Comments on: Green Cars: Evaluating How Green They Are

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Thu, 14 Apr 2011 09:25:00 +0000

thanks for the note. i love the cars myself & never heard of them being cramped. thanks for the person info

By: Machine Invents New Li-ion Battery – CleanTechnica: Cleantech innovation news and views

Wed, 06 Apr 2011 11:52:35 +0000

[…] Green Cars: Evaluating How Green They Are […]

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Tue, 05 Apr 2011 08:55:00 +0000

Can you please mow my car

Great all this engine innovation but I ran into some real green cars. Thought it was so funny that I share it.

Found it on another web blog and credit where credit is due: Source of the article is The Write Future including some great pictures.

http://thewritefuture.typepad.com/the-write-future/2011/03/could-you-mow-my-car-please.html

By: getagrip42

getagrip42 — Tue, 05 Apr 2011 01:43:00 +0000

@jburt56: Regarding the MPG comparison between the fortwo and the Jetta, the article is a bit misleading. The author never mentions that he’s comparing a diesel powered Jetta TDI against a gas powered fortwo. Diesel powered vehicles always get better mileage than their gas powered counterparts (more energy per gallon of diesel fuel) and diesel vehicles produce fewer carbon emissions (but more nitrogen oxides). Of course, you pay more for diesel and a little more for the premium fuel recommended for the smart. A European diesel powered smart would achieve significantly better mileage than the gas model. The size of a vehicle and its relationship to fuel mileage is also misleading. You have to ask yourself why motorcycles that are 1/5 the size/weight of a vehicle cannot achieve 4 to 5 times the mileage – even fuel efficient motorcycles only achieve mileage in the 40s and 50s. FULL DISCLOSURE: I am a 2008 smart owner and have averaged 43 MPG over the past 40K+ miles (see Fuelly.com user XCAPEPOD). My commute mileage (non interstate) is ~45 MPG, but my road trips (several 1,500 – 2,000 mile trips) bring it down a bit.

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Mon, 04 Apr 2011 21:36:00 +0000

Strange, isn’t it? You’d think the ForTwo could do better.

By: Thomas Rasilier

Thomas Rasilier — Mon, 04 Apr 2011 17:35:00 +0000

getagrip42 is right. To get a hint about how green a car or a product in generally is you have always to regard it from cradle to grave and maybe even further, e.g. how good can the product be recycled.
But the comparison of a smart and a jetta is a bit contradicting. Because the smart is rather used as a inner city car, the jetta is a car which can be used for every mobility need. However the samrt has a higher potential in cities due to the lower weight.

By: getagrip42

getagrip42 — Mon, 04 Apr 2011 16:51:00 +0000

Of course, “green” involves more than just on road performance (MPG, etc.): Was the vehicle manufactured in an environmentally responsible manner with a minimum of resources? What happens to the vehicle at the end of its useful life? Can it be recycled? Does it incur environmentally negative consequences (e.g., toxic battery pack disposal)? If it uses electricity from the grid, does that energy come from renewable sources? Is it environmentally efficient to repair and maintain (e.g., infrequent oil changes, less oil needed, body parts that don’t require solvent paints for repairs, parts that don’t rust, etc.). Although high MPGs are great, there can be a lot of more that goes into making a car “green.”