Running head: GREEN TRANSPORTION 1

Green Transportation: The Revival

Jesus Crespin

University of California, Berkeley

Accelerated College Writing R1A

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Green Transportation: The Revival

As global temperatures increase and oil deposits are being depleted, governments are

constantly looking for the latest in green technology. Some version of green technology came from

the past like electric vehicles and airships. Other forms of green technology such as the PRT which

never made a huge impact on society. All three of the old vehicles and concepts may actually be

able to be used again in order to create a greener and more efficient world.

Electric cars were once very popular due to their low maintenance and convenience,

favorable over gas powered vehicles. The electric cars popularity would last for three decades

until cheaper gas prices and production made the gas vehicle more desirable. Electric vehicles,

once thought a vehicle of the past are now making a comeback.

The electric vehicle was invented by Sibrandus Stratingh in 1830 (Romero,2009). The

advantage of an electric vehicle was its convenience and its low cost to maintain. They reached

the height of their popularity in the 20th century with the introduction of electric cars such as the

Columbian Runabout, a car that traveled 40 miles on a single charge. Such an Electric and gas

vehicle were introduced around the same time to consumers, however the electric vehicle achieved

greater demand than its gas-powered rival (Matulka,2014). The demand of the electric vehicle was

due its quieter engine and convenient. The electric car could be used for short trips around town

such as going to the grocery store or medical appointments. The maintenance was also very low

because the electric car did not back fire or require cranking the car to start the engine. The electric

vehicle was so popular that even Henry Fords wife drove one (Romero,2009).

This popularity stopped around the start of the 21st century due to various factors. One of

these factors was Fords own Model T. This vehicle was mass manufactured making the

combustion engine cheaper to produce. In 1908 the electric vehicle cost a consumer $1,750
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compared to $650 for the Model T. Another factor that led to the decline of the electric car was

the invention of the electric starter, which made driving a gas-powered car less physically

demanding. This further impacted sales of electric vehicles, but the final blow came when oil was

discovered in Texas (Matulka,2014). The discovery of gas drove gas prices to a new low and made

the cost of driving affordable to almost every American. The result of the availability and low

price of gas was the near extinction of the electric vehicle. Electric vehicles experienced over three

decades of little no development.

The 1974 Arab Embargo led to a fuel shortage and high gas prices, which led to

government action. The Electric and Hybrid Vehicle Research, Development, and Demonstration

Act supported the use of fuels that did not rely on any oil (Matulka,2014). The legislation provided

a revival of the electric vehicle. It also led to the hybrid vehicle, a car that has both a gas and

electric engine. Research and development on hybrids led to an electric vehicle that could reach

speeds of 40 miles per hour, but had a range of just 40 miles (Matulka,2014). The 1990s lead to

the creation of the EV1, the first electric vehicle that could compete with the gas car. The EV1 was

manufactured by GM and looked like a regular vehicle, however because of the high production

cost and in addition to a growing economy and low gas GM discontinued the EV1in 2001.

Although the EV1 failed electric vehicles did not lose any popularity. In 2006, Tesla created a car

that boasted more than 200 miles per charge. This lead to more electric automobiles being

introduced to the market. Today there are an estimated 3.3 million hybrids and 234,000 electric

vehicles in the United States (Matulka,2014). Even though there are still issues such as the lack of

charging stations, electric cars are growing in popularity and may take over the auto industry in

the future. If the electric cars popularity increases we could significantly cut carbon dioxide
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emissions. This would benefit the environment and with the continuing innovations to electric cars

drivers could also save money.

Airships

The electric car is just one example of transportation that was once the apex of its field and

may be due for a return. The airship once offered luxurious and timely travel, however due to

accidents and innovative aerospace technology the airship lost popularity. Now with advancements

and added conveniences, the airship is making starting to come back into use.

The prototype of the airship was invented by Count Zeppelin and flew for 18 minutes.

Nine years after the prototype, Zeppelin created a reliable aircraft and started the Zeppelin air

transport company (Laniado,2000). His airships were used as bombers in the great war, and later

cut travel time from a trans-Atlantic voyage from four and a half days at sea to two days by air

(Laniado,2000). In the 1920s the Graf Zeppelin circumnavigated the world causing many to see

the air ship as the future of air transport. These ships offer twelve rooms and other luxuries such

as a smoking room and a dining hall.

The airship met its demises due to two events. The first was the explosion of the

Hindenburg, one of the two major airships in the Zeppelin fleet. The explosion was recorded on

television and caused by the hydrogen gas used to fill the ships(Laniado,2000). Hydrogen was

used because it was very inexpensive compared to helium (The History of Flight).

The lowest point of the airships demise was when the plane was introduced to the

consumer. The airplane offered faster trips and cheaper prices. The gap between the airplane and

airship travel widened as in the 1930s as many airlines such as Delta hired stewardesses. The

stewardesses helped refuel the plane, carry luggage, and prepare inflight meals (Thompson). The

luxury of flights soon became attractive to people and lead the airship to be used only at sporting
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events as a floating advertisement. In modern times the airship has made its revival as a novelty

or tourist attraction. It has been used for romantic trips and other events. In 1993 two French

entrepreneurs revamped that air ships to provide romantic get always (Tagliabue,2008).

Airships may not be the fastest air transportation available but they can hold more cargo

and can land anywhere compared unlike airplanes, which need a runway to land. For these reasons

air ships can be used for humanitarian missions. The Airlander, an airship planned by Hybrid Air

Vehicles, can carry up to 50 tons of cargo and travel up to 100 miles per hour, which, when

compared to 235 mph, the speed of a commercial airliner, seems fast for an airship (Carter,2014).

The possibilities with airships are only limited to what we can think of, and technology has helped

in the revival of the airship. The airship may not take over air transportation but they can provide

support in cargo deliveries and humanitarian efforts.

Personal Rapid Transport

The airship and electric car have been around for a long time, but can a concept of the past

be the solution for the future? Personal Rapid Transit was a futuristic idea that was once highly

supported by the government. This idea, however, never really became reality due to the mass

infrastructure needed in order for the PRT to be successful. However, with the introduction of

artificial intelligence and traffic congestion in cities the PRT is making a comeback.

In the 1960s an alternative form of rail transportations was conceptualized. This rail project

was to be implemented in cities such as Santa Cruz, Cincinnati, and San Jose. The personal rapid

transit, or PRT, is a fast computer operated rail system but the most important factor was that the

PRT was personal (Light Rail Now,2004). The concept was to have a transportation system that

mimicked a light rail, but used pods to transport no more than two people at a time to their desired

location. The PRT would offer the privacy of a taxi but in a public transit system. The PRT would
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run with a computer that designated each car to the users desired destination. Then, the PRT would

use a system of railways and elevator ways to get to the destination. In the 1970s the PRT was

pursued by the United States government, due to the idea of a public transportation system that

gave the user privacy (Light Rail Now,2004). Another reason the concept of the PRT was widely

popular was due to the fare. The fare of the PRT was said to be dirt cheap this was because there

was no driver and the predicted operation cost was low. The idea of the PRT was revolutionary -

it only needed to be implemented successfully (Light Rail Now,2004).

The first success PRT was established at the University of West Virginia in the late 1970s.

This system was used to help students get to across campus in a timely manner. The issues of the

PRT would come later with the infrastructure of the transit system. The debris that would come

from such a system would be a problem. First a drip pan would be need to collect oil and falling

parts from the pods of the PRT (Light Rail Now,2004). This debris could serve as a hazard as it

might injure a citizen or contaminate a water or food supply. The PRT also would be a big eyesore

in the cities in which it was established. These elevator ways would take lots of space in a city and

would need high rising platforms or building penetrating railways to operate well (Light Rail

Now,2004). These two problems created a major problem for the PRT the cost of the infrastructure

and the visual appeal made cities lose excitement for the system. Another issue is the fact that the

PRT may get busy at one location and may cause traffic to get off at a certain stop. Finally, this

lead to the government pulling their funding for the project. This stopped the hype of the PRT and

made it a novelty.

The PRT exists today as a novelty; this can be seen in many places. One example of a PRT

is the gondolas visitors see in zoos, amusement parks, and boardwalks. Another example of the
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PRT is the People Mover ride in Disney Parks. These run between two locations and are public

systems of transport that offer privacy, but just two stops.

However due to global warming and rising gas prices the PRT is due for a revival. The

revival of the PRT has come as airports and universities started creating PRT systems and using

them. The University of West Virginia, for example established their PRT system in the late 1970s

and just as predicted the system was very pricy costing the University $126 million. This PRT

system has 5 stations and 3.6 miles of line that connects its stations (Light Rail Now,2004).

However, even though the PRT was costly we can see that the it was very successful in a small-

scale adaptation, but it has yet to be seen in a major city. With the advancements in artificial

intelligence and self-driving vehicles maybe the PRT will be here soon but for now the concept

will be in the small scale.

Vehicles and concepts from the past may not be as outdated as they appear to be. Electric

cars were once very common, and now their popularity keeps growing with the threat of global

warming and rising gas prices. The airship was once the most popular form of air transportation

and can now be used in rescue missions and cargo transport due its advantages over airplanes. The

concept of the PRT was greatly anticipated, however due to funding and other concerns this

concept lost popularity. Now with the advancement of artificial intelligence the hopes of a PRT

are just on the horizon.

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References

Carter, C. (2014, February 28). World's largest aircraft unveiled and hailed 'game changer'.

Retrieved October 08, 2017, from

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/earth/greenertransport/10667081/Worlds-largest-

aircraft-unveiled-and-hailed-game-changer.html
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Laniado, J. (n.d.). Slow motion carried away by airships. Retrieved October 08, 2017, from

https://bcourses.berkeley.edu/courses/1465513/files/folder/Readings/U2%20Readings?pr

eview=71516713

Matulka, R. (2014, September 14). The history of the electric car. Retrieved October 09, 2017,

from https://energy.gov/articles/history-electric-car

Light Rail Now. (2004, March). Personal rapid transit - cyberspace dream keeps colliding with

reality. Retrieved October 08, 2017, from

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eview=71516719

Romero, F. (n.d.). A brief history of the electric car. Retrieved October 08, 2017, from

https://bcourses.berkeley.edu/courses/1465513/files/folder/Readings/U2%20Readings?pr

eview=71530314

Tagliabue, J. (2008, July 04). Why fly when you can float? Retrieved October 08, 2017, from

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/05/business/worldbusiness/05dirigible.html?_r=1

Thompson, C. (n.d.). History of commercial passenger flights. Retrieved October 08, 2017, from

https://bcourses.berkeley.edu/courses/1465513/files/folder/Class%20Notes%20Sec.14/U

nit%202%20class%20notes?preview=71718063
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The History of Flight. The great airships. (n.d.). Retrieved October 8, 2017, from

https://bcourses.berkeley.edu/courses/1465513/files/folder/Readings/U2%20Readings?pr

eview=71516714