Tuesday, February 15, 2011

"Green" Vehicles

I wish I could like the Smart cars. They are lightweight and have small engines. They are small in size making them easier to get around in, particularly in crowded cities. But despite the things I want to like about them they are way too pricey and their fuel economy (in the US) is awful. You will do better buying pretty much any other manufacturer's small vehicle (Fit, Cruz, Focus, Fiesta, Yaris, Versa, Elantra, ...) plus most of those others will be more fun to drive!

Part of the problem is the insanity of US "Safety Standards" that rewards massive SUV's and tank-like Volvo's but keeps some of the most fuel efficient cars in the world out of our markets (city cars in Europe, K cars in Japan) and when we do get one (like the Smart, and soon the Fiat 500) it has had so much extra weight added to get it to pass the safety bar, that its big fuel economy advantage is gone.

That said, I do agree that weight is a huge factor when it comes to how "green" a car is. More weight means more energy equivalent to manufacture and, at the end of its life, to recover/trash. Smaller, lighter weight vehicles are much better in terms of overall "green" level, and so, despite Chevy's top man scoffing, the Volt is exactly where it should be on this list: 12th. 3800 lbs is ridiculous. Good mileage is nice, but the total energy equivalent that a car consumes also includes manufacture and disposal.

Side note on the list: Civic GX in first place? Seriously? This is not a viable commercial vehicle and should not be considered. We will never have the natural gas infrastructure to support these. Fully electric vehicles are the future, and fuel-electric hybrids are the transition (so long as it is much easier to get gas than swap a battery pack out/charge up on a road trip).

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