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Green Driving is Hot!
By Vivien Luk
Green is hot, green is hip, green is the new icon, or the new black, according to Fast Company, a leading business magazine. Car designers are now going the green route to target the younger demographic and it is working. From 2005 to 2006, the sale of gas-electric hybrid vehicles increased by 28% in the U.S.1
So exactly how hot are hybrids? Are they hot because they are making an honest attempt at saving the environment or is it just another brilliant marketing strategy? Are they hot because celebrities such as Leonardo DiCaprio are driving them? (He owns a Toyota Prius hybrid.) Let's find out!
First of all, what are hybrids?
Hybrid vehicles are powered by gas and electricity. They are low on emissions and are great on gas mileage – some can get more than 30 miles per gallon than their regular models.
Now, what makes them so hot?
A considerable amount of attention has been placed on hybrids in recent years and it is not surprising given the large spotlight also placed on global warming and environmental protection. Students, scientists, celebrities, teachers, and even politicians are working together to be more environmentally friendly; so why not start with something the general population spends most of their dollars on: transportation. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, "American households spend more on transportation than on food and health care combined."2 Imagine that! Therefore, it would not be a bad idea to try to cut down transportation costs, which leads to one of the reasons why hybrids are hot.
Hybrids are hot because they are environmentally friendly and cost-saving. Hybrids are environmentally friendly through the reduction of CO2 emissions. Believe it or not, the United States emits the highest amount of CO2 in the world. CO2 is a greenhouse gas that contributes to the "greenhouse effect," which increases the earth's temperature at an unnatural pace. The replacement of regular vehicles with hybrids means that there will be less car pollution, which will lead to a healthier environment. Additionally, since they are partly powered by a battery pack, they also take less fuel to run, allowing a higher number of miles per gallon. Although they are more expensive at face value, they will incur a higher savings in the long run.
Being green can be as simple as driving green. Cities around the nation are looking to make a run for the title of the top green city in the nation. Read the section below for some green driving news.
In other Green Driving News
Watch out for…
Green taxi cabs are scheduled to hit the roads in New York City! On May 22, 2007, Mayor Bloomberg of New York City has announced on NBC's "Today" show that all cabs in the city will be fuel-efficient hybrid by 2012. Of the 13,000 taxis serving NYC, only 375 are currently hybrids. The goal is to bring this number up to 1,000 by 2008, with a 20 percent increase each year until 2012.3
Smart automakers are going green or looking to go green to appeal to the growing population of educated consumers:
- For example, Nissan has plans to go green with their "Nissan Green Program 2010", an environmental plan that focuses on reducing CO2 emissions, which has harmful effects to the environment.4
- Chevrolet, Ford, GMC, Honda, Lexus, Nissan, Saturn, and Toyota have all launched their own versions of hybrid vehicles. Dodge, Mazda, and Porsche are all looking to join the green movement by 2008.
1 "U.S. roadways going greener"
2 "Four reasons to promote efficient cars and reduce our dependence on oil."
3 "NYC cabs to go hybrid within 5 years."
4 "Nissan announces "Nissan Green Program 2010" midterm environmental action plan focusing on CO2 reduction."
5 "NYC cabs to go hybrid within 5 years."
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