Transportation from Fossil Fuel to Electric Again

 The history of the transportation of the American automobile that most people don't know was when cars became available, there were two choices fuel or electric powered. Most people in that period preferred electric because they were quieter and did not omit exhaust fumes. That was until John D. Rockefeller (1839-1937), America's first billionaire, had a new plan. He obtained his wealth from an early investment in the oil industry. He saw an opportunity when Edwin Drake discovered oil in 1859 in Titusville, Pennsylvania, struck oil, and he discovered that crude oil is converted to kerosene. Kerosene was a suitable replacement for whale oil that was used for lamp oil at that time and was rising in price with the whale population dwindling. Rockefeller founded the Standard Oil Company with his brother William, Henry Flagler, Jabez A. Bostwick, chemist Samuel Andrews, and a silent partner, Stephen V. Harkness. This author believes the most significant reason Rockefeller made so much money wasn't that he bought out most of his partners but because he invested in finding new ways to use the byproducts of the refining process. During the refining process, approximately 45% of each barrel of crude oil ends up being gasoline. Rockefeller was primarily interested in kerosene for lamp fuel, which amounted to about 8% of a barrel of crude oil at the beginning of his oil venture, leaving gasoline as the most significant byproduct of each barrel of the natural oil production process. Most refineries' tried dumping the leftover byproducts like gasoline at the time was commonly dumped into rivers and fields only to discover it killed everything from fish to plants. Standard Oil eventually found that gasoline could power automobile engines, so they converted most of the engines in the company's fleet to run off of gasoline. Most fuel power motors ran off from ethanol during that era, and with advancing the timing of the motor, they were able to run off from gasoline. Rockefeller eventually convinced auto manufacturers that gasoline engines were the better choice, and that is how the electric car was phased out 120 years ago. Today the electric vehicle is returning, and with solar panels, the car of tomorrow can be powered by the sun. This is possible with a simple carport and a battery storage system sizes calculated to provide enough energy to run electricity for the ordinary day. Which is around 40 miles a day in an urban setting, and the more the technology is used the more efficient these systems will become. Now that this story has been told, where would technology be if different decisions were made then?

      

Better Transportation with Autonomous Vehicles

The self-driving car is also known as autonomous or advanced cruise control (ACC). May make the roads safe in the future. Researchers believe there are many benefits to the self-driving car idea. For example, the car can be programmed for optimum fuel consumption, save space in cities by being used as taxis, and lower energy and material consumption with fewer vehicles being needed. The number of human error accidents should drop because cars should be able to communicate through computers and sensors, easing congestion through platooning. With the lack of traffic, incidents should reduce the need for police to concentrate on the roads and focus on more critical issues. The parking issues are resolved with cars being able to drop passengers off and park farther away or move on to the next prospective customer. These cars will reduce the need for personal vehicles and be in constant motion conserving more energy with fewer cars needed, being used like a taxi or Uber. This system will enable more elderly, disabled, and handicapped people to be safely independent without driving. These vehicles could reduce the need for infrastructure like mass transit as they stay in transit throughout the city. There should no longer be impaired or drunk drivers operating cars because sensors will detect the alcohol and take over control of the vehicle. The reality is that most cars have the initial sensors needed for these systems, and it is projected that by the year 2020, there will be 10,000,000 self-driving cars on the road. Companies like Mercedes, BMW, and Tesla have already released, or are soon to remove, self-driving features that give the car some ability to drive by itself. With this type of technology, the time involved in transportation can be shifted to a time of rest, communication, learning, or entertainment, thus increasing the overall quality of life for everyone who chooses to travel this way. 

Cradle to Cradle Philosophy

Cradle to cradle is a term developed by architect William McDonough and chemist Dr. Michael Braungart describing a unique approach to design and science, which they laid out in their (2002) book, Cradle to Cradle. The concept is that all materials used in the industrial or commercial process fall into two "technical" or "biological" nutrients. Technical nutrients are man-made materials that can be recycled and reused, creating a continuous cycle. Biological nutrients are the materials that form naturally and are generally recycled through a composting process. There are five basic steps to the cradle-to-cradle design. The system's first part is identifying material health through a color coding system. The material is assessed against criteria and eventually ranked on a scale with green being low risk, yellow being those with moderate risk but are acceptable to continue to use, and red for materials with a high chance that need to be phased out. Grey is used for materials with incomplete data, thus giving environmentally proactive companies another tool to help them make more ecologically sound decisions. The next importance is how well the material can be recycled and reused at the end of its life. Then an assessment of energy required for production, which for the highest level of certification, needs to be based on at least 50% renewable energy for all parts. The rest of the steps address water usage and water quality. Another essential process is managing social responsibility by looking objectively at fair labor practices. Labor is a form of capital. It is the most crustal part of the production. With all things considered, there is no wonder that companies like Ford Motor Company and countries like China have looked at the cradle-to-cradle system. Innovative programs like this one are not a silver bullet to fix the social, economic, and climate issues that the current and future generations face, but it is undoubtedly another building block in a solid foundation of change that our world is starting to move toward.