1
Grice
Michael Grice
Dr. Brian Yates
INDS 400
25 May 2019
Topic and Research Question
Topic:
Sustainability of alternative fuel transportation compared to that of the traditional vehicle
operating with an internal combustion engine powered by gasoline or other oil based fuels.
Hypothesis:
Adopting the use of electric transportation as a primary, daily means of transportation, will not
only benefit the environment, but will be more sustainable than relying on traditional internal
combustion engines.
Research Question:
Will using electric vehicles as a primary means of transportation lead to a revolution in
sustainable transportation while promoting and protecting environmental health?
Disciplines Incorporated:
Environment/resource conservation and preservation; Technological advancements/innovations;
Cost analysis/efficiency
Justification:
Researching the sustainability of electric vehicles compared to vehicles powered by an internal
combustion engine will prove to be a substantial project and can be tackled from multiple
perspectives. The majority of my research will revolve around sustainability relating to the
preservation of the environment and conservation of natural resources involved in the production
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Grice
of gasoline and motor oils. Sustainability also speaks to the life span of a product, in this case, I
will research how technological advances are being used to ensure electric vehicles have longer
useable lives than traditional internal combustion engine vehicles. Lastly, I will research into the
cost of owning and maintain an electric vehicle as compared to that of a traditional internal
combustion engine vehicle. In this respect, the intention is to support the claim despite the higher
purchase price, electric vehicles cost lest to own and maintain over the course of their useable
life. Limiting the disciplines to these three subject areas will create a scope of research that is
specific to the research topic, but isn’t narrow enough to where research material will be severely
limited or broad enough to where material is over abundant.
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