Go Green With Your Car

As a result of rising oil prices, there is an emerging trend for energy-efficient cars. These clean-burning vehicles are readily available to anyone and everyone and in fact, they're even being used by local, state, and federal authorities. They come in many different brands and sizes, so if you want to go green and drive an eco-friendly vehicle, there are plenty of options most are readily available.

Types of Fuel-Efficient Cars

Hybrid electric technology combines two or more fuel sources to energize the vehicle. These sources range from a rechargeable energy storage system, gasoline, diesel, compressed air, hydrogen, natural gas, wind, coal, or solar power. However, the most common combination is gasoline and electricity.

So how do hybrid vehicles work? It's actually simpler than it sounds. The electric motor is used primarily for reversing, low-speed driving, and when the automobile is idle. When more speed or power is necessary, the car turns to the internal combustion engine, which is powered by gasoline and a battery.

Hybrid vehicles are becoming more and more popular, and they are also being developed in heavy-duty buses and trucks. Perhaps the greatest advantage to hybrid technology is the fact that the cars themselves cost the same amount as standard vehicles, but their mileage is more than double.

Furthermore, there are tax incentives that come with the purchase of an energy-efficient vehicle. With gas prices going through the roof, going hybrid is more than a good idea.

An electric vehicle is one with one or more electric motors. The electric energy that is used can come from a variety of sources such as generators or batteries. As a result, the automobile needs to be charged on a regular basis. Some models come with an on-board charger while others need to be externally charged.

An important advantage to driving an electric vehicle is that it produces zero exhaust and emissions, so it's. This means this is a completely clean-burning and eco-friendly car, which causes no harm to the environment while it's being used. Not to mention, you can say goodbye to the expensive gas pump.

A disadvantage is that they can be hard to find because the major automakers do not currently have any available light-duty electric vehicles. However, a variety of companies are developing neighborhood electric vehicles which can be used for neighborhood commuting and light hauling and delivery.

Fuel cell vehicles, which are powered by hydrogen, are very unique because they produce zero exhaust, and their only emission is water. Fuel cell cars use electricity to power their motors but unlike electric vehicles, their primary source for electricity is the fuel cell, which is energized by filling the tank with hydrogen.

These cars can be directly fueled with pure hydrogen gas, or the energy can be harvested from a secondary fuel source such as methanol, ethanol, or natural gas. These secondary fuels can then be transformed into hydrogen gas.

Fuel cell vehicles can also be enhanced with features such as regenerative braking systems which can retain any energy lost during the act of braking, and this energy reserve can be kept in a large battery.

These cars are extremely eco-friendly, but the downside is the fact that they are not yet commercially available. However, with more research and government grants, I feel strongly that one day they will be as popular as hybrid cars.

Natural gas vehicles are another example of alternative energy at its finest. These cars operate on liquefied natural gas, or with a combination of natural gas and gasoline. They produce significantly lower of emissions, and it has been reported that they can last up to 3 years longer than conventional gasoline or diesel vehicles with less required maintenance.

Natural gas vehicles work very much like standard gasoline vehicles, but again, they are much better for the environment and don't require expensive gasoline. The downside is the fact that currently, the only available automobile that utilizes this technology is the Honda Civic.

The moral of this story is that you don't need to continue driving a gas-guzzler because not only are these vehicles bad for the environment, they end up costing a lot more money due to the high gas prices. If you want to go green, one of the first steps that I would recommend would be to begin driving an energy-efficient vehicle.