US Sporting Greener Cars |
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Anthony Fontanelle
February 22, 2007
For the past years, decades even, it has become a common belief that US consumers opt for gas guzzlers like SUVs and pickups and other large vehicles while European countries have consumers who do opt for smaller and more fuel efficient cars. However, the trend is changing according to Automotive News. They say that US consumers are now opting for more fuel efficient cars. In contrast to the US consumers’ effort to shift to more environmentally friendly cars, Europeans produced cars that emit high volumes of CO2 since they are tuned for Autobahn speeds.
Another advantage that the US has on European countries is that there are even more refilling stations for alternative vehicles in the US. In Europe, you see, there are lesser alternative fuel refilling stations across since the countries composing the European Union cannot agree on taxation and infrastructure costs in the development of biofuels.
While the European Union is still devising ways on how to make biofuels more readily available across the continent, US is already making great leaps in the development of alternative fuels. One main alternative source of energy being used on cars produced and sold in the United States is electricity. Hybrid electric vehicles are being more and more common on US roads. Japanese car manufacturers and US car makers as well are working hard in the development of fuel efficient hybrid cars.
One concrete example is the Toyota Prius which has become one of the most favorite of fuel consumption-conscious American motoring public. Car makers are also making great progress in the development of fuel efficient gasoline engines.
A majority of the population is also moving away from large SUVs which are known to consume a good deal of gasoline. In addition to the advances being made by Japanese and American car makers in the production of fuel-efficient gasoline engines and hybrid vehicles, diesel engines are also making a comeback in the US. In connection with the increasing popularity of diesel engines, bio-diesel is also being developed by different companies for the consumption of diesel powered vehicles.
Aside from that, what makes US cars almost as clean as European cars is the fact that gasoline in the US contains more biofuel additives than the gasoline that can be found in European countries. President George Bush even called for more fuel efficient cars to be produced. This is an effort to decrease the amount of greenhouse gases being produced by vehicles. At the same time, the use of alternative fuels also reduces dependency on foreign oil. The development and manufacture of alternative fuel will also create more jobs since facilities will have to be constructed to produce alternative fuels. Alternative fuels being developed in the United States are bio-diesel and bio-ethanol. Both of which are cleaner burning fuels and a renewable source of energy.
Another advantage that US makers have over European car makers is that they are already working on the design and production of plug-in hybrid electric vehicles. On the other hand, European car makers have not come up yet with a hybrid electric vehicle for mass production. The development of alternative fuels by US and Japanese car makers is aimed to stop the further destruction of the environment due to the huge amount of greenhouse gases emitted by vehicles. While current steps being undertaken are not enough to apply the brakes on global warming, these are good first steps in the protection as well as the preservation of the environment.
The US has been widely criticized all over the world over the global warming issue but it is showing that its resolve to counter the effects of global warming. With the introduction of fuel efficient and even zero emission vehicles in the US market, the country is doing its part in environmental protection.
Source: Amazines.com