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Picking the Eco-Friendly Car: Points to Consider

So the next time you are in the market for a new car, consider the eco-friendly, reduced emissions options. While they may be more expensive on the front end, you’ll save money on your fuel bills and help control pollutants at the same time.

Author: Tim Cartwright
Date: May 13, 2009 - 2:20:38 AM

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1) Picking the Eco-Friendly Car: Points to Consider

We all know the economy is in bad shape. We also know that most people think “cost-effective” when they think about buying their next car. Everyone’s interested in saving money, both in the immediate and long-term. We don’t want to pay a fortune today for a car that’s worth nothing in the future. We want the exact opposite, to pay a relatively small amount for a car that is going to be quite valuable even a few years down the line.

But perhaps money should not be the only consideration. After all, is money the only mechanism we use to determine value?

When you decide to buy your next new car, why not look into eco-friendly options?

In short, there are three main eco-friendly auto design features: the hybrid, the biodiesel fuel option, and the options for reduced emissions.

The hybrid spawned a particular craze at auto shows, where they were billed as the nexus of environmentalism. It might have had something to do with the highly competitive miles to the gallon feature as well, but who’s to say?

Most hybrid cars work by capturing energy spent when the breaks are applied. The energy is then stored in batteries as an alternative to fuel whenever possible. By definition, a hybrid vehicle uses two or more distinct power sources to move the vehicle. Most often, the term refers to hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs). The HEV combines an internal combustion engine and one or more electric motors.

Feul mileage is the most commonly accepted feature of hybrids. The Toyota Prius is estimated to have around 60 miles per gallon in the city and 51 on the high way, for example. Since the design for these types of cars has also become more sophisticated and mainstream (they no longer look like moon units), there’s another advantage right there.

For the comfort-conscious consumer, hybrids also offer some nice benefits as well. First, they are generally very quiet cars (no roaring engines). Second, they tend to be very smooth rides. In California and Arizona, they’re particularly ‘comfortable’ because they give you a free pass to use the carpool lanes and whiz past traffic.

Finally, if you ever have cause to throw aside your eco-friendly attitude (for instance, you’re running low on battery power), you can always refuel at your local gas station.

While you also have a much better selection of hybrid models to choose from these days, there are number of draw backs to weigh against the positives. One of the biggest issues is the battery and the speculation about how long the batteries actually last.

The first owner of the Prius, a taxi driver by profession, claimed to have put 180,000 miles on his car without a battery replacement, (a good sign) but there are no guarantees for the less car-savvy.

The second issue has to do with selection. There are a limited supply of higher-powered vehicles, such as SUV’s and trucks. They tend to get slightly better mileage but not an improvement sufficient to justify the higher cost.

Most consumer reports suggest that the hybrid Escape from Ford gets approximately 22 miles per gallon in the city, and 29 miles per gallon on the highway. The regular Ford Escape gets 12/27 mileage, averaging at 18 mpg.

What other options do you have to stay eco-friendly next time you buy a car?

You can use biodiesel in an existing diesel engine. Any diesel engine can manage biodiesel oil, which is typically a blend of traditional diesel and vegetable oil. You can switch back and forth between biodiesel and regular diesel. You may have to switch your oil filter more often, but it is also possible to modify the diesel engine on most cars to run a fuel called straight vegetable oil.

Although using biodiesel does not put a complete stop to the emission of pollutants, it does help.

So the next time you are in the market for a new car, consider the eco-friendly, reduced emissions options. While they may be more expensive on the front end, you’ll save money on your fuel bills and help control pollutants at the same time.

View all articles by Tim Cartwright

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