I'm A Procrastinator

[LaureltheQueen]

So I have to write a research paper today... Yes, today. The subject is "Should the government encourage the use of vehicles with alternate fuel sources by increasing tax credits?"

My Thesis is.. "If the federal goverment increases tax credits for vehicles with alternate fuel sources, it will encourage a rise in technology, help America become more independent of foreign oil, and make more affordable energy for the future."

This has to be a pro/con paper, so those are my pros, my cons are that american automakers want to stay where the money is(suv's and trucks) and not do anymore research(whoa, that's something new), alternate refueling conversion would be expensive, and the government likes foreign oil, our president even holds stocks...

any input?

[BAC5.2]

This is kind of tricky. Alternative Fuel Vehciles could mean any number of things. Solar? Hydrogen? Gasoline/electric hybrid? Diesel? Diesel Hybrid?

Any one of those things isn't really an alternative fuel source. All require a certain amount of petrolium based products in order to be produced. While you may not be needing 12 gallons of gasoline every week, you still need 6 quarts of oil every few thousand miles. You still need to produce the solar panels, or the motors, or the body panels, and the hydrogen. A reduction in fuel consumption, sure, but not as significant a one as you'd expect. Not enough of one to outweigh the costs of a hydrogen fueling conversion at least. Not right now, maybe a few years down the line when gas costs upwards of $5 per gallon.

Now if by Alternative Fuel Vehicle, you mean Gasoline/Electric hybrid, and tax credits for the purchase of said vehicle, then yea, that's a great idea. It will do every pro you mentioned, but will decrease jobs (would you really expect Ford to design and build a Hybrid Focus that would outsell the Toyota Prius? Not right now, maybe later), it will also COST money in terms of tax income from gas stations (If everyone gets a hybrid, and goes to the gas station 1/2 as often to buy 1/2 as much fuel, it would add up quickly) and loss of domestic production and lay-offs.

One of the biggest pro's I could see would be a competition between automakers. To see who could produce the most economical, highest performing vehicle on the road. The Mercedes Benz Vision CLS is ahead of the game with a twin-turbo Diesel V6 making upwards of 256hp and 0-60 of 6.4 seconds.

Who wouldn't buy a 12.5 second 1/4 mile diesel hybrid that gets 50+ mpg in the city? I know I wouldn't mind it.

[evolutionmovement]

As a con you could say that the consumer tax credits currently go to hybrids (and maybe the dual-fuel Tauruses and such, but I think that's a corporate credit) and hybrids have a problem with end of life disposing of the batteries. Are they recycled and how much would they cost to replace? Probably too much for the car's value I would guess. Electric is too impractical at this time and probably always will be (you electric people stay out of my face for this statement - I'm a steam lover and we both have to admit our propulsion methods will likely never take hold). Several gas-powered cars are rated at lower emissions than electric anyway (when taking into account electricity production).

Advances in diesel tachnology combined with low-sulfur fuel provides more traditional power that most consumers would prefer and little to no mileage loss in comparison to hybrids. Diesels also skirt the new technology and long term unknowns of hybrids as well as low emissions when combined with low sulfur fuel and the emissions controls that allows. You could also argue that the money would be better spent tightening emissions standards on power plants, boats, planes, trains, off road vehicles, and ICE-powered equipment which presently have very little restrictions as opposed to cars which have become almost infinitely cleaner over the nearly forty years that the automakers have had to contend with government mandated emissions standards.

I find it hard to argue against funding fuel cell research, but the stress could be taken away from its application to automobiles and more towards providing heat, electricity, and some water to houses. This would be a far greater contribution to cleaner air than putting them in cars.

Just a few suggestions, but for the record I think they're should be tax incentives for any low emissions/high mileage vehicles.

Steve

[BAC5.2]

Steve - The batteries in Hybrids are warrantied. If they die, the company replaces them at no charge.

When they die, they are recycled exactly like a car battery, or any other NiMh battery.

I didn't know the dual-fuel Ford's had tax breaks though (the Taurus and the Ranger are offered as dual-fuel cars). I wouldn't think that would give a tax break. It doesn't reduce emissions, and you can't buy ethanol at a gas station to make use of the second fuel option.

[evolutionmovement]

Phil - you posted while I was typing. The government did sponsor a 80 mpg 4-door 'supercar' project under the Clinton administration to have resulted in said car in production by 2000. Only the domestics were invited and the government just handed them money so they could make excuses for why they couldn't do it. Toyota, who originally wanted in, but was denied, went ahead and built the Prius with all their own money. This is the perfect example of why the domestics suck.

As for hydrogen, there are ways of extracting it with less environmental impact (there's no such thing as no impact - in order to survive one must destroy - the law of the universe. The trick is to limit the damage as much as possible to ensure survival) than coal-fired plants or nuclear (until we can figure out a real solution to the waste). There's hydroelectric, geothermal, solar (whos panels last a long time), tidal, and wind. I understand that all of these are local, but consider that if all dwellings/businesses relied on fuel cells rather than power-plant generated electricity, then these hydrogen generation stations could be located wherever they could be used in the most environmentally sound way and the hydrogen then transported like heating oil is done now.

Every new technology that kills off an old ends up creating more jobs in the long run. Some people who can't adapt will be out of work, but theat's economic darwinism. a hydrogen economy would have its own needs and thus create jobs of its own.

Damn, have to add more junk - ethanol is only available as a blend in some gas stations primarily if not exclusively in the Midwest and I'm pretty sure Ford only does it to catch a tax break - probably something with CAFE, but it could be a credit under some other program.

Steve

[BAC5.2]

You can also get Ethanol in South America. It's actually the preferred fuel (I've heard) because of the ease of production (bio-mass). I didn't know you could get it out west, but I've never been out there, so I wouldn't know.

[LaureltheQueen]

Here's what i've got so far, I'm at 563 words, and have to be at 1500 by the end of the night.

One vehicle gets more than six times as many miles per gallon, produces fewer emissions, and is statistically less likely to be in a fatal collision. The vehicles in comparison are the 2003 Honda Insight, and the 2003 Hummer H2, and due to George W. Bush’s 2003 tax plan, the owner of the gas-guzzler is able to save more than 13 times more than the owner of the environmentally responsible car in taxes. There is currently a debate over tax credits being issued to Low Emissions Vehicles, or vehicles using alternate fuel sources, to encourage the development of technology to help consumers become less reliant on fossil fuels for transportation. The federal government defines alternate fuels as propane, alcohol, biodiesel, hydrogen, and compressed natural gas.
An upside to increasing tax credits for buyers of low emission or alternative vehicles would be the rise in technology. American automakers are already making plans to produce more hybrid vehicles. In 2003, Ford was expected to release their hybrid Escape, equipped with Honda’s technology of a conventional gasoline powered engine with electric assist, and regenerative braking. It has finally gone into production as a 2005 model year vehicle and will soon be on the market. GM has also jumped on the bandwagon, creating their own hybrid system call ParadiGM expected to show up soon in a mid-sized SUV, and boost gas mileage by an estimated 20%. DaimlerCrysler commits nearly $6 each year to further their alternate fuel technology program, and recently saw a payoff. North America’s first production fuel cell vehicle, who’s emissions consist of nothing but water vapor was the Mercedes Benz A-class. Honda, not a company to be upstaged by any of the Detroit 3, recently received the first Advanced Technology Partial Zero-Emissions Vehicle (AT-PZEV) rating from CARB for their new propane powered Civic GX, the first of its kind in America. California’s Energy Commission was charged with the task of persuading Californians to want to own automobiles using alternate fuel sources. After their research they discovered that consumers tend to shy away from hybrid cars because of their poor performance on “gradability,” or speed on a 20 mile upgrade, and acceleration. As consumers desire more and more to pay less for gas, vehicle manufacturers have begun expanding their technology to make their vehicles cleaner burning and more environmentally friendly. If the cost of gas is driving consumers to buy hybrid vehicles, it seems only logical that tax credits would encourage them to do the same. The government also offers tax credits to manufacturers for producing hybrid vehicles, so it seems if savings were increased, automakers would have more money to invest in research and development to make high performance, AFVs, which would be attractive to nearly everyone.

The worlds petroleum reserves are expected to only last for another 50 years, if crude oil consumption stays the same, though it is expected increase. If this is the case, then the Unites States should begin weaning themselves from their dependency on petroleum. Converting gas stations to hydrogen fuel stations would be an expensive thing to do, but if the government gives significant tax credits to businesses doing environmentally responsible conversions, such as building a hydrogen refueling center, then businesses would be more likely to do so. Hydrogen is extracted through electricity which can be produced nearly free of cost through the use of solar panels, or wind energy.

[Yukonart]

Hmm, a good start.

Are you supposed to give pro/con for each aspect of the transitions (through tax credits) or give pro/con on what the tax credits are ACTUALLY doing?

Just trying to figure out which direction the paper's going. . . in the spirit of offering better advice.

[LaureltheQueen]

no real guidelines with the paper. I'm just supposed to show both sides of the issue(that's my next part) I'm going to go into the loss of jobs next paragraph when i can get up the drive to write again.

[Yukonart]

Sounds like you're adressing what WILL BE good and bad about tax credits. More of an academic than a reporting paper, then.

In that case, I'd say you're definitely hitting all the things I would be able to come up with.

[azn2nr]

does your teacher realy care on exactly how many words the paper is or cant you just fill it with fluff

[LaureltheQueen]

it needs to be close. I can just fill it in with fluff, but i'd rather not, as it's a college prep class

[BAC5.2]

Haha, college isn't about facts. Espically English.

I had to do more work waking up in the morning than I had to do for my English papers.

[LaureltheQueen]

it's for International Politics

[evolutionmovement]

I'm sure you noticed by now that Daimler Chrysler has put in more than $6 a year for alternative fuels - just an edit. Something I do a LOT of with my own writing.

Oh yeah, Nissan's last prototype LeMans racer used a vegetable based oil and had no problems. For some reason there's been nothing more about it. So as sort of an aside maybe you could mention that even a hydrogen-fueled ICE could be petrochemical free when burning hydrogen and using this vegetable based oil. And as an interesting note, Toyota's developed clean trees that process twice as much CO2 as regular trees.

Steve

[LaureltheQueen]

here's the finished Product, in case anybody cares

One vehicle gets more than six times as many miles per gallon, produces fewer emissions, and is statistically less likely to be in a fatal collision.(www.edmunds.com) The vehicles in comparison are the 2003 Honda Insight, and the 2003 Hummer H2, and due to George W. Bush’s 2003 tax plan, the owner of the gas-guzzler is able to save more than 13 times more than the owner of the environmentally responsible car in taxes.( F*ck You and your H2) There is currently a debate over tax credits being issued to Low Emissions Vehicles, or vehicles using alternate fuel sources, to encourage the development of technology to help consumers become less reliant on fossil fuels for transportation. The federal government defines alternate fuels as propane, alcohol, biodiesel, ethanol, hydrogen, and compressed natural gas.( Tax Incentives for Electric and Clean Fuel Vehicles)
An upside to increasing tax credits for buyers of low emission or alternative fuel vehicles would be the rise in technology. American automakers are already making plans to produce more hybrid vehicles. In 2003, Ford was expected to release their hybrid Escape, equipped with Honda’s technology of a conventional gasoline powered engine with electric assist, and regenerative braking. It has finally gone into production as a 2005 model year vehicle and will soon be on the market. GM has also jumped on the bandwagon, creating their own hybrid system call ParadiGM expected to show up soon in a mid-sized SUV, and boost gas mileage by an estimated 20%.( Alternative Fuel News) DaimlerCrysler commits nearly $6 million each year to further their alternate fuel technology program, and recently saw a payoff. North America’s first production fuel cell vehicle, who’s emissions consist of nothing but water vapor was the Mercedes Benz A-class.( DaimlerChrysler's Vision of the Future of Personal Transportation) Honda, not a company to be upstaged by any of the Detroit 3, recently received the first Advanced Technology Partial Zero-Emissions Vehicle (AT-PZEV) rating from CARB for their new propane powered Civic GX, the first of its kind in America.( Alternative Fuel News) California’s Energy Commission was charged with the task of persuading Californians to want to own automobiles using alternate fuel sources. After their research they discovered that consumers tend to shy away from hybrid cars because of their poor performance on “gradability,” or speed on a 20 mile upgrade, and acceleration.(Home Page) As consumers desire more and more to pay less for gas, vehicle manufacturers have begun expanding their technology to make their vehicles cleaner burning and more environmentally friendly. If the cost of gas is driving consumers to buy hybrid vehicles, it seems only logical that tax credits would encourage them to do the same. The government also offers tax credits to manufacturers for producing hybrid vehicles, so it seems if savings were increased, automakers would have more money to invest in research and development to make high performance Alternative Fuel Vehicles, or AFVs, which would be pleasing to a vast majority of consumers.
The world’s petroleum reserves are expected to only last for another 50 years if crude oil consumption stays the same, though it is expected increase.( Volume of World Petroleum Reserves) If this is the case, then the Unites States should begin weaning themselves from their dependency on petroleum. Converting gas stations to hydrogen fuel stations would be an expensive thing to do, but if the government gives significant tax credits to businesses doing environmentally responsible conversions, such as building a hydrogen refueling center, then businesses would be more likely to do so. Hydrogen is extracted through electricity which can be produced nearly free of cost through the use of solar panels, or wind energy. This makes developing technology to make fuel cells easy to use an important thing to save money and the environment.
A downside to starting an AFV revolution is that millions of jobs in the petroleum industry would be lost. That means people owning stocks in oil companies would be hurt as well. Not only would the oil industry not support it, but gas station owners wouldn’t either, having vehicles fill up half as often with half as much gas is not good for business, and would force employees out of work as well. On the other hand, hybrid vehicles have tricky electrical systems that many mechanics are not comfortable working on, which would open up the job market for new mechanics. Hydrogen fuel cell technology requires people to operate machines that would mass extract hydrogen, designers, developers, and people to actually make the hardware needed to run hydrogen fuel.
A good point is that people who would consider buying an AFV probably don’t need tax credits to convince them to buy a hybrid, fuel cell, propane, or ethanol vehicle. The California Energy Commission has considered offering free parking, unlimited access to high occupancy vehicle lanes, and complete tax exemption of the vehicle to California drivers who bought Alternative Fuel Vehicles, which IS something that could easily influence a potential purchaser. California’s CEC also decided that additional incentives may be needed to sway purchasers who are looking for higher performance vehicles.(Home Page) If tax credits are increased, it will up the number of people purchasing AFVs, thus increasing the money coming into carmakers’ budgets, allowing for more to be spent on research and development to increase the vehicle’s performance.
One thing to worry about when considering tax credits for AFV’s and hybrids is loopholes in the laws. When loopholes are found, automakers take them. Subaru recently found a loophole allowing them to call their Legacy Outback wagon and sedan “trucks,” because their rear seats fold down leaving a “flat loading floor.” This allowed Subaru to claim the Outbacks exempt from CAFÉ standards, making it possible for Subaru to decrease efficiency in the rest of their vehicles.( Car Talk : Shape up, Subaru) If the federal government allows any vehicle with a gasoline and electrically powered motor to be considered a hybrid, even if the electric motor only kicks on at idle, and a fuel-gulping V-8 runs the rest of the time, then many automakers will take advantage. Perhaps if the government was to impose strict guidelines as to what kind of gas mileage each vehicle had to get, based on class (large truck, midsize, coupe, etc), it would prevent vehicle manufacturers from taking advantage of the system.
Though increasing tax credits on alternate fuel vehicles, and hybrid cars would be an expensive thing for our country to do, it will benefit the world in the long run. Through research and development of non-fossil fuel ways to power our vehicles, this country will get insight into alternate energy techniques in general, making heating homes more environmentally friendly, and less expensive. With an investment to influence Americans to purchase clean vehicles, the federal government will be saving money in the long run, by cutting down on pollution, there will be less of a need to make the air cleaner. By taking initiative now, our government can proactively prepare for the time when our beloved “black gold” is no longer available. New industries create new jobs, and boost the economy, something the United States definitely needs. By writing laws critically, and not allowing “loopholes the size of Ford Excursions,” then the laws will not get taken advantage of and will be used for their intended purpose, to promote a healthy environment and rise in technology. (Cartalk) In conclusion, the Federal Government should increase tax credits to the owners of alternate fuel vehicles, and hybrid vehicles to promote the development of alternate fuel technology.




1257 words. The teacher's not gonna count... i hope

[mTk]

Is that a final copy? there are some missing/extra words throughout.

MK

[AWD_addict]

I read in the latest Road and Track that the government is proposing putting caps on the number of tax adjustments each company can use. This would benefit the domestics who are late to the party, since Honda and Toyota would soon no longer get the tax adjustments. People probably wouldn't be swayed toward buying domestic by $1000 difference or so, but this is still kind of a dirty trick by the government to help out detroit.

[evolutionmovement]

Subaru was actually late to the truck classification party, and it exempts them from car CAFE standards, but truck CAFE still applies (which is a lower mileage requirement of somewhere around 21 mpg as opposed to 27).

Health care costs associated with bad air are also a savings as well as maybe long-term effects of sunlight exposure.

The new Chrysler Hemi in the 300 has a displacement-on-demand system where the car will cruise on the highway on 4 cyl and kick in with 8 when necessary. This might be a neat way to get higher mileage also and unlike GMs attempt with Cadillac in the early '80's, electronic control systems now allow this to wrok properly.

Just thought I'd continue the discussion a little, there's only so much you can fit in an essay.

Steve

[BAC5.2]

GM uses displacement-on-demand in the newer C5 Corvette and the newest C6 vette. Where else can you have 405hp (Z06) and get 27mpg on the highway?

[evolutionmovement]

I thought the Corvette's mileage was a function of very high OD combined with low CD. I never heard the C5 had DOD.

Steve