Leave Pollution Behind With Green Cars
Story by Mallika Naguran
Beat the traffic and live healthier with pedal powerPetrol prices have soared to giddying heights. The cost of crude oil cracked US$100 a barrel and experts predict that the price can go nowhere but higher as global demand exceeds supply. Funny, this is what triggered non-stop calls from frustrated drivers ringing the Singapore Environment Council demanding more information on alternative powered motor vehicles.
Drivers reacted when their pockets were hit. From an environmental standpoint, that’s good news. Perhaps people will drive less, or give up their cars. Apart from a knee jerk response to market dynamics, people should realise the consequence of driving to the environment, their health and their children’s quality of living.
Greenest car Honda Civic GX runs on compressed natural gas which is unfortunately not widely availableOutside Pollution
Cars are a health risk but not many are aware just how bad they are. Consider pollution alone: the exhaust fumes from motor vehicles contribute to the third largest source of carbon dioxide emissions in the UK. In Europe, three times as many people die from breathing in traffic fumes as in road accidents. Healthy kids are three to four times more likely to develop asthma. In Sweden, a study by the Environmental Medicine in Stockholm found people exposed to heavy traffic pollution over 30 years had a 40% chance of developing lung cancer.
Even with leaded petrol being banned in most countries, the smoke emitted contains a lethal cocktail of carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, cadmium, nitrogen oxides, benzene, sulphur dioxide and particulates – minute particles of matter – that ruin health. Nitrogen oxides are respiratory tract irritants, causing emphysema, a chronic obstructive lung disease. Benzene, accounting for 5% of a car’s output, is a known cause of leukaemia. Estimates have suggested that particulates are responsible for up to 10,000 premature deaths per year in the UK.
Hybrid 2007 Toyota Prius earns second spot in green ratingsIt is no wonder that in the UK, a fifth of lung cancer deaths in the cities are caused by polluting particles, mainly from vehicle exhausts.
If pollution doesn’t kill, car crashes may. Every day in the US, an average of 120 people are killed in car accidents. Car crashes are also the top killers of children in the US and in other countries.
Inside Pollution
Manufacturing cars require a whole of materials such as iron, steel, aluminium, zinc, lead, copper, platinum and plastics. Processing these materials is energy intensive, leading to harmful wastes and emissions. Environmentalists say an average 27 tons of waste are produced from the extraction of raw materials to make one new car.
It may surprise but car interiors produce toxins at high levels too. Interior plastics leech an ammonia gas that has been linked with foetal abnormalities, so pregnant women in the US are advised to drive with their car windows open.
The leather and treated textiles used in cars can emit up to 60,000 different allergens, something car makers forget to tell us about. Now, that’s a whole lot of health risks to go on a long drive with.
How to become a Green Driver:
• Switch to ultra-low sulphur petrol which produces 45% less nitrogen oxide and has lower benzene content.
• Fit a fuel saver in your fuel line to cut emissions by 40%, with fuel cost savings of 10%.
• Walk, cycle, rollerblade or take public transportation to work or shop. Studies show that a 10% increase in people walking regularly leads to 4% reduction in the number of people suffering from heart diseases. Plus if you cycle regularly, your body takes on a physique of those ten years younger. I think that’s enough incentive to convert to pedal power, don’t you?
• Convert to hybrid or electric cars. Hybrid cars (run on petrol and electricity) produce 75% less pollution than standard ultra-low emission vehicles. The Environmental Transport Association www.eta.co.uk has a guide of various models. Get nearly zero emissions from driving electric cars. You can even convert your existing petrol powered vehicle to electric. Learn more from visiting Electric Car Association www.avt.uk.com.
Greenest Vehicles 2008 according to the American Council for Energy-Efficient Economy. Rev to www.greenercars.org for details.
Honda Civic GX, which runs on compressed natural gas (CNG), was picked the greenest car for five consecutive years. Toyota Prius and Honda Civic Hybrid take spots two and three, while Smart Fortwo Convertible and Toyota Yarris round up top five green vehicles. The rest: Nissan Altima Hybrid, Toyota Corolla, Mini Cooper, Ford Focus, Toyota Camry Hybrid, Honda Civic and Honda Fit.
Gaia Discovery
3 Comments
Reader Comments (3)
Dear Editor
The issue of green cars, in terms of environmental issues, is somewhat misleading in many areas. I now refer to the issues of catalytic converters, electric cars, etc., and the many misnomers that abound.
a) My car is a VW Golf GTI, 1.8 litre, petrol car first registered in early 1986. This means that it is now into its 23rd year of service. It does not have a catalytic converter fitted, it does not have any form of electronic engine management, it does not have any form of electronic control, and even the fuel injectors are mechanically driven only. However, the Carbon Monoxide emissions are so low that the most sensitive measuring equipment can only just resolve down to the last digit to get a reading, and the toxic emissions are over 100 times below the legal limit. This means that the fuel economy is excellent, with at least 56 miles per gallon of petrol on longer journeys with relative ease. In other words, extremely low exhaust emissions, excellent fuel economy, in fact diesel type fuel economy whilst using petrol.
The Secret: For a catalytic converter, to work, a car has to use more petrol. By using more petrol means more Carbon Monoxide is developed. This Carbon Monoxide is then, wait for it, converted to Carbon Dioxide, a major Green House Gas, and dumped into the atmosphere. Suffice to say, my VW Golf GTI produces 112 bhp, 0 to 60mph in 8.3 seconds, and yet a modern VW Golf using petrol needs to develop 170bhp to match the top speed and acceleration of my old VW Golf GTI, and yet the modern VW Golf uses considerably more fuel, and a presents a significant increase in Green House Gas emissions.
Reasons: The UK Government is heavily dependent upon substantial fuel taxation from all road vehicles. By introducing catalytic converters gave the impression that something positive was being done. However, it also meant a significant increase in fuel duty income through increased fuel consumption, clearly indicating that money comes first. In other words, give the impression that something is being done to improve the environment, whilst attempting to hide the potent financial incentive.
b) Electric cars should be forgotten in the UK. Remember, over 70% of the electricity generated in the UK comes from fossil fuels. By the time the electricity is delivered to the recipient, the total energy transfer efficiency is about 33%, and this is before it is applied to charge an electric car. This means, at best, the total energy transfer efficiency is less than 30%. This compares to 30% for petrol engines, and 40% for diesel. This means that using electric cars in the UK makes matters worse, not better.
c) Hybrid cars also have a problem insofar as the method applied. In this case, there is a transfer between using an internal combustion engine to power the car directly for speeds above 30mph, and for an electric motor powered by a battery for speeds below 30mph. When using the internal combustion engine, the dead weight of the battery and electric motor is carried thereby reducing fuel efficiency. When using the battery, the reverse applies, the internal combustion engine becomes the dead weight reducing the economy of the battery power source. This is why present hybrid cars offer very little, if any benefit when compared to a modern direct injection diesel powered cars.
A much better method is to apply railway technology, as already demonstrated by a UK car company. By this, I refer to Petrol Electric methods in a car, in the same manner as diesel electric has been used for many decades in railway locomotives. In the case of a car, a standard Mini Car, as manufactured by BMW, had its standard internal combustion engine removed, and replaced with a 250cc internal combustion engine. A battery was added, that is a battery suitable to power a vehicle, and be able to be recharged with great rapidity. A 160hp motor was added to each wheel, giving a total of 640hp. The internal combustion engine operates at a constant rotational rate, rpm, optimised for maximum energy transfer efficiency. This drives an electrical generator. The electricity generated is then delivered to each of the four traction motors one on each wheel. Remember, an electric motor is ideal for traction applications. This means maximum torque when starting and at low speed, exactly when and where needed. As the speed increases, the back EMF from the motors reduces the current demand thereby providing an element of regulation. When braking is needed, the motors are reconfigured to acts as generators, and dump the energy into the battery. This energy can then be recovered to start the vehicle in motion when next needed. So where does this leave the performance, surely not as good as a conventional car, or is it? 0 to 60mph in 4 seconds, 150mph top speed, and 100 miles per gallon of fuel. Now that is what I call a hybrid!
Perhaps the other railway method of hydraulic transmission using an internal combustion engine always running at an optimum speed is the other challenge for the automotive industry, an industry only half a century behind railway technology.
d) Biofuels are not really practical, as too much is needed to replace even the present fuel demands for road transportation. Even the better idea of using food crops to still deliver the food component, and the residue used to produce biofuels, has a scale that is simply too low to even be practical against the fuel demand, unless fuel energy transfer efficiency is dramatically improved. Remember, the continual use of internal combustion engines that are very inefficient, that is no better than 30% for petrol engines, and 40% for diesel is pitiful, especially when compared to better than 90% for an electric motor. If our structure, in the UK, was not so heavily biased towards, and dependent upon fossil fuels, then we might not have so many problems. We have sold our soul to the Fossil Fuel Devil, with all our eggs in one basket.
Andrew Porter
Stevenage
Hertfordshire
I think that's the future , cars like Toyota Prius .
The pollution can be stopped only like these actions .
No petrol , no pollution !
I think this is the next technology and the pollution will be
stopped.. I appreciate your work..