Cars Going Green????

Going Green?

Going green reflects a general environmental philosophy and social consciousness around saving and advancing earth's natural resources, preserving them overall, but also protecting them for the sake of civilization. This commitment to conservation, frequently used in connection with cars, bears the secondary advantage of bettering life for mankind, fueled by today's newer technologies. Perks to going green include saving power and reducing the spread of noxious tailpipe emissions and carbon dioxide, the latter a greenhouse gas. Saving money is another advantage, too.

Cars Going Green too?

Hybrid cars offer better mileage, fewer emissions, and savings on gas, but they can also sacrifice some power. In all types of cars, there are some things you can do to help aid performance and decrease cost such as carrying less unneeded weight in the trunk, aiming for smooth starts when you accelerate, and striving to avoid speeding. Ensuring your car is properly tuned up, checking and replacing air and gas filters and belts, and keeping tires inflated to recommended pressures also help keep a car running in the most efficient, environmentally friendly way. Evaporative emissions may be saved when avoiding pumping gas on very hot days, while fuel efficiency may get a slight improvement by going without air conditioning whenever possible. The need for air conditioning to vacate really hot air from a parked car's interior can be reduced by parking in the shade or using a windshield cover to help deflect heat, thus lessening heat build-up. Carpooling, combining multiple errands into single trips, using a navigation system to avoid driving unnecessary miles, and taking public transportation can also help the environment.

Car Choices

Carbon dioxide (CO2) gases are felt to be a primary source of climate change, with cars and trucks being responsible for 30 percent of these emissions. There are many driver options for easing into a green lifestyle, and as many states adopt stricter emissions laws, people are looking at their vehicle choices. Zero-emission cars (ZEVs) include those powered by electric motors, which today are battery electric cars. In the future electric drive motors may be powered by fuel cells using pure hydrogen mixed with oxygen. PZEVs, or partial zero-emission vehicles, include over 30 super-clean gasoline internal combustion models available today, along with most hybrids that use a combination of electric drive and conventional engines. PZEVs look like traditional cars, but offer capabilities that pare 90 percent of tailpipe emissions and cut down evaporative fuel-system emissions to almost nothing.
More Alternatives
Using an alternative fuel offers additional ways to eliminate CO2 emissions. Other fuel options include biodiesel (made mostly from soybeans in this country), which can be used in diesel engines, along with natural gas, ethanol, and LPG (liquid propane gas). Some vehicles already offer alternative fuel options; for those that don't, various conversion kits can be employed to allow operation on alternative fuels.


Car Companies Who Are Going Green

Honda – Civic
Toyota – Camry, Prius, Highlander
Lexus – LS Hybrid, GS Hybrid, RX Hybrid
Ford – Escape
Chevrolet – Malibu

How Hybrids Work:

Hybrid-electric vehicles (HEVs) combine the benefits of gasoline engines and electric motors and can be configured to obtain different objectives, such as improved fuel economy, increased power, or additional auxiliary power for electronic devices and power tools.

Some of the advanced technologies typically used by hybrids include:

Regenerative Braking:

The electric motor applies resistance to the drivetrain causing the wheels to slow down. In return, the energy from the wheels turns the motor, which functions as a generator, converting energy normally wasted during coasting and braking into electricity, which is stored in a battery until needed by the electric motor.

Electric Motor Drive/Assist:

The electric motor provides additional power to assist the engine in accelerating, passing, or hill climbing. This allows a smaller, more efficient engine to be used. In some vehicles, the motor alone provides power for low-speed driving conditions where internal combustion engines are least efficient.

Automatic Start/Shutoff:

Automatically shuts off the engine when the vehicle comes to a stop and restarts it when the accelerator is pressed. This prevents wasted energy from idling.

Reference: http://www.fueleconomy.gov