How to Choose the Right Alternative-Fuel Car for You – A “Good” decision-making process
(Source: Good Magazine)
Amidst the clutter of alternative vehicles that are already in the market and the ones just arriving in the market, how would one decide on the “right” vehicle? Our savvy folks at Good magazine have published an excellent resource that makes this decision-making process less-complicated and easy to navigate.
Whatever happened to hydrogen?
The idea is great: Take the most abundant element in the universe, turn it silently into electricity, and the only byproduct is a wisp of steam. To its fans, the hydrogen fuel cell is a transportation miracle that will cork our carbon output and curb our addiction to foreign oil. To its critics, it’s vaporware.
Are hybrid batteries toxic?
If the forecasts are right, electrons will replace hydrocarbons as the energy source in our cars. Then, of course, we’ll have to face the question of batteries. The batteries favored in hybrid cars—nickel-metal hydride—have an encouraging track record of lasting at least as long as the cars themselves. The lithium-ion batteries used in fully electric cars are similarly enduring. But how bad are they for the planet? Depends on what you do with them when they die.
The amazing Indian Air Car: Coming to America?
Perhaps you have heard that India’s largest automaker, Tata Motors, has created the world’s first commercial car that runs on air. The good news is that they’re bringing it here. A few fun facts:
It is powered by compressed air • Zero Pollution Motors will produce the American version • It’s priced at $17,800 • Reservations in the States will be taken midyear; delivery is early 2010 • ZPM estimates that its Air Car will run up to 1,000 miles per fill-up, and at speeds up to 96 mph • It’s up for the Automotive X Prize (see below), and is considered a front-runner • Made out of fiberglass instead of sheet metal, it’s expected to be safer and easier to repair than a traditional car and rust-proof • It seats six.
Who will build the best 100-mpg car?
After staging a high-profile competition for civilian spaceflight in 2004, the X Prize Foundation now has another $10 million on the table, this time for a 100-mpg car. And after the checkered flag flies and the winning team claims the Progressive Automotive X Prize, there is “no reason you should not be driving a car that gets over 100 miles per gallon,” according to the prize’s creator, Peter Diamandis.
Candid corn: Is ethanol worth it?
A parade of studies has tried to decipher the pros and cons of ethanol. Depending on a multitude of variables, some studies find it environmentally better than gasoline, some much worse. The implications aren’t light: The USDA says that nearly a third of all U.S. corn used this year will go into ethanol production. And globally, food prices have been ratcheted up as more corn is brewed into fuel.
