Cleaning-Up Motoring

I am a big fan of motoring and I love cars, but I also care for the environment and believe we could all take steps to reduce our motoring carbon footprint.

This is why I am encouraged to see many manufacturers fit extensive 'green' technologies to their cars. The technological achievements are quite remarkable and mean that you can have any car from any segment and save potentially tons of greenhouse gases if you choose wisely. Of course, manufacturers aren't developing all this new technology out of the goodness of their hearts; a forthcoming EU directive stipulates that all car companies must have an average CO₂ output of 130 g/km or less by 2015 or they will be heavily fined for each car they sell.

The most widely used innovations include engine or cylinder cut-out systems which activate when the vehicle has stopped or is cruising effortlessly. Re-mapped engine management systems and taller gearing also feature. All manufacturers make aerodynamic changes too as they can sometimes shave up to 0.05 C_d off a car, allowing it to slip through the air with less resistance.

One of the most prolific manufacturers to implement green technology such as the above is BMW. They have fitted all of their four-cylinder cars with their EfficientDynamics package which has cut CO₂ and increased fuel economy by an astonishing amount. Not to be out done, Mercedes-Benz is not far behind with their BlueEFFICIENCY programme. For a full list of manufacturer's environmental packages look at the list in the right-hand column.

Unfortunately, many manufacturers have decided against implementing their 'green' technology across their ranges and are instead limiting it to special 'eco' models. (Yes, I'm referring to you, Volkswagen, Ford et al.) This is a shame, as inevitably these 'eco' models are more expensive than their less environmentally friendly counterparts, and are often cost-ineffective for consumers.

The best site, bar none, for analysing the true ecological impact of cars is www.whatgreencar.com. Their analyses don't just take into account CO₂ emissions, but also CO, NOx, HC, PM, SO₂, N₂O and CH₄.  They express a vehicle's life cycle environmental impact as a score out of 100 ranging from 0 for the greenest vehicles to 100 for the most polluting.

So when you're in the market for a new car, no matter what class of car you're after, it may be worth having a look at that site (relevant mainly for the E.U. market) and considering a make and model that not only fits the bill, but is one of the 'greenest' cars available.