Advocating for Hybrid Car Technology
By Raul Riveron

            I.  By a show of hands, how many of you drove here or were driven here today, including public transportation?  (Note % and ask what the rest of them did:  walk, run, bike, etc.).  How many of those cars were sedans?  How many were SUV’s or trucks?  How many were hybrid or electric cars?  Well, according to the text “Environmental Science,” transportation is one of two major sources of air pollution.  So, relax.  You can rest assured that you’re doing your part to pollute the air and to make us all a little sicker. (Smile) Well now, you many be saying to yourself, “well, what can I do about it, I have to drive.” (pause)  Today, there is something you can do about it.  Today you have an alternative.  Today, there’s the hybrid vehicle.

            A.  Unlike other forms of vehicle propulsion which are years from being realized, such as hydrogen fuel cells, hybrid technology is here now and will continue to improve in the coming years.  “Hybrid-car.org” states that hybrid vehicles reduce harmful pollutants by 90% and offer up to 61 miles per gallon in the city, which means that you and I will save an average of forty dollars between fill-ups.

            B.  Aside from the sources I’ve consulted in preparing for this speech, I’ve done some independent research on hybrid cars over the past few months and I’ve decided, based on the information that I gathered, that my next car will be a hybrid car, and my hope is that by the end of the afternoon you’ll fell the same way.

            C.  Today, I’ll focus on why it’s a good idea to make the switch from internal combustion to hybrid, emphasizing on the reduced cost of operating such a car, on how hybrids greatly reduce emissions and are thus less harmful to the environment, and on how the increased efficiency of hybrids will serve to curb our appetite for crude oil.

            II.  There is a need to both reduce air pollution in our cities and to slowly but surely decrease our dependence on crude oil.  As you’ll soon learn, hybrid vehicles provide solutions to both theses issues and to many others which may seem a bit more tangible to you.

            B.  Let’s turn once again to the text “Environmental Science,” which states that transportation alone contributes 75% of carbon monoxide and 45% of nitrogen oxides into the immediate atmosphere, and this unfortunately translates into adverse health effects for both humans and other organisms.  These effects can range from mild bronchitis to scarring of the lungs to heart disease and cancer.  In 2002 in Miami Dade County, 140,000 people died of heart disease, 86,000 died of cancer, and 15,000 died of chronic respiratory diseases, according to the department of health.  Could there be a correlation, do you think, between the number of cars, trucks, and buses polluting the air and the manifestation of these chronic diseases?

            So, reduction of air pollution is necessary in order to make our cities more livable:  to improve our health and quality of life.

            C.  Turning now to the issue of oil.  The United States imports over 50% of the crude oil it uses, reports “Environmental Science.”  And with the Middle East being as politically unstable as it is, it will behoove us to reduce our dependency on this non-renewable and harmful energy source.

            III.  So, why should you buy a hybrid car, aside from the fact that they reduce air pollution and decrease our dependency on foreign oil?  “How stuff works.com” has several incentives.

            A.  We know that their reduced fuel emissions help curb the greenhouse effect and that they’re more efficient than gas-only cars.  But how do they accomplish this?  How do they reduce emissions and increase efficiency?  Well, typically a hybrid will have a smaller gasoline engine than its gas-only counterpart – and this engine uses advance technologies to reduce emissions and increase efficiency.  But it also has another power source in the form of a large battery pack – hence the term “hybrid”—two power sources.  What’s neat about the battery pack is that it recharges itself.  Every time you hit the brakes is a hybrid car, energy is put back into the batteries.

            B.  In fact, hybrids are so efficient that you’ll end up with an extra five hundred dollars in your pocket by the end of the year, because you’ll have saved at least that much at the pump.  And who among us wouldn’t like to have an extra $500. 

            C.  You want more?  Add another $500 to $5,000 in the form of a tax rebate.  That’s right, hybrid owners are entitled to a tax rebate of up to $5,000.  So now we’re up to 5.5 thousand dollars in savings.

            D.  For those of you who enjoy speeding – I mean getting to where you’re going on time – within the confines of the law.  In Florida, you can drive in the carpool lane by yourself if you own a hybrid.

            1.  Opponents of hybrids argue that they’re more expensive than your regular car, and they are slightly more expensive, but they’re extremely reliable and they have a lower depreciation, they hold their value much longer because they’re in demand.

            2.  Opponents will say that hybrids are too complex, too intricate, when in reality maintenance is equal to that of other cars.

            3.  Opponents will claim that hybrid cars are just too small, too uncomfortable, and can’t really compete with the gas-guzzling V-8’s, like the Chevy Camaro.  The reason that hybrids can compete with these powerful cars – the reason that you can drive a hybrid perfectly well on a winding mountain road, for instance, is because whatever the small engine can’t manage, the battery pack and electric motor are there to compensate for. 

            And they’re not just compact cars.  Most major car companies, including such trusted household names as Honda, Acura, and Toyota, either already have hybrid cars on the market or in production expected for release in the next 3 years.  And for those of you who like Hummers, sorry.  But if you like SUV’s and full-sized pick up trucks, those models will also be available.

            IV.  So, imagine living in a city where you’re not forced to inhale toxic exhaust as you go for your daily ‘health’ job.

            V.  To summarize this afternoon’s lessons, hybrid cars are beneficial to the environment because they yield lower emissions, and in turn reduce air pollution. 

Their high efficiency decreases our dependency on crude oil and can save us thousands of dollars a year.

(Conclusion)

            So, consider choosing a hybrid car as your next vehicle.  You’ll feel better immediately as you glance through the window of your new hybrid and know that the driver next to you is probably spending twice as much on gas.  But you’ll also be rewarded in a more permanent sense knowing that you’re not contributing as much to environmental decline.  (With emphasis)  My next car will be a hybrid vehicle.  I hope that yours will be too.