What kind of car is the most green?

Most major automobile manufacturers are now selling more environmentally-friendly models. With all the different options and types it's easy to get confused about what's what and what is actually good for the environment and not just hype.

Here's a chart comparing and contrasting the various options people have (excluding the more expensive options like the Tesla Model S) when it comes to cost to drive and emissions:

How green vehicles match up.

The day where everyone drives an electric car is not coming up any time soon, but as you can see in the chart, even just switching to a more efficient gasoline vehicle can lead to significant emissions reductions and lower petroleum use.

Note: this only includes options sold by major auto companies, not the various post-conversion options available (like vegetable oil, etc.).

Battery electric
Pros: Tax subsidies, less carbon emissions
Cons: Range less than 100 miles, take hours to charge, generally more expensive than a similar gasoline vehicle

Diesel
Pros: range of more than 500 miles (ideal for long highway commutes)
Cons: Limited vehicle options, not quite as efficient as hybrids

Compressed natural gas
Pros: None
Cons: Dead technology

Hybrid
Pros: Great for stop and go traffic, only generates 55% of the carbon dioxide of a conventional gasoline car
Cons: More expensive than regular cars,

Plug-in hybrid
Pros: Low carbon emissions
Cons: Not all are made equal, some have very low all-electric range, not ideal for longer trips

Gasoline
Pros: Less expensive
Cons: Produce a third more pollution per mile than hybrid

In addition to these options, manufacturers are also rolling out cars that run on hydrogen fuel cells (which are greener than gasoline, but less clean than battery-electric). Hyundai has begun leasing its Tucson model in certain areas in California (with Toyota and Honda having models due out soon), but it is still early on and there are very few areas that the car would be feasible everyday option in.

Hopefully that breakdown will help you make a smart decision about how you can lower your carbon emissions, and thus helping slow down climate change, while still finding a vehicle that still fits your everyday needs.

http://www.latimes.com/business/autos/a-fi-hy-green-car-emissions-20150713-story.html#page=1

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Finally an electric car that isn't lame

The Corvette GXE will probably look something like this, only bigger. Kid not included.

Despite all the benefits of electric cars, there is still a pretty sizable stigma against them, especially from car aficionados who like their cars powerful. Electric cars are historically weak, slow, ugly, and all around kind of dorky. Electric cars have names like the Leaf or Volt, which certainly isn't helping their case with car people. Tesla has done a good deal to dissuade some of those preconceptions, but they didn't manage to come up with a name that isn't incredibly lame. Genovation Cars is trying to change this by developing an all-electric Corvette prototype. Dubbed the GXE, the prototype is based on the 2006 Chevy Corvette z06, but instead of its 7.0-liter V8 engine it will have an array of inverters, batteries, and electric motors with the goal of generating 700 horsepower for the car. That promises to deliver a 0-60 mph time of about 3 seconds with the car having a top speed of over 200 miles per hour. These specs would put even the Tesla Model S P85D to shame. The goal is for the Corvette GXE to able to travel for 150 miles on a single charge. The prototype will be debuted at the Electric Vehicle Technology Expo this September in Michigan.

This car would certainly give drivers one less excuse to not drive an electric car. You'd be hard-pressed to find anyone who thinks a Corvette is lame, so you could finally drive electric in style once this car hits the market. It's about time companies started making stuff that is not only environmentally friendly, but also cool. You no longer have to be a smelly, Birkenstock-wearing, tree-hugger in order to help the environment. So, why not?

For more details, including the official press release: http://www.autoblog.com/2015/07/14/genovation-cars-electric-corvette-prototype-official/#slide-141683

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Save the Planet by Copying These Celebrities

Celebrities have always been trend-setters. While not everyone agrees on environmental issues, we can all agree that we should all copy celebrities as much as we can in our daily lives. For ages, people have taken cues from celebrities when it comes to all kinds of things like fashion, pets, vacation destinations, etc. Now with the rise of environmental awareness in recent years, we now have the benefit of hearing about how we can be more environmentally friendly by following the cues and tips of Hollywood's elite...

Last year's "It-Girl" Shailene Woodley makes her own cheese, toothpaste, body lotions, face oils, medicine, and gets all of her water from fresh mountain springs every month. No word on how much energy is spent on each of those mountain excursions.

You can cut down on your water consumption by showering with a "friend" like Grammy Award-winning rapper and Fast & Furious supporting player, Ludacris.

Former Victoria Secret model and current professional narcissist Tyra Banks contributed to a book full of everyday environmental tips, The Green Book: The Everyday Guide to Saving the Planet, along with a slew of other self-important celebrities like Ellen DeGeneres, Jennifer Aniston, and Tiki Barber (which certainly dates the book since it's been a while since he was relevant), among others.

Cate Blanchett controversially appeared in a commercial in her native Australia (free of charge) actually promoting a carbon tax to help cut down the use of polluting fossil fuels.

Aside from being one of the greatest human beings ever (for punching Justin Bieber), Orlando Bloom also founded the Global Cool Foundation (globalcoolfoundation.org), a non-profit whose goal is to help reduce greenhouse gas emissions, utilizing educational initiatives to reduce overall energy use.

If you have the finances to do so, you could be like Leonardo DiCaprio and drive super expensive electric cars. In between bedding the entire Victoria's Secret catalog and getting snubbed repeatedly at the Academy Awards, he also found time to produce and narrate the 2007 documentary The 11th Hour, which proposes potential solutions to many of the environmental issues facing the planet (like climate change, deforestation, mass species extinction, etc.).

Those are just a few of the celebrities you can try to emulate and model your life on. Or you could always just do your own thing...

Having Fun With Electric Cars

Electric can be fun. It really can be.

There’s a lot of information going around about the electric car, and it can be difficult to get a grasp of an unfamiliar technology and how it works. All that mental work can be very draining after a while. It’s important to settle down once in a while and recharge. Lean back, relax and enjoy this video of They Might be Giants’ “Electric car” from their fourth children’s album Here comes the Science (2009).

It’s good for the children. It’s good for the environment.

When you think of electricity, think of friendship. Then think of Tom Hanks.

The Increasing “Cool” Factor of Electric Cars.

When we think of electric cars, it’s possible some of us imagine something that looks like a modified golf cart, something clunky.

 Or perhaps a smooth looking, cozy little death trap:

During the mid 1970’s, the Sebring-Vanguard Citicar was produced. It looked like this

It is the most produced electric car in American History. It had a range of about 40 miles (64km) per charge, with top speeds at 30 mph (48 km/h) - 50 mph (80 km/h). To be fair, it was produced in part to address the then current energy crisis. Style was obviously not the first priority.

Getting a Charge Out of Your Electric Car

Range anxiety. Charge time.

These are two serious concerns for prospective adopters of electric car technology.

Charging time and charge rate depend on a variety of factors. Most figures assume a battery is empty when they “sell” the stats on a particular car. On the other end, things such as the weather also affect how far you can go, as well as what type of driving you do. Unless you are taking a long range trip, you are unlikely to maintain a certain speed continuously. The figures offered tend to err on the side of being conservative. 

Looking for Incentive?

In 2003, the government subsidized the SUV market by giving up to $100,000 in deductions for the purchase—making such a vehicle practically free if you could afford the cost upfront. It was technically part of a bill designed to help farmers purchase vehicles, but any vehicle around 6,000 Lb was eligible, not just those intended for use on farms. This loophole was exploited by car salesmen, consumers, and oil companies alike. The environment was not consulted. Over 100 million dollars were allocated that year for such an expense. Although the subsidy was decreased afterward, the loophole remains. Next year, the figure may be as high as $500 million.