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Saturday, November 5, 2011

Hype Hides Automotive Advances

By Jose Adelmann


The hype or buzz in the world "green cars" these days, that is to say what captures public attention, centers on electrically powered cars and hybrids. These are bold new technological concepts and thus easy for consumers to relate to. However, there has been a quieter and less flashy progression of a green sort as well. Due to increased regulatory requirements for reduction of greenhouse gas emissions and the general consumer demand for greater fuel economy, advances of a more prosaic but still impressive sort have taken place in automotive engineering.

United States

One way to reduce greenhouse gas emissions is simply to increase fuel economy so that less gasoline is burned. Under Obama, fuel economy requirements in the US have been raised to a stipulation of a 53% increase in fuel economy, and an average miles per gallon efficiency of 54.5% by the year 2025. This has spurred auto makers to get right to work on the task of producing more fuel efficient cars.

European Union

The EU has felt this pressure and acted on it as well. Their average CO2 emissions per liter of fuel has fallen steadily over the past few years. It dropped 5.1 percent in 2009 and another 3.7 percent last year. This translates to a grams of CO2 per liter ratio of 140. It has a goal 130 grams per liter by 2015 and 98 grams per liter in 2020. It is well on the way to meeting these goals for their combustion engines.

More Fuel Efficient Combustion Cars

The advances above are not as immediately impressive seeming as the idea of an electric car with no emissions whatsoever. But they have been steadily occurring over the years and are quite significant in terms of both fuel economy and pollution reduction. Cars powered by combustion engines still vastly outnumber those with means of generating motive power, so reducing their fuel consumption is a wise and necessary step even though it may not have the futuristic appeal of more radical solutions. And some very promising strides and improvements have already been made. With better fuel efficiency, you can save a substantial amount of money on your vehicle expenses. Your monthly insurance expenses is already high enough, so make the switch today. For the cheapest deals on Kanetix insurance, use an online comparison tool to see which insurance providers offer the best service and prices. It only takes a couple minutse to find a cheap insurance rate, so start your search today.

Electric and Hybrid Car Sales

This is not to say the electric cars are a bad idea. Far from it, they produce little or no greenhouse gas emissions and thus are an excellent solution to global warming concerns. The problem is that the production and sales totals for these cars represent a tiny fraction of the global market. Mitsubishi's i MiEV, Nissan's Leaf, and Tesla Motors' Roadtser are three examples of electric cars that has generated quite a bit of buzz. The Toyota Prius, Lexus Ct 200 h, Chevrolet Volt, and Opel Ampera are examples of hybrids that have sold well. But this stands in contrast to the fact that these vehicles are far outnumbered in sales by conventional combustion cars.

Turbo Chargers

One promising area of combustion engine technology is turbo charging. Again, the technological concept has been around for quite a while and taken a number of forms, but turbo chargers have been steadily increasing in sophistication. Turbo chargers produced by the Honeywell Company have been able to boost gasoline economy 20% and diesel fuel economy 40%.

Electric cars and hybrids are only part of the story of the "green shift" in auto manufacturing. So if you're trying to be environmentally responsible with your auto purchases but can't afford the relatively high prices of electric or hybrid vehicles, don't despair. The general trend is toward better mileage and reduced CO2 emissions for ordinary cars, and it looks as though that trend and the associated environmental benefits will continue to increase in the foreseeable future.




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