No Gas? No Problem.
Posted by Belinda Spears in Uncategorized, tags: automobiles, cars, other, Uncategorized, vehiclesIf you are like most people in America you undoubtedly want to do your part to help save the environment as well as reduce our dependency on gasoline. You probably have some energy efficient home features and a vehicle with cleaner emissions but you want to do more. You are thinking about purchasing a green car, but you feel a little overwhelmed with all the options. Never fear for our handy guide is here to help.
Everybody has heard of hybrids. A hybrid runs on two different propulsion systems to drive it. Usually this involves a gasoline engine and an electric drive motor. Often it uses the gas to start the car and switches over to electricity once it is going. Periodically it uses gas to help boost the speed of the vehicle as well. Hybrids get for more miles per gallon and have very few tailpipe emissions. While you also save money on gas the downside is that they tend to be pricier up front and after a few years the main battery needs replacing. That being said, the technology is getting cheaper and cheaper to produce every day. To make them even more efficient they can also run off diesel or other alternative fuels. Hybrids can also come in a plug-in version.
Another rapidly developing option is the electric car. Much like it sounds, these cars run purely on electricity and are incredibly cost efficient, averaging just pennies per mile. They are also incredibly green as they produce no emissions what so ever. The down side is that they have a limited range of miles, usually around 100, before they have to recharge. The other downside is they don’t have a high top speed.
Some cars run on biodiesel as well. Biodiesel is a diesel fuel made from alternate sources like waste vegetable oil or even soy beans. It is much cleaner then gas or even petroleum diesel. Additionally, it can run in standard diesel engines without any need for conversion. It is also made locally so it can reduce the countries need for foreign oil. The downside is that gasoline cars must be modified to use it and currently it isn’t easy to produce.
On a similar note it is possible to run a car on ethanol as well. Ethanol alcohol is the same kind found in alcoholic beverages. There are roughly 30 types of flex vehicles that can use ethanol or gasoline or both. Many electric cars and hybrids are designed to use ethanol as well. It is made from corn or sugar cane, although alternate sources are being developed.
Green technology is getting better and more efficient every day and has already come far from its early days. As for which type is the best only you can decide.
At used car dealers in Knoxville you are sure to find a car you will love.
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