Daily commutes, errands, weekend trips—everyone has somewhere to go. Different methods of travel have varying degrees of impact on the environment. This chapter delves into the different energy-efficient and eco-friendly transportation alternatives that are becoming increasingly available and more popular. Tips are offered on alternative ways to get around and to green the rides you already own.
If you’re considering getting a new car, think about what the Buddha would buy! Here are some alternatives to the common gas guzzler.
A hybrid by definition is a combination of two separate things—in the case of automobiles, an engine and a motor. A hybrid car uses both an electric motor and a gasoline engine. Both the engine and motor have favorable and less savory qualities, but when working together they bring out the best in each other. Electric cars are becoming more common and produce fewer to no emissions—a great benefit. Gasoline-powered cars have the pickup most drivers are accustomed to and they can be conveniently fueled, but gasoline isn’t the cleanest fuel. Producing it isn’t good for the environment and neither is burning it.
Gasoline combustion engines produce a host of contaminants such as volatile organic compounds, nitrogen oxides, carbon monoxide, and carbon dioxide. The United States consumes approximately 25 percent of all the oil used in any given day—20.8 million gallons. The US Energy Information Administration (EIA) estimates that in 2015 American drivers burned about 140.4 billion gallons of gasoline. The EIA forecasts increases of about 1 percent a year for the foreseeable future.
In hybrid vehicles, the electric and gasoline systems work together, using each other’s best aspects. The gas engine can charge the batteries. Hybrids capture the energy produced during braking, so they don’t have to be plugged in to recharge their batteries. Because gasoline motors are so inefficient at low speeds, the electric motors kick in during stop-and-go traffic, significantly reducing the amount of fuel burned and emissions produced. For skeptics who are concerned that hybrid-car batteries are too expensive to replace and dispose of, rest assured. Ford, Honda, and Toyota claim that the batteries in their hybrids will last the life of the vehicle. When it comes to disposal, the batteries can be recycled just like any other car battery.
The EPA is arming consumers with more accurate information when it comes to fuel efficiency. It seems consumers weren’t getting accurate mileage information, in part because driving patterns have changed since the testing protocols were developed in the early 1970s, so the EPA is devising better ways to determine accurate fuel efficiency that mimic realistic driving conditions. The new values have been required since the 2008 models.
Hybrids, when compared to their gasoline-powered counterparts, get about 20 to 35 percent better gas mileage, but the improved fuel efficiency may not make up for the increased sticker price. For example, look at a side-by-side comparison of the 2020 models of Honda’s Civic Hybrid sedan and its traditional Civic sedan. According to Honda, its Civic Hybrid gets 48 miles to the gallon in city driving and 51 miles to the gallon on the highway, averaging out to 47 miles to the gallon. The base price is $29,600. The 2020 Civic Hybrid may be eligible for a federal tax credit of as much as $2,100, and individual states may offer additional tax incentives. The hybrid’s sibling, the gas-powered Civic sedan, gets an average of 31 miles to the gallon and has a base price of $24,000. Taking the maximum federal tax credit for the hybrid into account, the difference in price between the two cars is $5,490. The hybrid will need to refuel less often, which will save its owner money, but the amount of time it will take to close the $5,490 price gap depends on the cost of gas and how often the tank needs to be refilled. A rough estimate: If the price of gas averages $2.50 per gallon (adjusted for inflation), and the cars are each driven 15,000 miles per year, the hybrid will take a little more than thirteen years to earn its higher price tag back. The website www.fueleconomy.gov, run by the US Department of Energy and the EPA, allows browsers to do their own comparisons and view emissions statistics. The price of a hybrid might be higher, but it also includes the cost of developing new technology.
The fuel efficiency and price of the car aren’t the only things to consider when buying a greener car. Hybrids produce much fewer emissions than cars that run strictly on gasoline. According to the fuel economy website, the Honda Civic will produce about 5.5 tons per year of greenhouse gases, or carbon dioxide equivalents, while the Honda Civic Hybrid will produce 3.7 tons per year.
A side-by-side comparison can’t be made on the first mass-produced and dominant hybrid on the market, the Toyota Prius, because there is no gas-powered version. By 2016 Prius had sold almost two million vehicles, roughly 48 percent of hybrid sales in the US. However, by 2019 sales have been falling in the face of brisk competition.
Flexible-fuel vehicles, or FFVs, are made to run on a mixture of gasoline and an alternate fuel such as ethanol or methanol. Standard gasoline engines can’t operate using flex fuels, but FFVs can burn both—and that’s what makes them so flexible. There are a variety of FFVs on the market, including sedans, trucks, and sport utility vehicles.
Ethanol—otherwise known as ethyl alcohol, grain alcohol, or moonshine—leads the way in replacing a portion of the gasoline. It’s made by distilling a fermented brew of corn, yeast, sugar, and water. Other plants, such as switchgrass, are being considered as corn substitutes. It takes one bushel of corn to produce 2½ gallons of ethanol. There is concern that the environmental impact from growing plants to produce ethanol (i.e., from the use of fertilizers and pesticides, and the transportation of plants to processing facilities) outweighs the benefits of burning cleaner fuels. The most common mixtures using ethanol are E10 and E85, where the number accounts for the percentage of ethanol in the mixture compared to gasoline. Gasoline is still needed because ethanol isn’t volatile enough to ignite. E10, comprised of 10 percent ethanol, is used more for an octane enhancer, while E85 is considered a full-fledged alternative fuel. Ethanol burns cleaner, significantly reducing emissions.
Stations selling E85 are in short supply. Make sure when purchasing an FFV that you consider where you will be traveling and how that compares to where E85 stations are located. Also consider how your car will run on gasoline if you are ever in a situation where there is no alternative. Alternative fueling locations can be found at www.afdc.energy.gov.
There are a variety of ethanol-fueled cars available; Ford and General Motors are the major manufacturers. Ford offers the Crown Victoria, Mercury Grand Marquis, Lincoln Town Car, and F-150 pickup truck in E85 options. GM offers Suburbans and Yukons, along with a Chevy Police Tahoe. Because fueling stations are limited, FFVs can be better suited for public and private fleets where E85 can be supplied at a set location.
A less-popular fuel alternative is methanol or wood alcohol, which is made primarily from natural gas or methane. M85, the most common methanol additive, must be stored either as a compressed gas or a liquid. Significant amounts of electricity are needed to compress and liquefy the gas. Methanol had its day back in the late 1980s and 1990s when California led the charge in using this alternative fuel, although it was never really embraced by the rest of the United States.
Where FFVs rely on ethanol and methanol as a fuel component, alternative fuel vehicles (AFVs) rely on a combination of gasoline and either compressed natural gas (CNG) or liquefied petroleum gas (LPG). As with other alternatives, fueling station locations are spotty across the United States. Most AFVs on the road were converted from standard gasoline-powered engines. Tax incentives encourage companies to convert their fleets and private individuals to convert their personal cars. Some states even allow drivers of certified AFVs to use high-occupancy lanes.
Scooter sales are skyrocketing as people look for a break from high gas prices. Scooter prices range anywhere from $1,000 to $10,000; fuel ratings for gas-powered scooters run 50 miles to the gallon or better. There’s a true distinction in size and power; smaller scooters are slower and not as powerful. New larger scooters compare to motorcycles in price and power while still offering a low mileage alternative. Unlike motorcycles, scooters allow drivers to sit upright without throwing a leg over and straddling the seat.
Electric scooters range from the foldup push scooter to a full sit-down model. Unlike gas-powered scooters, electrics are allowed on mass transit, making a commute to the bus stop a little quicker. At a sticker price of $500 or less, they’re much cheaper. Electric scooters require four to eight hours of charging and will take drivers about 5 miles. They travel at approximately 10 miles per hour and can be weak on hills. Depending on what riders need, scooters can be an excellent way to get across campus or to the train depot. When it comes to the environment, no exhaust means no air pollution. With proper maintenance and operation, battery life spans increase. Smaller scooters fall under moped regulations, while the bigger scooters are legally considered motorcycles and require a special license endorsement. Drivers should always take care because although driving a scooter is fun, crashing is not. Proper shoes and a helmet should always be worn.
Hybrid scooters are new on the scene and operate using electric batteries and gasoline. Use of a battery reduces gas consumption, and the battery can charge while it’s under gas power. The combination allows drivers to switch to electric and access buildings or covered areas where gasoline-powered scooters aren’t allowed. Because they have gas tanks and are larger than electric scooters, transporting them on mass transit isn’t an option.
When fueling your car or deciding how to get to work in the morning, consider what the Buddha would do to travel without harming the environment.
Diesel fuel is produced as part of the process of refining regular gasoline. Diesel fuel gets better gas mileage than standard gasoline and produces less carbon dioxide. Unfortunately, diesel releases a lot of particulate matter that gets stuck in people’s noses and lungs, even impacting the body’s ability to transfer oxygen to the blood. The EPA estimates that ninety million people currently live in areas with elevated levels of diesel fuel particulate matter. While petroleum diesel is a fuel-efficient alternative to standard gasoline, it’s still not very Earth friendly.
That’s where biodiesel comes in. Made from renewable resources like vegetable oil, animal fats, even used cooking oil, biodiesel uses alcohol to separate nonfuel components from fat. Production ranges from full-scale facilities to home kits that can be built and operated in the backyard. By-products of the process include glycerol—the same ingredient that’s used in making soap, toothpaste, food, and cosmetics—and seed meal that can be used in livestock feed. The exhaust from biodiesel smells good. If the fuel is made from corn or feedstock, the exhaust can smell like popcorn or doughnuts.
Biodiesel can be mixed from ratios of B5 to B100. The numbers stand for how much of the mixture is biodiesel. For example, the B5 mixture is 5 percent biodiesel and 95 percent petroleum-based diesel. Significant benefits can be seen when using as low a mixture as B20. Substituting biodiesel doesn’t reduce engine power, but it does burn cleaner, reducing both carbon monoxide and carbon dioxide emissions. Biodiesel does produce more nitrous oxide than traditional fuels, but the emissions can be controlled or offset using catalytic converters.
While cars may be the most popular mode of transportation, there are other alternatives. With environmental and health concerns as primary factors, more and more people are biking and walking to get around. Drivers take 1.1 billion trips every day. Based on information collected by the Bureau of Transportation Statistics, the majority of those trips, about 87 percent, are taken in personal vehicles. If each driver cut out one trip a day—or even a few a week—it would save up to 25 percent of the fossil fuels used for personal transportation.
Older generations lament their daily treks to school, walking uphill both ways in the snow. Today, fewer children walk to and from school, and when they do it’s rarely uphill both ways. Walking usually takes more time than driving. As trip distances increased and busy schedules became the norm, most people turned to personal automobiles. Still, if you are looking to do the planet (and your body) a favor, you can walk to the grocery store for milk or to a friend’s house for a visit.
When opting to walk instead of drive, there are a few things you can do to make it more comfortable. Quick-drying clothing means no more sweaty shirts, and carrying a water bottle will keep you hydrated. Lightweight daypacks are great for toting items that will be taken along or picked up on errands. Consider safety when you choose to walk. Choose a route that’s well lit and pedestrian-friendly, and take a cell phone. Even though you aren’t driving, it’s a good idea to take a driver’s license or other form of identification.
Biking is good exercise—one trip on the bike saves one trip in a car. Many cities are not set up for safe biking, but improvements are being made. The city of Davis, California, boasts more bicycles than cars with wide streets and a network of bike paths. Davis’s mild climate and gentle terrain encourages bike travel, which the city estimates makes up 20 to 25 percent of all trips. In 2010 Davis became home to the US Bicycling Hall of Fame.
Bikers need to know the laws in their area and be careful when sharing the road with cars. In many states, bicyclists can a receive a ticket and points on their driver’s license when breaking the law, such as failing to yield at a stop sign or peddling the wrong way down a one-way street. Another safety note: Bicycling under the influence is never a good idea.
Not everybody has to have a car. There are a lot of opportunities to share rides with one other person or with a whole bunch. If you live in an area where riding mass transit isn’t feasible but still want to take a car or two off the road, consider carpooling. A number of websites and apps match destinations and people looking to save money and vehicle use. Check out sites like www.icarpool.com and www.rideshareonline.com, and apps like eRideShare.
Not only does ridesharing offer companionship and a break from always having to be behind the wheel; many states also have carpool lanes. These high-occupancy vehicle lanes allow cars to sidestep traffic for a less congested ride.
Depending on how long the commute is, riders may be spending a lot of time together, so it’s best to set a few rules at the get-go:
Some websites allow rideshares to select criteria, filtering out certain elements. If everyone in the carpool drives equal miles, then the costs will be even, but if one person is the sole driver, the costs will need to be split. The American Automobile Association (AAA) calculated in 2013 that every mile a person drives costs $0.60.8. This accounts for gas, insurance, and maintenance. So when one person drives more or is the only driver, it’s fair to ask others sharing the ride to pony up.
Car sharing has increased as well, and there are a variety of programs available. Businesses like Zipcar (www.zipcar.com) operate in numerous cities across the United States, including New York, Chicago, and Los Angeles. Cooperatives like Getaround (www.getaround.com) in San Francisco operate as nonprofits. With car-sharing programs, members pay a monthly fee or hourly rates and have access to a variety of cars and trucks. You choose whatever vehicle suits your fancy, a truck for that trip to the lumberyard or a sedan for a night out with friends. Most programs offer a fleet of hybrid and low-emission vehicles too.
Estimates for the number of personal vehicles taken off the road for each shared vehicle ranges from four to ten depending on how many people share the car. Car sharing encourages people to drive more efficiently because they’re either limited to hours offered by their plan or paying for each hour. Costs of the program include gas and insurance (and sometimes perks like satellite radio), and members don’t have to bother with parking their own car or taking it in for repair work.
Mass transit helps reduce the number of cars on the road. Numbers vary, but the Maryland Department of Transportation estimates that a full bus eliminates sixty cars on the road and that translates to reduced emissions to the air and runoff to streams and creeks. You can find out more about the bus service in your area by contacting the local transit authority or by looking online for schedules and routes.
Taking the bus allows riders time to read, listen to music, or even catch up on sleep on the way to work or school. Bus rides can also be substitutes for long car trips. Greyhound and Trailways buses travel across the country, allowing riders to check out vistas along the way. Before making a trip, ask about meal stops and consider bringing along a pillow and snacks to make the trip more enjoyable.
According to the American Public Transportation Association, public transportation replaces personal cars and trips and reduces emissions. For every mile a passenger rides on public transportation rather than driving a car, 95 percent less carbon monoxide, 90 percent fewer volatile organic compounds, and 50 percent less carbon dioxide and nitrogen oxides are produced.
For those times when you do drive, you can take steps to increase your car’s gas mileage and even reduce emissions. Remember—the more gas a car uses, the more harmful its emissions are.
The Environmental Protection Agency calculated that the average mileage only increased .2 miles per gallon (mpg) in 2017, to 24.9 mpg. The improvement could have been greater, but the huge popularity of SUVs, relatively inexpensive gas, and more people idling in traffic brought down the mileage calculations (but did not decrease emissions).
Until zero-impact cars or fuels are invented, here’s a list of things you can do to improve fuel efficiency:
Properly maintained engines operate more efficiently and get better gas mileage. Air filters remove impurities from the air before they can reach the car’s engine. Clogged filters can allow some impurities to get through and reduce gas mileage. Finally, properly inflated tires are not only safer to drive on—they improve mileage too.