Zero-Emission Vehicles Barriers To Overcome Essay Example

Zero-Emission Vehicles: Barriers To Overcome Essay Zero-emission vehicles (ZEV) are vehicles that produce very little or no carbon emissions. ZEVs include battery-operated vehicles and vehicles which run on hydrogen fuel cells. In 1990, California became one of the first states to pass legislation establishing a ZEV program at the state level (Union of Concerned Scientists, 2008). Since that time, concerns over pollution, dependency on foreign oil, and other economic issues have increase interest in ZEV technology and have led other states to adopt similar policies. A measurable and meaningful shift towards ZEV, however, has not yet developed. Several barriers have prevented the implementation and consumer acceptance of ZEV technology. Overcoming these barriers will be an important challenge for policy makers and engineers in the future. Problems with infrastructure Cars, trucks, and other vehicles in the United States use either gasoline or diesel for fuel. Consequently, the fuel delivery system for the country is set up to handle these two products. Cars that use alternative fuels, including alternative fuels that are as relatively common as propane or natural gas, have a difficult time finding refueling stations. The lack of reliable refueling stations for these alternative fuels prevents the widespread user of vehicles that use alternative fuels. Owners of propane-powered cars and trucks, for example, must plan their trips and travel itineraries around the availability of fuel. This problem is increased dramatically as more exotic fuels are added to the mix. For example, while hydrogen fuel cells may provide a clean and affordable alternative to gasoline powered cars, there are currently no commercial refueling stations for hydrogen fuel cells. If the driver of such a vehicle was to try to make a trip of any reasonable distance, he or she would eventually run out of fuel and would be forced to change plans. The lack of hydrogen stations has created a veritable Catch-22 for commercial hydrogen technology. On the one hand, fuel providers are unlikely to create a distribution system for hydrogen fuel until there is a greater demand for their products. Unfortunately, the lack of a commercial hydrogen distribution system that is capable of servicing a fleet of hydrogen-powered cars has prevented any serious development of this technology. This problem will probably require some type of public-private partnership to be resolved. The government could provide support to create a hydrogen distribution network that could provide fuel for hydrogen-powered cars. Private investors could be encouraged through tax incentives and other government subsidies to develop the distribution network until such time that there are sufficient customers to support the new industry. We will write a custom essay sample on Zero-Emission Vehicles: Barriers To Overcome specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on Zero-Emission Vehicles: Barriers To Overcome specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on Zero-Emission Vehicles: Barriers To Overcome specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer Fuel cell technology faces a similar problem. It is true that there is a highly-developed electrical energy grid that is already established in the United States. Some consumers believe that all they will have to do is simply plug their battery-powered cars into any convenient outlet to recharge their batteries. Unfortunately, this perception may not be completely accurate. While the grid is in place, the ability of that grid to support the energy needs of millions of battery powered cars is not guaranteed. It is very likely that the current energy grid might simply collapse under the additional burden of millions of drivers plugging in their cars to recharge over night. As the country switches to battery-powered vehicles, it will eventually become necessary to provide more electrical energy, either through wind, solar, or nuclear power. The addition of these extra sources, however, will still not be sufficient unless the distribution system can handle the additional load.   This w ill require an upgrade of the current energy grid to handle the increased power demands. Industry problems A similar Catch-22 exists for the automobile manufacturers. Car companies must invest millions of dollars into the research and development (RD) of new models of traditional vehicles. They do this because they are reasonably sure, based on their market research, that consumers will like their new product and that they will be rewarded for their research. Along with the usual amount of RD that is to be expected of any new model car, the development of a ZEV will require the additional expense of developing new technologies. It is unrealistic, for example, to expect a ZEV engine to propel a chassis and body type that was designed for an internal combustion engine. Not only will the automobile manufacture need to develop a new ZEV propulsion system, but the company will also have to develop a body and chassis that can work with that new engine. This will require retooling and reconfiguring existing plants and/or the construction of new manufacturing facilities that are dedicated to the production of ZEV products. This is a huge expense with an unsure payoff, at least in the short term. Car companies may have a difficult time justifying this expense at a time when they are already almost bankrupt. Once again, the solution seems to lie in a partnership between government and the private sector. Government can help car companies to develop the technology that is required to mass-produce commercially-viable ZEV products. At the same time, private investors can provide capital to create the manufacturing facilities to produce the cars. Economic barriers Increased demands for electricity (in the case of battery powered cars) will drive up the cost of electricity for other purposes. This price increase will affect all consumers, not just the consumers who happen to purchase ZEVs. Increases in prices for electricity could affect the profitability of businesses, household budgets, and governments that are required to pay the electric bills for the areas in their jurisdictions. The popularity of ZEVs could suffer if the public perceives that these vehicles are increasing fuel prices. That perception will become more dramatic if ZEVs are perceived as causing or contributing to blackouts or brownouts due to an insufficient power supply. Public Perception The problems of available alternative fuels and their distribution are real problems. They can, however, be solved, given enough time and resources that are devoted to finding a solution. These problems, however, are complicated by the public awareness of them and the perception that they will be difficult to overcome. The transition from a petroleum-powered car fleet to a nation-wide fleet of battery or hydrogen cars represents a major shift not only in technology but in the publics definition of a car. Such massive change does not come easily to people, especially to people who are used to convenient and relatively inexpensive transportation. People will have to rethink the concept of what a car is, what fuel is, and how these products are purchased and used by consumers. Americans like big cars. This attitude changed somewhat during the most recent round of gasoline price increases, but there are still millions of Americans who drive SUVs or other gas-guzzling vehicles. Americans, for the most part, think of smaller cars as somehow less secure, less safe, and less prestigious than large cars. This mentality represents a serious psychological barrier for the development of alternative fuels and the cars that will use them. Until Americans change their perception of cars and overcome this psychological barrier, it is unlikely that cars that use alternative fuels will have enough of a market demand to justify their production. It is true that Honda, Hyundai, and other automobile manufacturers have done very well with smaller cars. However, even these relatively smaller cars are still larger than the typical ZEV would need to be in order to be commercially viable. Automobile manufactures and the government will need to use a combined strategy of public e ducation and advertising to create a greater demand for these cars. Conclusion Ultimately, the United States and the other nations of the world have no choice but to switch to ZEVs or other vehicles that do not burn fossil fuels. The price surge of the summer of 2008 demonstrated how vulnerable the global economy is to fluctuations in oil prices and how easily those prices may be manipulated by small groups of individuals. There is also the problem of a finite supply of oil reserves in the world. While it will be some time before the world is out of oil, it is very likely that demand will exceed production capabilities at some time in the very near future. This gap between supply and demand will drive up prices and will make gasoline powered cars inoperable in some cases. There are also environmental considerations. The link between fossil fuels, pollution, and environmental change has been well established. This is not to say that ZEVs will not come with their own set of environmental problems, including the problem of disposing of used batteries and depleted hydrogen cells. These new problems, however, can be resolved as the technology is developed. Engineers and policy makers must address both the technical and the psychological barriers to market if ZEVs are to become commercially viable in the United States. These will be difficult challenges; yet they can be accomplished if the government and private industry are willing to work together. References Union of Concerned Scientists Union of Concerned Scientists (2008). Californias Zero Emission Vehicle (ZEV) Program. Retrieved December 12, 2008, from http://www.ucsusa.org/clean_vehicles/solutions/advanced_vehicles_and_fuels/californias-zero-emission-3.html

Jackie Robinson essays

Jackie Robinson essays In 1947 Jackie Robinson was signed by the Brooklyn Dodgers and was the first black to do so. Before that there were separate leagues. Segregation was a big issue and Jackie made it even bigger by calling for it to stop and letting every one have a chance to show their talent. He led the path for a less difficult life for blacks, but that path had hate, misery, and pain as obstacles and only a special person like Robinson could overcome those obstacles. Jack Roosevelt Robinson was born on January 31, 1919, in a small farmhouse near Cairo, Georgia. He had a tough up bringing and did not have good housing. "Jackie and his family lived on a white owned farm and his father worked on the farm"(Falkner 22). Jackie did not have a clear path to the right future. "The overriding reality of Robinson's early years was that, for black youth, the future was closed. Simple as that. It didn't take sociologist or a Jim Crow sign to tell him that schools, jobs, opportunities, careers were severely limited"(Falkner 28). Jackie had his eyes opened to prejudice at a very young age. "Everyday prejudice was Robinson's silent companion wherever he went, to and from school, to the neighborhood parks, to the segregated movie theaters, to the curbside markets where the Bond- Bread truck, the vegetable truck, the milk truck, sold their wares because most local food merchants refused to welcome nonwhites in their stores" (Falkner 30). Jackie grew up in the e ra of segregation. "During the period of segregation in the United States racial controversies were, of course, serious issues that often held deadly consequences. Lynchings were common. And each time blacks attempted to expand their limited citizenship, the response was usually accompanied with violence"(Dorinson 159). For Jackie to take all the horrible injustices that he saw an had done to him is an extraordinary sign of what kind of man Jackie was. When Jackie was young he and his friends used to s ...

Klebsiella pneumoniae(Microbiology) Research Paper

Klebsiella pneumoniae(Microbiology) - Research Paper Example It is also present in soil and around 30% of the species fix nitrogen under anaerobic conditions (Postgate, 1998). Research Background Klebsiella is becoming the topic of research as it is emerging as an impetrative pathogen in nosocomial infections. Klebsiella possess two different kinds of antigens one on its cell wall and other on its capsule. The O antigen is present as a cell wall component on the lipopolysaccharide (LPS) and possess 9 different kinds. The capsular antigen is known as K antigen and possess as many as 80 different kinds. These antigens are responsible for the virulence of the organism (Podschun, 1998). Clinical implications These virulence factors are responsible for disease called pneumonia. Pneumonia is the disease of lungs and results in inflammation of lungs. This results in necrosis of cells. It then produces thick, blood filled mucous or sputum. The causal organism is Klebsiella pneumoniae. The organism gains access into the lower part of respiratory tract and inhabit there as an oropharyngeal microbial population (Todar). If the immune system of the individual is compromised either due to poor nutrition or some condition of illness then the individual is likely to suffer with pneumonia. It is observed that Klebsiella pneumoniae affects individuals suffering from either diabetes, or display any kind of malignancy or witness liver disease or malfunction or if the individual is alcoholic. It is also reported that individuals with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Diseases (COPD) or suffer from renal failure, they also become victim of Klebsiella pneumoniae. Professional hazard in case of paper mill workers is also observed where personnel are likely to become soft targets for Klebsiella pneumoniae (Todar). Hospitalizations could also result in Klebsiella pneumoniae infestation and therefore the organism is becoming a source of nosocomial infections. Under these conditions, Klebsiella pneumoniae causes bronchopneumonia and also bronchitis. T he patient may witness abscess of lungs, or cavitations in lungs, pus may get collected in the lung cavities resulting in empyema or pleural empyema, as a result of pneumonia, this are linked with parapneumonic effusions. This is a three phase ailment encompassing (Pothula, 1994). a. exudative phase where accumulation of pus takes place. b. fibrinopurulent stage where lot of pus pockets are being generated. c. the organizing stage which causes entrapment of lung(s) (Pothula, 1994). Pleural adhesion may be generated as a result of all the implications causing elevation in death rate. Klebsiella also affects the urinary tract, causing UTI. It also disrupts the intestinal lining and hence causes diarrhea. It is capable of colonizing in the upper respiratory tract and causes upper respiratory tract infection. It also causes infection of wounds, inflammation of gall bladder causing cholecystitis, as well as infection of bone and bone marrow leading to osteomyelitis. The most dreaded infe ction caused by Klebsiella pneumoniae is the inflammation of meninges leading to meningitis, it travels the blood stream leading to septicemia (Todar). The prevalence of Klebsiella pneumoniae in the invasive device or support equipments or catheters, not only contaminates the device but also position patients at an enhanced risk for Klebsiella infection. Thus sepsis as well as septic shock enables the bacteria to gain entry into the blood (Todar). Research The implications of Klebsiella are so

The Journal of Helene Berr Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

The Journal of Helene Berr - Essay Example The book is a compilation of Berr’s diary that took every day of her life during the two years of Jews’ persecution. The book presents persecution of Jews in France during the Nazi era. It accounts for the great suffering of the French Jews during this era. The book shows how the Jews were snatched from the streets and their deportation, and others killings. The book elaborates on the treatment of the Jews during the World War Two. She began writing the diary in 1942 but, the publishing was 63 years after the death of Helene Berr. The author records all the humiliations that the Jews went through in the occupied Paris in the hands of the Nazis. Helene Berr entrusted the diary to the family cook who was to pass to Helene’s fiance.1 Helene Berr was a 21 year old Jew who was pursuing English literature at Sorbonne. She was from a rich Jewish family that was living in France. She lived with her family, which included her parents, elder sister and a domestic worker.2 She was intelligent, brave, loving and passionate about everything that she did and full of talent. There is well presentation of these traits in the book as it flows. During the peaceful times in France, Helene and her family had a decent life that the rich people could afford. Helene had a normal life and socialized with most people in the surrounding society even those who were not of her social class. This is shown by the life she was living by having friends from the school, amateur musicians, her family and how they went for holidays and her maternal grandmother.3 During this time, there were two parts of France; Paris and South France. South was the peaceful state when Paris was unsafe due to occupation of the Nazis. The occupation of the Nazis led to people escaping to the South including Helene’s younger brother Jacques. After the Nazis occupation, life of Helene and that of her family took a new turn in that they could not live in peace anymore. Her father was arres ted and deported. This is where her transformation sets in because she had to join Jewish supporters and relief agencies which were her fifth circle of her life. In these agencies, she became friendly to many people who were the front runners in protecting the French Jews. At the agencies, she helped in saving many lives of the Jews who were threatened by the Germans. They took care of the orphans whose parents were arrested and killed. The friendliness is well presented in the book, because of many friends she had in the English studies department, in Sorbonne. This show how humble she was even though she came from a rich French family of Jewish origin. The book also shows how Helene was caring; this is evident where she suppressed feelings towards her fiance who fled to the South so as to stay with the rest of the family and not to act in a cowardly manner. During this period, Helene took the orphans in an aid organization to nature walks and helped in running the headquarters. Th e act shows how brave she was to stay and identify with the suffering Jews. She was brave enough to put on a yellow star that was used to identify the Jews.4 She develops this change of mind to identify with fellow Jews who were facing persecution. This situation affected Berr’s family life as Helene’s father was arrested and deported. She even stopped schooling and the man she loved fled to the South; this made her lose the things she loved most; her fiance and her studies.5 Helene was a strong person because she survived and lived without the men she loved; her father and her fiance. Helene criticized the French Christians who ignored what was happening to the Jews.6 She advocated for socialism where all people were to be treated in the same manner no

If you invest $20 million in China Research Paper

If you invest $20 million in China - Research Paper Example The economy’s growth potential therefore identifies room for more investments and capitalizing $ 20 million dollars is not likely to stretch the economy’s resources (Oecd 33). Another significant macroeconomic indicator for determining investment decision in a country is the trend in inflation rate. Inflation defines a steady and significant rise in commodity prices. It can similarly be defined as a continuous decrease in the value of money in an economy. Inflation would therefore induce a loss in invested money because the investment’s value will be lower than the original one and even derived profits might not be able to compensate for the loss from inflation. Inflation trends in China however offer a good indicator because it has conveyed a decreasing trend. The inflation rate was for example reported at 6.9 in the year 2004 and the value had steadily decreased to 2.5 by the year 2008. The steady trend further projects high probability of lower inflation rates in future and this means that an invested amount in the economy is not likely to lose its value. The trend that can be forecasted to persist further shows that an investment in China has high chances of gaining value as the country’s inflation rate continue to decrease (Oecd 33). A review of the past trend of China’s consumer price index also offers a basis for determining prospects of investing the $ 20 million in the economy. The macroeconomic indicator defines percentage change in a group of commodities’ weighted prices and is related to inflation. A fall in consumer price index, as represented by the Chinese economy therefore implies economic stability and improving money’s value with time. The index was for example reported at about four in the year 2004 and... Business organizations are established with the prime objective of making profit through entrepreneurial ventures that may identify diversified economic risk. It is therefore necessary to analyze economic environment around a business in order to understand its possible risks and benefits before deciding on establishing a business. Making decisions over which economy to invest in may require analysis of microeconomic and macroeconomic factors of economies of interest for evaluation and comparison of involved risks and benefits. Similarly, an investor who has focused on one economy needs to evaluate the economy’s factors before establishing a venture. In this paper, the potential and risks of investing $ 20 million in China are investigated, based on the country’s macro and microeconomic indicators. The country’s major challenges are however its banking system that is strictly regulated by the government and its currency that does not reflect real value against other currencies. The government’s regulation may hinder delivery of quality and unbiased banking services and may allow for government control on investments. Trends in China’s macroeconomic indicators identify investment potential in the economy that indicates high probability of further expansion and favorable economic factors. The increasing real gross domestic product, decreasing inflation rate, and falling consumer price index indicates the economy’s trend of increasing stability that is safe for investments. Even though government control over banks and the country’s currency are threats to investment in China, the identifiable potentials are more significant.

Comparison Between English and Chinese Language

Comparison Between English and Chinese Language Language is a combination of human-beings history and culture, containing various aspects of social characteristics such as : national consciousness, historical culture, customs etc. And language serves as dress of thought, thoughts are always expressed by words, without thinking, words and language would be meaningless. Meanwhile, the different cultural background and cultural tradition make Chinese and Western in a different pattern of thinking. Vocabulary is the most basic and important materials of building language. So cultural diversity incarnate vocabulary as the most outstanding part. Most of the words do not have a literary meaning, but with a implied meaning, symbol meaning, figurative meaning and connotation meaning, and also endow a word with emotion color. Since ancient times, animals are closely related to human activities. Myths, fairy tales are often related to all kinds of animals in both western country and eastern country. In these literary works, animals are often endowed with human qualities and characteristics. Due to the different culture, the connotative meaning of these vocabulary is generally different. This article, from the angle of linguistic and lexicology side, compare and analysis the animal vocabulary in English and Chinese, in order to reveal the similarities and differences between Western and Chinese culture. Key words: Animal vocabulary, culture, connotation I. Absolute equivalents between English and Chinese. What I called absolute equivalents is not only means the same basic or denotative meaning but also the roughly same cultural connotation and this is called culturaloverlaps. For example: wolf, an wild animal looks like a big dog. In English , wolf often used to describe a pervert man. We have the same meaning in Chinese. They both developed with the greedy characteristics of wolf .Lamb in English refers to a gentle, meek person, also Chinese have the same feeling when they say this world. Take another world fox, we often see as cunning as a fox, in Chinese, fox has also the same meaning of cunning, refers to a wily people. Similarly: as cheerful as a lark; as busy as bee; as fat as a pig; as dull as an ass. All of these animal words express the same meaning no matter in Chinese or English. It reflect the common of the two cultures. People of different culture are living in the same earth. For most of them, the natural environment and some living conditions are similar, so there are a lot of words have the same meaning. These shows the similary of culture. II. Partial equivalents between English and Chinese Vocabulary between Chinese and English which have the different literary meaning, but can express the same connotation meaning, I called it partial equivalents vocabulary. That is to say, two different anima word share a same culture connotation. Eg: cattle(ox) ,plays an important role in Chinese life, cattle, the basis of farm work, plough in the form land and dedicate beaf, milk, people raise them, use them, like them, and respect them. So Chinese people often say as strong as ox to describe a man with strength, but in English we want to express the same meaning, we have to use as strong as a horse. It originated in eastern and western ancient farming methods. British us horses to cultivate land in early times. So they use horse to share the same meaning while Chinese uses cattle. Lion has a rich cultural connotation in English, the image of a lion is brave, imposing manner and majesty. And it is called the king of beasts, so there is alionheart (warriors), majesticasalion (as gr and as a lion), alterarylion (literary celebrity) sayings. The British treat the lion as their symbol of the nation, The British lion which refers to the British. In the culture of the Chinese nation, the lion had not that much connotation, instead, the similar association is tiger . In the national opinion, the tiger is the king of beasts, it refers to prowess, majesty. In Chinese, the tiger replaced the lions position. Similarly, English use a black sheep while Chinese use horse to describe a timid defenseless simpleton who is readily preyed upon; as timid as a rabbit (mouse instead in Chinese) to express a person who is timorous. These kind of vocabulary reflects the difference between Chinese and Western culture. English and Chinese people created synonyms according to their own experiences, but each pair of synonyms were used different animal words, this is mainly due to differences such as mode of production, thinking habits and customs, etc between English and Chinese .Based on the same concept, they have different association, so they use different metaphors to refer to these words. III. Conflict vocabulary between English and Chinese Conflict vocabulary means the English and Chinese language share the same basic meaning, but the cultural connotation is different, even opposite praise or blame meaning of animal words in the two kinds of culture. The association of people would be totally different sometimes. Dragon has rich cultural meanings in Chinese. It symbolizes the Chinese nation. For Chinese people, a dragon is something sacred and has been referred to as the ancestor of the Chinese nation-that is why Chinese call themselves the descendents of dragon. In ancient time, people thought dragon is a mythical animal with great power. It symbolized the king in feudal society. so the king were called sons of dragons. Also parent would like their children to be like dragon, they often name their children with dragon because they hope their children can amount to something when grew up. So Chinese people are very respect to dragon .But in western culture, people think that dragon is an large animal that has wings and a long tail and can breathe fire. So they think dragon is a very dangerious and winged monster that will kills and eats people. In English, dragon symbolize evil or a woman who is fierce, unpleasant or has bad temper. Similarly, dog, phoenix and so many other animal words have totally different connotation in English and Chinese . so these kinds of words make a big trouble for English learners or Chinese learners. In conclusion, animal vocabulary in English and Chinese language have similar meaning but more different culture connotation .While the development of culture in Chinese and English, the vocabulary developed as well. The differences in culture connotation varies from many aspects of culture such as religion, customs, living habits, stories. So culture acts a very important role in animal vocabulary. When we learn a foreign vocabulary, do not only know its literary meaning, but find the relations and difference between the mother language and foreign one, and pay much attention to the culture background and culture connotation.

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SoftPot Rotary Potentiometer: Rotary potentiometer is provided at knee joint of the exoskeleton. Whenever the patient is having intent to walk, the rotary potentiometer calculates the respective torque. In response to that a feedback signal is provided to the actuation system to exert equivalent force to interact with the input torque. The feedback system is designed so well that it updates the status of input torque in fraction of a second and as a result exoskeleton keeps working accordingly; and works well with frequent torque changes. Rotary potentiometer works on the principle of resistance change. It is provided with a very fine needle/flip which rotates over the resistive ring. More the angle of rotation more will be the value of resistance observed between the terminal and the rotating flip. It is the measured resistance that tells about the angle of rotation of the joint and torques produced. Therefore, whenever rotational movement is observed the value of resistance of the respective potentiometer is changed and the signal is fed to the controller to take proper action. This helps in maintaining the exoskeleton motion according to the suggested profile and keeping it in the right motion. The rotary potentiometer used in our proposed design is SoftPot rotary potentiometer which is a miniaturized product with slim and sleek design. It can easily be placed along the bearings of the rotary joints and gives output in terms of analog electrical signals which are proportional to the angle of rotation. This sensor is very thin and compact in design with a wide range of operational resistances. Range of resistance change may vary between 100Ohms to 10,000Ohms; also the response of this sensor is much linear; therefore, the positi... ...e with a frequency rate multiplied by the movement. When you rotate the gyroscope, you may notice a so called Coriolis acceleration. In fact, the gyroscope is a spinner, rotating around a vertical axis, fixed in a frame which can articulate around horizontal axis, attached to another frame rotating around the third axis. Thus, we can conclude: no matter how rotate a spinner, it always has an ability to remain in the upright position. The transmitters accepts the signal about the spinner's orientation towards the frames, and the processor defines how the frame must be located with respect to gravity. Regardless to the types of stabilization the system, it can be the power system stabilization (used in two-stage gyroscopes), the tracer system stabilization force (also on a two-level gyroscopes) and the indicator system stabilization (in three-stage gyroscopes). .