Which car is best for the enviornment? And in general?

Question

Hyrid, Diesel, Stop-Start, E85 ethanol, Hydrogen, Plug-in Hyrid, or Electric?

Answer 1

There is a new car waiting to be announced, it is looking to first air and sell in CA. It is called the Aptera. It is known to travel from west to eat coast on one tank of gas. The coolest thing tho is it will be electric, and you can easily plug in at home. It is a 3 wheeled car, and the dynamics of the car will be safe. The design of the car is to help it from flipping as well as protecting you head on from an accident.

http://www.aptera.com/

Answer 2

Diesel is probably the most efficient and therefore the best for the environment.

Hybrid uses gasoline so its second place.

I'm not familiar with Stop Start but if it is what I think then you should know that most of the wear and tear on an engine occurs on starting. Worn out engines are pollution too.



E85- too much environmental cost to make ethanol. E85 burns as dirty per mile as gasoline.

Hydrogen is only as clean as the coal fired plant used to make the electricity. Ditto for electric and plug in hybrid

Answer 3

You'd have to look at the lifecycle analysis of a car to determine the effects it has just to produce the vehicle.  I would not agree that diesel is the best.  When hydrogen can be produced from clean renewable sources, that may be the way to go.  Or, when  batteries become toxic free and can be resued indefinitely, then that may be the answer.  But burning fossil fuels is not the answer.  Furthermore, the burning of ethanol still releases NOx and SOx which are an inhillation hazard.

Answer 4

well, it is difficult to make a blank statement on which form is better for environment.

There are several factors that determines the impact to the environment.  Most cars are nothing more than a device that allow us to use energy to create motions.  So the factors to consider are:

1.  Is the manufacturing process clean and efficient?

2.  Is the operating process clean and efficient?

3.  Is the maintenance process clean and efficient?

4.  Is the recycling process clean and efficient?

5.  Is the main energy source clean and efficient?

6.  Is the life cycle of the car clean and efficient?

Once you analyze the 6 factors of each type of car and you will see that they all have their shortcomings.  But relatively speaking, if you can find a clean source for either Hydrogen or Electricity, then the Hydrogen/Plug-in-Hybrid combo would be the cleanest of the all.  Pure Electric is close if the battery technologies can be clean and recycled.  Also if the electricity can be generated from a clean source such as Wind and Solar Themal.

Hybrid is okay, but the production and maintaince of the hybrid is still dirty but it is better than conventional Internal Combustion engine.

Diesel is more efficient than gasoline and cheaper than Hybrid to operate.  But the refining process of Diesel, transportation of the diesel and burning process are still dirty.  The emission of the diesel is far higher than gasoline even if it is bio-diesel.

Stop-Start is only a mild form of fuel saving.  It helps, but doesn't increase hwy mileage.

E85 ethannol is a gimmick to help the farmers in the midwest for political reason.  It is NOT cleaner nor more effiicent overal.

Hydrogen is clean IFF it is produced from a clean source.  Hydrogen fuel cell is even better, but costly.

Plug-in hybrid is clean IFF it is produced through a clean process and electricity are generated thru a clean source and battery are recycled.  Same applies to electric as well.

Answer 5

Hydrogen - if we ever get it going it will put the oilproducer on the unemployment line

Answer 6

They all have one thing in common.

They pollute.

When will someone create a new invention?

Do I have to do everything?

Answer 7

Generally speaking, the more electric a car gets, the more environmentally friendly it is because electric motors are more efficient than internal combustion engines.  Thus the best for the environment is electric.  Plug-in hybrid is close behind, regular hybrid next.

Hydrogen and ethanol are currently not environmentally friendly.  Hydrogen currently comes from fossil fuels (mainly natural gas), so it has high greenhouse gas emissions.  Ethanol from corn requires land that could otherwise have CO2-absorbing plants on it to be used to grow corn, so it does more harm than good.  Both processes could potentially be environmentally friendly, but aren't yet.

Answer 8

The "Flintstone" version seemed rather harmless to the environment.  Those powered by solar power certainly do no harm.  Technically solar panels on the roof of an individual's home could store energy in batteries used by electric cars.

Eventually it might be nice to see something on the line of a vehicle that traveled by use of a combination of solar energy, electricity and magnetism.  

The following quote from this site inspires the imagination "NORFOLK, Va. _ Key legislators were wowed by the magnetic levitation trains stem under construction at Old Dominion University.

Senate leaders stood in the scorching heat under a newly built elevated train guideway that runs 13 feet above a sidewalk bisecting the campus. Maglev, they said last week, could be the answer to many of the state's transportation woes. "  http://www.accessmylibrary.com/coms2/sum...

I didn't see maglev on your list, it seems an interesting addition to add to your thoughts.

Answer 9

My diesel burning waste vegetable oils.