For starters, hybrid cars pollute a lot less than conventional gasoline engines. Since most people’s driving is done locally and at speeds lower than 40 miles per hour, your hybrid could probably run on its battery power a lot of the time. Running on batteries = no pollution and no burning of gasoline. So for a person serious about being green, this should be a major consideration. Even if I never made back the extra expense on the hybrid, just the fact that I am polluting less would make the cost worthwhile.

Secondly, the more people that buy hybrid cars the more manufacturers will build them and lower their prices. Don’t think for a second that Toyota and Honda do not know this. That is why they are expanding their hybrid line to get even more buyers in to their showrooms before other manufacturers have a chance to catch up. Brand loyalty is big in the car business, and if Honda and Toyota can create it with lots of new customers, it is good for their bottom line. But even more important than that, the more manufacturers that build hybrids, the better the technology will be. Everyone will be spending money to have the next big breakthrough in hybrid technology, and this can only lead to more fuel efficiency and less pollution in the future.

So the next time someone says “It would take years to make back that extra expense in my gasoline savings” you have a reply. It is not all about saving money on gas; in fact, I would almost bet that should be the last reason that a person should buy a hybrid car. Less pollution and better technologies for the future should be the main reason. And the fact that we use less gasoline is just an added bonus at this time. Gas engines are still the majority of the market and they are not going away anytime soon. By investing in hybrid technologies, you are helping to push us all towards a cleaner future.

Post from: The Good Human

Saving Money On Gas Is Not A Good Reason To Pay Extra For Hybrids

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However, I had no need for it here in New Mexico, as there are absolutely NO emissions requirements or tests anywhere outside of metro Albuquerque. None. Your car burn enough oil to kill everyone driving behind you? That’s fine in 99% of the state of New Mexico, which makes me very upset. I have occasionally had to stop my car and wait a bit because the car in front of me was making it hard for me to breathe – it can be that bad!

I see more cars here than any other place I have ever been to with all colors of smoke coming out of them, multiple burnt out lights, and broken suspensions. And there is not a single test to get these cars in better operating condition, which just means worse MPG numbers and more pollution…not a recipe for a healthy environment, and New Mexico is by no means alone in this.

I have lived in 4 states and about to move to my 5th, and all of them (save New Mexico, of course) have had pretty tough inspections and emissions testing. Massachusetts, Virginia, California, and my soon-to-be new home of Colorado all have requirements on getting your car tested before you can register it in the state. This is the good news. However, as I mentioned above, only 18 states have state-wide required testing and inspections, and this needs to change asap. We are in a time of quickening environmental damage from our emissions, and the automobile is one of the biggest sources of greenhouse gasses. So…What will it take for our Federal Government to step in and require standardized testing and inspections in all 50 states? I don’t know, but I sure hope we can figure it out sooner rather than later.

How do you think we can work to make this happen?

Post from: The Good Human

We Need A Stringent Auto Emissions Policy Nationwide ASAP.

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Dear EarthTalk: Celebrities and billionaires are shelling out big bucks for cutting edge green-friendly cars like the Tesla Roadster. But what are the rest of us—who live in the budget-constrained real world—to do about buying a new car that does right by the environment?

With so many new energy efficient cars in showrooms today, there’s never been a better time to go green with your next car purchase. A few years ago the Toyota Prius was the go-to model for those with an environmental conscience and up to $30,000 to pay for the privilege of getting 35-40 miles per gallon (mpg) in the city and 45-55 on the highway. But today there is such a wide selection of fuel efficient and low-emissions vehicles that even those on a budget can afford to go green.

To wit, Honda’s new Insight is the first hybrid gasoline-electric car available new for less than $20,000 (starting at $19,800). With fuel efficiency ratings of 40 miles per gallon (mpg) in the city and 43 on the highway, the Insight surely won’t cost much to operate either.

There are plenty of other hybrids to choose from today, too, though most cost at least a few thousand dollars more than equivalent non-hybrid models. Toyota’s Prius, which is only available as a hybrid, still leads the pack as the world’s top selling and most fuel efficient hybrid. Its cost has dropped some, now starting at $22,400, and the “3rd generation” Prius 10 now claims an Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) combined city/highway rating of 50 mpg. This most recent edition even features a whimsical solar panel on the roof to power a ventilation system that keeps the interior of the car cool even on scorching hot days. Hybrid versions of Honda’s Civic ($23,800), Nissan’s Altima ($26,780), Ford’s Fusion ($27,625) and Escape SUV ($31,500), Mercury’s Milan ($31,590) and Mariner SUV ($29,995), Toyota’s Camry ($26,150) and Highlander SUV ($34,700) are also in showrooms in dealerships across the U.S.

Many smaller cars with regular gasoline engines also get great mileage with low emissions for even less money. Some examples include the Corolla ($15,350), Matrix ($16,550) and Yaris ($12,355) from Toyota, Honda’s Fit ($14,900), the Mazda 3 ($16,045), Chevy’s Aveo ($11,965) and Cobalt ($14,990), the Hyundai’s Accent ($9,970) and Elantra ($14,145), Pontiac’s G3 ($14,335), the Kia Rio ($11,495), the MINI Cooper ($19,500), Ford’s Focus ($15,995), and the Smart Car ForTwo ($11,990).

Diesel fuel is now cleaner than ever, and a few automakers are going down that road. Volkswagen’s Jetta TDI ($22,660), Audi’s A3 TDI ($29,950) and BMW’s 335d ($43,900) are three examples of high performance vehicles with solid green credentials regarding fuel efficiency and emissions. An added bonus is that such cars can run on carbon-neutral biodiesel as well as petroleum-based diesel fuel.

Consumers just starting their search for a new ride should check out GreenCar.com, which provides detailed information on the many greener vehicles available today as well as those on the horizon. Also, the federal government’s website FuelEconomy.gov provides detailed mileage and emissions information on dozens of new cars every year, and provides users with an easy and free way to compare different vehicles along the lines of environmental impact.

CONTACTS: GreenCar.com, www.greencar.com; FuelEconomy.gov, www.fueleconomy.gov.

SEND YOUR ENVIRONMENTAL QUESTIONS TO: EarthTalk, P.O. Box 5098, Westport, CT 06881; earthtalk@emagazine.com. Read past columns at: www.emagazine.com/earthtalk/archives.php. EarthTalk is now a book! Details and order information at: www.emagazine.com/earthtalkbook.

Post from: The Good Human

More Affordable Energy-Efficient, Lower Emission Cars.

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Dear EarthTalk: I’ve heard that cars can be modified to run on water. How is this possible?

There are a number of online marketing offers of kits that will convert your car to “run on water,” but these should be viewed skeptically. These kits, which attach to the car’s engine, use electrolysis to split the water (H2O) into its component molecules—hydrogen and oxygen—and then inject the resulting hydrogen into the engine’s combustion process to power the car along with the gasoline. Doing this, they say, makes the gasoline burn cleaner and more completely, thus making the engine more efficient.

But experts say the energy equation on this type of system is not, in reality, efficient at all. For one, the electrolysis process uses energy, such as electricity in the home or the on-board car battery, to operate. By the laws of nature, then, the system uses more energy making hydrogen than the resulting hydrogen itself can supply, according to Dr. Fabio Chiara, research scientist in alternative combustion at the Center for Automotive Research at Ohio State University.

Moreover, Chiara says, the amount of greenhouse gases produced by the vehicle “would be much larger, because two combustion processes [gasoline and hydrogen] are involved.” Finally, there is a safety consideration for consumers who add these devices to their cars. “H2 is a highly flammable and explosive gas,” he says, and would require special care in installation and use.

The electrolysis process could be viable in saving energy if a renewable, non-polluting energy source such as solar or wind could be harnessed to power it, although capturing enough of that energy source on board the car would be another hurdle.

Researchers today put more focus on using hydrogen to power fuel cells, which can replace internal combustion engines to power cars and emit only water from the tailpipe. And though hydrogen is combustible and can power an internal combustion engine, to use hydrogen in that way would squander its best potential: to power a fuel cell.

Hydrogen fuel cell cars are gaining traction, but commercialization of hydrogen fuel has not yet been accomplished. “The potential benefits of fuel cells are significant,” say researchers at the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL). “[H]owever, many challenges must be overcome before fuel cell systems will be a competitive alternative for consumers.”

The state of California operates a “Hydrogen Highway” program that supports development of hydrogen fuel cell technology and infrastructure. And many companies are working on ways to produce, store and dispense hydrogen. Cars powered by fuel cells are in prototype stages now, nearing production.

While we all wait to see how that shakes out, the best choice today for high mileage and low emissions is still the gasoline/electric hybrid car.

CONTACTS: Center for Automotive Research, http://car.eng.ohio-state.edu; NREL, www.nrel.gov; California Hydrogen Highway, www.hydrogenhighway.ca.gov.

Post from: The Good Human

Can Cars Run On Water?

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4. EarthTalk: On Electric Or Plug-In Cars Getting Charged From Polluting Plants.
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