Controversial Topic About Hybrid & Electric Cars

Nowadays there are a lot of kinds of vehicles. One of the modern achievements is hybrid electric vehicle, which is actually the combination of an electric vehicle with conventional internal combustion engine propulsion system with an electric propulsion system. (Dignan 2016).The electric powertrain is used with the aim of fuel economy and better performance of a car. There are a lot of variants of hybrid electric vehicles, mostly these are cars, but there are also electric trucks and busses as well. Modern technologies are widely used for increasing of the efficiency, for example regenerative brakes are able to convert the kinetic energy of the vehicle into electric energy to recharge the battery. Conventional brakes just waste the energy. Some of the models of hybrid electric cars could close the ICE at idle and relaunch it, when it is necessary. Certainly hybrid and electric cars are the embodiments of the rapid development of modern technologies and as anything, which goes beyond the traditionally accepted norms, cause a lot of controversies.

In 1900 Ferdinand Porsche was working over creation of the Mixte – a hybrid version of System Lohner – Porsche, which was for the first time introduced in Paris World Fair in the same year. Later there appeared hybrid busses and racing hybrids. In 1905 Henri Pieper worked out hybrid vehicle with electric motor and gasoline engine, which was relatively small. Electric motor was used, when there was cruise speed and when climbing a hilt and accelerating, both motors started to work. Later there appeared a lot of other versions of such hybrids, most of them were not commercially successful until the one, invented by Erich Gaichen in 1931, appeared. This was a ½ horse power electric car, which already had most of the features of the modern hybrid cars. “The car battery was re-charged by the motor when the car went downhill. Additional power to charge the battery was provided by a cylinder of compressed air which was re-charged by small air pumps activated by vibrations of the chassis and the brakes and by igniting oxyhydrogen gas.” (Dignan 2016).

There is an assumption that electric cars are able to make America more competitive, because they might have the potential for reducing economic and national security impact in relation to the country’s dependence upon oil. In case production of electric vehicles starts to develop, there will be more work places created. Making investments into development of this production could have positive impact upon the level of the competitiveness of the country, namely with such countries as China and South Korea, because these two have already started to make investments into development of electric vehicles production. At the same time this would provide the possibility to reduce the expenses for the personnel, which is involved into oil security of the country. Generally if America is not so much dependant upon oil, this is a good chance to make the international position of the country much stronger. Minimization of environmental impacts, participation in global clean economy are other important factors, which should be considered as arguments pro development of electric vehicles production. Economy, environmental security is closely related to the introduction and development of these new technologies.

According to statistical data around 94 % of all cars, trucks, planes, ships in America are dependant upon oil. “In 2009, this country imported 11.7 million barrels of crude oil and refined petroleum products per day. At $100 a barrel, this amounts to sending foreign countries—some of them hostile to U.S. interests—more than $1.1 billion to meet our daily energy needs. To ensure stability in the world oil markets, American troops are deployed on oil-security missions, costing U.S. taxpayers $67 billion to $83 billion a year, according to the Rand Corp.” (Chambers 2015). These facts underline the necessity to consider application of electricity as an alternative fuel. It was already mentioned that manufacturing of electric vehicles could contribute to creation of 700 000 jobs. In addition it is necessary to consider the growth of the consumer demand in this sphere. “Demand for EVs has resulted in new battery and component manufacturing facilities across the United States. The Department of Energy estimates that the United States will have the capacity to produce 40 percent of the world’s advanced vehicle batteries by 2015, and other experts predict that battery manufacturing could grow to $100 billion a year by 2030.” (Chambers 2015). The issues of national security are certainly related to the environmental benefits. Billions of dollars are spend by the United States upon oil-security missions. The cases of political instability in the Middle East had negative impacts upon oil markets and these aspects should always be kept in mind for the future, because deep and inevitable oil dependence could do only harm to national security and weaken the economy of the country. Opponents of electric and hybrid vehicles state that this is not true that they could become means for reduction of carbon emissions and they are not that cost-effective in comparison to ethanol. This is not true, as electric cars are at least five times more efficient in converting of energy into movement, that any type of combustion engine. Also opponents state that only wealthy people could afford purchasing such cars, thus this is again an innovation for the upper-income consumers. In reality all technologies are rather expensive at the beginning. As time passes, they become gradually more affordable.

Overall, hybrid electric vehicles as a modern technology have without any doubts great potential for various spheres of the country’s development; still apart of evident positive impact is luckily to have upon internal and external economies of the country, there are still a lot of controversies, which need time and effort to be solved. 

Works Cited:

Chambers, N. The Government Should Subsidize Electric Cars.” Hybrid and Electric Cars. Ed. Louise I. Gerdes. Farmington Hills, MI: Greenhaven Press, 2015.

Dignan, L.  “Hybrid, electric vehicles to become louder for pedestrian safety. SmartPlanet.com. 2016

Perry, M. J. “The Government Should Not Subsidize Electric Cars.” Hybrid and Electric Cars. Ed. Louise I. Gerdes. Farmington Hills, MI: Greenhaven Press, 2015

The terms offer and acceptance. (2016, May 17). Retrieved from

[Accessed: March 29, 2024]

"The terms offer and acceptance." freeessays.club, 17 May 2016.

[Accessed: March 29, 2024]

freeessays.club (2016) The terms offer and acceptance [Online].
Available at:

[Accessed: March 29, 2024]

"The terms offer and acceptance." freeessays.club, 17 May 2016

[Accessed: March 29, 2024]

"The terms offer and acceptance." freeessays.club, 17 May 2016

[Accessed: March 29, 2024]

"The terms offer and acceptance." freeessays.club, 17 May 2016

[Accessed: March 29, 2024]

"The terms offer and acceptance." freeessays.club, 17 May 2016

[Accessed: March 29, 2024]
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