Running Head: GREEN ALTERNATIVES

Green Alternatives: Same Transport, Different Era

Annie Sheoran

University of California, Berkeley

College Writing R1A

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Preface

Transportation accounts for 27% of greenhouse gas emissions in the

US (Ribeiro et al., 2007), and the resultant climate change is projected to

have an economic cost of half a trillion dollars by 2050 (Ackerman et al.,

2008). Transitioning from fossil fuel utilizing internal combustion engines to

alternative clean energy transport is an obvious solution to combat this

problem. However, the reality is that these alternatives need to not only be

environment friendly, but technologically and economically viable. In the

face of the growing issue of climate change, governments worldwide look for

solutions, but instead of looking to the future, they are searching through

the past.

The Road Ahead: Electric Cars

Sometimes, while riding a bicycle you feel as though you are riding

the bicycle backwards. You feel like you are heading in the wrong direction

but what truly is happening is contraction and release. This is one of the

numerous occassions when you are being prepared for something much

greater by the universe and like a bolt or arrow, its going to shoot you

forward you just have to go backwards for a little bit. Similarly, the

automotive industry has reached a point where reflecting and learning from

the past is the only way to move forward. At the turn of the 20th century,

the electric car was the most popular form of ground transport (Romero,

2009) despite currently comprising of only three percent of new car sales
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(Matulka, 2014). However, it is poised to make a comeback as growing

environmental concerns and recent developments in technology reshape

economics.

The 20th century witnessed a strong competition between the electric

vehicle, steam engine, and internal combustion engine to become the

mainstream form of land transport. Electric autos biggest competitor, the

early internal combustion engine, was plagued by many issues; it was

arduous to drive, dirty, and loud while additionally requiring constant

maintenance (Romero, 2009). Hence, by the 1900s, electric vehicle rapidly

gained popularity and one in three cars on the road was electric (Matulka,

2014) as it was quiet and reliable.

However, the presentation of Henry Ford's Model T in the late 1900's

denoted the start of the end for the electric auto. The car was progressively

open to the overall population because of the large-scale manufacturing of

the gasoline-fueled internal combustion engine. The Model T cost $650

contrasted with $1750 for a normal electric vehicle and was never again

considered a luxury (Matulka, 2014). As an outcome, there was a substantial

drop in demand for electric cars (Romero, 2009). Not only were electric

conveyances outcompeted in terms of price, but there was withal a

paradigm shift in terms of the utilization of cars. Electric cars did not require

long ranges as they were confined to large urban centers due to a lack of

adequate infrastructure. However, there was increased facility and

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subsequently, increased demand for conveyances to peregrinate long

distances with the nationwide development of better road infrastructure and

more gasoline stations (Matulka, 2014). The electric car was now unable to

compete with the gasoline cars due to low fuel prices as a result of the

revelation of oil in Texas and coupled with its circumscribed range, electric

cars vanished from the roads.

However, today, on the other hand, electric conveyances are making

a resurgence. The expanded consciousness of the effect of our carbon

footprint, alongside rising fuel costs, have prompted critical advancement in

electric vehicle innovation. One of the fundamental worries with electric

vehicles in the past has been their constrained range, which has brought

about struggling offers of completely electric models, for example, the

Nissan Leaf (Tuttle, 2012). However, due to fast technological advances,

organizations, for example, Tesla have now created extravagant electric

autos with scopes of up to 200 miles (Matulka, 2014). Drivers of this model

would be able to make the five-hour return trip from San Francisco to

Sacramento on a single charge. These electric vehicles are currently not

available to the overall population, with Tesla models costing upwards of

$90,000 (Romero, 2009). Albeit a niche market due to this inaccessibility of

electric conveyances (Tuttle, 2012), it is an emerging one.

The future of electric vehicles looks promising, with advances in

technology bringing about expanded performance and diminished costs

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(Romero, 2009). Government-funded research and development has led to

battery costs being halved in the last four years (Matulka, 2014). Therefore,

the cost of electric autos, for example, the Tesla models keep on falling, with

the soon to be released Tesla Model 3 anticipated to cost $35,000 (" Tesla

Model 3", 2017). These falling expenses alongside expanded infrastructure

across the country imply that widespread electric car use is turning into a

reality.

In spite of the current information on the impact of combusting fossil

fuels, buyers keep on purchasing gasoline-fueled autos because of the

absence of an alternative at an affordable price range. When a " Model T" of

the electric auto is introduced to the market, gas-filled autos will meet a

similar fate to the first electric vehicles.

The story of Airships

In the 1920s, a ship took 4 days to cross the Atlantic and

international travel involved endless days of enervation and discomfort on

exuberant ships or squeaking trains. Then emerged a dirigible balloon, a

type of lighter-than-air aircraft, that could navigate through the air under its

own power. It offered an extravagant experience, with well-appointed

cabins, table service, staterooms (Barnes, n.d), and a utopian view of the

world from the skies. Also, the dirigible balloon reduced the travel time

considerably as The Graf and Hindenburg Zeppelins crossed the Atlantic in

half the time taken by a ship (Laniado, 2000). The story of airships is not
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over yet as they may once again play a vital role in transportation as

environmental concerns and morality mould economic thought in the 21st

century.

The transport industry was revolutionized by Count Zeppelin, known

as the father of the modern airship, due to the introduction of the first

commercial aerial convey company in 1909 (Laniado, 2000). By introducing

commercial airship flight, peregrinate times across the Atlantic Ocean were

halved from four to two days in comparison to the prevalent mode of long

distance convey at the time, the ship (Laniado, 2000). In addition to being

more expeditious than their surface-bound competitors, airships were more

luxurious, sophisticated, and provided the best views. At the apex of their

popularity in the 1930s, airships transported around 405,000 passengers

across the Atlantic Ocean (Tagliabue, 2008).

However, the golden era of airship travel came to an unexpected end

following the Hindenburg disaster in 1937 (Tagliabue, 2008). The

Hindenburg, the world's largest airship, combusted in an astounding fashion

amid a docking endeavor due to the explosive nature of the hydrogen gas

utilized as a part of Zeppelins at the time and its balsawood outline

(Tarantola, 2013), resulting in the death of 35 travelers and crew on board.

This catastrophe highlighted the perils of airship peregrinate and resulted in

a sharp decrease in consumer confidence in the industry. Due to an

American monopoly on helium deposits, it was 1000 times more costly than
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its inexhaustible counterpart, hydrogen ( The Great Airships, n.d). As a

result, helium was rarely utilized in airships in the 1930s despite being an

inert and consequently safer alternative to hydrogen gas . In addition to the

economic challenges and reputation damage that commenced to plague

airships, they started to face increased competition from another form of air

peregrinate: the plane. During the 1930s, technological advancements in

plane technology resulted in more reliable models with increased ranges and

speed, while additionally providing a quieter and less turbulent ride

(Laniado, 2000). As a result, planes significantly outcompeted airships and

monopolized long-distance air peregrinate, as they were a more

economically viable option for both consumers and companies.

However, due to the rising fuel costs and an awareness of the

significant impact our carbon impression has on the earth, there has been

renewed interest and investigation into airships for cargo transport. The

aviation industry continues to grow, and as a result greenhouse gas

emissions from the industry also continue to increase. In less than two

decades, the European Unions aviation emissions have risen by 87% (

Climate change, 2006). The resulting government-funded research and

development has led to significant advancements in airship technology.

Modern airships and airship hybrids such as the HAV304 are up to 70% more

environmentally friendly than comparable cargo planes (Carter, 2014),

meaning fuel costs can be cut significantly. These airships are additionally
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able to carry hundreds of tons of cargo, while being airborne for up to three

weeks at a time (Carter, 2014). For these reasons, airships are being re-

explored for their potential as an alternative for freight convey. While it is

unlikely that airships will supersede jets in the transport industry, the unique

ability of the airship to vertically take off and stay airborne for significant

lengths of time implies that it has uses for humanitarian aid in disaster zones

and freight to areas without landing strips (Tarantola, 2013), places planes

cannot reach.

The environmental impacts of the transport industry are becoming

increasingly pertinent to making economic decisions in the 21st century and

ergo clean transport alternatives such as the airship are being

reinvestigated.

Postface

There has been a resurgence of interest into previously obsolete

forms of transport as we move towards sustainable and clean sources of

energy. Modern environmentalism and technological advancements are

bridging the gap between theoretical systems and reality, which implies that

these forms of transport could soon be a commonplace. Perhaps it's not long

before we witness gas stations and contrails being replaced by electric

vehicle charging ports and airships gliding silently through the skies. The

technology is right around the corner.

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References

Ackerman et al. (2008). The cost of climate change. Natural Resources

Defense Council.

Retrieved from https://www.nrdc.org/sites/default/files/cost.pdf

Carter, C. (2014). Worlds largest aircraft unveiled and hailed game

changer. The Telegraph.

Climate Change. (2006). Climate change: commission proposes bringing

air transport into EU Emissions Trading Scheme. European

Commission. Retrieved from

http://europa.eu/rapid/press-release_IP-06-1862_en.htm

Dodson, S. (2007). Welcome to the transport of tomorrow. The Guardian.

Laniado, J. (2000). Slow motion. Frieze Magazine. Retrieved from

https://bcourses.berkeley.edu/courses/1465513/files/folder

/Readings/U2%20Readings?preview=71516713

Matulka, R. (2014). The history of the electric car. Department of Energy.

Retrieved from

https://energy.gov/articles/history-electric-car

Ribeiro et al. (2007). Transport and its infrastructure. Intergovernmental

Panel on Climate Change. Retrieved from

http://www.ipcc.ch/publications_and_data/ar4/wg3/en/ch5.html

Romero, F. (2009). A brief history of the electric car. Time Magazine.

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Retrieved from

https://bcourses.berkeley.edu/courses/1465513/files/folder/

Readings/U2%20Readings? preview=71530314

Tagliabue, J. (2008). Why fly when you can float? New York Times.

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/05dirigible.html?_r=1

Tarantola, A. (2013). The aluminum airship of the future has finally flown.

Gizmodo. Retrieved from

https://gizmodo.com/the-aluminum-airship-of-the-future

-has-finally-flown-1301320903

Tesla Model 3. (2017). Model 3 Specs. Tesla. Retrieved from

https://www.tesla.com/model3

The Great Airships. (n.d). Excerpt from Century of flight. Retrieved from

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Tuttle, B. (2012). Is it time to declare the Nissan Leaf a flop? Time

Magazine.

Retrieved from

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nissan-leaf-a-flop/
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