EcoDrivers - The Hybrid vs The Gas Guzzler

8/26/2014

The growth of the hybrid car industry has created a viable option for new car buyers to look into purchasing an eco-friendly vehicle for their next car. Hybrids and electric cars are the future for environmentally friendly travel on the roads.

The greatest cause of carbon emissions in the world today comes as a result of cars due to the huge volume of the on the roads. ‘Gas Guzzlers’ are among the most environmentally unfriendly rides on the road but how do you know if you have a gas guzzler or a fuel efficient eco-drive? A vehicles overall impact on the ecosystem isn’t limited solely to the volume of its tailpipe emissions; for example, an all-electric car generates zero emissions but uses electrical power as it power source which can have adverse effects on the air, ground or water depending on the electrical power source.

So what are the benefits of driving a hybrid?

One benefit of driving an eco-friendly car is as a tax break on your road tax. As hybrid cars tend to have better fuel economy and lower tailpipe CO2 emissions than conventional models, most forms of current CO2-based car tax are generally lower for hybrids than they would be for an equivalent non-hybrid car. In addition, in general, hybrids improve fuel economy by around 20%-25%, and reduce all tailpipe emissions considerably as compared to an equivalent non-hybrid model. Hybrids perform particularly well in urban start-stop driving conditions, with the battery recouping some of the energy that would otherwise be lost during braking. Most hybrid models also offer a zero-emission mode for short distances during which time the car is driven solely on electric power. This will ultimately save you a lot of money as fuel prices continue to rise and there appears to be no future change to this trend. Cutting down on the trips to the petrol station will soon add up. It may be daunting to spend an extra £1000 on the purchase of the hybrid alternative to the conventional model, but these up-front costs will be mitigated by the long term savings as well as the potentially earth-saving benefits.

According to the American Council for an Energy Efficient Economy (ACEEE) electric and hybrid-powered vehicles dominate the greenest vehicles list for 2014. The tiny two-seat Smart For Two Electric Drive leads the pack with a “Green Score” of 59, which is the highest rating for a passenger car ever recorded by the ACEEE. Green Score rankings are attributed according to a combination of factors that primarily takes into account a vehicle’s fuel economy and its tailpipe emissions. The latter include health-damaging and smog-forming airborne pollutants like hydrocarbons, nitrogen oxide, particulate matter, carbon monoxide and formaldehyde, as well as greenhouse gases that contribute to climate change. The Green Scores also consider such factors as emissions estimates for a vehicle’s manufacturing process, disposal impact and (where applicable) natural gas extraction practices and the sources of energy used to generate power for electric cars. This makes it one of the comprehensive measures of a cars environmental impact.

The second highest rated car was the Toyota Prius c with the previous Prius model coming in at 4. Seven out of the 12 cars were from either Honda or Toyota showing that the Japanese models have taken environmentally friendly drives to the next level. To check out the full list in pictures visit http://www.forbes.com/pictures/ehmk45mgef/1-smart-fortwo-electric-drive/ , and for more information regarding all the most practical and affordable environmentally friendly cars visit www.greenercars.org or http://www.fueleconomy.gov/ to find out how much your vehicle costs the earth.