Final Expert Article

Going Hybrid

Tired of paying too much for gas? What can be done to conserve fuel usage? Some options are to drive less, take the bus, or purchase a hybrid automobile. Choosing the option of purchasing a hybrid vehicle allows the driver to save money at the pump and increase their fuel economy, compared to a conventional automobile.

Hybrids began gaining traction in the 1990’s. With modern technology, the vehicles have become more popular and have gripped the attention of many drivers on the road. The vehicles are environmental friendly, leaving a positive footprint on the earth by reducing pollution, and offer a wide range of benefits for the driver. While great results can be seen from switching to a hybrid vehicle, there are also some high costs that come with a hybrid ownership. In this article, I will go into detail about how a hybrid vehicle works and what makes it different from conventional cars.

How a Hybrid Vehicle Works

Hybrid vehicles use a combination of two different engines. The first engine is a conventional engine that uses either petrol or disel. The second engine is an electric motor than runs on electricity, which is powered by the car battery. A hybrid vehicle uses its electric motor when it is operating at lower speeds and uses the conventional engine to get the car going at higher speeds. The combination of both motors allows the automobile to run in an efficient and effective manner. Hybrid vehicles offer a regenerative braking system, meaning that when a driver brakes, the electric motor applies resistance to the drivetrain and “in return, the energy from the wheels turns the motor, which functions as a generator, converting energy normally wasted during coasting and braking into electricity, which is stored in a battery until needed by the electric motor” (Fuel Economy). Hybrids also automatically shutdown when the car comes to a stop. It starts again when the accelator is being pushed on. This allows the car to reduce emissions when idling and saves gas when the car is not in motion.

Eco-Friendly

There has been much speculation about global warming affecting the state of our planet. The large amount of carbon in the earth’s atmosphere is changing our weather patterns and causing polar ice caps to melt rapidly. These eco-friendly cars release a low amount of carbon and sulfur, reducing the amount of toxic emissons into the air. “For every gallon of gasoline burned, 20 pounds of carbon dioxide and other green house gas enter the atmopshere,” but the use of hybrid vehicles can help minimize the negative impact of toxic emissions (Ariskan). The amount of smog and pollution will be greatly reduced. Sustainability has become a huge topic and companies have responded by pushing more environmental friendly products to preserve the earth for future generations.

Fuel Economy

One of the biggest factors that pull customers to purchase a hybrid vehicle is the great fuel economy it offers. On average, a hybrid vehicle can reach up to fifty miles per gallon (mpg) and a tank of gas costs between twenty to thirty dollars.  The “battery provides an electric assist to the gas-powered engine, achieving 20–35 percent better gas mileage than conventional cars” (Green American). For example, a 2015 Toyota Prius has a combined mpg of fifty, whereas a Toyota Corolla can get thirty-two mpg. The mpg difference between the two vehicles is significant. With gas prices fluctuating every month, drivers do not want to pay a premium for gas. Drivers can save money and have a higher fuel economy if they switch to a hybrid automobile.

Benefits

            The purchase of a hybrid vehicle benefits the environment, while also offering different types of perks for the owner. Many insurance companies instantly offer discounts for any hybrid vehicle owners. “Travelers Insurance even have a dedicated hybrid car insurance division which provides discounts of up to 10 percent simply based on the vehicle” and on top of this deduction, drivers can still get other typical discounts that come with insurance companies (Dunn). The second advantage is that most hybrid vehicles have a high resale value. Even if you decide to sell your automobile in the future, you will be able to retain a larger amount compared to a conventional vehicle. In addition, consumers may worry that hybrids will not be able to accelerate to high speeds because the car uses less fuel. However, that is false. Hybrids actually have a large amount of torque – they can accelerate to high speeds quickly.

Disadvantages

            A disadvantage of hybrid vehicles is their higher price tag. Hybrids tend to cost more because of the research and development done to create the vehicle. Another factor that may affect a consumer’s decision to purchase a hybrid is the high maintenance cost: “Hybrid vehicles also cost more to repair because of the complexity of the dual compulsion system used in most hybrid vehicles” (Cars Direct). Finding experienced mechanics to maintain hybrids can be quite expensive since not many mechanics have yet to specialize in this.

Conclusion

            We have discussed the benefits and drawbacks of owning a hybrid vehicle. A hybrid may have a higher price tag and higher maintenance cost, but the pros outweigh the cons. Hybrids are environmental friendly and offer a great solution to help reduce smog from our atmosphere. They do not emit as much toxic gases into our air. On top of that, hybrids can achieve a higher fuel economy compared to conventional automobiles. Owning a hybrid also allows you to obtain cheaper auto insurance, and the vehicle retains its resale value in the future. Now that you have knowledge on hybrid vehicles, it is your decision to go out and purchase one.

Works Cited

Ariskan, Sandra. "Hybrid Car Technology | Ecofriendly Planet." Ecofriendly Planet RSS. N.p., n.d. Web. 29 Sept. 2015.

Dunn, Alan. "5 Reasons to Buy a Hybrid Car." U.S. News. N.p., 24 Mar. 2011. Web. 28 Sept. 2015.

"How Hybrids Work." How Hybrids Work. N.p., n.d. Web. 29 Sept. 2015.

Novey, Joelle. "GREEN AMERICAN." Green America: Living Green: The Money-Saving Perks of a Hybrid Car. N.p., 2009. Web. 29 Sept. 2015.

"The Pros and Cons of Hybrid Cars." CarsDirect. N.p., n.d. Web. 29 Sept. 2015.

Growing a Farmer "Bees Lesson"

In the next chapter, Kurt Timmermeister goes on and talks about the importance of bees on his farm. In the beginning of the chapter, Kurt describes his struggles to obtain a container of bees that were shipped by his supplier. When transporting the bees from a different state, the bees undergo severe weather and temperature problems and thus do not survive the journey. The first year of beekeeping was unsuccessful for Kurt. As the second year comes around, Kurt is still unsuccessful and does not fully understand how to care for the bees. However, as time progresses, Kurt does not give up and continues to learn about the bees so that he can understand the way they function and live.

From this passage, I think Kurt was not only describing his issues with bees but was also teaching the readers. This chapter shows that although we may not succeed at first, we should never give up on what we are doing. We should always remain focused on our goals. There will always be obstacles and roadblocks that will come in our way. It is up to the person to overcome these difficulties in order to achieve success in the end. Kurt even failed a second time and still was determined to master beekeeping. I admire Kurt for not giving up and always following his willingness to succeed.

Growing a Farmer

Growing a Farmer By Kurt Timmermeister has been an interesting book so far. I like how in the beginning of the book, Kurt describes his journey in the restaurant business and gives us a little insight of his past. He then goes on and describes how he began his farming endeavors. Moreover, I thought that it was really interesting when Kurt was trying to figure a way to sell his newly planted vegetables. With little resources he was not able to distribute to large retailers, but wanted to sell his crops in local farmers market. I like that he did his research and found out that growing vegetables would be his best option to begin with. From the insights, his county or the federal government do not regulate the production of vegetables. From this we can see that his mindset is not only being focused as a developing farmer, but has a business mindset as well. This was something that really stuck out to me and has got me interested in the book. I want to find out more about his farm and what the future holds for it.

Job Memo

Peer Tutor

About two years ago, I was a peer tutor at my community college. I assisted other students in gaining a better understanding in both microeconomics and macroeconomics. Getting the opportunity to work with other students not only allowed me to aid them but also helped to improve my interpersonal and communication skills. This was an interesting job because it allowed me to meet new people and connect with them.

As a tutor in the Learning Center at my community college, I

·      Assisted students in their specific classes

·      Managed the facility

·      Attended mandatory meetings

In this memo, I am going to explain and go into detail about these topics.

Assisting Students in their Specific Classes

Students would come into the facility with questions, confused on certain topics or in need of some clarification on their homework assignments.

·      Tutoring sessions usually lasted for fifty minutes. During this time, the students were allowed to ask anything related to the subject.

·      I was not allowed to give students the answer immediately. I guided them in the right direction so that they would be able to learn and understand the topic.

·      If students did not understand a lesson in their class, my job was to clarify the topic for them.

The days before an exam were the most popular time for students to come into the Learning Center and meet with tutors. Here is an example of a session that I had right before midterms. One student came in with a study guide that was provided by the professor and asked detailed questions about certain topics. We focused on practice problems offered by the book to help the student better prepare for the exam. These questions were also similar to the homework problems, so these were not new questions that the student had never seen before. I thoroughly explained practice problems so that the student was able to get a better understanding of the material. My step-by-step method taught the student how to approach any new questions on the exam.

Managing the Facility

Working in the Learning Center required other duties besides tutoring. I was required to run and maintain the Learning Center, which enabled the facility to run smoothly and efficiently. All the tutors participated in all the required duties and switched roles every week. Here are some of the other responsibilities we were given:

·      Scheduling tutoring appointments

·      Working at the front desk, directing students and offering services

·      Managing the computer lab

·      Renting out textbooks and human anatomy models/study aids

Managing the facility gave us an opportunity to do different things other than tutoring. I was allowed to exercise and develop my leadership and interpersonal skills. Specifically, working at the front desk allowed me to develop hands on customer service skills. Our facility believed in offering excellent service and made sure that every student was well taken care of. By performing these tasks, I learned how important teamwork was. Every tutor contributed to the Learning Center in order to offer the best experience possible.

Mandatory Meetings

Another important aspect of being a peer tutor required attending mandatory meetings. In these meetings, we discussed performance, upcoming events, small facility changes, or other updates. One of the main points of these meetings was to discuss:

·      Individual performances

·      How an individual can improve their tutoring skills by letting them know what they needed to change

·      Giving supportive advice to one another

Having these meetings allowed individuals to better improve themselves, and also allowed them to gauge their performance since we all strived to be excellent tutors. During a certain month, tutors were required to give an evaluation sheet to his or her tutee and have them evaluate their tutor. Here’s an example of the process that I had to undergo. After finishing a tutoring session with a student, I asked them to fill out an anonymous evaluation sheet. I then turned in the evaluations to my supervisor. Once all the evaluation sheets were turned in, the head of the Learning Center would read the evaluations. Based on the evaluation’s, I would receive advice on what I could do better to improve and what I was doing right.