Save Gas, Save Money, Save the Earth

John Rockhold

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.

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.