Problem

=__Problems__= = =

Oil
The United States currently imports approximately 55% of its oil, and it is projected tor increase to about 68% by the year 2025 (Nice and Strickland). Which raises the question of, what happens when we are importing TOO much oil and the fossil fuels in the Earth are about to become inexistent? Why are we not all changing to alternative fuels? "The main reasons have everything to do with oil" (Nice and Strickland).

Gas and Diesel
To lower and eventually get rid of the dependency of foreign oil, the United States must either increase fuel economy in the vehicles or change over to an alternative fuel. Just personal vehicles alone "guzzle over 100 billion gallons of gas and diesel fuel each year" ("Howstuffworks") which is an enormous amount of oil in to imported to sustain gasoline and diesel powered engines. "Gasoline is the bloodline that keeps America moving" ("Howstuffworks").

FCV (Fuel Cell Vehicles)
Fuel cell vehicles use the most abundant resource in this universe to power the vehicles, hydrogen. Hydrogen powered vehicles have to possibilities to get us out of the slump with oil. The only emission that is released from fuel cell vehicles is water ("Alternative Fuels"). "The only by-product of running a hydrogen-powered fuel cell is oxygen and a trickle of water" (West), this is opposed to the other emissions that are released from a gasoline or diesel powered vehicle: water vapor, nitrogen gas, and carbon dioxide.

Problems with FCV's
Although the idea is great, one major problem with Fuel Cell Vehicles is the cost per vehicle, which is more expensive than that of a hybrid car and much more expensive then that of an ordinary car. Fuel Cell Vehicles have the ability to change the "transportation system" ("Alternative Fuels") as we know it, but "high cost of producing fuel cells" and the "lack of a hydrogen refueling network" (West) has put the fuel cells in a bind.

Hybrid Cars
Hybrid cars are the more practical then that of FCV's. The only problem with hybrids is that half of the energy is run off of fossil fuels. This could possibly help ease the prices of gasoline, and the dependence on fossil fuels, but is not a permanent solution. []