Hi there! I’ll shift gears in this post to those vehicles that in the new year might arouse the interest of people who are plugged into the ‘green car’ scene. Some names of cars have already been mentioned in earlier posts. There’s the Mitsubishi i-MiEV electric that tops the list as a car with zero emissions. It needs up to 7 hours to recharge, has a top speed of 87 mph and gives 0-62 mph in 13.0 seconds. Up next is the Smart fortwo cdi with carbon dioxide emissions of 88 g/km. It is powered by a diesel engine that can produce 45 bhp. With a top speed of 84 mph this car can accelerate from 0-62 mph in 19.8 seconds.
The Ford Ka ECOnetic, Toyota iQ, and Volkswagen Golf Mk VI BlueMotion are all tied at third place with carbon dioxide emissions of 99 g/km. Having said that, I must also state that in the case of the Ford Ka ECOnetic, carbon dioxide emissions are 'expected' to be in range of 99 g/km. Ford’s offering in its ECOnetic range bears testimony to its committed efforts at rolling out eco-friendly vehicles. The Toyota iQ is the smallest 4-seater car in the whole wide world. With an engine capable of producing 67 bhp and an average of 65.7 mpg, this car has a top speed of 93 mph and can reach 60 mph in 14.0 seconds. However, for its size it is a pricey car. If economics are at the top your agenda, the manual transmission variant is a better choice. Moving on, the Volkswagen Golf Mk VI BlueMotion that will roll out in September this year will give 74.3 mpg and race to 62 mph in a fairly decent 11.3 seconds. This car has a top speed of 117 mph.
The Toyota Prius hybrid scheduled to release in June this year is expected to have carbon dioxide emissions of 100 g/km. This 5-seater has a petrol engine and will give 75 mpg. Next on our list is the Nissan Pixo which is like the Suzuki Alto in many ways. The Pixo is a 4-seater hatchback and will be available in both manual and automatic transmission variants. This is due for release in September this year. With carbon dioxide emissions of 103 g/km this car gives 61.4 mpg. The Honda Insight hybrid is expected to be among the showstoppers this year. This vehicle has carbon emissions of 110 g/km. Toyota Prius which so far was unchallenged faces stiff competition from this vehicle which is already on the market.
Others vehicles that are keenly awaited are the Honda CR-Z hybrid which is slated for release December this year and the Lexus RX450h SUV hybrid scheduled to roll out sometime this summer.
Tuesday, May 12, 2009
Monday, May 11, 2009
Meanies
Through 2006, 2007, and 2008, some models of vehicles have remained notably notorious as polluting vehicles. With no malicious propaganda on my agenda :)the first name that comes to my mind among several others that also feature on lists of most polluting vehicles is the Volkswagen Touareg. It has a dismally low green score of 14. Remember green score? The Jeep Grand Cherokee’s another vehicle with a poor green score of 17. Surprisingly I don’t see the Ford F-250 on any 2008 list. I don’t know what to think quite frankly. Has it decided to clean up its act? Let me see if I can come up with more on that.
How about those furiously fast babies like ‘supercars’, as they are called? These mean machines have a lot of muscle tucked away under their hood. All those boastful claims of taming raw, savage power and bringing it those who can afford it certainly serves to impress. Is there a man among us who wouldn’t want to ride a tiger and have it behave submissively? Even domineering women get turned on by such talk :)I mean, which alpha woman wouldn’t want to zip around in one of these beats? And of course, you are not likely to let environmental concerns trouble your conscience when you are clipping along a stretch of asphalt that’s as smooth as a baby’s bottom in one of these mean machines that roar like a jet engine and purr like a wild cat. The truth is, these guys are super devils actually, when you realize the damage they do to our environment. Hear this - on an average, these super fast cars emit carbon dioxide in excess of 400 grams per kilometer (400 g/ km) which is sinfully high. So for those of us who look longingly at these super machines, standing outside a car showroom, face pressed against a sheet of glass, before the showroom manager lets fly a volley of abuses that you are slobbering all over that squeaky clean sheet of glass, there’s your shocker, revelation or whatever you want to call it.
Let’s begin with a list of vehicles that made to the top ten spots in 2008 for reasons they’d rather sweep under the carpet. This is the kind of publicity they’d shy away from. At 396grams of carbon dioxide per kilometer or 396g/km, the Bentley Continental sounds like the best of a bad bunch. The brawny Hummer H2, must surely disappoint the ‘modern man’ with its high carbon dioxide emission rate of 412g/km. The Mercedes G500 isn’t trailing far behind either at 400g/km. But wait till you hear about supercars like the Bugatti Veyron and the Lamborghini Murcielago. Their carbon dioxide emissions will make emission levels of these cars seem like a trifling offence. The Lamborghini Murcielago, a regular on lists of polluting cars has a poor green score of 17. Its carbon dioxide emissions are as dangerously high as 495g/km and in its roadster variant, even higher at 500 g/km! And the Bugatti Veyron…you want to take a guess? Well, let’s say, that at a staggering 571g/km (!!!) this supercar’s emission levels beats everything else. Ferrari never wants to be left behind in any way. Models like the 599 GTB Fiorano and F430 also have very high carbon dioxide emission levels of 490g/km and 420g/km respectively.
Some countries have decided to deal firmly with models of polluting cars. Switzerland, France, Germany, Britain, Spain, China, United States, to name a few. One popular government measure appears to be the levying of a higher tax rate on polluting cars. Germany, only recently proposed government discounts on new cars persuading people to scrap their old cars, a move welcomed by car manufacturers. The United States introduced a scheme called ‘Cash for Clunkers’. Owners of old cars were entitled to cash vouchers of up to $ 4500 on scrapping their cars and going in for vehicles that gave good miles per gallon performance. I hope such endeavors galvanize other countries into action.
In my next post let’s touch on some eagerly awaited releases in the new year.
How about those furiously fast babies like ‘supercars’, as they are called? These mean machines have a lot of muscle tucked away under their hood. All those boastful claims of taming raw, savage power and bringing it those who can afford it certainly serves to impress. Is there a man among us who wouldn’t want to ride a tiger and have it behave submissively? Even domineering women get turned on by such talk :)I mean, which alpha woman wouldn’t want to zip around in one of these beats? And of course, you are not likely to let environmental concerns trouble your conscience when you are clipping along a stretch of asphalt that’s as smooth as a baby’s bottom in one of these mean machines that roar like a jet engine and purr like a wild cat. The truth is, these guys are super devils actually, when you realize the damage they do to our environment. Hear this - on an average, these super fast cars emit carbon dioxide in excess of 400 grams per kilometer (400 g/ km) which is sinfully high. So for those of us who look longingly at these super machines, standing outside a car showroom, face pressed against a sheet of glass, before the showroom manager lets fly a volley of abuses that you are slobbering all over that squeaky clean sheet of glass, there’s your shocker, revelation or whatever you want to call it.
Let’s begin with a list of vehicles that made to the top ten spots in 2008 for reasons they’d rather sweep under the carpet. This is the kind of publicity they’d shy away from. At 396grams of carbon dioxide per kilometer or 396g/km, the Bentley Continental sounds like the best of a bad bunch. The brawny Hummer H2, must surely disappoint the ‘modern man’ with its high carbon dioxide emission rate of 412g/km. The Mercedes G500 isn’t trailing far behind either at 400g/km. But wait till you hear about supercars like the Bugatti Veyron and the Lamborghini Murcielago. Their carbon dioxide emissions will make emission levels of these cars seem like a trifling offence. The Lamborghini Murcielago, a regular on lists of polluting cars has a poor green score of 17. Its carbon dioxide emissions are as dangerously high as 495g/km and in its roadster variant, even higher at 500 g/km! And the Bugatti Veyron…you want to take a guess? Well, let’s say, that at a staggering 571g/km (!!!) this supercar’s emission levels beats everything else. Ferrari never wants to be left behind in any way. Models like the 599 GTB Fiorano and F430 also have very high carbon dioxide emission levels of 490g/km and 420g/km respectively.
Some countries have decided to deal firmly with models of polluting cars. Switzerland, France, Germany, Britain, Spain, China, United States, to name a few. One popular government measure appears to be the levying of a higher tax rate on polluting cars. Germany, only recently proposed government discounts on new cars persuading people to scrap their old cars, a move welcomed by car manufacturers. The United States introduced a scheme called ‘Cash for Clunkers’. Owners of old cars were entitled to cash vouchers of up to $ 4500 on scrapping their cars and going in for vehicles that gave good miles per gallon performance. I hope such endeavors galvanize other countries into action.
In my next post let’s touch on some eagerly awaited releases in the new year.
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Sunday, April 12, 2009
In continuation of my earlier post
The Toyota Camry hybrid has slipped a notch lower and has the Smart Fortwo to thank. You can’t rest on your oars, can you now? But it still retains its ‘green car’ image as is evident from the ACEEE’s list of green cars for the year 2009.With an impressive air pollution score of 8/10 this hybrid has a green score of 44. Averaging 33 mpg on city roads and 34 mpg for highway use, the carbon dioxide emissions of this car are in the neighborhood of 5.4 tons annually.
The Toyota Yaris, not a hybrid yet, at least not before 2011, has made it yet again this year according to the ACEEE as an environmentally friendly car. Choose between the automatic and standard transmission. Prepare yourself for a 1 mpg deficit in fuel average on the highway if you choose the automatic over the standard. On city roads this car averages 29 mpg where as for highway use it gives 36 mpg. With a green score of 46 it gets a 6/10 on the air pollution scale.
The Honda Fit has secured a place for itself on the ACEEE list of green cars for the year 2009. With a city driving average of 28 mpg and 35 mpg for highway driving, it’s almost level pegging with the Toyota Yaris’ average (29 mpg for city and 33 mpg for highway). If you choose the manual over the automatic you stand to be poorer by 2 mpg in terms of fuel average. The Fit gets a 6/10 as its air pollution score.
The Mini Cooper too has ensured that its models are serious contenders for the most coveted prefix (green) of a nomenclature born of environmental issues. The ACEEE’s list of green cars for the year 2009 corroborates the eco-friendly credentials of both models mentioned here. The 2009 Mini Cooper in its advertising blitz wears its ‘30 mpg average’ in combined city highway driving like a decoration. This Mini Cooper scores 6/10 on the air pollution meter emitting 5.7 tons of carbon dioxide annually. The Mini Cooper’s Clubman that’s neck and neck with the bigger Clubman gives 28 mpg on city roads and 37 mpg for highway driving. It scores 6/10 on the air pollution scale giving off 5.7 tons of carbon dioxide annually.
The Honda Insight may have not made it to the ACEEE list but has set the pace for others to follow. Unmatched when it comes to fuel efficiency and environmental impact, the Insight gives 53 mpg (Wowee!) in combined city/highway driving. This puts it well ahead of other green cars on most green lists for 2009. Its hybrid variant was launched only last month - last week of March 2009 or thereabouts. In the first week alone it sold 569 units. Somehow, I don’t like the shape its body takes where it is almost half drawn over the rear wheel; puts one in mind of an Oldsmobile of the 50s
Bored? :)
Just one more piece of information until the next time – other categories of green vehicles include hybrid SUVs, minivans, pickup trucks and vans -
It is sibling rivalry at its best with the sisters Ford Hybrid SUV – the Mercury Mariner, the Ford Escape and the Mazda Tribute, all tied at the number one spot for the most-fuel efficient SUV
The Dodge Caravan and Chrysler Town and County, both tied at the number one spot for the most-fuel efficient minivan
The Ford Ranger and The Mazda B2300, both tied at the number one spot for the most-fuel efficient pickup truck
The Chevrolet G 1500/2500 and the GMC Savana Cargo both tied at the number one spot for the most-fuel efficient van.
I’m bushed now fellas! So long until the next time.
The Toyota Yaris, not a hybrid yet, at least not before 2011, has made it yet again this year according to the ACEEE as an environmentally friendly car. Choose between the automatic and standard transmission. Prepare yourself for a 1 mpg deficit in fuel average on the highway if you choose the automatic over the standard. On city roads this car averages 29 mpg where as for highway use it gives 36 mpg. With a green score of 46 it gets a 6/10 on the air pollution scale.
The Honda Fit has secured a place for itself on the ACEEE list of green cars for the year 2009. With a city driving average of 28 mpg and 35 mpg for highway driving, it’s almost level pegging with the Toyota Yaris’ average (29 mpg for city and 33 mpg for highway). If you choose the manual over the automatic you stand to be poorer by 2 mpg in terms of fuel average. The Fit gets a 6/10 as its air pollution score.
The Mini Cooper too has ensured that its models are serious contenders for the most coveted prefix (green) of a nomenclature born of environmental issues. The ACEEE’s list of green cars for the year 2009 corroborates the eco-friendly credentials of both models mentioned here. The 2009 Mini Cooper in its advertising blitz wears its ‘30 mpg average’ in combined city highway driving like a decoration. This Mini Cooper scores 6/10 on the air pollution meter emitting 5.7 tons of carbon dioxide annually. The Mini Cooper’s Clubman that’s neck and neck with the bigger Clubman gives 28 mpg on city roads and 37 mpg for highway driving. It scores 6/10 on the air pollution scale giving off 5.7 tons of carbon dioxide annually.
The Honda Insight may have not made it to the ACEEE list but has set the pace for others to follow. Unmatched when it comes to fuel efficiency and environmental impact, the Insight gives 53 mpg (Wowee!) in combined city/highway driving. This puts it well ahead of other green cars on most green lists for 2009. Its hybrid variant was launched only last month - last week of March 2009 or thereabouts. In the first week alone it sold 569 units. Somehow, I don’t like the shape its body takes where it is almost half drawn over the rear wheel; puts one in mind of an Oldsmobile of the 50s
Bored? :)
Just one more piece of information until the next time – other categories of green vehicles include hybrid SUVs, minivans, pickup trucks and vans -
It is sibling rivalry at its best with the sisters Ford Hybrid SUV – the Mercury Mariner, the Ford Escape and the Mazda Tribute, all tied at the number one spot for the most-fuel efficient SUV
The Dodge Caravan and Chrysler Town and County, both tied at the number one spot for the most-fuel efficient minivan
The Ford Ranger and The Mazda B2300, both tied at the number one spot for the most-fuel efficient pickup truck
The Chevrolet G 1500/2500 and the GMC Savana Cargo both tied at the number one spot for the most-fuel efficient van.
I’m bushed now fellas! So long until the next time.
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Wednesday, April 8, 2009
The Good Guys
Hybrids today are the toast of all those eager to prove their eco-friendly credentials. But in sometime from now, which isn’t a far way off, tail emissions in these ‘all-electric vehicles’ might turn up as a new focal point of concern. Tesla Roadster (the all-electric sports car) and the Fisker Karma a hybrid luxury sedan plug-in had given some cause for concern.
But all said and done, the choice of a hybrid vehicle as a mode of transportation certainly brings down pollution levels. Much as I agree with my ‘combustible’ friend, whose views I've referred to briefly in my earlier post, these innovations are illustrative of efforts to set in motion a process of remediation in order to check abuse of our environment. You have to make a start. And as we go along there will be developments and improvements.
I’m sure most will have the answer to this question at their finger tips. How many mpg is your car giving you, whether hybrid or conventional? If your car’s is giving you 40 and more to the gallon for city or highway driving or 40 and more for a city highway mix, you should be jumping for joy. You’ve got the best of both worlds – a car with a ‘green score’ averaging an impressive 50 and one that’s fuel-efficient too!
I have with me a list of cars that fared really well in 2008. Some of them continue to do so even in the new year and have made it to The American Council for Energy- Efficient Economy’s list (ACEEE) of green cars. It might sound like a mindless rattling of automobiles, statistics and figures. But do pay close attention for as much of it as you can.
The Toyota Prius was the hot favorite in 2008. This year again according to the ACEEE’s list of green cars, this hybrid’s the favorite. With an average of 48 mpg for city driving and 45 mpg for highway use, this car is mama’s boy. It’s got an air-pollution score of 8/10 and emits 4 tons of carbon dioxide annually. At 53 points its green score is among the most envied. Though this is strongly contested by some true-blue, high-on- nationalism Americans who feel the Ford Fusion hybrid is even better.
The Honda Civic hybrid, also on the ACEEE list averages 40 mpg for city driving and 45 mpg for highway driving. Among the greenest cars of 2009, it emits 4.4 tons of carbon dioxide annually and gets a 9/10 as its air pollution score! Such credentials recommended it strongly to the ‘green cars’ category and it is awarded a green score of 51.
The Nissan Altima Hybrid figured on the list of least polluting cars of 2008 and is also on ACEEE’s list of green cars for 2009. Averaging 35 mpg on city roads and 33 mpg for highway driving, it has a green score of 46, emitting 5.4 tons of carbon dioxide annually.
The Smart Fortwo Convertible/Coupe, not a hybrid, may be a dinky fellow, but is certainly not to be underestimated. This guy figured on the least polluting cars’ list of 2008 and is also on ACEEE’s list of green cars for 2009. Coupe or convertible, mileage is not compromised. For city driving 33 mpg is what this lil chappie gives you. For highway driving you get an average of 41 mpg. It’s got an impressive air pollution score of 8/10 emitting 5.1 tons of carbon dioxide annually.
There is more guys. But I'm kinda pressed for time. Will continue with the list in the next post. Ciao.
But all said and done, the choice of a hybrid vehicle as a mode of transportation certainly brings down pollution levels. Much as I agree with my ‘combustible’ friend, whose views I've referred to briefly in my earlier post, these innovations are illustrative of efforts to set in motion a process of remediation in order to check abuse of our environment. You have to make a start. And as we go along there will be developments and improvements.
I’m sure most will have the answer to this question at their finger tips. How many mpg is your car giving you, whether hybrid or conventional? If your car’s is giving you 40 and more to the gallon for city or highway driving or 40 and more for a city highway mix, you should be jumping for joy. You’ve got the best of both worlds – a car with a ‘green score’ averaging an impressive 50 and one that’s fuel-efficient too!
I have with me a list of cars that fared really well in 2008. Some of them continue to do so even in the new year and have made it to The American Council for Energy- Efficient Economy’s list (ACEEE) of green cars. It might sound like a mindless rattling of automobiles, statistics and figures. But do pay close attention for as much of it as you can.
The Toyota Prius was the hot favorite in 2008. This year again according to the ACEEE’s list of green cars, this hybrid’s the favorite. With an average of 48 mpg for city driving and 45 mpg for highway use, this car is mama’s boy. It’s got an air-pollution score of 8/10 and emits 4 tons of carbon dioxide annually. At 53 points its green score is among the most envied. Though this is strongly contested by some true-blue, high-on- nationalism Americans who feel the Ford Fusion hybrid is even better.
The Honda Civic hybrid, also on the ACEEE list averages 40 mpg for city driving and 45 mpg for highway driving. Among the greenest cars of 2009, it emits 4.4 tons of carbon dioxide annually and gets a 9/10 as its air pollution score! Such credentials recommended it strongly to the ‘green cars’ category and it is awarded a green score of 51.
The Nissan Altima Hybrid figured on the list of least polluting cars of 2008 and is also on ACEEE’s list of green cars for 2009. Averaging 35 mpg on city roads and 33 mpg for highway driving, it has a green score of 46, emitting 5.4 tons of carbon dioxide annually.
The Smart Fortwo Convertible/Coupe, not a hybrid, may be a dinky fellow, but is certainly not to be underestimated. This guy figured on the least polluting cars’ list of 2008 and is also on ACEEE’s list of green cars for 2009. Coupe or convertible, mileage is not compromised. For city driving 33 mpg is what this lil chappie gives you. For highway driving you get an average of 41 mpg. It’s got an impressive air pollution score of 8/10 emitting 5.1 tons of carbon dioxide annually.
There is more guys. But I'm kinda pressed for time. Will continue with the list in the next post. Ciao.
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Monday, April 6, 2009
Just popped in to say…
There will be those times when my posts will also carry views lambasting claims of a sure-fire solution to a green environment. What this blog advocates or the cause it espouses remains unchanged. But every so often or whenever an occasion presents itself, I will touch upon ‘the other side of the story’ as well. So, in the spirit of my above proposition I lay before you the views of a certain person - A comment I read somewhere, sometime back had this tub thumper :) ranting about how he ‘wants to puke’ each time he hears people referring to electric cars as ‘zero-emission’ vehicles. The sum and substance of his position - energy required to fuel these electric cars or plug-ins is not clean. He says most know only too well that almost half the electrical power produced for use in the US comes from burning coal which can’t be described as a clean energy source. And of the other half, over 20 percent is generated from burning natural gas and the remaining from nuclear energy. Damn interesting I’ll say!
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Sunday, April 5, 2009
Hybrid or Highbred
I’m going back on my word – won’t be covering some of the least and most polluting cars in this post like I said I would in my earlier post. I’ll leave it for my next post.
Moving on, many men are interested in engine fittings, specifications, car performance and that sort of thing. But even professional mechanics or men with such a bent might find it difficult to get their head around the super-complex engines of today.Challenges present themselves in the form of electronic monitoring of emission systems and engine adjustment for optimum performance under different operating conditions. I know there’s nothing refreshingly original about what I’ve said. It’s just one of those things.
Anyway! I mentioned how people would have to take to hybrid cars on a global scale for any significant change to be notably felt? But very often, hybrids prices are on the expensive side when contrasted with their conventional counterparts. This will certainly have people debating whether forking out more green for a greener car is really worth it.
Under the Motor Vehicle Air Pollution Control Act, the U.S. Environment Protection Agency went on record to name polluting and non-polluting cars. In the non-polluting category it named cars from the luxury as well as non-luxury segments. Hybrid cars fared well in both categories. The Lexus hybrids took the top three spots in the luxury category. These cars were supposed to be really low on pollution. But they came at a price. Interestingly, the prohibitive price tag did not deter as many as a little over thousand buyers in the U.S. - affluent beyond a shadow of doubt – who purchased the $104,000 Lexus LS 600h L sedan in 2007. This Lexus bagged third place on the list of least polluting cars. The first and second places were also awarded to Lexus hybrid models RX400h SUV and the GS 450h sedan. In the hybrid class of vehicles, the Lexus LS 600h L is probably the priciest. There was another important detail about this sedan that did not go unnoticed – once people learned that in terms of average this baby gave only 2 kms more per gallon than the conventionally powered LS 460, suddenly its powerful V8 engine and electric-motor powertrain didn’t have people waxing lyrical about this car, much less regarding it as the ideal eco-friendly car.
Lexus’ competitors appear to have earmarked 2009 as the year that shall see luxury brands like Audi, BMW (already on the road), Cadillac, Mercedes-Benz (already on the road), and Porsche unveil their hybrid sedans too. Maybe that’s why the Lexus hybrids took the top three spots because of absence of any competition. Tee hee :) Other contenders but outside the hybrid class were four and five cylinder engine luxury cars like the Audi TT that placed fourth, the Volvo S40 that ranked seventh, and the BMW 128i at eight place. However the Volvo S40 and BMW 128i has to share their position - BMW 128i tying with its cousin, the rear drive BMW 328i.
Gauging by the number of hybrid cars on the market today, one estimate puts the total number of hybrid cars on the road in the U.S. by 2012 at 1 million. According to another estimate, customers are sure to experience feeling spoiled for choice with an expected 80 models of hybrid cars that they will have to choose from – SUVs to pickup trucks and whatever else in between.
In the non-luxury segment small hybrid cars like the Toyota Prius and the Honda Civic Hybrid were the show stoppers topping the list of least polluting cars for 2008. Toyota Prius has retained its mantle of renown in the new year as well. Hybrid SUVs like the Ford Escape and Toyota highlander placed fourth and fifth respectively.
I’ll close here. More later
Moving on, many men are interested in engine fittings, specifications, car performance and that sort of thing. But even professional mechanics or men with such a bent might find it difficult to get their head around the super-complex engines of today.Challenges present themselves in the form of electronic monitoring of emission systems and engine adjustment for optimum performance under different operating conditions. I know there’s nothing refreshingly original about what I’ve said. It’s just one of those things.
Anyway! I mentioned how people would have to take to hybrid cars on a global scale for any significant change to be notably felt? But very often, hybrids prices are on the expensive side when contrasted with their conventional counterparts. This will certainly have people debating whether forking out more green for a greener car is really worth it.
Under the Motor Vehicle Air Pollution Control Act, the U.S. Environment Protection Agency went on record to name polluting and non-polluting cars. In the non-polluting category it named cars from the luxury as well as non-luxury segments. Hybrid cars fared well in both categories. The Lexus hybrids took the top three spots in the luxury category. These cars were supposed to be really low on pollution. But they came at a price. Interestingly, the prohibitive price tag did not deter as many as a little over thousand buyers in the U.S. - affluent beyond a shadow of doubt – who purchased the $104,000 Lexus LS 600h L sedan in 2007. This Lexus bagged third place on the list of least polluting cars. The first and second places were also awarded to Lexus hybrid models RX400h SUV and the GS 450h sedan. In the hybrid class of vehicles, the Lexus LS 600h L is probably the priciest. There was another important detail about this sedan that did not go unnoticed – once people learned that in terms of average this baby gave only 2 kms more per gallon than the conventionally powered LS 460, suddenly its powerful V8 engine and electric-motor powertrain didn’t have people waxing lyrical about this car, much less regarding it as the ideal eco-friendly car.
Lexus’ competitors appear to have earmarked 2009 as the year that shall see luxury brands like Audi, BMW (already on the road), Cadillac, Mercedes-Benz (already on the road), and Porsche unveil their hybrid sedans too. Maybe that’s why the Lexus hybrids took the top three spots because of absence of any competition. Tee hee :) Other contenders but outside the hybrid class were four and five cylinder engine luxury cars like the Audi TT that placed fourth, the Volvo S40 that ranked seventh, and the BMW 128i at eight place. However the Volvo S40 and BMW 128i has to share their position - BMW 128i tying with its cousin, the rear drive BMW 328i.
Gauging by the number of hybrid cars on the market today, one estimate puts the total number of hybrid cars on the road in the U.S. by 2012 at 1 million. According to another estimate, customers are sure to experience feeling spoiled for choice with an expected 80 models of hybrid cars that they will have to choose from – SUVs to pickup trucks and whatever else in between.
In the non-luxury segment small hybrid cars like the Toyota Prius and the Honda Civic Hybrid were the show stoppers topping the list of least polluting cars for 2008. Toyota Prius has retained its mantle of renown in the new year as well. Hybrid SUVs like the Ford Escape and Toyota highlander placed fourth and fifth respectively.
I’ll close here. More later
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Wednesday, April 1, 2009
Cars and Air Pollution
Hi guys! I’m back and so is my litany of charges against those irresponsible denizens of our planet. Don’t know how many of us have ever stopped to think when zipping around in our cars that it is among the most polluting acts we commit. Implications of air-pollution are manifold. We need not despair though. There is a silver lining in the cloud. Our grasp of this situation, late as it may be, and a remedial approach, translates into us having understood the very complex workings of our planet - the ecosystem, oceans, the atmosphere. It is a source of consolation. We also realize how the climate of our beleaguered planet is becoming unfriendly and being pushed toward instability. Don’t labor under the delusion that I’m exaggerating the harmful effects of needlessly driving your car. It was among the opening lines of this blog.
Cars, as personalities, if you will, are almost diametrically opposite. Just as there are the good guys and the bad guys, there are good cars that are less polluting and the bad cars that are more polluting. And the really bad guys, well, they are from the Dark. Manufacturers when deciding on how to position their mean machines or super stretch limos have tried to plumb the depths of the male psyche. What do men want? Status, prestige, power, beautiful women clamoring to be seen with them. That’s what would explain all those sculpted and chiseled women models at car shows in figure hugging, revealing outfits, leaning against or splayed across the hood of cars on display like some kind of rash. So what’s to stop car manufacturers from pandering to the male ego by positioning their latest offerings in such a way?
Driving your car all the way to work was common practice in North America and Europe. Even elsewhere in the world as cities grew they included suburbs, exurbs, bedroom communities and even towns within their municipal limits and went on to become conurbations. People increasingly began using cars to travel long distances to work. This increase sent emission levels through the roof despites endeavors in the form of antipollution devices. In the US and Canada smaller and lighters cars had started giving place to bigger cars like pick-up trucks and vans. A study in 2003 showed the average new vehicle that year as using more gasoline that its counterpart did fifteen years ago.
The US has left its imprint on world history with many path breaking inventions and developments in human life. But this is one area where its contribution will cause it to squirm. Greenhouse gases emitted by the US are the highest. In 2004 she produced as much as 6.049 billion tons of carbon dioxide. This was 16% more than her emissions in the late 90's.
Combating air pollution calls for a feeling of some compassion. Effects will be felt locally and globally too. Starting this very minute, if you own a car, cut down on the number of times you use it. Remember, every gallon of gasoline burned in your car’s engine is giving off 20 pounds of carbon dioxide. The spiraling cost of crude oil in 2008 persuaded near drastic changes in people’s driving habits. The curtains came down on plants of auto majors producing SUVs and pick up trucks. But, high fuel prices shouldn’t be the reason why people must try and overcome the temptation to buy big ostentatious cars or gas guzzlers. We have reached a stage where it is imperative that we put the interests of our environment before our own.
Electric cars have hit the road and continue to be developed. These give fair promise of becoming the future of urban transportation. These cars require little maintenance. However batteries these cars use are heavy, wear out fast due to repeated charging and require materials such as lithium that is both expensive and scarce. Small electric cars are certainly a good option, but can prove disastrous to its occupants in the event of a collision, unless in a city there are demarcated zones in which only these cars can operate or ply.
Hybrid cars are also an alternative to conventional automobile engines. But the world will have to take to these cars in a big way for any impact on air pollution to be notably felt.
My next post shall be on the least polluting cars and may be some polluting cars as well according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
Cars, as personalities, if you will, are almost diametrically opposite. Just as there are the good guys and the bad guys, there are good cars that are less polluting and the bad cars that are more polluting. And the really bad guys, well, they are from the Dark. Manufacturers when deciding on how to position their mean machines or super stretch limos have tried to plumb the depths of the male psyche. What do men want? Status, prestige, power, beautiful women clamoring to be seen with them. That’s what would explain all those sculpted and chiseled women models at car shows in figure hugging, revealing outfits, leaning against or splayed across the hood of cars on display like some kind of rash. So what’s to stop car manufacturers from pandering to the male ego by positioning their latest offerings in such a way?
Driving your car all the way to work was common practice in North America and Europe. Even elsewhere in the world as cities grew they included suburbs, exurbs, bedroom communities and even towns within their municipal limits and went on to become conurbations. People increasingly began using cars to travel long distances to work. This increase sent emission levels through the roof despites endeavors in the form of antipollution devices. In the US and Canada smaller and lighters cars had started giving place to bigger cars like pick-up trucks and vans. A study in 2003 showed the average new vehicle that year as using more gasoline that its counterpart did fifteen years ago.
The US has left its imprint on world history with many path breaking inventions and developments in human life. But this is one area where its contribution will cause it to squirm. Greenhouse gases emitted by the US are the highest. In 2004 she produced as much as 6.049 billion tons of carbon dioxide. This was 16% more than her emissions in the late 90's.
Combating air pollution calls for a feeling of some compassion. Effects will be felt locally and globally too. Starting this very minute, if you own a car, cut down on the number of times you use it. Remember, every gallon of gasoline burned in your car’s engine is giving off 20 pounds of carbon dioxide. The spiraling cost of crude oil in 2008 persuaded near drastic changes in people’s driving habits. The curtains came down on plants of auto majors producing SUVs and pick up trucks. But, high fuel prices shouldn’t be the reason why people must try and overcome the temptation to buy big ostentatious cars or gas guzzlers. We have reached a stage where it is imperative that we put the interests of our environment before our own.
Electric cars have hit the road and continue to be developed. These give fair promise of becoming the future of urban transportation. These cars require little maintenance. However batteries these cars use are heavy, wear out fast due to repeated charging and require materials such as lithium that is both expensive and scarce. Small electric cars are certainly a good option, but can prove disastrous to its occupants in the event of a collision, unless in a city there are demarcated zones in which only these cars can operate or ply.
Hybrid cars are also an alternative to conventional automobile engines. But the world will have to take to these cars in a big way for any impact on air pollution to be notably felt.
My next post shall be on the least polluting cars and may be some polluting cars as well according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
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