Do you live in an area where masses of cars are constantly polluting the air, but don't quite know what to do about it? After all, you must have a vehicle, right? Because, it's a fact: everything in life is somewhere else, and a car is necessary to get there.
Ah, but there is something you can do about air quality and still reach your destination. When purchasing a new car, pay attention to the green rating for the vehicles on the shopping list.
All new vehicles for sale in the United States are certified to meet either Federal emissions standards, set by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), or California standards, set by the California Air Resources Board (CARB). These exhaust emission standards limit the amounts of key pollutants coming from a vehicle's tailpipe and leaks in its fuel system.
California has a set of standards that are progressively more stringent by pollutant. Except for a few makes and models, however, only Federally certified versions may be available in many states. This information may or may not be available from the dealer or listed on the MSRP (Manufacturer's Suggested Retail Price) invoice.
But not to worry. The American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy produces a "Green Guide to Cars and Trucks" and ranks vehicles according to environmental friendliness. Using this consumer guide, buyers can compare cars, vans, pickups, and sport utility vehicles by their environmental impacts -- including air pollution, global warming, and fuel efficiency.
The "Green Guide to Cars and Trucks: Model Year" includes listings for over 1500 makes and models, covering every car, station wagon, van, pickup truck, and sport utility on the market this year. Priced at just $8.95, the guide can be ordered on-line via the ACEEE web site, http://www.aceee.org/greenercars/index.htm, or by contacting the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy, 1001 Connecticut Avenue NW, Suite 801, Washington, DC 20036. Phone: (202) 429-0063.
The web site offers an excellent overview of what's green and what's not for each year, including a list of the Greenest Models by Vehicle Class and details on the"12 Greenest Vehicles" and "12 Worst Vehicles for the Environment." There's also an explanation of the standards on which the vehicles are judged.
You may see some of these terms and acronyms for these "principal tailpipe standards applicable to 1999 vehicles" among the materials gathered for the vehicles on your shopping list:
Tier 1 the prevailing Federal (EPA) standard.
Tier l-D the Federal diesel standard; permits higher NOx emissions.
HDT Heavy Duty Truck, the weakest standard for light trucks.
TLEV Transitional Low Emission Vehicle, the weakest California standard.
LEV Low Emission Vehicle, an intermediate California standard about twice as stringent as Tier 1.
ULEV Ultra Low Emission Vehicle, a stronger California standard emphasizing very low HC emissions.
SULEV Super Ultra Low Emission Vehicle, a California standard even tighter than ULEV and prohibiting emissions of fuel vapors.
ZEV Zero Emission Vehicle, a California standard prohibiting any tailpipe emissions.
The levels of pollution permitted under each standard depend on the vehicle type and many light trucks have weaker standards than cars. There are other standards not listed above, and new standards of increasing stringency are being developed by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and the California Air Resources Board (CARB).
A piece of commonplace information that provides a good idea of the environmental-friendliness of a vehicle can be found on the MSRP label. Every MSRP sticker has a fuel-economy rating included in the information provided about the vehicle. Automakers rate their vehicles for miles per gallon (mpg) according to standard EPA tests of simulated city and highway driving.
Higher fuel economy means lower fuel consumption, savings on fuel costs, and reduced greenhouse gas emissions. Even in new vehicles, tailpipe standards don't fully control pollution in real-world driving conditions and don't capture the pollution effects related to the amount of fuel consumed. Therefore, among models meeting a given tailpipe emissions standard, higher fuel economy means lower total emissions of other pollutants as well.
It should come as no surprise that vehicles with the best green rating for 1999 included such gas savers as the Chevy Metro (41 mpg city/47 mpg highway) and the Honda Civic (32 mpg city/37 mpg highway). Also on top are electric vehicles from GM, Nissan, Toyota, Honda, and the Ford Ranger and Chevy S10 electric pickups. Of course, the worst offenders in 1999 are those most people love to own today -- the great big SUVs (12 mpg city/16 mpg highway) -- and those most of us would love to own some day -- Ferrari 550 Marane (9 mpg/city/14 mpg highway) and Rolls Royce Silver Spur (10 mpg city/15 mpg highway).
The Green Guide takes into consideration all the levels of emission standards and encourages buyers to compare vehicles by their environmental impacts, including air pollution, global warming, and fuel efficiency. Be sure environmental-friendliness is a factor when rating the vehicles on your shopping list.
Besides, it would appear from the rankings that the lower the cost of the new vehicle (electric vehicles aside), the higher the gas mileage and green rating. In other words, the less green you pay, the greener the vehicle.
Since everything in life is somewhere else, and you get there in a car, why not make that a green car -- perhaps in bright yellow!
