs and benefits. Then there are environmental impacts to consider as well. In general, gas-electric hybrid vehicles have better results on emissions tests because they release less nitrogen gas, carbon dioxide, and carbon monoxide than a vehicle powered by an internal combustion engine. Carbon dioxide is probably the most well known, especially for harming the ozone layer and affecting air quality. In fact, about 30% of greenhouse gases from humans are transportation related, which makes gasoline-run vehicles the leading cause of global warming (Berkeley University, n.d.). While gas-electric hybrid vehicles do reduce greenhouse emissions greatly, there are environmental impacts from the production of the vehicles themselves. The pollution to the environment comes from the elaborate battery system (Berkeley University, n.d.). The creation of the batteries involves mining that can be very destructive. If the batteries are improperly disposed of and sent to a landfill, the battery’s toxins can leech into groundwater. Both vehicles have advantages and disadvantages. A potential buyer would have to address his/her personal preferences, costs, and how he/she feels about the environment before deciding which type of vehicle is a better option. It is not exactly a black and white decision. There are always drawbacks as research is conducted, so a buyer should weigh those drawbacks. Student Procedure 1. Use the Internet to research fuel efficient vehicles. Select two hybrid gas-electric vehicles and two internal combustion engine vehicles that appeal to you. Use the vehicle manufacturer websites to gather information. (See Photo 1.) 2. Conduct an Internet search to obtain a photograph of each vehicle that you selected and then download the photos. (See Photo 2.) 3. Using PowerPoint software, record the make, the model, the average city and highway miles per gallon (mpg), and the base manufacturer suggested retail price (MSRP) for each of the four vehicles. (See Photo 3.) 4. Insert the downloaded photographs into a table in PowerPoint. (See Photo 4.) 5. Create a table to assist with mathematical calculations to determine the estimated cost of the vehicle over a six-year period for each vehicle (MSRP + cost of fuel). This can be generated in a word-processing program. (See Photo 5.) Once the table is completed, copy and paste it into PowerPoint. Assume the driver travels 12,000 miles per year and that the cost of fuel averages $3.50 per gallon during that period of time. Assume 50% city driving and 50% highway driving. (Sales tax, maintenance costs, and vehicle financing rates are not figured into this activity. However, the teacher can expand the activity to include those mathematical calculations if desired.) 6. Enter the vehicle make and model in column A. 7. Enter 6,000 miles in column B (6,000 miles city driving and 6,000 miles highway driving) and the value of 6 years in column D. The value of 6,000 miles will be multiplied by 6 years, equaling 36,000 miles, which will be entered in column E. 8. Enter the mpg value for city and highway for each vehicle in column G. 9. Divide the 36,000 value in column E by the city and highway miles per gallon value in column G and enter the resulting figure for gallons used in column H. 10. Multiply the city value in column H by the estimated cost of fuel over the six-year period ($3.50) in column I and record the answer in column J. Repeat the process for the highway value in column H and record the answer in column J. 11. Add the city value and the highway value in column J and record the answer in column K. 12. Enter the manufacturer’s suggested retail price in column M. 13. Add the estimated fuel cost from column K to the manufacturers suggested retail price in column M and record the answer in column N. The figure in column N represents the estimated cost of purchasing and operating the vehicle over a six-year period. 14. Use computer and Internet technologies to research the environmental impacts of hybrid gas-electric vehicles (e.g., cost of disposal of batteries used to power the vehicle). (See Photo 6.) Research environmental impacts of internal- combustion engine vehicles (e.g., pollution from emissions). (See Photo 7.) 15. Compose a PowerPoint presentation that summarizes the estimated costs of the vehicles researched and the environmental impacts of hybrid gas-electric vehicles and internal combustion engine vehicles. Present your completed PowerPoint presentation to the class. Activity Extensions To involve community participation, the instructor could invite representatives from local car dealerships to participate in the activity. These dealership representatives could also discuss the technical specifications of their vehicles with the students to complement the research that students find on the Internet. To expand on the mathematical operations, an instructor could have the students calculate sales tax, maintenance costs, and vehicle financing rates. To expand on software application, a spreadsheet program such as Microsoft Excel can be used to record data and calculate totals.

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