Every time I see a large, brand new, gas-guzzling vehicle drive by I am reminded of the limited resources needed to make it run. As a cyclist, I am interested in promoting other types of transportation that will use less petroleum and benefit the individual and the community. Several years ago I was in the market for a new car and the hybrid seemed a good option. After some research and some hearsay, I determined that the life span of the battery was too short and I didn’t want to risk having to replace it at great expense in a few short years. Today’s hybrids are evolving into the car of the future, with batteries that last much longer and that are less expensive. But what if we could have electric car batteries that lasted even longer and that were as inexpensive to replace as the battery in today’s cars? We could discourage large vehicles by taxing them on the amount of gas they use and give “conservation credits” for other choices, such as mass transit or bikes used for transport. The bigger a vehicle is, the more gas it takes to make it run - depleting our natural resources. You can choose to drive this type of car, but you pay extra to have that luxury. These taxes would go to research…maybe to produce a better battery for hybrids? http://sustainablebusinessoregon.com/articles/2010/04/psu_selected_as_site_for_testing_toyota_prius_hybrid.html
by Debra Mosso
No comments:
Post a Comment