Way To Go Green dot org

Archive for the ‘green car’ Category

With a first of its kind for Formula One racing, the promotion of “Make Cars Green” is an attempt to lessen the impact the automobile has on the environment by educating drivers and developing new technologies. Formula One is determined to help the environment with promotions that are on a world’s stage like their races. The visual part of the first promotion was the green strip on the hard compound Bridgestone tires that were used at the F1 race at the Fuji raceway last year in Japan.

The 2008 Formula One Champion Lewis Hamilton state, “the campaigns help to show us we can all drive in a greener way.” He went on to say “the sport can also help in other ways, especially with the launch of new energy-efficient technologies next season.”

For those who are unaware that technological developments in Formula One cars trickle down to the passenger cars we drive after it is economical feasible to do so. One good example is the aerodynamics of the cars we drive. Racing teams developed this to hold the cars down on the track better to improve cornering first developed this technology

One of the key developments for use in the new hybrid cars is the Kinetic Energy Recovery System (KERS). This will be deployed on Formula One cars in 2009. This has been in development for a few years now and is already making a difference in production vehicles.

The “Make Cars Green” campaign has the full support of not only Formula One but also the FIA President Max Mosley. He has been quoted saying, ”New rule changes, along aside the support for awareness-raising initiatives such as the Make Cars Green Campaign, will change the face of motorsports and place it at the very heart of environmental developments in the automobile sector”.

The BMW motorsport director Mario Theissen said: “Devices such as KERS are important in motorsport” He continued with “BMW is in Formula One not just for marketing reasons but also because the F1 program can create technology synergies and innovations which can be carried over to road car development.” and “If you look at what is required by future road cars, fuel economy/CO2 reduction is the top objective right now and for the foreseeable future.” Further more ”So it is clear that if we can do something in this area in F1 we will really benefit from it. “

With this type of big money help and exposure, it will become popular and the in thing to do to find ways to help the environment.

For that greener driving, Chrysler offers six separate models of GEM battery-electric vehicles to chose from. This is a low-speed all electric vehicle that is perfect for neighborhood or industrial plant transportation needs. With a top speed of 25 miles per hour, they are street legal on almost all 50 states on streets with posted speed limits of 35 mph or less.

This green vehicle has a travel range of 30 miles on a single charge. For convenience, the plug-in is a standard 110 volts hook-up and a charging converter located on each vehicle. With a six to eight-hour recharge time, it is ready to use everyday.

Unlike most vehicles today, this car is completely assembled at the Fargo, North Dakota plant making it distinctly an American car. With hundreds of thousands of miles of testing done by Chrysler, this vehicle delivers a safe, reliable mode of transportation that never produces any green house emissions.

With over 150 dealerships providing sales and service, this vehicle is available to anyone wishing this green alternative for their short-range travel needs. With a price range from less than $7,400 to $11,500, this is an affordable option that will help the owner reduce their carbon footprint on the world. This vehicle also offers a complete range of options and accessories to make your ride comfortable and safe. These include radios, heated seats, tilt steering wheels, PA systems, seat belts and a wide variety of lights and mirrors.

New for the year 2009 is a 10% federal tax credit for the purchase of a GEM Electric car. This is available throughout the entire year of 2009. There are nearly 40,000 all electric vehicles today in America. Is this the day to join this group of GEM owners for you?

What do you think of this Gem of an electric car?

For the year 2009 there is a wide variety of new hybrid cars to choose from. There are different ways to put all the models in categorically form for comparison. The following is by fuel mileage.

For the consumer that is looking for the best fuel economy from their hybrid car, there are two models to choose that rate between 40 and 50 mpg:
1) Toyota Prius is equipped with a 1.5L engine with fuel economy at 45-city, 48-highway, and retail price of $22,000 – $24,270.
2) Honda Civic is equipped with a 1.3L engine with fuel economy at 40-city, 45-highway and retail price of $23,650.

If the consumer would like more choices but still receive relative good fuel economy there at 4 different models to choose from that rate between 30 and 40 mpg:
1) Chevrolet Malibu is equipped with a 2.4L engine with fuel economy at 22-city, 30-highway, and retail price of $21,605 – $26,880.
2) Nissan Altima is equipped with a 2.5L engine with fuel economy at 33-city, 35-highway, and retail price of $26,650.
3) Saturn Aura is equipped with a 2.4L engine with fuel economy at 26-city, 34-highway, and retail price of $26,240.
4) Toyota Camry is equipped with a 2.4L engine with fuel economy at 33-city, 34-highway, and retail price of $26,150.

This class still provides an increase in fuel economy but size and performance is not compromised to achieve it. These cars get between 20 and 30 mpg:
1) Lexus GS450H is equipped with a 3.5L engine with fuel economy at 22-city, 25-highway, and retail price of $56,400.
2) Lexus LS600h is equipped with a 5.0L engine with fuel economy at 20-city, 22-highway, and retail price of $105,885.

All of these hybrid cars come with a variety of options and accessories. But from looking at the cars above and the engines offered, except for the Toyota Prius, there is a direct correlation between engine size and fuel mileage. The Toyota hybrid system statistically has the advantage. So chose your new hybrid car with what you feel is your priority.

The definition of electric hybrid vehicle or hybrid electric vehicle is that this vehicle has combined conventional propulsion with a rechargeable energy storage system (RESS). The RESS has to be capable of improving its fuel economy over that of a conventional vehicle.

Unlike the first hybrid vehicles to come out to the market, today’s version does not just rely on a conventional engine and electric batteries. With advances modern technology, the kinetic energy from the braking system is now converted to electricity. In addition many use the electric motors during idling time to reduce not only fuel consumption but also emissions.

Most hybrid vehicles have a smaller displacement conventional engine than their non-hybrid counterparts. This in itself increases fuel efficiency and reduces emissions.

What most people do not realize is that the hybrid vehicle has been around for over 100 years. Ferdinand Porsche produced the first hybrid in 1901. He utilized a gasoline engine to power electric motors mounted on the wheels.

In 1915 Woods Motor Vehicle had a 4-cylinder internal combustion engine along with an electric motor that used both for propulsion of the vehicle. This vehicle ran on pure electric power until reaching a speed of 15 mph when the main engine would engage propelling the vehicle to an amazing 35 mph for that time.

Erich Gaichen made the most amazing hybrid vehicle in 1931. This hybrid car combined an electric motor and compressed air powered motor to propel and recharge the battery.  The battery was recharged by the electric motor when the vehicle was traveling down an incline.  A compressed air cylinder could also charge the battery if no incline was within reach at the needed recharging point of the battery. The vehicles vibrations also activated several small air pumps that recharged the air cylinder itself.

It is true that the modern era of the hybrid did start in the 1960’s by Victor Wouk. But the true reach into history of the electric hybrid vehicle starts back in 1901.

Considered the best hybrid car by consumers is the Toyota Prius. This is based on sales and a satisfaction rating of nearly 98%.  Since its introduction in 2003, this gas-electric hybrid has found a solid market in United States with being third in overall sales of all cars.

New for 2010 is the third generation version with an increase in power. The engine displacement was increased from 1.5L to 1.8L. This translates to an increase of 50hp to 160 over the previous model. Unlike conventional cars, the larger engine delivers an increase in fuel mileage. All this with an additional increase in over size of the vehicle shows that smart engineering is in demand and doable.  Also new this year is the bragging right of the Prius to claim to be the only vehicle today that can deliver over 50 miles per gallon in combined city/highway driving.

The smart engineering was utilized when the engineers keep the overall weight of the vehicle down and has the best aerodynamics of any production vehicle being produced anywhere in the world. For those that wish to have zero emissions, there is also a situation during driving that offers all electric propulsion. The only two draw backs appears that the Prius still lacks plug-in capability and the electrical side is still powered by nickel metal hydride batteries.

With his year’s model being longer, taller and wider, occupants will feel more comfortable and relaxed while riding or driving this vehicle. With a new optional moon-roof that is fitted with solar panels that provides the power to the ventilation system, this car is truly green. This is the best hybrid car and in our opinion the best vehicle in production the world has ever had a choice at purchasing.

In our pursuit to be more green, we tend to think about the things we do or use the most.  Most days, our vehicle probably fits into the top five things we use the most.  Here is some information on fuel economy cars that may be valuable if you’re thinking of buying something new.

Small and compact cars can offer consumers the best fuel efficiency.  The only problem is a lack of space and comfort.  These are not cars that would benefit families or folks that like to travel with lots of stuff.

The Toyota Yaris which is available in a hatch-back or four-door style is a great choice for fuel economy cars.  Whether you choose automatic or manual, this car offers roughly 29 miles per gallon in the city and 35 miles per gallon on the highway.  The Corolla, also by Toyota, has a number of stylish options and offers 28 miles per gallon in the city and 37 miles per gallon on the highway.

For those that must have a little more space and be a little bigger on the road, Jeep offers a few options.  The Jeep Compass and Patriot are along the lines of SUV’s and offer 23 miles per gallon in the city and 27 miles per gallon on the highway.

Families who drive minivans also have decent options for fuel economy cars.  Mazda offers the Mazda 5.  It’s rated one of the most fuel efficient vehicles by the EPA.  In the city it averages 22 miles per gallon and 28 miles per gallon on the highway.

Feel free to join in here with your own ideas on good fuel economy cars.

Better Fuel Mileage

Of course you can get better fuel mileage by buying a fuel efficient car, but not everyone can afford a new car.  So here are five ways to help your current vehicle get better fuel mileage.

1.    Find the cheapest gas prices in your local area. Use websites like gasbuddy dot com to shop around.  Once you find out where the location of cheap gas is, plan your errands so that you don’t do any backtracking or extra driving.  Oh and when you buy gas, fill up during the coolest time of the day.

2.    Keep your vehicle well maintained. It’s important to change the oil on a regular basis (Recommendations can be found in your owners’ manual), have air filters and oil filters checked regularly, and keep your tires filled to the proper inflation level.

3.    Drive at a consistent speed. When driving over 60 mph fuel efficiency starts to decline.  Excess speeding up and braking will also cause you to go through fuel faster.  Try anticipating red lights.  Slow down gradually and watch how others just race to the red lights.

4.    Use cruise control on highways where the road is generally flat. If you use cruise control where there are lots of hills, your car tends to work harder going up hills while trying to maintain the speed your set at.  Thus you blow through more gas.

5.    Making your car more aerodynamic will also help your fuel efficiency.  Keeping your car clean may make a difference.  Also removing empty bike racks or storage bins on top of your car will make a big difference.

With these helpful tips from waytogogreen dot org, you can get better fuel mileage with any vehicle.  All it takes is a conscious effort.

The news broke at the end of 2008 about a prominent Beverly Hills plastic surgeon that made the claim on his website that he has been using human fat that he collected from lipo-suction patients for lipodeisel.

This story though still in the news seems likely a hoax.  Alan Bittner founded a high profile clinic on Rodeo Drive and is well known among the stars-arati.

After his shocking announcement that he ran both his Ford Explorer and his girlfriend’s Lincoln Navigator on excess human fat he soon left the country on vacation, but has not returned and is thought to be living in Columbia.

Bittner claimed that one gallon of lipo-deisel is the equivalent to about one gallon of bio-diesel.  Scientists have agreed, but the Medical Examiner and the California Health Department took a dim view of this illegal practice, if it were indeed true.

The clinic was raided by authorities.  We will have to wait for their findings.
Borders on Soylent Green don’t you think?

Cato

If buying a new car, there are some great green options. For those of us who aren’t buying a new car, there are great green options as well! When buying, look for a hybrid vehicle or one with higher gas mileage (25 miles per gallon or higher). Not only will you save money on gas, but you will also save the environment by creating less CO².

Ride or Walk:
One car is enough. For some families, it’s possible to live with only one car. It may take some extra planning so that everyone gets to their job or school, but it could save thousands of dollars in the long run. For individuals living in larger cities like New York City, a car may be a completely unnecessary item. Public transportation makes this so. Try taking the bus, subway, or carpool. If you’re really feeling ambitious, ride a bike or even walk to your destination.

Take Care of Your Car:
Just taking care of your car can help. Be sure that your tires are inflated to the right pressure. This can increase your gas mileage, ultimately saving money you would spend on fuel. Getting a tune up can also increase your gas mileage because your vehicle will be running at its best.

Junk in the Trunk:
Check out what’s in your trunk. Are you driving around with unnecessary cargo? This can weigh your car down and reduce your miles per gallon. Only take with you what you need. And DON’T drive like a maniac. The more you accelerate and brake, the more gas you will go through. Maintaining your speed and driving under 60 mph can increase your mpg by quite a bit.

What are some of your tips?

Leave a Reply.