Perhaps the single most important thing you can do to fight global warming is to replace your current car with a fuel-efficient one. Why? Because buying a gasoline-powered car that gets excellent fuel efficiency or, better yet, an alternative-fuel car that runs on a renewable fuel does more than help prevent global warming and save you gas money. It also lessens our dependence on foreign oil imports; reduces air pollution and smog; reduces the chances of oil spills; and, perhaps most important, sends a message to car manufacturers that Americans want cars that don't harm the environment.
What You Should Know
- Because trucks are traditionally heavier and bigger than passenger cars, they do not have to meet fuel-efficiency standards as strict as those of lighter passenger cars. Unfortunately, SUV's are classified as light-duty trucks (even though they are now being used as passenger cars), which is why our government allows them to have such horrible fuel efficiency.
- Even though fossil fuels are burned both in your car's engine and at power plants, your car's tailpipe pollution is more dangerous to your health than power plant pollution because of its proximity--you breathe the fumes in every time you're near a vehicle.
- If car manufacturers doubled the fuel efficiency of SUV's from the current average of 16 to 32 miles per gallon, every new SUV would save 70 tons of carbon dioxide over its lifetime.
Easy Things You Can Do
Get the most fuel efficient car you can afford. This is the most important factor to consider when buying your next car, in terms of saving money and the planet. Buy the car that gets the best fuel efficiency and fits your needs. While our government lags behind other countries in setting planet-friendly fuel efficiency standards, strive for a new car with at least 35mpg if you can. Visit www.greenercars.org for more information.Don't be tricked by diesel. Cars that run on diesel fuel usually get better fuel efficiency than gasoline-powered cars, but don't think you're helping the environment by buying a diesel-fueled car! Diesel exhaust is 10 times more carcinogenic and has many more lung-clogging particles in it than gasoline exhaust. However, biodiesel cars and the newer California certified diesel fuels offer much cleaner alternatives, so if you are interested in a diesel car consider the newer models or be sure to use biodiesel in your older diesel car. See http://www.biodiesel.org for more information.
Lighter is better. A heavier car needs more gas than a lighter car, so to cut down on your carbon dioxide emissions and save gas money, buy the lightest car you can. Some people think a heavier car is safer; however, air bags, seat belts, and a safe structural design all increase your chances of survival much more than additional weight does. Also, advances in lightweight aluminum technology has produced cars that, in some cases, are 40% lighter yet have HIGHER rigidity and crash worthiness than the bodies of similar cars made of steel.
Buy a hybrid. Hybrid vehicles currently get the best fuel efficiency of any gasoline-powered cars on the market. That's because they're not JUST powered by gas--they're also powered by electricity. A hybrid vehicle combines the internal combustion engine of a gasoline-powered car with an electric motor to produce incredible fuel efficiency and less tailpipe pollution. The hybrid car's battery recharges itself once the engine is running. And because hybrids get twice the fuel efficiency of regular cars you'll need to fill up only half as many times as you would with a regular car. And compared with your typical car, a hybrid reduces carbon dioxide emissions by 50% and tailpipe pollution by 80%, and it will save you at least $3,000 in gas costs over the life of the car!
Go one better, buy a plug-in hybrid. Plug-in Electric Hybrids (PHEVs) are widely expected to become available in 2009. PHEVs are not only cleaner, cheaper to operate, and domestically-powered if using "flexible-fuels" but they can achieve up to 100+ mpg! Learn more from CalCars, who have been championing PHEVs for many years. Several new companies are working on plug-in add-on kits for Priuses. Hymotion and OEMtek are two examples; both are currently taking orders.
Buy an electric car. Electricity is considered an alternative fuel because it releases no emissions when used to power a car. However, since fossil fueled electrical power plants are part of our electrical power mix, electric cars are not completely emission-free. Still, even taking into account the fossil fuels burned at the power plant, electric vehicles emit 67% less CO2 than do gasoline-powered cars. Plus they bring tailpipe emissions down to zero. Also, electric motors are three times more efficient than gasoline ones, which is why owning an electric car is 40% less expensive than owning a gasoline-powered car.
Buy a compressed natural gas car (CNG). A CNG powered car is currently the cleanest fossil fueled car you can buy. That is why many cities and transit districts have CNG vehicles in their fleets. While CNGs are clean burning and much less carbon intensive than gasoline, they are not yet readily available to the public. To learn more about CNG cars, click here.
Source: You Can Prevent Global Warming (and save money!) 51 Easy Ways, by Jeffrey Langholz, PhD, and Kelly Turner