Gas Mileage Technology

As we all know gas prices are increasing tremendously lately. The demand for gas has increased. It is becoming increasingly difficult for people to afford to drive. Automobile companies are now trying to come up with ways to increase gas mileage, that way people will be less dependent on gas. New technologies are being created that will benefit the earth and us. One we may have heard about is hybrid cars. These cars do not run on gas alone, it is run by an electric motor. A small amount of gas is put in the car, just incase the motor runs out of battery. The car needs to be charged in order to run everyday. Like this technology many other things have been in the works.

         Design is very important to the overall workings of a car. For gas mileage it may be most important. New materials are being used that decreases the load an engine usually carries, which means that less gas is needed. These two materials are aluminum alloy and carbon fiber. They are strong yet light. A perfect combination for the travel through wind. Because the material is not heavy it cuts through air with minimal wind resistance. The next important design is that of the engine. The engine is the key element to the increase and decrease of gas mileage. Automakers say that the biggest improvement that has been made is the switch from carburetors to electronic fuel injectors. How it works is that it uses a computer to determine the amount of fuel that is needed. It takes the drivers speed and input into account and comes up with an amount that Is best at any specific time. With will make it easier for a driver to not over-fuel. It will decrease the amount of gas being used and also help with saving money for the driver. As mentioned earlier hybrids, are an excellent way to save money and increase gas mileage. They also do things that many cars cannot making them more  efficient all around. When going downhill. hybrids store energy that in many cars would simply go to waster, it is then used to power the battery and assist the engine later on. All these technologies are creating a great domino effect. With less gas being needed, the price of gas will go down due to a smaller demand of it. This will help drivers save money.With gas being used at a smaller rate the emissions will be lower. This is a great contribution to the slowing down of Global Warming.
           Many new types of vehicles are being produced that are drastically helping in the increase of gas mileage. Hydrogen fueled vehicles are a new technology coming into form. These vehicles use liquid hydrogen to charge the battery and produce only water vapor emissions. Another possible option that is being experimented with is the use of corn ethanol and natural gas to fuel cars. Vision Motor Company is coming out with a brand new line of cars being powered by natural gas. This will be able to cut fuel costs by up to 80% . That is amazing ! The problem now is, if the gas prices begin to go down and things become more affordable people are going to want big cars. With bigger vehicles comes a higher MPG. This means that even though fuel efficiency has gone up tremendously the miles per gallon of a large vehicle has not changed very much. So although we have helped one thing we still need to work on another. Unfortunately, this is going to be a continual process for a while. However, there have been many improvements. We are doing well in this effort and simply need to continue.

Sources :

Hartman, Dennis. "Gas Mileage Technology | EHow." EHow. Demand Media, 05 May 2010. Web. 25 Sept. 2013.

 

"Get Better Gas Mileage With New Technology." Auto Copyright Free Content. N.p., n.d. Web. 25 Sept. 2013.

 

Dizikes, Peter. "First Carbon Nanotube Computer." MIT Technology Review. MIT News Magazine, 21 Feb. 2012. Web. 25 Sept. 2013.