If you live in the United States, then you are well aware of the increasingly high gas prices. With no reprieve in sight, individuals are looking for ways to save at the pump. They have tried a plethora of things, including purchasing hybrid vehicles, converting their engines to run on water and other alternative fuels. Some car manufacturers have made baby steps to address the problems. Designing and rolling out smaller cars that are more fuel efficient and the manufacturing of hybrid vehicles have been the few ways that car makers have attempted to address the problem. Prices at the pump are so high due to the increasing cost of oil. There was a period in time where the West was the predominate place on the planet where a large part of the population people had vehicles. Today that has changed. Developing and advancing countries are seeing more of their citizens purchase cars. This means that there is a greater need for oil and gasoline in other countries. This drives up the price of oil. Oil is a finite resource and this fact also makes it much more expensive. To fight rising oil costs, our country must make some changes. Finding an affordable alternative fuel and then setting up the infrastructure to support it, is one way that this problem can be addressed in this country. The continued manufacturing of small, fuel efficient cars is another option. One alternative that has not gotten much press is the use of carbon fiber. Carbon fiber is a material that can be used to build cars. It is extremely strong. In fact, it is 5 times stronger then steel and 2/3 lighter. Lighter cars mean the need for less fuel. Manufacturing a car from carbon fiber would reduce that vehicle's weight by 60%. As this relates to oil, cars would require 30% less fuel. This would automatically reduce an individual's budget for gas by 30% without making any changes. Imagine if car companies would begin using this material to make cars and then uncovered an affordable, alternative fuel source. The gas crisis would be over! High fuel prices are not only affecting individuals at the pump. It also takes oil to fuel electricity and keep homes warm and cool. Many Americans have seen an increase in their electric bills. However, the increasing costs to keep cars running has risen to extreme levels and is expected to continue to rise. As a result, driving habits in America will have to change if nothing else does. Car manufacturers can help alleviate the problem by developing lighter, stronger cars that go further on less fuel. One way to do this is through the use of carbon fiber to make cars. The material is extremely strong, durable and light, which would reduce the fuel consumption of the automobile by 30% without taking anything else into consideration. This would be helping Americans financially and our planet as well, because of the lower amount of emissions released into the atmosphere. By manufacturing cars from carbon fiber, greenhouse emissions would be reduced by 10%-20%.
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