Last year there was a television commercial showing a mother driving her teenage son to what appeared to be his first day at a new school. As they pulled up in front and saw a gathering of other students standing around the main entrance she asked him if he would rather be dropped off down the block. He said that right out front was fine...she wished him good luck... and confidently he strode past his new classmates. He was greeted by the approving looks of his new peer group, but the gazes were split between he and the muscular looking SUV that he had just climbed out of. Fast forward one year...would that scene still play out in the same way today, with our current level of eco-awareness?
In past months that same auto maker has closed several manufacturing plants, leaving stunned workers without a job. Yet I doubt that such an investment in building a vehicle that people said they would not buy would have ever been made in the first place. There were obviously numerous polls taken in which people endorsed converting a heavy duty military vehicle for use on the City streets. The moral of this example is that auto makers will build whatever we tell them to...they mainly just want to make and sell cars.
Had the consumer clamored for the electric car when it was first released, people today would not be out hunting for the scoundrels who "killed" it. Truth be known...the consumer allowed it to die by not showing strong enough support for the idea when it first came out. People's lives are too filled with their own responsibilities to worry about jump starting a fledgling industry...especially when they were paying more for the bottled water they sipped while pumping gas, than they were for the gas itself.
Thankfully not all auto makers were designing their products based on the polls that linked self-esteem with power under the hood. Not to say that there's not an attraction to the exhilarating feel of all those G-forces...but it's kind of like ice cream...eat it in moderation or pay the price in other ways.
For the past few months I have been doing some research into the current state of the green car industry. I don't claim to be on par with the auto experts, but I have done enough homework to offer our readers some hope that their cries for green options in auto choices have been heard. There are some cutting edge experimental cars currently being tested, but for all intents and purposes they are out of the reach of the average auto buyer at this time. Nonetheless they are on the drawing board and we may soon expect to see them become available...as long as we keep reminding auto makers that we are ready to buy their product once it is perfected.
Three auto makers who have heard this message many years ago and have responded with some of the greenest internal combustion cars on the planet are Toyota, Honda, and Acura. To gather information for this article I was fortunate to connect with Bill Piercey, founder of the
Piercey Automotive Group. Piercey currently has six automotive dealerships which handle only the above three brands. In talking with Bill, it was not always that way...his automobile odyssey began in Detroit in 1970, selling cars for Chevrolet.
His introduction to Roger Penske eventually lead to a business relationship that took Bill to California in 1979. Blending his own philosophy with what he learned from Penske, Bill made the right choices...leading him to his own dealerships selling the most in-demand vehicles in the country. Of particular note to the readers of Eco-Tips, is that these brands also happen to be recognized as the greenest cars currently available on the market today.
Toyota is a brand that is practically synonymous with the term "green auto", thanks in large part to it's bold experiment with the Prius. Released well before the skyrocketing gas prices of recent years, the "experts" predicted that the Prius would "bellyflop" with the consumer. Now it's gone on to become the "poster child" of cars for the green automobile consumer. It's also a car that Piercey regrets he can barely get in fast enough to keep up with the demand. Not far behind is the Camry and it's hybrid system that is so advanced it is being used by it's sister company Lexus, as well as by another auto maker, Nissan.
For my personal driving needs I have not found the hybrid system to be the most advantageous, because fortunately I live very close to my Pasadena office. I don't do much town driving, which is what would best utilize the merits of a hybrid system. Most of my driving takes place when I travel to my Northern California, Bay Area office. I typically elect to drive instead of flying for trips of less than 400 miles. Happily I was surprised to find that Honda makes a car to address those specific needs.
The new Honda Accord, besides being sleek and stylish while still offering ample room for my 6'-2" frame, also sports a 271 HP six cylinder engine that automatically switches to three cylinders while cruising at higher speeds. The net result is plenty of power when you need it, but the fuel economy of a three cylinder engine when you don't. I've been test driving one of these wonderful cars and cannot feel the shift from six to three cylinders...even though I've really been paying attention to see if I can notice the difference.
Of course Honda is the maker of the acclaimed FCX Clarity which has gotten an added bump in publicity when actress Jaimie Lee Curtis was chosen as one of six people in California be given the opportunity to lease one. The Clarity runs on hydrogen and is as stylish as any car of any kind on the market today. Another Honda that is actually available however, is the Civic...crowned by the Council for an Energy Efficient Economy (ACEEE) as the greenest car on earth. What I didn't know is that the Civic is currently available as either gas powered, hybrid, or as a Natural Gas Vehicle (NGV).
The Civic GX NGV can be fueled from your home by tapping into your home's own natural gas supply. There are also incentives offered amounting to thousands of dollars in tax credits for owning one of these vehicles. Civic GX owners may also qualify for admission into carpool lanes in many states...even with only one driver aboard. The car has a EPA estimated driving range of 220 miles on a tank of compressed natural gas. The gas is provided by a dispenser called Phill
www.myphill.com that can be mounted right in your garage.
Acura is considered the luxury version of the Honda Corporation, but that distinction has become somewhat blurred as the Honda itself has evolved to offer more creature comforts than it's predecessors. Acura nonetheless is a true luxury car with all the green technology that Honda is famous for. This mindset is clearly consistent throughout the corporate culture...the new Honda and Acura facilities in Torrence, CA are LEED certified Gold.
As I pen this article for Eco-Tips I am comforted to know that most of the major automobile companies are working overtime to improve the quality of their products by making them more green. With the Billions of dollars at stake and the consumers desires clearly stated, we now have some of the keenest minds in the world looking into ways to embrace the new science of sustainable car design. Suppliers of fuel are also shifting their focus to accommodate the breakthroughs in propulsion technology that are now on the horizon.
The coming years will undoubtedly bring advances that we can scarcely imagine today. Since we don't actually have the answers at this time, we should continue to point to the end results that we want to see happen through the ongoing collaboration between auto makers and fuel suppliers. Picture sustainable, renewable energy available locally...no more need for dependence on other countries and no more need to "protect' our access to oil. Imagine pristine skies with zero emissions cars, trucks, ships and eventually airplanes (Honda has just introduced a new low emissions jet plane).
We are a resilient and imaginative race. With the advances in recent years, especially in the area of computer sciences the above goals are eminently achievable. For those who are currently disadvantaged by the movement to a greener industry, the door closing behind you is part of a new door opening to a better future. The demand for scientists and skilled workers will be great in the new economy fueled by the partnership with common sense goals and the desire for an eco-friendly society. It's happening in all areas of commerce and the new paradigm is one that will help make this planet a more clement place in which to live, while also protecting it for future generations.
As evidence for this premise, the following links will take you to explore the new frontier as to what is currently available in green automotive...as well as a peek into the near future.
