. Course GS1140 (Wed)
ITT Tech
12/18/2013
Unit 1 Research Paper: Paradigm Shift
Electric cars are technology currently in use today. Instead of using a commonly used gasoline engine the car is driven by an electric motor and is usually powered by battery. There are also hybrid cars which use a combination of electricity and gasoline. These are also starting to become popular. Some benefits of an electric car over gasoline cars are a quiet ride since it has less moving mechanical parts, environment friendly since it doesn’t put out harmful emissions and lowering dependence on foreign oil companies. One impact that will occur from electric cars is the loudness of cars. Because a car would be more quieter this could have two related impacts. This could affect road safety because drivers and more importantly pedestrians may have a harder time locating on coming vehicles since most people identify with sound quicker before sight. The second impact of having quieter cars is proximity of roads and highways. Since homes and residences usually avoid noisy highways having quieter cars could allow a change toward having more highways through residential areas. This could significantly affect building zones and regulations. The second and probably the most important impact would be the effect on the environment. Since gasoline engines put out harmful emissions there is no doubt electric cars would provide a cleaner healthier environment. This could have a long term effect on air pollution, clearing up skylines, improving plant life, and decreasing the decay of the ozone layer. The third significant impact would affect the large car companies and oil companies. These two would be the most effected by a shift and see the results almost instantly since their businesses are dependent on gasoline vehicles. The car companies would need to adapt and integrate electric cars into their lineups and possibly convert them all to electric motors or fear of going out of business. The gasoline companies would be hit the hardest because their source of revenue would almost stop entirely. While a car company could change their engines an oil company would have to convert to an electric company to maintain business. An overhaul of this magnitude would be too much for a company to handle and they would be forced to go under. On the flip side the electric companies would get an influx of all the new needs for energy. Gas stations would get replaced with charging stations. Power plants would need to expand significantly. The demand for batteries and electricians would also probably sky rocket. With these kind of changes on the horizon it is easy to see that the Car companies and Oil companies might work hard to hinder the progression of an electric car. Their business is dependent on gasoline engines and those two companies would be the first opposition to any the advancement of this technology. At the very least they would try to slow its progression. Electric cars are relatively new and tradition could also play a role in hindering progress. The car has been around for around 100 years and the common viewpoint is that cars have gasoline engines. There might be a reluctance to choose a technology that isn’t as proven as a what is possessed now. This kind of change can also be viewed as too radical of a change. Humans tend to stick with what they know and are comfortable with. Electric cars won’t have that trust initially which make it hard for consumers to commit to make the shift. Only time will tell though.