Save Gas, Save Money, Save the Earth
August/September 2006
John Rockhold
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The natural-gas powered Honda Civic GX was named the most environmentally friendly 2005 vehicle by ACEEE. For information on the refueling appliance shown here, visit www.myphill.com.
COURTESY HONDA
|
Buckle up, America ? the era of cheap oil is over. Whether the road
ahead for gas prices will be a steep climb or a slow incline is
anyone's guess. But don't expect to see gas prices drop below $2 a
gallon ever again. Odds are you're already feeling the pinch of
this trend as gas prices skyrocketed given high demand versus low
supply.
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Drive a more fuel-efficient vehicle, however, and you can save a
substantial amount of money. Even if gas goes back to $2.20 a
gallon, annual gas expenses for a car that gets 25 miles per gallon
(mpg) will total about $1,320. Switch to a 35-mpg car, though, and
you'll save $377 a year; a 50-mpg hybrid will save you $660 a year.
Over a five-year period, your savings will add up to $1,886 and
$3,300, respectively.
There also are benefits greater than saving money. 'Choosing which
vehicle to drive is one of, if not the, most important
environmental decisions a person can make,' says James Kliesch,
principal vehicle analyst for the American Council for an
Energy-Efficient Economy (ACEEE) and lead author of ACEEE's annual
environmental guide to cars and trucks.
A more fuel-efficient vehicle will also reduce your contribution to
global warming. The more gas a vehicle burns, the more it emits
carbon dioxide (CO2), a greenhouse gas that traps the Earth's heat
and plays a leading role in climate change.
For example, a 25-mpg vehicle emits 11,640 pounds of CO2 a year. A
35-mpg vehicle emits 3,326 fewer pounds of CO2 each year; a 50-mpg
hybrid releases 5,820 fewer pounds annually.
The type of fuel also impacts its greenhouse gas emissions. Diesel
fuel produces more CO2 than gasoline, whereas natural gas and E85
(85-percent ethanol, 15-percent gasoline) produce less.
As with air pollution, the Environmental Protection Agency also
provides a greenhouse gas score for every vehicle model. The rating
ranges from zero to 10 ? the higher the number, the less greenhouse
gases the vehicle emits. To view these scores for the most
fuel-efficient vehicles visit the
Alternative Transportation Page.