The Technology Context – B101

The Lexus RX Hyrbid

Background, objectives and current status

Lexus have a history of producing some of the worlds most expensive, luxury and uneconomic cars around. Over the course of the past decade the media have been making companies and people aware of the impact of global warming on earth. Many car companies are starting to respond and take action such as Toyota, BMW and Lexus.

Lexus have responded to the global demand to help reduce engine emissions and the effects their vehicles have on the environment by introducing to us with the hybrid range of vehicles. Lexus have introduced 3 different hybrid cars, LS, GS and the RX; the vehicle I have been studying is the RX. The Lexus RX is a luxury hybrid SUV that was first assembled in 2005; it became the world’s second mass-produced hybrid SUV. Lexus claim that they take great care to minimize the impact on the environment; these is why the Lexus RX has a lightweight body, and have been lean in their use of raw materials. Computer modeling and engineering ensures that the Lexus RX doesn't just drive as well as a standard gasoline car but ensures that the overall quality of the vehicle is not compromised. This enables the Lexus RX to run cleaner and conserve natural resources and leave less scrap metal at the eventual end of its life. Lexus ensure that they recover the hybrid batteries so they can be handled better and recycled.

The objective of my investigation was to find out how hybrid technology in the Lexus RX was impacting the planet. I did this by comparing hybrid technology to other current available technologies such as Biodiesel and Hydrogen.

Sustainable development issue

Carbon dioxide level in the atmosphere is a huge problem and is on the increase. Everything from airplanes to factories needs to deal with the problem and do they’re bit in reducing CO2 levels in the atmopshere.


As you can see from this bar chart above, cars are the 2nd biggest contributor to CO2 in our atmosphere and towards global warming out of the different types of transportation, with the biggest being airplanes. The fact that the majority of people use their car on a daily basis shows that this is somewhat a huge problem.


This graph shows to you just how rapidly CO2 levels have shot up since 1960, I found out that 40% of CO2 in the atmosphere came from electricity, 34% transportation, 25% buildings and industry and 1% being miscellaneous.

So I expect your wondering how much effect this vehicle has on the environment? Well to put it quite blunt this vehicle is pretty much a waste of time for someone who clocks up a lot of miles with long distance travel. The only people who should be allowed to drive this vehicle are for those in central London, where average road speeds are around 10mph. This reason for this is because at slow speeds this vehicle runs off battery. Anything above 30mph and this vehicle becomes just another gas-guzzler, because after this speed the traditional gasoline motors take over.


Possible technical alternatives and consequences

There are a couple of alternatives at the moment in regards to fuels to power vehicles, these are Biodiesel and Hydrogen.

Biodiesel is a very eco-friendly fuel, it is made from vegetable oil or animal fats which can alone or blended with conventional diesel fuel be used in any unmodified diesel-engine vehicle. Biodiesel is biodegradable and non-toxic, and typically produces 60% less carbon dioxide emissions in the engines lifetime. Some car manufactures believe that Biodiesel lowers engine wear and is a better solvent than conventional diesel, as it helps clean the engine of deposits. The final benefit of Biodiesel is that it can be much cheaper than conventional diesel. So not only would you be doing good for the environment you would also be saving money.


Hydrogen cars work in pretty much the same way as conventional gasoline cars with the hydrogen being burnt off in combustion. The hydrogen is reacted with oxygen to produce water and electricity. The advantage of using hydrogen is that is it made from renewable and non-renewable energy sources. It can be consumed continuously using solar, water, wind and nuclear power. Hydrogen powered cars are becoming more popular. As of April 2007 The United States had the record number of Hydrogen cars totaling 200. Mostly of which were in California. Significant technology is still underway so Hydrogen cars have a long future ahead of them.


Political and financial effects

The hybrid range of vehicles has had a huge political effect. In London the government has stripped this vehicle of a congestion charge, which in my opinion doesn’t really make sense. Isn’t the whole idea of the congestion charge to get people to NOT use vehicles in the city center so that the roads are free of congestion? Although in the argument that these vehicles run off the battery and emit no emissions I’d rather a hybrid vehicle in the city center rather than its gas-guzzling equivalent.

In the United States the government has removed the taxation on these vehicles, which quite frankly is a joke. Because the United States consists of much larger and continuously high speed roads with very few traffic jams. Therefore the hybrid badge on the back of the vehicle is nothing more than a ticket to avoid paying taxation each year.

I did quite a lot of research on this and had the opportunity to watch an American program called “Pimp my Ride”. If you are unfamiliar with this program then I will briefly explain. A car customization company in California has the privilege of restoring old cars so they come equipped with allsorts of gadgets and features. The episode I watched was one, that featured California governor Arnold Schwarzenegger. He was featured in the program while they restored a 1965 Chevrolet Impala, which is an old American muscle car. They did this by equipping it with a Biodiesel engine and a variety of green features such as the seats, which were made out of hemp and recycled fabric. The point of this was to show the world that any car, even the extremely powerful muscle cars could be eco-friendly.

Below are some photos I found of the car.



Potential effects on sustainable development

Sustainable development for the topic of cars is a term used to describe the process of improving vehicles and the quality of life while maintaining natural resources such as fossil fuels. The environmentally friendly car is definitely the future of transportation, but Lexus have a lot of work to do to ensure their cars are more eco-friendly. They have all of the main details down to a tee, for example the car is stylish, modern and spacious. The only let down is the engine; maybe Lexus should consider other types of fuel such as Biodiesel or Hydrogen. At this moment in time Hybrid technology needs a lot more development.


The vehicle tax band works on how many g/km of CO2 vehicles emit. Small engine and economic cars like the smart car are in vehicle tax band A, while vehicles such as the Range Rover are in vehicle tax band G. The Lexus RX Hybrid is currently vehicle tax band F, so you can make your own mind up about how economic it really is. Lexus really need to work hard for the future to try and get this SUV down to vehicle tax band A.


References

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hydrogen_cars
http://pimpmyrideblog.mtv.com/category/impala/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sustainable_development
http://www.einstrumentsgroup.com
http://autotrader.co.uk
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Biodiesel
http://www.lexus.com/models/RXh/