Eco Friendly Cars

Transportation is one of the biggest sources of greenhouse gas emissions that cause global warming, trailing after livestock. Because of that, the auto industry is starting to put big bucks into eco friendly cars. Right now, the main types of eco friendly cars are flex fuel models, hybrid electric and electric cars and hydrogen vehicles. Flex fuel cars have been on the road since the late 1970s and are particularly common in Brazil where an extensive government-sponsored ethanol program revolutionized the country’s fleet. These days in many countries flex fuels have become very common. E10 (10 per cent ethanol) and E15 (15 per cent ethanol) are the most common pump deals. Although it doesn’t sound like a lot, the mixture with ethanol has a significant impact on reducing tailpipe emissions.

Hybrid electric cars combine an internal combustion engine and one or more electric motors. They have become increasingly popular and major automakers such as Toyota, Ford and Honda have hybrid electric models on their portfolio.

Electric cars enjoyed a surge in popularity in 2010 with the launch of well-received models such as the Nissan Leaf and Chevy Volt by Chevrolet. Both models have been selling well while many cities are creating a charging infrastructure to accommodate the arrival of these models on the roads.

There’s considerable research into the viability of hydrogen fuel cell cars. In London, UK some of the buses on the road run on hydrogen. Honda leased in 2005 its first commercial hydrogen car to a family in Redondo Beach, California. Later in 2008, the Honda FCX Clarity became the first production line build hydrogen fuel cell lease vehicle. It was leased to the same family and another 20 were also leased to other people. For the moment, hydrogen cars are prototypes and have not become a commercial reality. President Bush was a hydrogen car enthusiast but a lack of infrastructure hampers the wider adoption of these vehicles.