Question of the Day: What Makes A Car ‘Green’?
Automakers, journalists, enthusiasts, and consumers often have differing views on what exactly makes a car fit into the “Green” descriptor. We offer up a wide swath of alternative fuel, lightweight, and unconventionally engineered vehicles in our own “Unguzzle” channel, but that may be even a bit too broad. What type of car would you call “Green” (paintjob notwithstanding)? Give us your definition, in comments.
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Comments
Reilly Brennan
It's a tough call, undoubtedly. We were discussing the new benchmark for "acceptable Unguzzleness" the other day and the figure tended to be 30 mpg as a baseline. But does that make a car green? I think the term is used to lightly these days (a Tahoe Hybrid isn't really green so much as it's green-er than a standard Tahoe with a gasoline engine), but a true green vehicle must go above and beyond to be remarkably efficient.
JN
Paint
JN
Not a single one. They all pollute. Even electrics get their energy from a polluting power plant and they have an extra helping of toxic chemicals in the batteries.
Anonymous
Parked.
Sheila
How about we start rating "acceptable Unguzzleness" cars with different shades of greens. Emerald,Moss,Mint,Lime,Chartreuse,Teal,Turquoise green,and Pickle.
Mena
Any car that people think is green.
Ducati Minor
Whatever Al Gore says.
My opinion had been affected by the media perception of green, employing alternative fuels or hybrid powertrains. A Mercedes 300D running on bio-diesel doesn't produce high mileage, but the fact it's running on a bio-fuel makes it green in my eyes.
Trinks
It was already mentioned: there are no "green" vehicles per say, but rather greener vehicles. The Prius is greener than a comparable Corolla, the diesel Mercedes is greener than the gas one, and so on. Even a bicycle produces a finite amount of pollution in its lifecycle. The important thing is, what are we doing to make things greener? Like life, green is a journey, not a destination.
oollyoumn
Maybe a completely solar powered car made of 100% recycled materials in a factory that is completely solar powered and also made of 100% recycled materials.
Anonymous
you asuck get a life