Cleaner fuels
Check out these fuel efficient options for your car.
The new diesel
Diesel produces 20 per cent less carbon dioxide (CO2), or greenhouse gas, than regular gasoline and it gets better mileage than gasoline so you use less of it. Next month diesel will clean up even more as new federal regulations enforce a lower sulphur content in the fuel. Sulphur impairs emission control systems in vehicles, and the soot, or particulate, emissions from diesel vehicles have been particularly harmful to children's respiration. The new regulations will reduce these particulates by 90 per cent in Canada and the United States.
Biofuels
Ethanol is an alcohol made from corn or wheat that is blended with gasoline and can be purchased at more than 1,000 gas stations in Canada. Any car engine can use a 10 per cent ethanol blend, and many car engines can be converted to use up to 85 per cent. (You need to use some gasoline in the blend because ethanol doesn't ignite well in cold weather.)
Biodiesel is a term used to describe inexpensive fuels made from vegetable oils, even from leftover cooking oil.
Some consumers self-supply (see www.biodiesel.org) and some companies provide the fuel to limited areas (www.ecofuels.ca). Some cars can use pure biodiesel, and others need a blend of diesel fuel and biodiesel, but in either case CO2 emissions are very low and the fuel is cheaper than regular gasoline.
Gas-electric
Cars called hybrids combine a gasoline engine with a high-powered battery or batteries and electric motors. They use less gas and produce dramatically lower levels of toxic emissions than gasoline cars. Hybrids also generate energy: whenever the driver brakes or coasts, electric motors on the rear wheels capture the forward-moving energy of the car and use it to recharge the battery.
Hybrids cost more initially, but fuel savings over time and resale value should be considered. Some provincial governments give rebates.
Electric
Battery-powered (electric) vehicles produce zero emissions and require no gasoline, but they aren't yet widely available due to limited speed and range. One manufacturer, FGC (Feel Good Cars), makes a compact, three-door hatchback called ZENN. The two-seater reaches a maximum of 40 km/h and can run for up to 64.4 kilometres before it needs recharging. To recharge, you plug it into a 120-volt outlet for eight to nine hours. Retail: $9,995 to $15,000 US. See www.feelgoodcars.com.
People power
Earn good "car-ma" by walking, biking, and car pooling or buying an annual membership in a car share network and reserving a car when you need one. See www.autoshare.com or www.cooperativeauto.net.
Read about 9 pollution solutions from Homemakers magazine!
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