In this day and age, consumer demand is constantly pushing for an increased creation of green cars. Some car manufacturers are even dedicating entire plants to green car manufacturing. Volkswagen’s plant in Chattanooga, Tennessee is at the head of this trend with their highly sustainable and efficient facility. One of the things that makes these plants green is the use of solar technology, natural light, and environmentally-friendly paints and chemicals.
Energy Consumption
It’s not uncommon for fuel-efficient cars to get 30 to 40 miles per gallon. However, cars of the future that utilize electricity and solar power may far exceed these numbers. If you’re curious about how much fuel you’re currently wasting, consider using a fuel calculator to get an estimate. Additionally, cars are being made with extra gears in order to further increase fuel economy. If you’ve ever ridden a bicycle with several gears, you know how much easier it is to get up a long incline by switching gears. The more gears you have, the easier it is to get around and the less fuel is required.
Environmental Impact
People aren’t going to stop driving any time soon, so it’s important to find ways to reduce the amount of pollution cars produce. By reducing pollutants, you can have more people driving and still decrease greenhouse gas emissions by as much as 50 percent. This real-world savings results in a healthier environment and more efficient vehicles. When you consider that cars, trucks, buses, airplanes, trains and other motorized vehicles account for nearly one-third of all greenhouse gases, it becomes crystal clear that creating more efficient vehicles is essential to reducing pollution.
Different Types of Vehicles
Electric cars use batteries to avoid the use of gasoline. These cars require recharge points and planning, but as they’re becoming more popular more stations are beginning to crop up along the highways. The typical charge will only get you about 100 miles, but this is expected to increase as the technology improves. A subtype of electric car that provides a combination of gas and electric is a hybrid-electric car. These cars use both gasoline and electric motors to help improve the efficiency of the vehicle and travel further.
Alternative fuel vehicles can use fuels other than gasoline. These cars have been around since the early 80s and can use fuel made from ethanol and gasoline. They tend to get the same mileage as gas-powered cars, but with the added benefit of using 85 percent less gasoline. In the future, it may be possible to create organically-based cars that can use bacteria, solar-panels and other forms of renewable energy sources to power a vehicle.
Looking Toward the Future
Modern technology is making huge strides in the way we live and coexist with the world around us. Biochemists are now creating concrete that uses bacteria to heal itself when it cracks. Solar panels are being constructed using new technology that doubles their effectiveness. All of these innovations are dependent upon the choices we make today. Consumers who make the choice to buy green will effectively put in their vote for car manufacturers to continually invest in new ways of making our future more energy efficient. While it’s fairly uncertain which new technology will power our cars 20 years from now, one thing’s for sure – the future is going to be very green.