Does driving a hybrid really reduce my?

Question

carbon footprint? Yes or no and why or why not. A factual answer would be nice. Thanks.

Answer 1

If you drive a lot of stop and go city driving, yes you will reduce your carbon footprint.

If you drive a lot of long distance highway, then you won't do anything for reducing your footprint.

Answer 2

You have to take into account extra energy that it might take to build a hybrid and the extra pollution that might be created with a hybrid, such as in battery construction and disposal.  It's not only the fuel economy.  Look at the total picture.  Right now hybrids are more of a marketing gimmick than a significant improvement.

Answer 3

Unfortunately, Hydrogen cells are not the answer right now since they require fossil fuels to develop the fuel for those vehicles. So yes, a hybrid will help you, it is estimated that if everyone in the US got the most fuel efficient car for their make and model, the US would save about 11.8 billion gallons of gasoline each year. And since 1 gallon of gas causes 17 pounds of CO2 plus other toxic gases and vapors... when you add that up you get hundreds of millions of tons of CO2 emissions.

So yes, hybrids do add up in saving the enviroment. Besides, we do not want a -too- rich O2 atmosphere, since that was the cause of the largest extinction in history (300m years ago) caused by large explosions from lighting strikes.

Answer 4

Hi,

the standard answer is...it depends

There are three main classes of hybrids, so it really works best, no matter what, if you are considering a full hybrid.

A full hybrid is able to move using electricity only from stored battery power running an electric motor. The internal combustion engine (ICE) does not have to run for it to move.

A partial hybrid can have some small storage capacity, but it must have the ICE running to move.

A mild hybrid does not have any electric storage capacity for movement, and the ICE is turned off when not running by an electric generator (and then on again when the accelerator pedal is pressed by the same generator).

Three main things to consider, in this order:

1. what does a person need for their daily commute?

2. how strong of an environmental stance are they personally willing to fund?

3. how technologically advanced do they want their vehicle to be?

If you do not have to drive, then any transport with an internal combustion engine (ICE) increases your carbon footprint, for obvious reasons (in other words, get a bike or walk if you can).

If you have to drive, using a vehicle that only meets, and does not exceed, your needs is the best way to go.

One of the best examples here is a single commuter in a full size SUV idling in stop and go traffic. Obviously this is a massive waste, in many ways.

If this person has no continuous need to tow over 5000 lbs, haul around six or more people on a daily basis, normally travel through roughened off-road terrain, etc., than this person is catering to their wants, and not their needs.

At that point, what would a person need for their daily commute?

I have consulted with people who can afford any vehicle, within reason, that they'd like. And I have told people that a hybrid is not right for them (but that is an admitted exception, not the rule).

Retired couples who drive 10-20 miles a day will never get the mileage, or most of the environmental benefits, of a hybrid.

For them, it becomes a matter of what makes them feel good. Nothing wrong with that.

However, for the majority of drivers, it becomes a matter of how much do you drive, in what conditions, and what do you need and want your vehicle to have?

Basically, if you commute a minimum of 20-30 minutes each way daily, then a hybrid makes sense for mileage and emissions.

If you want an advanced vehicle with less parts and less moving parts and with more reliable parts than an ICE-only vehicle, then a hybrid makes sense for environmental concerns.

There are many posts I have up about no starter, no alternator, no power steering pumps or steering belts linked to the ICE, brake pads that should never need to be replaced, and nickel metal hydride (NiMH) battery stacks that no one has ever had to pay to replace because of defects or failure (some have been replaced due to accidents or owner abuse or damage, though).

Also, the idea that NiMH battery stacks are environmental hazards is complete myth as well. I have extensive posts here in Answers for that as well.

Please look both up if you want the full details.

Good luck in your choice of vehicle.

Answer 5

Probably.  Carbon emissions are basically proportional to fuel efficiency, so if you're using less gasoline driving your hybrid than you were driving your previous car, your carbon footprint has been reduced.

Answer 6

ducati

yes

let me start off by saying Hydrogen is a great option for the concept of free energy.     I built my first hydrogen cell about 5 years ago. Have converted over 50 vehicles in the last 10 years (gydrogen and EV) and now currently run 2 trucks (and another EV), my home hot water heater, home stove and home generator on hydrogen for free with caught rain water and the help of a $10 solar panel.  I offer a step by step DIY guide to walk anyone interested threw the process. You can find it at www agua-luna com or you can email me.

i took a look at your site, the information looks like it would work, but without seeing the actual plans i couldn't say for sure. so it looks good, but VERY VERY expensive. i offer the same stuff in my site www agua-luna com for $5

There are basically 3 safe ways to make and use it... chemically, electrically and molecularly, the first 2 being easier so I'll only discuss them here. The fallowing steps were taking directly out of a DIY guide I offer to those who would like to run their vehicles or home on hydrogen safely. The entire guide is available at www agua-luna com

    On demand h2 generators are a bit different from the Hollywood versions like seen Chain Reaction with Keanu Reeves, that tend to explode violently every time a film is being made. However when used in an on-demand system there is no storage of hydrogen and oxygen in its gas form, only liquid (water) and is only transformed into gas “on-demand” in small cylinder size amounts. It’s actually safer then gasoline as it doesn’t evaporate, creating explosive fumes in the tank like gas. the following were actually taken out of my $5 guide available at www agua-luna com

    Chemically

    1. You’ll need a 6inch x 1ft schedule 40 pvc pipe. With pvc cement glue a cap on the bottom and use a s***w on cap for the top. Drill a small hole (1/4inch or so) in the side close to the top, s******g in a small copper shut off valve. Place a few feet of stranded (food grade is good) flex hose to the valve and into the air intake of your engine (carburetor or fuel injections).

    2. Now crunch up a couple aluminum cans (beer cans, soda cans etc) and drop them into the pvc pipe, along with a couple cups of lye (Red Devil drain opener has lye in it, some Clorox and Drano’s do to).

    3. Then simply add water, s***w on the top and wait a few minutes.

    What happens in simplicity is that aluminum and lye don’t really get along so they battle, and as always the innocent civilians (water H2O) that the most casualties, by giving up its hydrogen and oxygen. This then builds up in the void of the pipe and is ready to be vented into your engine, by opening the valve. You may need to start your engine on gas then switch it off after the hydrogen starts burning.

    Electrical is a bit easier then Chemically.

    1. Simply take a small solar panel 1.5 amps is what I use ($9 at harborfreight.com), connect the 2 wires from the panel +- to 2 conductors (carbon cores of batteries work well, just be careful removing it from the jacket), but any conductive material will work ie. Copper, aluminum, steel, etc.

    2. Drop the wires into a water tank (I use 55gal drums), make sure they don’t touch each other.

    3. Drill a small hole (1/4inch or so) in the side close to the top, s******g in a small copper shut off valve. Place a few feet of stranded (food grade is good) flex hose to the valve and into the air intake of your engine (carburetor or fuel injections).

    4. Then simply add water, s***w on the top cap and wait.

    After a few hours tiny bubbles will form and rise off one conductor (that’s hydrogen) and even smaller bubbles that just looks like foam will rise off the other (oxygen). I don’t remember which likes the positive and which likes the neg hydrogen or the oxygen.

    The third method is more complicated and is what I use for my vehicles. It’s just a modified Joe’s Cell, there’s a step by step DIY guide available to walk you threw the process here www agua-luna com

It also covers the other 2 methods described in more detail.

www agua-luna com

Hope this helped, feel free to contact me personally if you have any questions if you’d like assistance in making your first self sufficient steps, I’m willing to walk you step by step threw the process. I’ve written several how-to DIY guides available at  www agua-luna com on the subject. I also offer online and on-site workshops, seminars and internships to help others help the environment.

Dan Martin

Alterative Energy / Sustainable Consultant, Living 100% on Alternative & Author of How One Simple Yet Incredibly Powerful Resource Is Transforming The Lives of Regular People From All Over The World... Instantly Elevating Their Income & Lowering Their Debt, While Saving The Environment by Using FREE ENERGY... All With Just One Click of A Mouse...For more info Visit:  

www AGUA-LUNA com

Stop Global Warming, Receive a FREE Solar Panels Now!!!

Answer 7

There has never been a footprint that had any value. The cycle is like this ,U breath out CO2 which the plants need for photosynthesis . The plant gives us back the O2 and keeps the C . This C represents the foot print but the plants recycle the C to produce more oil like Olive oil and all the other oils . Our fossil fuels are recycled by the plants.

Answer 8

help is not what we must have! we need a grassroots movement for electric cars, renewable energy and getting off imported oil.