It is amazing to think that the first hybrid vehicle was designed and constructed over a century ago. A lot of motoring enthusiasts are unaware of this fact because clean transportation technology is considered to be a modern invention.
The truth is that eco-friendly, hybrid cars have been around, in some form, for quite a while. It is important to consider the ways in which hybrid motoring has changed over the decades because it helps us to imagine how the clean transportation industry might continue to evolve and develop.
It also puts our priorities into stark contrast, particularly when you consider the world now has some extremely pressing reasons to be interested in hybrid innovation, including the following examples from Livestrong.com:
- Lower fuel consumption
- Reduced carbon dioxide emissions
- Reduced nitrogen oxide emissions
- Reduced need for oil from environmentally unfriendly sources
Leading the Green Charge
Unfortunately, as common sense prevails, planetary resources are running out. This is why every leading automotive manufacturer is in some way involved with the development of an electric hybrid vehicle. The Volkswagen group recently published a sustainability report, in which it promises to deliver “57 model variants with a maximum of 95 g CO2/km, and a reduction of 19.3 percent in environmental impact by production within four years.”
“As one of the world’s largest industrial companies, we bear a special responsibility,” emphazises Prof. Dr. Martin Winterkorn, Chairman of the Board of Management of Volkswagen Aktiengesellschaft: “And we want to use our power for the benefit of people, the environment and society. For us, sustainability is not a ‘nice to have’. Sustainability is a real, measurable value driver for our business.”
Volkswagen (VW) is a great example of a massive manufacturer dedicated to sustainability. Unfortunately, not all vehicle manufacturers got the memo. Mercedes Benz has had some difficulty meeting green targets, but is pursuing more innovative approaches to attempt to keep up with the competition.
Innovating for the Future
Common cell is a buzzword among automotive manufacturers because it’s a new technology that promises to “reduce battery costs by up to 66 percent,” according to a report on Left Lane News. While VW is contemplating a switch to common cell, they’re also developing solid-state batteries, which may be able to deliver “three times the energy density of traditional lithium-ion cells with a liquid electrolyte.”
According to eEuroparts.com, VW is responsible for several of the best-selling cars of all time. In fact, the Volkswagen Beetle was the first car to sell twenty million units, outselling even the Ford Model T. However, if you need to update your current VW to something more eco-friendly, consider retrofitting it with some VW OEM parts, which can be purchased at a significant discount online.
Retrofitting a vehicle with sustainable parts is a great way to be sustainable in your own life, without having to purchase an entirely new car.
The Bottom Line
There is so much to learn about the clean transportation industry. Consider driverless cars. Could driverless cars and hybrid technology come together to make something entirely unique? It could be that some of the other remarkable automotive innovations of the last five years actually end up contributing to the development of the industry.
Is it possible that removing the role of driver might have an impact on the need for fossil fuel consumption? Whilst it is difficult to know for sure at this point, it is certainly going to be a lot of fun finding out. With VW continuing to invest in new technologies, it looks like the hybrid motoring industry still has some way to go yet. Look forward to the future because it’s going to be fast, but more efficient than ever.
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Eva Haarberg is a environmental writer based in Europe.
