Alternative energy vehiclesAre you interested in alternative energy cars? Here's a brief synopsis of existing technologies, some of the issues surrounding each, and suggestions for further reading. There is no doubt that pollution from automobiles is a serious problem in industrialized countries and is increasing in developing countries. And the number of automobiles is growing rapidly: in the United States, the automobile population has increased 6 times faster than the human population and 2 times faster than the number of new drivers (Motavelli, 2000). At the same time, 2001 average fleet fuel economy fell to 20.4 miles per gallon, the same as 1980. This decline is fueled by the growing trend of inefficient SUVs. Given that more than 50% of U.S. oil comes from overseas, the dangerous level of waste promoted by inefficient vehicles makes this more than just an environmental issue. What are some of the long-term renewable solutions to the political and environmental dangers of pollution and inefficiency? pose?Battery-powered vehicles.There are several models of electric cars on the market being built. At the moment, their economic viability is limited by the relatively short distance that can be traveled between charging and lower-than-average top speeds. Considering the advantages that standard cars have over battery-powered ones, there is little economic incentive to buy battery-powered cars, but the environmental benefits are huge. While factory pollution is needed to create the electricity needed to charge vehicles, it would take 13 electric cars to equal the emissions produced by one standard car (Motavelli, 2000). Research continues to produce battery-powered cars... middle of paper. Suggestions for further reading: Borroni-Bird, Christopher E. Designing AUTOnomy. http://www.sciam.com/print_version.cfm?articleID=00034FE5-BA99-1D80-90FB809EC580000. 2002. California Air Resources Board. Major Automotive Fuel Cell Programs http://www.arb.ca.gov/msprog/zevprog/fuelcell/kalhammer/techreport/sec3_3.pdf. 2002Fantes, Francisco. Solar Hydrogen Energy: Mining the Oceans for the Holy Grail. Harvard Science Review, Winter 2002. Hubler, Shawn, Chalk One Up for Hybrids. http://www.calendarlive.com/printedition/calendar/cl_et_hubler26mar26.story. 2002.Motavelli, Jim. Forward Drive: The race to build “clean” cars for the future. San Francisco: Sierra Club Books, 2000 Nice, Karim. How hybrid cars work. http://auto.howstuffworks.com/hybrid_car.htm 2002.Sierra Club, Energy Fact Sheet. http://www.sieraclub.org/energy/factsheet.asp 2001