The history of the car has started as early as 1769 with the origination of a steam powered vehicle capable of carrying people and or materials. However, popularity didn’t genuinely come about until the 20th century. With this recent popularity, brief worry was given to the pollution produced by gas powered engines. Todays’ global warming statistics show that cars might be the largest contributors to the global warming phenomena.
First Emission Controls
Up to the 1960’s there were virtually no emissions controls placed on automobiles. The initial step in controlling emissions was the popularization of the Positive Crankcase Ventilation (PCV) system which rerouted unburned fumes made in the crankcase towards the intake system such that all the hydrocarbons could be burned off. By 1961, almost all automobiles in America had a PCV systems installed as a matter of law.
The 2nd most prevalent addition in an effort to reduce vehicle emissions was the catalytic converter that also required the use of unleaded gasoline in order to help abate the total of emissions into the environment. By 1975, unleaded gas and catalytic converters were common on all automobiles bought in America. While these two innovations helped reduce car emissions, they considerably minimized the vehicles performance and increased gas consumption. Global warming was not a main matter by then.
Changing the Role of the Automobile
Of course the car’s purpose has eternally been to carry masses and stock but in some regions of the United States and the rest of the world, the automobile has become a necessity in order to survive. Cities are becoming bigger and bigger and people have to travel further only to get to the place of employment. Trucking is already the standard of transporting stocks instead of trains in most cases. People rely on their cars as a way to get to work, visit friends and family and of course, travel to vacation. Global warming is the front line topic when it comes to saving the nature, so changing how vehicles impact the environment is a key worry for not only individuals but producers too.
Innovations
Now the question still is: how do we get the performance we wish and also make sure that the Earth is being looked after at the same time. The answer surely is through technical advancement and manufacture innovation.
Some of the new technologies involve designing cars which have almost nil harmful emission but also have the performance characteristics we need like gas-electric hybrid engines, hydrogen fuel cells and solar have made a lot of head way in the past decade. Major automobile producers admit the needs of the masses to have energy efficient vehicles and are introducing new cars every year that meet the government’s standards for car emissions.
What the Future Holds
With the new “breed” of cars already on the marketplace, we can only estimate what the automakers have in the development stages. Global warming statistics indicate} that we have to make radical changes in the way we work and play; having pollution free cars in the near future holds the key to Earth’s survival.
