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Jackson Stone
UNWRT 1103-037
October 22, 2014
How Future Technology is Being Implemented in the Car Industry
Introduction/ Background
Imagine getting into your car for the morning commute, sitting in the drivers seat and

Commented [JS1]: A good title for your research paper

could be "New technology: paving the future in the Car
Industry". This title covers everything in your topic and
catches the readers attention. Additionally, it sets up
the introduction nicely.
-Zachary Esposito

realizing that there is no steering wheel. You might be surprised at first but then you remember
that its the twenty first century and people dont drive cars anymore, they drive themselves. Or
imagine pulling into a gas station and filling our vehicle with liquid hydrogen at 10,000 psi. Last
of all, picture yourself pulling into your house at night and plugging in your car to the outlet and
charging it up overnight. As unlikely as all of these seem, they are the future of cars and they are
approaching much more quickly than people realize. With our suphply of fossil fuels diminishing
the need to find an alternative is becoming ever more pressing. Also with the advance in
computer technology it is now becoming safer and more efficient if the cars are the ones doing

Commented [JS2]: Great job picking certain

technology that could be clearly in our future. Since you
do this so well, the reader can more easily believe that
the future is coming. Finally, because the "future"
technology is happening now it gets the reader thinking
about what else do they think is futuristic that is
happening currently.
-Zachary Esposito

the driving.
Since their creation, cars have played a central role in society and the way people travel.
However over the years cars have evolved and changed in order to be more efficient and easier
to use. These changes have led to great technological advances and resulted in the cars that we
drive today. However society is on the verge of another great change in automobile technology
and the future is unclear. Most cars today use an internal combustion engine fueled by gasoline.
This very well may change in the near future. There has recently been an increase in the number
of cars using electric engines thanks to the company, Tesla who is one of the few car companies
that only makes electric cars. Another possibility is hydrogen fuel cell cars. This technology is
available and could easily be implemented into todays lifestyle. Another issue to be brought up

Commented [JS3]: What makes hydrogen cars

different besides how they run? Are they more efficient
that electric or gas cars? This is something that you
could look into to explain this some more.
-Zachary Esposito
Commented [JS4]: How easy is it? You and I know
that there are some drawbacks, but do most of the
readers. You should probably explain this in detail.
-Xzavier Smith

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is if people will even be driving cars at all. Recently companies such as google have designed
cars that are completely automated and require no driver what so ever. This paper discusses the
possible future of automobiles and how that could impact ones ability to modify and customize
their car.
My position on the change of fuel for cars is that it needs to happen and will be beneficial
to society. I believe that our dependence on fossil fuels is holding automobiles back
technologically and that in order to move on we need to find something new. Whether this means
electric, hydrogen, or some other fuel that has yet to be considered, in the end it is necessary for
that change to occur. However I am against the idea of cars driving themselves. As a car
enthusiast I love to drive cars and to have that experience taken away would be very
disappointing. I enjoy being able to drive and modify cars and so not having those choices would
be a loss.

Review of Relevant Literature

While modern technology is continually improving every day, the fuel source behind
most of the technology is still the same fuel that was being used in the mid 1800s with the
invention of the internal combustion engine. While we have become much more efficient with
the fuel that we use, it is still less efficient than newer modern fuel sources and much more
damaging to the environment. There has recently been talks of a law increasing the minimal
miles per gallon that a car can have. While this sounds like an easy simple solution, it would be a
big problem to the automotive industry. While the environment would become cleaner it would
severely impact the production and cost of the automobile potentially making them quite a bit

Commented [JS5]: Was the fuel or the internal

combustion engine made in the 1800s? Or was it both
of them? When I read over this I was trying to figure out
what the "1800's" went with.
-Brenden Oneyear

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more expensive (Fischer et al, 2007). If a new fuel is to be used, it would have a lot of problems
integrating with todays lifestyle.

Commented [JS6]: How much more expensive? Are

we talking a couple thousand or more than that? You
should go more into detail so we can see if it really
impacts our life that much.
-Xzavier Smith

One of the biggest problems with a new fuel source is the implementation of the fuel into
todays market. There is already such a mass market for petroleum, it would be hard to find a
way to introduce fuel cells to the people. Studies have shown that when faced with something
unfamiliar people will most likely revert to something that is familiar to them, in this case fossil
fuels (Howey, 2012). Hydrogen has become one of the most promising of the alternative fuels of
the future.
Hydrogen fuel cells use liquid hydrogen as a fuel and the only exhaust that of the system
is clean water. So to be able to switch to this would be a huge benefit for the environment. If

Commented [JS7]: What is the point of this

paragraph? It is short and sweet, but it doesn't contain
enough information to support itself. The first part is
talking about some studies and markets for petroleum.
But then you tacked on a sentence about Hydrogen out
of nowhere.
-Brenden Oneyear

enough people would switch over to hydrogen fuel cell cars than the CO2 emission would be
dramatically reduced. Many people including GMs Larry burns believe that this is the fuel of
the future and that the switch to hydrogen fuel cells isnt far into the future (Burns, 2014). Not
everybody is for the switch to hydrogen fuel cell technology.
One of the biggest downside to hydrogen fuel cells is the cost of production. While
energy production plants are already all across the world, not many of them are making liquid
hydrogen. This would require a massive amount of energy and time in order to create the
necessary plants to manufacture the amount of liquid hydrogen required. Some even believe that
this production process will off put the amount of energy that is being saved by the switch from
fossil fueled vehicles. Most of these people believe that the future lies in fully electric powered
vehicles. These vehicles run on electricity alone which means they also have zero CO2
emissions. This allows them to be exempt from the vehicle emissions test during inspection, but
causes them to be subjugated to an additional one hundred dollar charge. The only thing that the

Commented [JS8]: I would consider revising this

sentence. When it is read it sounds incomplete. Maybe
tell us exactly who doesnt want this switch.
-Xzavier Smith

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car is powered by is a battery which means that in order to recharge the car all that is needed is
an outlet. This suggest that there would only be a minimal amount of impact on the daily life of
the person who purchased the car. Also since it is electricity that is powering the car, no new
power plants would be needed. There would only need to be an increase in the amount of

Commented [JS9]: Since the electric cars think that

they are the greatest ever, you could talk about how
after a few years their batteries can go bad and they
have to replace them with new ones. This would
become a hazard later if the old batteries are disposed
of properly.
-Brenden Oneyear

electricity at the currently existing power plants (Shinnar, 2014). To manage these complex
batteries the car is run by an equally complex computer. This computer is now becoming more
efficient at driving than most people.
As the technology in cars has advanced a lot of emphasis has been put on the safety of the
car. It is now a possibility that the safest way for a person to drive is to simply let the car drive
itself. New technology is currently being made that allows cars to drive themselves. In most of
the testing the cars are able to drive more efficiently and without the possibility of distractions
and human error it is often more safer than if a person was driving the car. This is done by the
cars complex computer and surrounding sensors. The car is aware of its surrounding and is able
to react much faster than a person would be able to. This gives the car a much better ability to

Commented [JS10]: I completely agree with this

statement. I know from driving around my high school
that decision making can make or break a person
driving. You might add about how people question
while a computer will just do.
-Zachary Esposito
Commented [JS11]: If a car can drive itself why is it
having human error or distractions. I believe that some
rewording of this sentence will help out this case for
automatic cars.
-Brenden Oneyear

avoid accidents and obstacles in the road. With this technology the amount of lives that could be
saved is uncountable (Rath, 2014). Although these systems are very promising there are still
doubts about the idea of a driverless car.
One of the biggest questions about the driverless cars is what it would do in an
unavoidable situation. There is simply no replacement for the human thought process and
morality. If the computer is forced to choose between two bad scenarios it is unclear which one
the computer is likely to choose. The computer would need an ethical understanding of the
situation in which it is placed in and with our current technology that is impossible to program.
This isnt the only complaint among the car community. Many people enjoy driving cars would

Commented [JS12]: Great thought about an

unavoidable incident, just like from the movie I-Robot.
What if the car can't decide between to accidents. This
is a very fascinating statement.
-Brenden Oneyear

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be severely disappointed to lose that ability to go out on a nice drive on the weekend (NPR,
2014). Many people still enjoy driving and consider a benefit rather that a burden.
BBCs Top Gear is an automotive entertainment show that captures the essence of
enjoying the ability to drive your own car. The three hosts partake on a long distance drive while
completing odd challenges along the way. Throughout their journey the hosts review the cars
that they are driving and talk about their experiences. It is clear throughout the show that the
hosts take great pleasure in their jobs and enjoy driving and modifying their cars. Their show is a
prime example of how being able to modify and drive a car can give a person joy and how that
the experience of driving yourself to your destination is something that people still arent
wanting to give up yet (Stone, 2014).

Entering the conversation

The only thing one can be certain of in life is that change will happen. This also applies
to the car industry. In the past several years there have been great advancements in automobile
technology. From fuel sources to safety, the car industry has been completely changed forever.
While these changes might be for the better, there is something being lost. We are so blindly
pushing forward in the name of progress that we arent taking a moment to appreciate what we
have. I am not suggesting that we need to stop innovating, but am merely pointing out what we
are losing by doing so. There recent need for a new fuel source has caused automobile
manufacturers to start looking for a new energy source. The search for new fuel sources require
more complex engines and operating systems. There has even been a push for driverless cars in

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order to be more efficient and safe. With this driverless technology and more complex engines
people are slowly losing their ability to modify and customize their cars.
Two of the most promising of the new fuel sources are hydrogen fuel cells and fully

Commented [JS13]: I really like this paragraph. You do

a very good job of explaining your personal feelings. It
truly sows your passion for cars and driving them.
-Xzavier Smith

electric cars. Both of these options have proven to be much more efficient with little hindrance to
the consumers daily schedule. Even though these technologies are very different they do have
something in common. That is they both use very complex systems that remove the owners
ability to modify the automobile. Companies such as Tesla Automotive are paving the way in
electric automobiles. The owner of Tesla, Elon Musk, has also stated that he believes that cars
will drive themselves in the next couple of years. Other companies such as Google have also
started to create self-driving cars. What we are losing in this technology is the joy of driving.
The saying goes its not the destination, but the journey. By moving to driverless cars the person
is missing out on the joys of driving a car.
This progress in automotive technology is a good thing and needs to happen in order to

Commented [JS14]: There is possibility in this

paragraph. You could possibly continue this though
through a few more sentences, and really get the
reader thinking about just how drastic a change in fuel
or driver of a car could be.
-Brenden Oneyear

create a more sustainable way of living. The downside to these complex engines is that they
require experts to work on them and the purchaser does not have the ability to customize and
modify the car. With the driverless cars the person is removed almost completely from the
experience of the car and becomes only a passenger. With hydrogen fuel cells the liquid
hydrogen in the fuel cell is typically stored at -4230F and at 10,000 psi. This makes working on
these engines extremely dangerous to a person who is uneducated in how to handle them. The
problem with fully electric cars is that it is a battery that is run by a highly complex computer.
This leaves little else for the owner to do in order to modify the car. While these cars are sport
oriented, besides the battery there is little else for the purchaser to do to enhance the performance

Commented [JS15]: What would happen if two

hydrogen fuel cell cars crash into each other. Would a
gigantic explosion happen, or would a black hole open
up right in the middle. What Im saying is, are hydrogen
fuel cells safe when their engine or fuel tank get
ruptured by a crash. If it is dangerous to an untrained
worker, then it is even more dangerous to any
unsuspecting car owner who thinks they can fix it
themselves.
-Brenden Oneyear

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after it has left the factory. Although the progress of automobiles is good for the future, I will be
discussing how it affects a persons ability to modify and customize their car.
The hydrogen fuel cell engine is one of the more radical solutions to the fuel problem. It
would require new fueling station to be established all around the country and new factories to
process the liquid hydrogen. This option would also require a very complex engine to handle the
liquid hydrogen. The liquid hydrogen is extremely dangerous and should not be handled by
someone who is inexperienced or uneducated in the proper safety techniques to handle it. The
liquid nitrogen has to be kept at extremely cold temperature and at high pressures, so there are

Commented [JS16]: You should go into detail for

those who know nothing about this engine. How
complex is the engine and how exactly do you contain
the liquid hydrogen. i'm not saying go into the
mechanics completely, but you should maybe just give
us a quick overview.
-Xzavier Smith

extreme safety measure to make sure that the owner of the car wont be able to have access to the
liquid nitrogen. This means that the average person no longer has the ability to modify their car.
Many people in the U.S. enjoy modifying and customizing their cars to try and get the maximum
performance out of their cars. This has become a very large scene and many people would miss
this ability in their car. Another one of the more complex solutions to the fuel issue is electric
cars.
Electric cars would be the easiest switch when changing to a new fuel source. All that
would be required to recharge the car would be an outlet. The negative side of this would be that
the increase in electricity usage would cause the energy companies to increase their production,
which could also have negative effects on the environment. Like the hydrogen fuel cell cars, the
electric cars run on complex systems that limit the amount of customization that the purchaser
has. The cars power source, the battery, is controlled by the cars computer. Besides putting in a
more powerful battery there is nothing else that the owner can do to modify the car besides
aesthetics and airflow of the exterior of the car. I believe that by moving to these alternate fuels
we are gaining a more sustainable future, but losing our ability to customize and modify our cars.

Commented [JS17]: What about putting multiple

batteries in the car. I don't know much about cars but
wouldn't that add the more power you wanted? This is
just something to think about as you go back over your
paper.
-Zachary Esposito

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Another future innovation is that cars will be able to drive themselves. The idea is that
the computers will be able to drive safer and more efficient than humans. While this technology
is not quite ready to be implemented many people have already taken a position against it.
Driving has become the passion of many people all over the world and to take that away would
be a great loss. Being able to enjoy the journey as well as the destination is important and a part
of that is driving. By losing our ability to even drive our cars we are losing a lot more than our
ability to customize our cars. We are simply becoming passengers in our own cars and missing
out on a much better experience of being able to drive our own cars.

Conclusion
This paper is not to discourage the evolution of technology in the automotive industry. It
is meant to point out what we are losing by the fast paced changes being made to the cars that we
drive. While most people agree that a new fuel source needs to be found it is still very unclear
what that new fuel source will be. There is also a debate whether or not the technology to make
car drive themselves should be implemented. I am suggesting that people should look at the car
not as a tool but as something that should be enjoyed and that cars should not become
autonomous. This point of view is important because when people take the time to enjoy their
cars then it stops becoming a commute and turns into something that the driver can look forward
to. So while hydrogen fuel cells and electric cars may be more efficient, the things they take
away are also important. They take away a persons ability to modify and customize their cars.
This might not seem like a big deal to some people but to others it is a large part of their identity.
However it is far from clear which direction the technology in the automotive industry will take.
Further research on how other types of alternative fuel sources that would allow for modification

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and customization could be done as well as research on when these technologies are likely to be
implemented.

Annotated Bibliography
"Green Vehicle Laws and Regulations in North Carolina." DMV. January 1, 2014. Accessed
October 19, 2014.
This describes the laws that are in place for testing the emissions of fuel efficient electric
vehicles. If the vehicle is only electric then it is exempted from the air quality testing because
there are no emissions. However the owner is subjugated to an additional $100 fee. This is to
make up for the lack of money the federal government is getting from that person on a gasoline.

Fischer, Carolyn, Winston Harrington, and Ian Parry. "Should Automobile Fuel Economy
Standards be Tightened ." The Energy Journal 28 (2007): 29.

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http://www.jstor.org/discover/10.2307/41323119?uid=3739776&uid=2&uid=4&uid=3739256&s
id=21104851893293 (accessed October 3, 2014).
This article is discussing whether or not the average miles per gallon should be raised or not. It
discusses both sides of the argument and shows that there is no clear answer. If the miles per
gallon is raised then there will be a cleaner environment and less pollution. However the price at
which it is raised is the price of the car. The authors outline how such a move would impact the
car industry and cut out some of the small cheaper models because they are not able to meet the
fuel economy standard.

Howey, David. "A Challenging Future for Cars." Nature Climate Change, January 1, 2012, 2.
This article outlines the growing dependence on fossil fuels and the need for an alternate fuel
source. It shows how there is an increasing amount of pollution being added to the environment
every year because of the amount of cars still running on fossil fuels. The article talks about the
advantages to switching to a more sustainable fuels source and what it could meant for our
future. It discusses that the main problem is consumer acceptance of the new fuel sources. That
many people still do not trust the new types of energy and instead stick with something they
know, fossil fuels.

NPR Staff. "Hands-Free, Mind-Free: What We Lose Through Automation." National Public
Radio. September 29, 2014. Accessed September 3, 2014.

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This article is both for and against the automation of cars. It talks about how there some good
things that come out of the car driving itself. Such as it will have better collision prevention
systems and will be able to react faster when needed. However it also goes on to talk about what
is being taken away when the car drives itself for example if there is an unavoidable collision. If
the car is driving itself then it will have to make a decision what it will hit and that takes a moral
and ethical understanding of the situation, which cannot be programmed into a computer.

Rath, Arun. "Is There A Driverless Car In Your Future?" National Public Radio. May 31, 2014.
Accessed September 3, 2014.
This is an interview with a person who has advised google on their driverless car program. It
discusses the possibilities of a driverless car and when it would be made available to the public.
The article states that millions of people die every year because of car accidents and to be able to
make a driverless car would stop this. It says that with the safety of not having a human behind
the wheel many more people will be alive. The article also talks about when they think this
technology will be openly accepted. Their expected date was around the late 2020s.

Shinnar, R. "The Hydrogen Economy, Fuel Cells, And Electric Cars." Technology in Society 25,
no. 4 (2003): 455-476. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.techsoc.2003.09.024 (accessed October 3,
2014).

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This article is about finding a new fuel source for the future that will be sustainable and not
harmful to the environment. What makes this article different is that it is against hydrogen fuel
cells and believes the future is in all electric cars. It points out that while hydrogen is abundant it
is not easy nor cheap to collect and that it would take mass amounts of energy to get the
hydrogen and turn it into fuel. The article says that it would require enough energy to off put the
amount of energy that is saved from not driving a car that runs on fossil fuels.

Stone, Jackson. Assignment One. Project Response, University of North Carolina at Charlotte,
2014.
Assignment one was a response that I wrote about automobiles. I observed BBCs Top Gear at
three different points in time and then recorded my observations. The show consist of three host,
Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond, and James May, who review cars by driving some great
distance and then subjugating them to some ridiculous challenges. This show can been seen as an
entertainment show but it also can be very informative about the cars that they test.

Ted Talks. "The future of cars." Larry Burns:. http://www.ted.com/talks/reinventing_the_car

(accessed October 3, 2014).
This video is by Larry Burns of General Motors and talks about what they believe the future of
cars is. Burns says in the video that he believe that the question is not if it is hydrogen, but when

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it is hydrogen. He believes that the hydrogen fuel cell engine will make the internal combustion
engine obsolete and will completely dominate the car market in the future. He believes that in
order to get off of fossil fuels we need to switch to hydrogen fuel cell technology and that in the
next few years this change will happen.