I'm doing debate and I need reasons why eco friendly cars aren't that friendly. can someone help me out?

Question

I'm doing debate and I need reasons why eco friendly cars aren't that friendly. can someone help me out?

Answer 1

Ethanol and biodiesel. They produce less CO2 per liter as gasoline and diesel. They produce less energy too. So the proper comparison is CO2 per 100 km. CO2 is about the same. The only thing that is eco is that ethanol and biodiesel are renewable. Biodiesel also includes fuel made from used restaurant fats so there is a recycle benefit.

Methanol, used by indy racers is wood alcohol. Methanol engines also produce CO2.

Hydrogen fuel cell and electric battery both require HUGE amounts of electricity. In case you haven't noticed the 'green' places such as California already have HUGE shortages of electricity.

The electricity used to make the hydrogen or charge the battery might be clean as in hydro but is as likely to be dirty as in coal, oil, or nuclear.

Then there is the matter of toxic materials used in battery technology.

The cars we drive today are a lot cleaner and fuel efficient than they used to be.

The main problem with all the alternatives is cost.

Maybe we are looking in the wrong direction. There are a lot of things that can be done to reduce CO2 emissions without radically changing the cars we drive.

-build intersections with traffic circles or interchanges in order to reduce the time spent idling at traffic lights.

-build transit that actually works moving people with minimal difference in time if a car is used. My main beef with transit is that whenever I tried using it it took at least two busses and a half hour or more waiting in between.

-continue building and developing fuel efficient engines that burn fuel cleanly.

Probably the only practical solution to the present energy crisis is to develop synthetic carbon fuels. Essentially figure out how to shorten the hundreds of thousands of years to naturally produce coal and petroleum.

Answer 2

THEY R FRIENDLY why dont u care about the environment u earth murderer

Answer 3

I keep hearing about corn-ethanol causing food shortages. That corn is genetically altered corn. An acre will yield over 2 tons each harvest. It's inedible. If it's replanted, nothing grows. The edible corn, at it's best it has almost no nutritional value. It's now used for feed, biodegradable plastics, tires, oils, ethanol, and hundreds of other products.

Answer 4

Those answers are OK but easily "turnable".  For example - well if all cars were lighter we wouldn't need "safer" alternatives so we don't get smashed by an SUV.

I like the approach about "solvability" but not quite in the way mentioned before.  Some 'eco friendly' hybrids still use gasoline so if your opponent is basing their case on hybrid technology remind them that this is simply a stop gap - it still uses fuel!

All electric - you have to generate electricity - the majority of which is coal!

Yes, attack the energy sources - you gotta go "whole-system" impact to stay in the debate.  Don't let the other team live in fantasy land of fiat by saying "Oh we'll mandate development of better sources of electricity" - keep them topical and make them show feasibility of their utopia.

Alternative fuels - biodiesel - you can show some of the impact of current harms, but watch out for "Stage II" devolopment cases - the other team can easily produce evidencs showing that bio fuels will reduce their eco impact in the next generation by using biomass - discarded vegetation from Ag or forest cleanup.

I suppose you could also contend that some hybrids are "too quiet" and might kill blind people - but that really is ridiculous, your opponent could easily point to better driving habits, laws and the fact again that all cars could be made quieter.

You are in the losing side of a comparison debate.  You'll never win trying to demonstrate that eco cars aren't freindly compared to the status quo - today's vehicles.  So don't even go there.

BUT you could win an "alternative to the automobile" debate!  You could show how alternate modes of transportation are way better than even eco friendly cars - biking, walking, public transportation, tele-commuting, etc.

Just some thoughts!  Exciting Topic!

Answer 5

if you think about it, if they are cheap like most dealers claim them to be, the more people will buy them, and the more  cars, there isn't a point in buying it because a lot of eco friendly cars put together can still cause pollution

Answer 6

Lots of great answers here. But everyone left out one simple fact, if these cars are made affordable to everyone(China is producing a type of "Smart" car that will cost between 2500 and 3500 dollars) that will wreak absolute havoc on the environment. Imagine if nearly everyone in America could afford a car? The roads would be more nightmarish than they are now, and the smog curtain would return. Maybe we wouldn't be able to see it as much as when we used leaded gas, but it will return. My 2cents

Answer 7

Eco friendly cars become eco friendly when car manufactures reduce the weight of the car.  

By reducing the weight, these cars place the occupants at greater risk for injury and loss of life, and that isn't friendly.

Answer 8

batteries

corporate malignancy

Answer 9

Some people, siting in hybrid cars for a long commute, say they got sick from the electrical field.

Answer 10

Eco friendly cars:are eco friendly for various reasons. They might be Hybrids, using biodiesl, natural gas, ethanol

Here are a few cons

Cars using Biodiesel - Particulate matter and smog: Even though biodiesel cars emit less CO2, they still put out some nasty particles and pollutants. Current manufacturers of biodiesel are desperately researching for additives that will make biodiesel even cleaner.

Also, using vegetable oils as fuel is less inefficient when the world is realing under the food shortage problem and people are dying because of food scarcity.

Ethanol - Michael Grunwald reports that one person could be fed 365 days "on the corn needed to fill an ethanol-fueled SUV".

He further reports that though "hyped as an eco-friendly fuel, ethanol increases global warming, destroys forests and inflates food prices."

as ethanol is more widely used, changing irrigation practices could greatly increase pressure on water resources.

other researchers report that the production of ethanol consumes more energy than it yields