Fuel Efficient Vehicles – Including Gas Hybrid Cars
Fuel prices have soared and many of us are looking at going back to more fuel efficient vehicles. Popular in the 1970s, the trend towards SUVs in the 1990s and early ‘aughts undid much of the conservation efforts of the last time fuel economy was a matter of concern. Though speed limits may have risen, there is a whole new lineup of cars that are ready to take on some of the demand created by people who are unwilling to spend hundreds of dollars filling up the tank each time.
While there have always been a small number of fuel efficient vehicles manufactured in the US, to reach the CAFE standards set out by congress, though not many. Several of those made in the last 20 years were made in partnerships with Japanese firms that had expertise with these smaller vehicles. Even in the early 1990s, for instance, the 3-cylinder, 1.0L Geo Metro was delivering upwards of 50mpg (21km/L) in 1990. This was at a time when US consumer purchased a massive fleet of vehicles with fuel economy less than 15mpg (6.3km/L).
In addition to these small and relatively low powered vehicles, hybrid cars and SUVs are becoming a very common replacement. Instead of generating fuel savings with very careful use of somewhat limited power and lightweight construction, new vehicles are able to deliver the sort of comfort and ride that consumers have become accustomed to.
Gas Hybrid Vehicles
The very popular gas hybrid vehicles conserve power requirements by transferring the power of momentum from when you break and storing it in the car’s battery. For that reason, a heavy frame is not as much of a liability – the energy used to get it going is then transferred back into the car with the added energy required to stop that higher momentum.
This makes the city and highway mileage of gas or diesel hybrid cars almost exactly the same. The Toyota Prius and Honda Insight are two vehicles that made early entries into this market, though nearly all automakers now have a hybrid offering of one of their most popular vehicles. For each, demand has far outstripped supply since they were first introduced in the early ‘aughts. For most drivers, the increased cost of this vehicle choice is covered in the gas savings within two years or less.
Battery Electric Vehicles – BEV’s
Electric-only hybrids (also known as a continuously recharged Battery Electric Vehicle or BEV) are also on the way, with US automakers promising the first plug-in hybrid vehicles for 2010. These vehicles will be able to take advantage of other types of alternative fuels and energies, such as home-generated power from micro-turbines or even solar paint. It is very likely that within a decade, cars will be on the market that produce some of their own fuel from the light catching the surface of the vehicle.
Small vehicles that are designed to work with alternative fuels are now being imported from Europe in increasing numbers, too. Though the first wave of fuel efficient European vehicles could be said to have been the influx of mopeds and scooters in the 1950s and 60s, this trend focuses both on small cars and the surging popularity of scooters among young people, once again. Highly fuel efficient vehicles that run on alternative fuels like bio-diesel will likely pay for themselves many times over in fuel cost savings.
Entirely electric vehicles are also becoming a hot commodity. Whether manufactured that way or upcycled from an existing vehicle, these are almost always used in combination with a rechargeable energy storage system, in the form of batteries or a heavy flywheel. They can be charged with any sort of power and may also have a small combustion engine for assistance at distances of over 60 miles (100km). The raw materials (many of which are mined and sent from China) weight and toxicity of batteries has, so far, kept adoption to low levels, despite the fuel flexibility.
Flex Fuel Vehicles
Flex fuel vehicles that can run on a variety of energetic fluids and gases are the most popular vehicles in places with excess bio-matter, such as Brazil. These relatively fuel efficient vehicles are also present in North America. Usually these flex fuel or dual fuel systems combing either a gas or diesel engine with the ability to run natural gas or un-treated vegetable oil. Sometimes they also have charging and storage capacity like an electric hybrid, too. Such vehicles are currently more a curiosity than a market force, but volatility in commodity markets makes it very advantageous to have the ability to adjust for what fuel is available or less expensive.
The marketplace for “green” vehicles has grown tremendously over the last few years. These new trends towards smaller and more fuel efficient vehicles has been good for cars, as a hobby, too. What was just a few hybrid cars and some under-powered clown-cars a few years ago has become a respectable term for well-made cars and trucks that can reduce dependence upon foreign oil and reduce polluting emissions that would hasten the effects of climate change.
Choosing the fuel-efficient vehicle that suits your needs is determined by your current and future life-style. If you think you need a big vehicle for recreational opportunities and road-trips, you might want to also consider how your driving behaviors are likely to change if gas were $10/gal ($3/L). It’s something very likely in the next 10 years that people are likely to keep their vehicles. You might find that an alternative fuel vehicle suits the majority of your driving needs.
Even if you do need to drive a mini-van or SUV, you can still make cost effective and relatively non-polluting choices about how you use those vehicles. Flex fuel might be the best option for trucks and fleet vehicles.
