How the greenest cars compare to the most polluting cars
It’s long been said that what car a person chooses to drive says a lot about them, and this pearl of wisdom is absolutely true, now more than ever. A new study has revealed what the greenest cars and the most polluting cars are on British roads today. And anyone who owns one of the environment-choking vehicles should be ashamed of themselves.
The green credentials of the cars we drive have improved massively over the years – compare a family car from the 1970s to now – and continue to do so. However, for every Toyota Prius and Chevy Volt there is a Humvee and Lamborghini, which aren’t really focused on how green they are.
It’s fairly obvious to tell which cars are green, but not always. So the Environmental Transport Association recently conducted a study of more than 1,300 models of cars, all of which are currently on sale in Britain. Now there is no hiding for car manufacturers who continue to flout the convention that green is good.
The ETA study judged each car on standard European emissions (HC+NOx, NOx, and CO2), as well as the noise level, fuel costs, engine capacity, and driving fuel efficiency.
The Telegraph has published a list of the best and worst cars for pollution in several categories. The overall greenest car on the road today is the new Honda Insight which emits just 101 grams of carbon dioxide per kilometer (101g/k). On the other side of the tracks is the Dodge SRT-10 which emits 488g/k. Which experts suggest would equate to 322 mature oak trees needed to absorb the yearly emissions of just one car. Which is, quite frankly, shocking.
I find it sad that, with everything we know about the damage car emissions are doing to the environment, people are still buying over sized, uneconomical cars as status symbols. All the while this continues to happen, and I suspect the situation in the United States is worse than it is in the U.K, then we’ll continue to put luxury and comfort ahead of protecting the planet we live on.
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