Name: _________________________________
Careers in Biochemical Technology
“What Drives You?”
Purpose


Evaluate the true cost of car ownership and a vehicles carbon dioxide or greenhouse gas emissions
Evaluate different fuel types for today’s vehicles and which one is economical and environmentally-friendly
Introduction
We have all been in a car. They are part of our everyday lives and they are getting more expensive to drive due to the
ever increasing cost of fuel. We are also increasingly worried about the effects of pollution and carbon emissions of
our vehicles and the consequences of this pollution on our planet. Therefore, it is more important than ever to be an
informed consumer about what we drive. Rather than being only concerned about the cost of buying a car we should
be worried about the “cost of ownership” of the vehicles that we buy and its carbon footprint. The activities below
will get all of us thinking about the cars that Americans drive and what is the true cost of driving them.
Activity 1. Evaluation of Cost of Ownership of a Vehicle
a) Divide into five (5) groups.
b) Each group will research five (5) different vehicles from a specific class of vehicles described below. For
example, one group may select pick-up trucks. Research five different trucks and compare their cost per mile
and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. The group may decide to research Ford F-150, Chevy Silverado, Toyota
Tundra, Ram 1500, Honda Ridgeline, etc.
Evaluate the following classes of vehicles (examples given)
Class of Vehicles
Example Vehicles (there are many more)
Full Size Pick-up trucks
Ford F-150, Chevy Silverado, Toyota Tundra
Sport Utility Vehicles (SUVs)
Jeep Grand Cherokee, Ford Explorer, Toyota
Highlander, Chevy Suburban
Cross-over
Dodge Journey, Buick Lacrosse, GMC Arcadia,
Toyota RAV4, Honda Crosstour, Jeep Cherokee
Mid-sized Passenger cars / Sedans
Honda Accord, Ford Fusion, Cheverolet Malibu,
Nissan Sentra, Toyota Camry
Alternative Vehicles

Hybrid

Compressed Natural Gas
(CNG)

Electric Vehicle (EV)

Plug-in Hybrid (PEV)

Flex Fuel Vehicle (FFV)
Toyota Prius, Ford Fusion Hybrid, Cheverolet
Volt, Honda Civic (CNG), Ford C Max Energi
Draft Lesson Plan
Toby West – LISD TECH Center
Group that will research
this vehicle type (name of
one person from your
group)
July 2014
c) Each person in the group select a vehicle that he/she would like to compare. Using one computer per group,
go to the website: http://www.afdc.energy.gov/calc/
d) Each student add their car of choice to the calculator. To keep things simple and for ease of comparison
among the whole class, select “2013” model year for all vehicles. Once car has been selected, click “add” until
all vehicles for group have been selected.
e) For ease of comparison, use a price per gallon of ________ $/gallon (see example below)
f)
STOP HERE! Answer the following before you move on: MAKE A PREDICTION!
Which vehicle will have the highest annual operating costs?
Which vehicle will have the lowest annual operating costs?
Which vehicle will have the highest annual CO2 emissions?
Which vehicle will have the lowest annual CO2 emissions?
g) Once all the vehicles have been added and price per gallon is entered, click “Get Results” at the bottom. We
will leave the default numbers the way they are in the “Tell us how you use your car” section.
Draft Lesson Plan
Toby West – LISD TECH Center
July 2014
h) There is a lot of information on this website, but for this activity we will focus on the Annual Operating Cost
($) and Annual Emissions (lbs CO2)
Based on your group results:
Vehicle
Annual Operating Cost
from data analysis ($/yr)
Annual GHG Emissions
(lbs of CO2/yr)
Which vehicle had the lowest
operating cost?
Which vehicle had the highest
operating cost?
Which vehicle had the lowest
emissions?
Which vehicle had the highest
emissions?
Analysis and Reflection:
1. Were you surprised by the results? Why?
2. Which vehicle would be the best choice based on annual operating costs AND annual emissions? Why?
3. Do you think you would use this website to help you make a decision in the future about what car to buy?
Why?
Draft Lesson Plan
Toby West – LISD TECH Center
July 2014
Vs.
Activity 2. Evaluation of Vehicle Cost of Ownership and Emissions Among All Categories
a) Everyone in the class will come up to the board (two at a time) and write down:
 The vehicle they chose
 Annual operating cost
 Annual CO2 emissions
b) In small groups (same as in activity 1), discuss as a group which would be the best car to own based
on Annual Operating Cost AND Annual CO2 Emissions from the choices that on the board that the
whole class wrote down. Which car had the best balance of cost to GHG emissions?
Vehicle of Choice: _____________________________
send a member of your group up to the board and make a “star” * next to that vehicle.
c) Do the same as in step b. but identify the vehicle that you would rank the lowest (or most expensive)
in Annual Operating Cost and worst in terms of CO2 Emissions
Vehicle of Choice: _____________________________
send a member of your group to the board and make a “check mark” next to that vehicle.
d) Class will debate and discuss as to which vehicle “wins” as the best in terms of lowest cost of
ownership and lowest overall emissions. Are there other data that you can get from the website
that will “settle the debate”?
e) Class will vote on the winner for the best car for your wallet and the planet!
Best vehicle overall in the class is: __________________________________
Draft Lesson Plan
Toby West – LISD TECH Center
July 2014
Activity 3. Debate: Which Alternative Fuel is the Best?
a) For this activity you will again work as a group. Each group will select an alternative fuel from the
website below and no two groups will have the same fuel.
http://www.afdc.energy.gov/
b) Your task is to research your fuel and associated data from this website and the handouts at your
work area to present to the class why your fuel is the best.
c) Be prepared! You may be asked some tough questions from other groups or the judges. Other
groups can ask questions or make comments that can put doubt in the minds of the judges and
maybe lower the presenting groups score. This is a debate, but please make sure your comments
and questions are appropriate. Remember, you will have to present to the class as well!
d) A panel of judges will score your presentation from 1 – 5 in the following areas:
 Did you explain how your fuel works in the car? Can you use this fuel in an internal combustion
engine (like most of today’s cars) without any conversion?
 How would this fuel reduce dependency on foreign oil, promote energy security, and create jobs
in the United States?
 How would this fuel be better for the environment and reduce GHG emissions?
 Did you use data to reinforce your information and did you accurately explain the data to the
class?
 Was your presentation interesting and convincing?
Draft Lesson Plan
Toby West – LISD TECH Center
July 2014
Judges Score Sheet:
Group: ___________________________________________
Activity 3. “What Drives You?”
Scoring Rubric: This is for a grade! Evaluation of different sources of energy as a transportation fuel.
1
2
3
4
Criteria: Judges check the appropriate box according to how well the
group presented its information by the criteria below. Total score at
the bottom.
Did you explain how your fuel works in the car? Do you use this fuel in
an internal combustion engine (like most of today’s cars) without any
conversion?
How would this fuel reduce dependency on foreign oil and promote
energy security in the United States?
How would this fuel be better for the environment and reduce GHG
emissions?
Did you use data to reinforce your information and did you accurately
explain the data to the class?
Was your presentation interesting and convincing?
Total (out of 25 pts)
Judge Name: _______________________________
Each group will have the total points tallied from each judge. The group with the most
points wins the debate!
Draft Lesson Plan
Toby West – LISD TECH Center
July 2014
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