Greener Cars and Trucks
(Page 3 of 5)
Energy consumed and emissions released during the manufacturing process also influence the greenness of a vehicle. A complex global supply chain makes it difficult to track the environmental aspects of raw materials and components, but the impact generally is proportional to vehicle weight—small cars have fewer manufacturing related impacts than bigger ones.
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But this is only part of the picture. The fuel production cycle, from extracting crude oil to transporting refined gasoline, requires energy and produces emissions even before you fill your tank. The more fuel your vehicle uses, the greater its "upstream" pollution.
THE GREEN HORIZON
A significant improvement in tailpipe-emission regulations, collectively known as Tier 2, kicks in for model year 2004. These EPA standards, to be phased in between 2004 and 2009, will bring about major reductions in smog-forming emissions. The Tier 2 regulations are complex, but they offer automakers flexibility in meeting the standards. One of their cornerstones is that vehicles can meet a range of emission levels (called "bins"), as long as the manufacturer's average does not exceed a maximum level of pollutants per mile driven. Some companies, such as Ford, Honda, Saturn and Volvo, already have introduced. vehicles certified to the new standards. Green Scores for current Tier 2-compliant vehicles are not yet available, but new contenders for the top spots in each class are listed on Page 49.
In the last few years, the auto industry has introduced an unprecedented number of extremely clean gasoline vehicles capable of meeting the SULEV standard. These vehicles require a special blend of gasoline that has especially low levels of sulfur. The low-sulfur fuel is necessary to prevent damage to the vehicles' advanced catalytic converters. Currently this fuel, and the cars that use them, are only available in limited areas of the country, primarily California. But the federal government has mandated low-sulfur gasoline to be nationally available by mid-2006, so expect to see SULEV-certified models available coast-to-coast in the near future.
Another, perhaps bigger story from the auto industry is the introduction of hybrid-electric vehicles. These cars, which run on conventional gasoline but use onboard-generated electricity to supplement their power, achieve very high fuel economies and extremely low emissions.
Carefully consider exhaust pollution when car shopping. To learn about the emissions for any vehicle you are considering, pop the hood and look for a label such as this.
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