Where this blog is usually focused on ways to make and keep your home green, today’s entry is focused on the vehicles that you park on the driveway of that home.
With the recent cash for clunkers program, fuel economy is on my mind. An awesome resource that I found on the web is fueleconomy.gov. On this site, you can find a list of the fuel economy ratings for all cars, trucks and SUVs, all in one place. The 2009 guide is currently available, and a preliminary version of the 2010 guide is available (not a complete list of vehicles yet). This information can help you decide which vehicle best fits your budget based on the cost of keeping gas in the tank and end up saving you some green.
The 2009 guide highlights the fuel economy leaders, about 40 of them across the 14 different classes of vehicles, on page 4 of the guide. The only vehicles listed that reach 40 mpg (miles per gallon) or higher are:
Smart fortwo (convertible and coupe) 33 mpg city / 41 mpg highway
Honda Civic Hybrid – 40 mpg city / 45 mpg highway
Volkswagen Jetta – 30 mpg city / 41 mpg highway
Toyota Prius – 48 mpg city / 45 mpg highway
Volkswagen Jetta SportWagen – 29 mpg city / 40 mpg highway
Hopefully, this list will grow longer for 2010 and the following years. I think that at least the 2010 Honda Insight will join the list along with some of the new diesel vehicles.
Starting in the 2008 model year, the mpg ratings for vehicles are reported using a new method of testing. The new method is supposed to be more representative of how we drive today. The new mpg test methods include the effects of faster speeds and acceleration, air conditioning use and colder outside temperatures. In general the mpg ratings starting in 2008 are lower than those of previous years because of the new testing methods. However, they are supposed to reflect more accurately the actual mpg that the consumer experiences after they purchase the vehicle and drive it off of the dealer’s lot.
The coolest feature I found on the fueleconomy.gov web site was their advanced search. With it you can set your search criteria for things including model year, class of vehicle (sedan, coupe, hatchback, etc.), grade of fuel, transmission type, and minimum mpg ratings. Not only will the search list all of the vehicles meeting your criteria, it tells you the annual fuel cost to operate the vehicles, their carbon footprint (in tons per year of CO2) and their energy impact score. This is a great way to compare vehicles to help you decide which ones best meet your green goals.
As always, thanks for reading my blog, and when you have finished reading it, please recycle it.
