IMHO I think the Corolla cant hold a candle next to a Civic Two door Coupe.
I have to give Honda credit in general as being one of the “Greenest” automotive and engine manufacturing companies in their stead fast refusal to give into pollution excess two stroke technology. In ALL their lines.
From ATV to outboards to lawnmowers they have lost sales for years until the revealing book “Polluting for Pleasure” revealed how vile the inappropriate use of two strokes can be, especially to lakes and streams. Correct me if I’m wrong, but I believe Honda has since become the biggest manufacturer of 4 stroke motors by volume in the world. Though I’m sure many may be farmed out by now.
I respect their hybrid technology approach, which is very a conservative electric assist and always a the though toward longevity. I get the feeling I’ll know when competent EVs have arrived when Honda starts producing them.
The greenest car I ever drove was a 1969 Dodge Dart. It had an ugly faded pea green paint job.
Seriously, manufacturing a car alone has a large Carbon footprint, so right off the bat, with all other things being equal, used is greener than new. Next, you need to look at fuel economy and emissions, which are areas in which Honda has led other manufacturers. With all that in mind, any small hatchback that gets more than 40 miles per gallon should be green enough to ease your conscience, especially if you never drive it.
It’s a shame there is so much common sense being wasted here. I thought only a few of us old mechanics saw the stupidity in building high tech monuments to the Green God that wasted tons to save ounces. There may be hope! Is anyone inportant reading this forum?
Unfortunately, now that “green” has been exploited as a marketing term, I hate it. Whether a car is “environmentally friendly” or not should be a matter of how it is made as much as its fuel economy. Unfortunately, I can’t even convince some of the smartest people I know that a car’s Carbon footprint should include the Carbon produced when it is manufactured. Some people buy into “green marketing” hook, line, and sinker.
When the rented parts washer at the shop was targetted by a GREEN competitor several years ago I got a lump in my throat that hasn’t gone away since. It seems like women’s fashions. If a lady isn’t wearing pointed toes and high heals she might as well be toothless and illiterate… Rush out and buy a pair of plastic stilletos and a hybrid and a woman can hold her head high.
Nice car; I saw one recently as a car show, but the Nissan guys did not have many answers to my questions. In multi-car families, this may very well be the commuter car, if the price is right. The Chevy Volt at $40,000 will have a limited market, although its range is longer.
Ignore the electric power plant emissions, please.
It certainly false to ever advertise EVs as “zero emissions” - since the smokestack is somewhere. (Or the nuclear waste dump or whatever).
But - since electric motors are so much more efficient than ICEs they don’t even live on the same page in terms of emissions/waste produced. The improvement is not marginal or minor.
When I win the lottery I am going to buy myself that nice piece of “ranch-type” land that so many dream about. Its going to have a good healthy stream on it, and I’m going to build my own micro hydro-electric plant to power my house AND have a car shop where I restore my dream of an old pickup truck AND do some hobby electric conversions powered by hydro. That’s pretty darned green.
I suppose I’d have to start actually buying lottery tickets though.
You lookin for beach front property? Cause I got some in Arizona. Sure it may not be beach front NOW, but when the Earth warms up and the polar bears die off… XD
I have a very green car right now. My Civic is a dark green color.
Well, the beach front property in Arizona thing is usually reserved for “nice try but impossible” ideas. EV + hydroelectric is completely feasible (as is EV + solar or wind). I just don’t have the water flow or capital for the equipment. That’s why I need the lottery even though it would not require anything close to 7 or 8 figures.
My car is also very green right now - but light green - Ford Escort.
In Washignton state, most power comes from hydro-electric, so you would really have a “zero emission” vehicle.
If all power is generated by coal, the zero emission car would generate about half the greenhouse gasses or less, since the overall system is much more efficient. If the power is generated by natural gas, about one third the CO2 would be created.
The big environmental benefit of electric cars is they keep the downtown air clean, since the CO2 and other gasses are generated far away from urban centers.
I Still Wonder How They Handle Heat And Defroster For My Cold Winter Climate.
When I looked at a “Think! City” (Denmark) EV at “North America’s Biggest Auto Show”, the darn thing had a liquid cooling system to cool the electric motor.
Do you think that’s how they’ll do it ? What about before the electric motor heats up when it’s parked outside with frost on the outside of the windshield and fog on the inside ? How does one start driving ? Electrically heated glass ? Anybody know ?
Last I heard Was That To Compete With A $40,000 Car Like The Volt, Nissan Was Going To Advertise The Car For Less Than 30 Grand And Then Lease The 10 Grand Battery To Owners.
I guess these cars aren’t that similar. I believe the Leaf EV has about 100 mile range and the Volt (not really an EV) goes about 40 miles before a small engine kicks in to charge the battery.
I’m in VA. A good chunk of my power is nuclear. I’m sure the rest of the mix is coal - as if its so easy to sort out the source of what is flowing around out there on the grid.
I might like Washington - but I don’t think I’ll move there.
