Scientific Method Procedure

• In which scientific journal was this article published? Do a quick internet search to locate the full name of the scientific journal.

South African Journal of Science

Published bimonthly by the Academy of Science of South Africa.

• In which year was the paper published?

2012

• What was the problem or the question the researchers are trying to solve through experimentation?

• Why are electric vehicles being considered as a more viable option of transportation in S. Africa?

• What are the major advantages to commercializing electric vehicles?

• What is the main hypothesis proposed by the researchers in the article

• What past research did the authors cite to support their initial hypothesis in the Introduction? Explain how this research support the authors’ hypothesis.

• What are some ways in which the authors Huo et al. suggested that CO2 emissions can be reduced in their 2010 study of the environmental implications of using electric vehicles in China?

• In Huo et al. (2010) study, what type of GHG were electric vehicles indirectly responsible for and why?

• List the types of energy sources used in majority by S. Africans? What is the projected rate of growth for demand in energy by the year 2030?

• In Table 1, which energy source is forecast to be used mainly to generate energy for S. Africans? Which two sources are anticipated to show the greatest growth forecast?

• These units are used frequently in the article, what do they stand for and what do they measure?
• GW
• kWh

MJ

L

• In S. Africa power industry, explain what the authors believe are the main causes of concerns.

• What do the authors consider to be a viable energy alternative to the current energy source in S. Africa ?

• Identify which type of data was not available and not included in the researchers’ study and assessments.

• Why did the authors chose to exclude this energy source from the study ?

• Explain the various assumptions made by the study.

• What model serves as the standard to evaluate fuel efficiency in cars in S. Africa?

• Are there dependent variables in the study? What are they?

• What is the control group in this experiment?

• What are the constants used in the experiment?

• In Table IV, which type of vehicle perform the best when it comes to releasing fewer CO2 emission in 2010. Explain why this is so.

• In Table V, which type of vehicle perform the best when it comes to releasing fewer CO2, SOx, NOx, and particulate matter in 2030? Explain why this is so.

• What are the environmental issues associated with the release of excess SOx into the atmosphere in S. Africa?

• Describe the authors’ predictions about the use of electric vehicles in 2030 with regards to SOx, NOx, CO2, particulate matter emissions.

• What are the conclusions the researchers determined from the research?

• What did the authors suggest to be a deterrent to the increase use of electric vehicles in South Africa?

• What recommendations did the researchers propose?

• Provide a 200 word paragraph with your personal perspectives on the article you have just read. What information did you find most pertinent and how do you think this information will apply to the general scientific community, the automobile industries and the power companies from a N. American point of view and from a global point of view.