How Green is My Car?

Since soaring oil prices and concerns over the environmental impact of car emissions, people have change their preference when it comes to choosing a new car. But what information there, what are the option available now, and what does the future hold?

Toyota Company, one of the leaders in developing vehicles driven using alternative fuels, there are approx. 740 million vehicles on our planet today. In 2020 it is estimated that this number is likely to almost double to 1.2 billion. That’s too many for our earth.

Each car – both petrol and diesel – produce carbon dioxide, a greenhouse gas that pollutes our atmosphere and contribute to climate change. It is estimated that the average car emits around 4.5 tones of this gas every year. Ok, so a lot of cars and a lot of CO² but how green is my car?

So, we must do something to reduce carbon emissions we release in the air. The main reason is not only to reduce the amount of CO² it emits but considering current rumors of the price of oil reaching $100/barrel some day soon it will also help your wallet to breathe a little easier.

And now, I will concentrate on how to choose a car with ‘green car’ concerns in mind – ‘how green is my car?’ – Choices that will make a better world in the future.

Nowadays petrol and diesel engine is almost completely dominated the car industry. Fortunately, there are some alternative already available and many others coming in the not too distant future – with their concept – how green is my car?

Hybrid Cars

These vehicles have two engines and use a combination of alternative and conventional fuels. This green cars is used a petrol engine when the car needs power to pull away from a stop to high speeds, and an electric running off a battery (with braking systems—which is charged when the car brakes and decelerates) is used at all other times such as cruising around a highway.

Hybrid cars are particularly beneficial due to their low emissions in cities and extremely quiet. The most popular hybrid and the only model available in Indonesian is the Toyota Prius which boasts an extremely impressive fuel efficiency of under 5 liters/100km. ~how green is my car?~

Electric Cars

There are two great benefits of electric cars; they have zero emissions and extraordinarily cheap to run.  It is of course important to bear in mind that the electricity that they’re using may have been generated by a highly polluting coal powered station, but they we can’t have it all.

One of the most intriguing and bizarre looking is the G-Whiz. This little car, developed by GoinGreen, can be plugged into standard electrical wall sockets and takes 6 hours to recharge. According to GoinGreen the cost of the electricity to run this car for one year is the equivalent cost of just one tank of petrol.

But there are some major drawbacks with this technology. First is a question of range; the G-Whiz for example can only travel for 70km before needing to be recharged. The second issue is one of power; with top speed of just 70km/hr – electric cars are simply no match in terms of top speeds, to petrol and diesel powered vehicles.

Despite these significant drawbacks this green cars, with its suitability for short commuter trips, could I believe have a major impact in our cities. The drivers will exempt from road tax, congestion charges and parking costs. With these savings in mind the G-Whiz is not only the cleanest form of commuter transport but it’s also the cheapest.  ~how green is my car? ~

Hydrogen Fuel Cells

Although still a relatively new technology it is thought that this will be the future fuel of choice. Fuel cells work by making electricity via a chemical reaction between hydrogen (stored in liquid form in the fuel cell) and oxygen (from the air). The only by-product of this reaction is water, carbon emissions are zero.

There are of course still some significant drawbacks to this technology which need to be addressed before we see the demise of the petrol engine. These include; range – which, accordingly to Toyota, is currently limited to 300km; cost – until economies of scale come into play this will continue to be an expensive technology; refueling network – current petrol stations will need to install hydrogen tanks and pumps. ~how green is my car? ~

Air Cars

The air car, also known as the Mini-CAT or City Cat, can be refueled in minutes from an air compressor at specially equipped gas stations. Empty tank can be filled back in the place where only the special time in three minutes. Charging can also be done at home using your own compressor that is available in the car. Only with connect to electricity, tank will filled within four hours. More over the refill of its carbon fiber cylinder with 340 liters of air at 4350 PSI should not cost more then a twitter $2 for these air powered cars, and this car can reach up to 120 miles for an estimated $2 tank fill.

The car features a fiberglass body and a revolutionary electrical system and is completely computer-controlled. It is powered by the expansion of compressed air, using no combustion at all, and the exhaust is entirely clean and cool enough for use in the internal air conditioning system. ~how green is my car? ~

Parting Words

So there we have it, if you’re thinking of getting a new car and want to go as green as possible, ask to yourself how green is my car?  Buy small or buy hybrid? Or just sit on your hands for a few more years and wait for the technology to catch up with your needs, both financial and vehicular, the choice is yours. ~how green is my car? ~

Another articles by Johan Young you may interest in reading: Ford Fusion Design, Plug-in Hybrid, Hybrids SUV, and Hybrid Cars List.