FINAL

(40%)
LDB/LEB 1042: ACADEMIC WRITING
JANUARY SEMESTER 2022
NAMES :

1. MUHAMMAD DURRANI HAKIM BIN MOHD FARED

2. NAZEEF AHMAD BIN TASLIM
3. IRFAN BIN ABDULLAH SUHAIMI
4. NUR QISTINA IMAN BINTI SHAHRIL
5. WAN HAFIY ARRAZIQ BIN WAN MOHD

FAIZAL STUDENT IDS :

1. 21001225
2. 21002052
3. 21001867
4. 21002142
5. 21001595

PROGRAMME : ELECTRICAL & ELECTRONIC

ENGINEERING LECTURER : MADAM ZARLINA BINTI MOHD

ZAMARI SCHEME: 1 – very poor; 2 – poor; 3 – average; 4 - good; 5 - very good

GRADING
2 – very poor; 4 – poor; 6 – average; 8 – good; 10 – very good

1 Introduction 1 2 3 4 5
Include thesis statement/research question/research issue and
overview of essay
2 Body 2 4 6 8 10
Show that articles support and criticize the issue
Produce original argument
Show coherence via effective paraphrasing
3 Conclusion 1 2 3 4 5
Make clear stand and relate to thesis statement
Clear significance of main points and implications
4 Language 1 2 3 4 5
Use suitable forms of language (e.g. accurate grammar, suitable
vocabulary) and structure (e.g. paragraphing)
5 Accurate in-text citation and References 2 4 6 8 10
6 Overall Presentation (Format) 1 2 3 4 5
Word count:

TOTAL: / 40%
 PLUG-IN HYBRID ELECTRIC VEHICLE (PHEV): THE DEFINITE

REPLACEMENT FOR CONVENTIONAL VEHICLE

The idea of electrifying an internal combustion engine seems in accordance with

depleting fossil fuels reserves. PHEVs offer benefits in terms of gas emissions and cost

saving but it also harms the environment. Electrical technology is a sure and upcoming

industry as of now, vehicles using full petroleum as their main source is becoming something

of the past. Plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) combine an electric and a conventional

combustion engine drivetrain. Benefits of using plug-in hybrids show more potential in

renewability. Long term cost and emissions show better results due to electricity in vehicles.

Alternative fuel technologies and hybrid vehicle propulsion systems have been extensively

developed. This shows the availability of battery- powered propulsion systems enabled

manufacturers to develop more PHEVs to meet the demand of consumers. PHEVs are

becoming more of a necessity rather than a recreational vehicle. A wide range of PHEVs are

available with the introduction of common petroleum models being transformed into a hybrid

(ie; BMW 530e). The word ‘e’ in the BMW lineup signifies electric, which incorporates

electric motor and battery technology in its vehicle. On top of that, thanks to strict regulations,

internal combustion engine vehicles are producing fewer emissions and becoming more fuel

efficient. A combination of an efficient internal combustion engine and electricity are a huge

upside when it comes to fuel saving during short and long-distance driving. From a cost

perspective in an urban environment, the new era where charging ports for PHEV are free can

certainly be a replacement for fossil fuel stations. Stating this, not everything about “PHEV”
or known as plug-in hybrid electric vehicles are good, PHEV also can potentially harm the

environment. This brings the subject of “are EV or PHEV the future in the automotive

industry?”.

One of the biggest benefits of owning a PHEVs is that PHEVs produce less emissions

compared to conventional fossil fuel vehicles. The addition of electric powertrain in PHEVs

introduces the idea of “electrified miles” which turns off the internal combustion engine to

promote the usage of electric motors. Electric motor replaces the propulsion of an internal

combustion engine with electrical energy which reduces the fuel consumption. Less fuel

consumption translates into less carbon emissions. This is because less fossil fuels are burned

during motion. According to Plötz et al. (2020), roughly 15%–55% savings in tail pipe

emissions of PHEVs in real-world operation compared to similar-sized combustion-engine

vehicles. With clever energy management systems, both fossil fuel and electric can work in

tandem to reduce fuel and energy consumptions as stated by Wróblewski et al., (2020).

Advancement in PHEVs technology allows manufacturers to incorporate various features into

their vehicles. As an example, the feature of “eco mode” which runs on battery-powered

electric motors only. “Eco mode” allows PHEVs to run on electric mode only mainly in short

distances (Wróblewski et al., 2020). Electric mode only enables zero emissions driving which

uses no fuel at all. This allows the advantages of increasing all-electric range while

decreasing fuel consumption (Plötz et al., 2020). Moreover, the all-electric range of most

current PHEVs is limited to an average of around 50 km (Plötz et al., 2020). A range of 50

km is sufficient to fulfill a short trip to weekly necessities, hardware stores and even

restaurants. If multiple PHEVs replace conventional fossil fuel vehicles, a short range of 50

km can be a huge upside towards a cleaner, emissions reducing, means of alternative

transportation. In addition, a fleet of electric vehicles would improve urban air quality even

when considering emissions

associated with charging electric vehicles (Soret, A., Guevara, M., and Baldasano, J. M.,

2014). This statement is supported by Plötz et al. (2020), where PHEVs can reduce

greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions at the global level, air pollution at the local level and

expected to produce less NOx, PM10, VOC, and CO emissions than the average conventional

vehicle (Nichols et al., 2014).

Furthermore, the advantage of owning a PHEV is that PHEVs are cheaper in the long

run compared to a conventional vehicle. This is because PHEVs consist of multiple power

sources which are petrol-powered and electric-powered. The introduction of an electric-

powered vehicle greatly reduces the dependency on fossil fuels which equals to less spending

on fuel. According to Plötz et al., (2018), the fuel consumption of PHEVs in real-world

operation is 43%–86% of the fuel consumption of comparable conventional vehicles which

significantly reduces the overall cost for fuel. On the other hand, PHEVs typically have a

much greater driving range than most comparable conventional vehicles. Therefore, PHEVs

users can benefit from cost saving on fuel as PHEVs offer high fuel mileage compared to

conventional vehicles (Plötz et al., 2018). This is because of the additional energy

management systems which reduces fuel and energy consumptions originating from several

energy sources (Wróblewski et al., 2020). As a result, PHEVs users can enjoy a peace of mind

without thinking of refueling when driving on long and short distances. According to

Wróblewski et al. (2020), the plug-in hybrid (PHEV) is used to describe a conventional

hybrid vehicle with a battery rechargeable from a conventional power socket, recuperating

energy from braking or by a combustion engine driven generator. A great benefit of a PHEV

is that it can be charged from a power grid and can be driven at high speed (Soret et al.,

2014). It is far less expensive to run the vehicle on electricity rather than fuel. Based on the

typical average rate, operating on

electricity costs less than half as much as it does when using fuel. At some dedicated areas,

electric charging for PHEVs are free, this itself cuts the cost of needing to refuel. According

to

P. Plötz et al. (2020), purchase incentives could be combined with free installation of a home

charging outlet, with charging cards or charging vouchers for users without easy access to

home charging. Stating this, many PHEVs users will be able to fulfill their needs just by

charging overnight. On short commutes, a PHEV can operate fully on its electric motor

(Wróblewski et al., 2020), avoiding any use of petrol, which means that it is practically a

cost-free mode of transportation if not a cheaper and alternative way than using fossil fuel.

Besides that, according to P. Plötz et al. (2020), users receive a tax benefit if they use a

PHEV, hence, they pay less road tax compared to a conventional vehicle.

Although PHEV has its advantages, it certainly has its disadvantages as well. In general

PHEV requires more resources to produce and operate the vehicle compared to conventional

vehicles that operate on fossil fuel. The construction of the battery assembly has shown a

large effect towards emissions therefore, harms the environment. As stated by Hawkins (as

cited Nichols et al., 2015) for more complete evaluation of PHEV versus conventional vehicle

emissions implications, some attention should be paid to each vehicle’s life-cycle emissions,

since PHEVs generally require more energy (and thereby emissions) to construct, thanks

mostly to battery assembly. The batteries range from a wide range of different resources and

materials, depending on the manufacturer and which type of battery they use. Generally, most

of it must be taken out from the ground for example Lithium, Nickel and Lead. Most of the

emissions produced by PHEV is not during its running operation but during its production.

PHEVs can be worse for the environment, by producing more life cycle GHG emissions,

though the impacts may be obscured by geographical distance and the fact that many impacts
occur during upstream production phases (Hawkins et al., 2015). The factory production and

the raw materials to produce PHEV, these processes have a larger impact on emissions in

comparison to the production of the conventional fossil fuel vehicle. The use of coal energy to

produce electricity for pre-production is what can be concerning towards the environment, but

this could be improved more by using renewable energy to generate electricity for production.

In recent times, more manufacturers are aware of the environmental effects of vehicles and

are improving their efficiency in lowering emissions. Vehicles with the same performance as

before are now producing fewer emissions by the advancement of their technology and

engineering. The conventional vehicle fleet is expected to become cleaner, thanks to older,

more polluting vehicles being removed from roadways, and better emissions control systems

on newer models (Nichols et al.,2014). These new conventional vehicles are made with

smaller engines which use less fossil fuel but maintain their performance and durability.

During long commutes, when the battery is out of charge, PHEV have been proven to not be

as effective as compared to short urban commutes. When using its fossil fueled motor to run,

the extra weight of the battery must be lugged around which in many cases can use more fuel

than needed. To overcome emissions issues with PHEV during its production, PHEV has

redeemed itself by producing less emissions during post production and improving regional

air quality while increasing energy security (Nichols et al., 2014). Production of PHEV using

renewable energy could be the first step of many in making it more sustainable.
 In conclusion, PHEVs advantages outweigh the disadvantages. The idea of electrifying an

internal combustion engine seems in accordance with depleting fossil fuels reserves. PHEVs

offer benefits in terms of gas emissions and cost saving but it also harms the environment.

The ingenuity of combining electricity and fossil fuels promotes a better fuel economy and a

better environment. The future of transportation seems promising with advanced technology

being applied to a conventional everyday vehicle. The advancement of efficient fossil fuel

engines helps pave the way for researchers and manufacturers to produce new vehicles with

cleaner exhaust emission that uses less fuel. Regulations on manufactures to reduce emissions

also helps in pushing the market to produce more PHEVs by using the most efficient way via

clean energy. With PHEVs replacing conventional vehicles, the world can lower its carbon

footprint and be introduced to a more sustainable future. As for its drawbacks, PHEVs

generally emit more carbon during production of their heavy lithium-ion batteries and the

process of upstream production to retrieve fossil fuels. Production with non-clean energy (ie;

coal energy) needs to be improved or removed altogether, a more efficient or cleaner energy

is needed for electricity for future productions of PHEV. The transition of electrifying the

world may take longer than expected. The challenges of preparing more charging stations are

proven to be difficult indeed. A change of the norm of having fossil fuel vehicles will be a

challenge to those who cannot comprehend the initial cost of owning a PHEV as they are

known to be more costly to purchase. The cost for recharging a PHEV if not free, is cheaper

compared to refueling with petrol (fossil fuel), the ease of charging at one's accommodation is

a slight benefit as well. The availability of power generation also needs to be considered to

cope with rising demand for electricity and inhibit entirely the demand for fossil fuels. In the

next few decades, concerning the environment, PHEVs are the vehicle of choice for future

transportation. Based on the technology and the advancement of it, the possibility of having

cleaner energy for the means of transportation seems very plausible.

 REFERENCES

Plötz, P., Moll, C., Biecker, G., Mock, P., Li, Y. (2020) Real-World Usage of Plug-in Hybrid

Electric Vehicles: Fuel Consumption, Electric Driving, and CO₂ Emissions, International

Council of Clean Transportation. Fraunhofer ISI. Retrieved from https://theicct.org/wp-

content/uploads/2021/06 /PHEV-white-paper-sept2020-0

Wróblewski, P., Kupiec, J., Drozd, W., Lewicki, W. and Jaworski, J. (2020) The Economic

Aspect of Using Different Plug-In Hybrid Driving Techniques in Urban Conditions, Energies

2021, Volume 14, Issue 12, 3543. Retrieved from https://doi.org/10.3390/en14123543

Plötz, P., Funke, S. Á., Jochem, P. (2018) The impact of daily and annual driving on fuel

economy and CO2 emissions of plug-in hybrid electric vehicles, Transportation Research

Part A: Policy and Practice, Volume 118, December 2018, Pages 331-340. Retrieved from

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tra .2018.09.018

Soret, A., Guevara, M. and Baldasano J. M. (2014) The potential impacts of electric vehicles

on air quality in the urban areas of Barcelona and Madrid (Spain), Atmospheric Environment,

Volume 99, December 2014, Pages 51 – 63. Retrieved from https://doi.org/10.1016/j.

atmosenv.2014.09.048

Nichols, B. G., Kockelman, K. M. and Reiter, M. (2014) Air quality impacts of electric

vehicle adoption in Texas. Transportation Research Part D: Transport and Environment,

Volume 34, January 2015, Pages 208-218. Retrieved from

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.trd.2014.10.016