Technological Forces of cars industry Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Technological Forces of cars industry - Essay Example In addition, new materials that make the car lighter will enable the manufacturers to increase fuel efficiency whether they are powered by gasoline, electricity, or flex fuels. Technological forces will result in cars that go farther for less cost. Electricity is the fuel of choice for many people that see it as sustainable and environmentally friendly. It can be produced from solar or wind and can utilize hydrogen through the use of fuel cells. However, the battery has been the weak component in the system. They are traditionally heavy, dirty, have a limited storage capacity, and a short lifespan. Lithium Ion batteries do offer some promise as improvements have been made in recent years. Don Hillebrand, director of the Center for Transportation Research at Argonne National Laboratory "believes that the ultimate medium for electric vehicles' batteries may well be lithium ion, the same material used today in batteries for laptop computers" (Orzech, 2007). Lithium Ion is poised to replace the existing battery technologies of lead-acid and nickel-metal-hydride, and the new high-end electric roadster Tesla is powered by 6800 lithium batteries. As the industry bridges the gap to the totally electric automobile and a move away from gasoline, the interim period may be fuelled by natural gas. Natural gas is a technology that has been largely overlooked due to a few disadvantages.