 Visit any of the nation’s auto shows this year and you’ll find large areas in automakers’ exhibits devoted to “green” models that run on environmentally friendly and/or fuel frugal technology – not all of which has yet to be perfected, or even invented. From hydrogen fuel-cells, to plug-in hybrids and clean-burning, high mileage, diesel-powered vehicles, it seems every automaker is showing at least one coming model that shows greater respect to the planet than the mega horsepower muscle cars you’ll usually find on display at the other end of their exhibits.
But many of those concepts won’t come to fruition for at least a few years, and it may take a decade or more before the leading edge technology that powers them becomes readily available and affordable. So what do you do if you want to buy a less-polluting vehicle right now and you can’t afford a costly hybrid, nor can you settle for the smallest car on the lot?
The secret is to do your homework ahead of time and pick a vehicle that’s already enabled to return fewer emissions back into the atmosphere than comparable models. “Regardless of what class of car you choose it’s easy to shop green if you research a new vehicle’s environmental impact. There are ‘greener’ choices out there,” says Jim Kliesch, a research associate for the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy.
Catherine Milbourn, a press officer with the Environmental Protection Agency, recommends environmentally conscious consumers check the emissions ratings for all vehicles under their consideration, which are posted on either of the vehicle-related Websites the agency maintains in conjunction with the Department of Energy: fueleconomy. gov, and (in a more detailed format) epa. gov/greenvehicles. (Another source for this information albeit with a small fee attached is the American Council for an Energy- Efficient Economy’s (ACEEE) Web site at greenercars.org.
“These sites empower consumers to make educated choices about each make and model’s environmental impact when shopping for a new vehicle,” she says. Along with information on fuel economy for each make and model, the EPA sites provide Air Pollution Score and Carbon Footprint ratings as compiled by the agency for each vehicle.
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