Day 4 of research

Today I got my flyer stamped and approved by the school. This flyer is for the use to raise awarness about alternative fuel sources, and to get people to come to the marketplace of ideas on the day I present, so that I can give them facts about alternative fuel sources, and make people understand why they are so important. My flyer has a crossed of OPEC sign, and says "Don't let OPEC and gasoline control the $." This is to grab people's attention and let them know that OPEC has to much control and gas prices are getting too ridiculous. I hope that this flyer works in grabbing the attention of the people at DHS, and that some people come to learn more about alternative fuel sources.

Day 3 of Research

I researched what the possible solutions were to the problem:
1.Electric efficient cars- This innovating company is trying to help countries make the switch to completely electric cars. The better place car is a completely electric car, and uses electrical charging to fuel the car. Each car has a battery on the bottom of the car, which is able to go for 100 miles before needing to be charged. The company provides charge stations for you, and you can charge your car when you’re at work, sleeping or doing whatever you are doing. Charging takes 4-8 hours for the car to be fully charged. There are also 30 minute charge spots, which charge the cars eighty percent of the way, but those are more expensive to deploy. Each battery is supposed to last for 200,000 miles, and if you ever get to that point, switching the battery is free, and so is any mechanical need to the car. California and Hawaii are states which have been involved with better place and the company is bringing an electric taxi program to cities in California such as San Francisco and San Jose. They announced this October 27, 2010, so this should be happening in the soon future. On September 30, 2010 Hawaii announced that they would be deploying EV infrastructure. They will set up charge spots in Palo Alto, and start with seven cars to experiment with how the better place solution could work in America. http://www.betterplace.com/the-solution-batteries
2.The Nissan Leaf- 100% electric car, no tailpipe emission or emissions whatsoever, the range is about 100 miles, 120 V portable charging cable and 240 V home charging dock for charging the car, recycled fabric on the inside of the car, http://www.nissanusa.com/leaf-electric-car/index#/leaf-electric-car/specs-features/index
3.Mercedes is developing an all-electric car, the S400 BLUE hybrid will go 105 miles before needing to be recharged, it will use lithium batteries and will be able to be charged either by directly plugging in or using a small dynamo like device that will charge the car while it is driving. http://www.benzinsider.com/2008/03/mercedes-benz-developing-100-electric-car/

Day 2 of Research

I researched what the problems are, and I found 5 main problems:
1.OPEC (Algeria, Angola, Ecuador, Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, Libya, Nigeria, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates and Venezuela) has way too much control over oil prices, and this has had a lot of affect with the U.S going into Iraq and Libya to secure their situations and by doing this, American lives are at risk. http://www.eia.doe.gov/dnav/pet/pet_move_impcus_a2_nus_ep00_im0_mbbl_m.htm
2.Terrorists groups are directly funded by countries that we are purchasing oil from. Abul Nidal Organization in Iraq is directly funded by Iraq, Libya and Syria. The Palestine Liberation front takes money from Iraq and Libya. Hamas is funded by Iran and benefactors in Saudi Arabia. The Palestine Islamic Jihad is funded by Iran and Syria. Harakat ul-Ansar is funded by supporters in Saudi Arabia. http://www.cdi.org/terrorism/terrorist-groups.cfm
3.Gas costs keep on going up due to instability in the Middle East. In 2006, gas prices were topped off at about 3.05 dollars a gallon, in 2007 gas reached 3.2 dollars a gallon, in 2008 gas prices reached as high as 4.12 dollars a gallon, retreated to 2.7 dollars a gallon in 2009, in 2010 they grew a little hitting 2.9 dollars a gallon, and in 2011 they have surged back up to about 3.8 dollars a gallon. This high pricing is a problem for Americans, where about 57%, 171,000,000, people drive cars on a daily basis. http://gasbuddy.com/gb_retail_price_chart.aspx
4.The American dependence on oil is something that is troubling. About 171,000,000 people drive cars on a daily basis, and because of that, America needs to import gallons on top of gallons to meet the needs of Americans. By switching to electric and using our natural sources, we can stop this huge dependence on oil. http://wiki.answers.com/Q/What_percent_of_Americans_drive_cars
5.Gasoline is terrible for the environment. According to the Environmental Protection Agency, the average adult breathes over 3,000 gallons of air every day. Children breathe even more air per pound of body weight and are more susceptible to air pollution. Air pollution threatens the health of human beings and other living things on our planet. While often invisible, pollutants in the air create smog and acid rain, cause cancer or other serious health effects, diminish the protective ozone layer in the upper atmosphere, and contribute to the potential for world climate change. http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2006/10/26/fyi/main2126583.shtml