Green Cars - A great push for the environment

Often, there is a change in people’s purchasing style that creates different benefits that were not the initial intention.  This is the case with the change in people’s attitudes toward more efficient green cars that are filling the streets.

With gas prices rising the past year after peaking at $4.00, may people are flocking to high MPG  vehicles and getting out of their gas guzzling SUVs.  The side benefit to this change in vehicle demand is the addition of many green cars on the street.  Green cars like hybrid vehicles, compressed natural gas (CNG) vehicles and electric vehicles (EVs) have a definite benefit to the environment.

Higher MPG cars like the Honda Fit & Civic, the Toyota Corolla and Yaris, and the Ford Focus are also considered green cars.  They all get above 30 MPG and also emit extremely low levels of  pollutants into the air.  In fact, these vehicles with their catalytic converters are some of the greenest cars in history.

Hybrid vehicles have become a badge of honor for environmentalalists.  These green cars like the Honda Civic Hybrid & Insight, the Toyota Prius, and the Ford Escape Hybrid also have very low emissions due to the addition of electric motors to a small gas engine.  These cars average over 40+ MPG with the Prius coming in at 50 MPG.

Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) cars, such as the Honda Civic GX are the lowest pollution emitting vehicles on the road.  These green cars get only decent gas mileage but the cost to fill up a CNG car is very small because of the price of natural gas.  The  issue with these vehicles is access to CNG filling stations in the local areas.  But that is changing. CNG filling stations are popping up all over because of the demand for CNG cars.

Electric Vehicles (EVs) are the latest addition to the bunch.  EVs are the greenest of all the cars available today.  They add an electric motor and battery to a transmission which offeres excellent performance.  When technology ages, the price of these green cars will drop dramatically, and with the growing battery technology, the distance these cars will be able to  travel will also get better.

As fuel prices have increased over the past year, the side benefit has been an increase in demand for higher MPG vehicles.  These green cars are much more efficient with less pollution for the environment.  This proves that people must be hit in their pocketbook in order for change to occur.

For more information on green cars, visit Clean Green Earth or Green Cars