Most Efficient Cars - Are they the most environmentally friendly?
Should you simply buy the latest most efficient cars to be environmentally friendly? Which car is the most environmentally friendly?To be as environmentally friendly as possible its not just a case of buying the car that uses the least fuel. New cars use enormous resources to build and subsequently transport to dealers. This energy use can take years for even the most efficient cars to repay to the environment by way of their better fuel consumption.
The best way to be environmentally friendly is to consume less. This means both driving less and not buying new products as often, such as cars. The most environmentally friendly thing to do of course is not own a car and use public transport, a bike, or walk instead. Many of the journeys done in a car could be substituted by one of these other methods of transport, especially when living in a city.
If you need personal motorised transport you could opt for a scooter which uses less resources to build and is far more fuel-efficient than even the most efficient cars. In fact scooters are becoming more and more popular in our crowded cities as a quicker, cheaper and cooler way of travelling. Their only drawback is safety, and its a big drawback. You have no protection from impacts at all apart from your helmet and leathers. Not the best if you come up against an SUV.
Of course there are lots of journeys which must be done in a car, but you don't always need to own a car to do them. You could participate in a car share scheme either with friends or through a business. Car share businesses are expanding rapidly throughout the world. They offer the benefits of car ownership through the use of cars situated in local "pods". Usually car share businesses buy the most efficient cars to save on their fuel costs, which is great news for the environment. By using a car share scheme you save thousands over owning your own car and the planet benefits enormously since 100 people can share 10 cars instead of having 1 car each. You usually pay by the hour to use a vehicle.
If you do want to buy your own car its probably better for the environment to buy a fuel-efficient used car rather than one of the brand new most efficient cars. A used car that is 20% less economical than a new car will still probably be better for the planet because of the resources required to build a new car. You can pick up a 5 year old car that has very respectable fuel consumption.
The worst thing you can do for the environment is buy a new vehicle every couple of years even if it is the latest fuel-efficient hybrid. If you do want a new car at least plan on keeping it for between 5 and 10 years. Modern cars will be reliable for longer than this so there's no need to keep buying new cars. We need to stop thinking of cars as fashion accessories. Manufacturers don't help here. They bring out new designs every couple of years and advertise them as the next cool thing you must own.
To make things more complicated manufacturers are now pushing their green credentials by claiming usage of renewable power or carbon offsetting during the production of their new cars. Although this is a step forward, beware of their claims. It would be almost impossible for them to produce cars while having absolutely no environmental impact, and if they could there would be no profit left for them.
In short, the question of whether the most efficient cars are also the most environmentally friendly is not an easy one to answer. But if you do want to buy a brand new vehicle, make it one of the most efficient cars and try to keep it for as long as possible.
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