The American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy’s (ACEEE) Greenest Vehicles of 2007 shows Japan cornering the market, with not one American car in the top 10. Top pick was the familiar Honda Civic GX (28/39 mpg). Outshining its hybrid counterpart according to the ACEEE’s green criteria, taking into consideration both gas mileage and emissions quality, the GX model runs solely on domestically-produced compressed natural gas. Yes, the same stuff that heats your oven, is both fuel efficient and clean (near-zero emissions). The EPA has gone so far as to call it the “cleanest internal combustion vehicle in the world.”
You can even buy a home refueling station (Phill) for convenient fill-ups and pay half what you would for gasoline. The down side? Currently, it’s only available in New York and California and fueling stations are authorized in only 16 states. Road trip anyone?
So for us in Maine, picks two and three, the Toyota Prius (60/51mpg) and the Honda Civic Hybrid (49/51mpg), are great options. Both with stellar ratings, the Honda is said to have a higher performance level for those looking for a sportier drive.
And while it’s easy to think that the SUV is the work of the devil, for those of you who think it’s a must have, the Ford Escape Hybrid (36/31mpg) came back with superior ratings in its class — a sure improvement over any gas guzzling equivalent.
While the hybrid feels like old news, let’s talk about what’s not: the plug-in hybrid. When Toyota announced it was working on the prototype, Detroit’s big three said, after years of denial, the technology was worth looking at. A plug in Prius is said to get an average of 100 mpg. Even better is the fact that, when plugged in overnight, it can be driven by battery for 30 miles, comparable to the daily American average. In a typical month, you could avoid the gas station all together.
In Brazil, the majority of the cars on the road are what’s called flexible-fuel vehicles (FFV), running on a mix of up to 85% ethanol and 15% gasoline (E85). In fact, Henry Ford envisioned American cars this way — his Model T was ostensibly a flex-fuel car. Today, most U.S. gasoline contains up to 10% ethanol, but in order for cars to run up to E85 engine modifications must be made. Still, many manufacturers offer FFVs to American consumers and there are filling stations in most states.
Any day now, a company out of California will be releasing its Tesla Roadster, a beautifully designed, electric sports car boasting 0-60 in four seconds. One-hundred years ago, more cars on the road were electric, but as they got heavier, electric proved problematic. Tesla returns to this technology with its lightweight, easily transportable body. And even plugged into the grid, the electric car produces less greenhouse gas emissions that a gasoline powered vehicle.
The bottom line: it’s all a matter of supply and demand. With a little legislation and a push from consumers willing to buy outside of their comfort zone, any or all of these options will be our cars of tomorrow.
Not sure whether technology is necessary, evil, both or neither, Christine Heinz perpetuates this love/hate relationship every day as a photographer, graphic designer and educator.