Environmental Challenges Facing The Automobile Industry

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This paper is about the environmental challenges that are facing the Automobile Industry.
This paper is summarizes the materials processing, manufacturing, the use, reuse, and finally its reclamation back into the process. I will summate how the competition in the industry is managing new regulations, the technology for powering the product that the Automobile Industry produces, and the effects of emissions on the environment and the government reactions. Vehicles are not made of what they used to be, the process to design, build, and test automobiles are not the same as they used to be, especially environmental. Lastly, I will review consumer’s opinions about the products and what the Automakers in the US are doing to help the environment.
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Toyota set the standard for hybrid vehicles, and still do even today. (National Automobile Dealer 's
ENVIROMENTAL CHALLENGES FACING THE AUTO INDUSTRY 4
Association, 2016) American Honda Motor Company, Inc introduced the first hybrid car, the
Honda Insight, which was introduced in 1999 set the stage for alternative energy vehicles (The
Newswheel, 2014). In December of 2010, Nissan released the Leaf, which is an all-electric, zero tail pipe plug in electric car. (Energy.gov, 2014) Because of the way automobiles are powered, creates technological advances, which creates jobs, and the need for innovation. A major issues for automakers is emissions. A lot of the emissions come from the actual use of the vehicle. Only 14% of emissions come from the actual manufacturing process. In Europe and Japan, they found their survey findings to be equal to the United States. A government’s response should be associated with the consumption and the emissions of the physical automobile.
The response in the United States is to put laws on the books that say that vehicles in 2020 must at least get 35 MPG. (Gunter, 2004) By increasing MPG, you are reducing overall emissions.
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In California, trucks are not allowed to idle longer than 5 minutes. For example, a driver of a school bus must immediately shut off the bus when arriving at the school and take off
30 seconds after engine start. Idling is only permitted to vehicles in certain situations, and must have a special “California Clean Idle” sticker. (Air Sources Board, 2013) According to a survey by Laura Walter, 54% of respondents recognized that fuel efficient vehicles with reduced impacts to the environment are important to consumers. Consumers want to be green, and the US Government gives people an incentive for buying a reduced or zero emissions vehicle. The greatest impact to the consumer will be cost, however with the tax credits,
ENVIROMENTAL CHALLENGES FACING THE AUTO INDUSTRY 5 and what benefits a hybrid or zero emissions vehicle provides, most consumers are willing to spring for the hybrid (Walter, 2008). With global competition, new technologies we can reduce emissions, and we can clean the environment, or at the very least, limit our carbon footprint. Through hybrid and electric vehicles, and four cylinder engines that are getting 39 MPG highway, we can all agree that the

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