Advantages and disadvantages of hybrid cars (800- 1000 words) Introduction -what is hybrid cars -why it is made?

- who 1st invented / coined the term hybrid?

( in the late 1800s and up until the early 1900s, electric vehicles were the rising stars of the automotive industry [source: Hybrid Cars]. In 1897, the London Electric Cab Company used cabs equipped with 40-cell batteries and 3horsepower electric motors to run their cars for 50 miles (80 kilometers) without having to stop to recharge [Source: Hybrid Cars]. Over the two years that followed, the Pope Manufacturing Company in Hartford, Conn., produced almost 500 electric cars to be sold. Around the same time that these companies were building and using electric cars, a German engineer was building his first car, the Lohner Electric Chaise. It was the world's first front-wheel-drive vehicle. The man who built it has a name beloved among car buffs -- Ferdinand Porsche -- and his second car would be the first-ever hybrid vehicle [source: Hybrid Cars]. The Lohner Carriage Company hired Porsche when they decided to make the transition into the horseless carriage market [source: Wand]. Porsche's car used a type of series hybrid system used in some hybrid vehicles today, like the Chevy Volt. This type of hybrid used the batteries (rather than the internal combustion engine) as the primary source of power for the wheels)

Advantages -environmental friendly- no gas emission, reduces pollution, use renewable energy, saving nonrenewable energy for better use, curb the greenhouse effect, tackle the cost/price problem in owing/ developing cars -lead to development of better technology (better design, promote creative thinking) -designed for safe driving Disadvantages -technology came with higher cost- expensive- high maintenance- spare parts are difficult to find -no return value -not comfortable, not at par with the current car Conclusion Technology for the future, present for a good cause but need further development and alteration to be able to be use by all

Question 1

The fuss about hybrid car begins in the late 90s as company such as Honda and Toyota competing to produce a car which is said to be environmental friendly. Car model such as Toyota Prius and Honda Insight has been dominating the automotive world since people began to show empathy towards the declining level of environmental level due to pollution released from the use of fuel-operated vehicles. What are the fusses surrounding this new type of cars? Is it just a trend or is it true that it can curb environmental problems that we have now? I will explain about the advantages and disadvantages of the hybrid car further below. Just like its name; hybrid, the car itself uses two different sources while operating which is gasoline and electric. Different from gasoline-operated and electric-operated cars, hybrid car is actually a mixture of both that uses the best features of these two cars in an attempt to reduce or eliminate the disadvantages that can be found from the two cars alone. For instance, unlike the conventional gasoline-operated car that produces a large amount of carbon monoxide which is the main element in pollution, hybrid car is designed to lower the level of gas emission released by gasoline-operated car by using the technology in electric cars. Electric cars technology just like its name did not rely on fossil fuels only. Thus, the use of hybrid car will lessen the amount of gas emission that can contribute to the greenhouse effect. Besides that, hybrid technology is designed to promote safe driving among drivers. Unlike the conventional cars, the electric car feature that it has does not permit it to drive as fast as the gasoline-operated car as we know because it rely on batteries for power. Thus, driver will not be driving at a higher speed because the car can only reach a certain speed. The structure of a hybrid car harnesses two sources of power to increase efficiency and provide the kind of performance most of people are looking for in a vehicle The technology of hybrid cars also promotes better lifestyle among people. In align with the development of technology that we have now, people will constantly be thinking to develop a better technology that can contribute towards a better life. Everything is based on environment nowadays. The idea of environmental friendly car may be just an idea before. But with the

development of the technology itself, our lifestyle will be improved and most of all, world will be a better place to live. Hybrid car was also one of the newest technologies that should be embraced by all because it promotes the development of new technology that is crucial for the development of mankind. People will be more creative as we were able to develop more creative ideas that may be beneficial for others. With its many advantages, the development of hybrid cars also came with a higher price. To sum it up, this technology may not be for everyone. It was an expensive car. Because of its new features, the car build up is also different from the normal cars. Unlike normal cars, a hybrid car uses batteries to store the energy that will be used by the electric motor. The electric motor itself was very sophisticated as it can also act as the generator. You will not find it at the normal car garage in your town. You need to find the dealer itself if there is problem regarding the car. The price of spare parts will be much higher than you expected. Thus, these are some new features that cause the price of a hybrid car to be so high. Due to the new technology, hybrid car can also be an alien type of cars for consumers. The car may not have a good return value if the consumer wants to sell it in the market. People were afraid of what they may get if they buy the car. The problem lies with the battery. Like normal battery, it will soon finish and need to be replaced. Its not that expensive for normal cars but for hybrid model it needs a special type of battery that can store all the energy that was needed by the motor. The type of battery cannot be bought at a normal store but at its branch only. Thus the price will be greater and it can affect the consumer economically. Like what have been mentioned above, one of the lack-ness of this car is that it is not fast as the normal cars. This may be the turn off values for the most car owners. It was operated mainly by batteries. You do not need pure science to see this. Just compare to oil operated remote cars and battery operated remote cars. The speed was the most obvious thing that you can see. It needs time to be fully recharged and the control was not very smooth compared to the oiloperated remote cars. These are one of the greatest disadvantages that come with the hybrid cars. The idea of hybrid car maybe appealing for some people only. I personally think that it was a great idea as it promotes a better living for our society. It may have some flaws here and

there but the problems will be sorted out as time goes by. We may not see the difference today. But when we choose to stay in our comfort zone, nothing will ever change and the problems will continue from bad to worse. So as to be able to be a better nation, we need to be able to change. Thus, owning a hybrid car maybe one of the steps that we can make in order to lead to a better, healthy, pollution-free world. (964 words)

Question 2

The illustration refers to two types of energy which is renewable and non-renewable energy. There are five types of renewable energy which is hydropower, biomass, and wind, solar and geothermal energy. Meanwhile, there are four types of energy that can be categorised as non-renewable energy which is fossil fuel or oil, coal, nuclear and natural gas. According to Oxford Dictionary of Contemporary English, renewable energy is defined as energy that can be replenished or replaced. It was accessible everywhere and can be replaced. Non-renewable energy on the other hand is defined as energy that could not be replenished easily as it need time to be developed. Hydropower energy is developed when water that was stored in dam is released and flows through a turbine which then generates electricity. Solar energy is the most popular among renewable energy as it is commonly used. Electricity can be generated using solar lenses or mirrors by capturing the heat from the sun which will then be converted into electricity. Biomass energy is energy that derived from living organism such as rotting garbage and human waste. Agricultural crops such as corn can produce transportation oil which was said to be environmental friendly. Wind energy is energy that most commonly cultivated in country such as United States. Wind will move the wind turbine and it will convert the kinetic energy from the movements into electricity. Geothermal energy on the other hand was not very popular in our country. It usually comes from geysers and hot springs and is used to heat house in cold area. Fossil fuels, coal and natural gas all come from the same element which is the remains of prehistoric animals and plants. It takes million years to be formed. Oil is used in most combustive engine. Coal on the other hand is used in mining industries as the explosive agent. Natural gas is used in most houses for heating purposes. Nuclear energy refers to the use of sustained nuclear fission to generate heat and power. Countries such as Japan have many nuclear plants that provide electricity to many parts of the country.

Renewable energy are the alternatives to the non-renewable energy that is widely use by the people. Beside from the fact that it is replaceable, it was also proved to be environmental friendly. It is then up to us to choose one that will benefited us most in the long run. (400 words)