From Guest Blogger Jenny Richards: Shift into A Green Drive with Eco-Cars

When fossil fuel costs suddenly shot through the roof a few decades back and continued to spiral upwards thereafter, it brought a new consciousness about the need to reduce dependency on the fast depleting fossil fuel reserves. The need for conservation was also given a boost with the growing realization that many of the problems faced by our planet were due to indiscriminate consumption of fossil fuels and the resultant pollution. The car industry all over the world has been putting in a lot of effort in the technology, design and manufacture of eco cars that are more efficient and reduce environment-damage.

Going Beyond Fossil Fuels

While the first of the efforts concentrated on increasing fuel efficiency, it is quite evident that there was a limit to the minimization of fuel consumption that could be done in an internal combustion engine running on traditional gasoline or diesel. A fair amount of research has been done to evolve hybrid technologies that use a combination of gasoline and electricity as well as cars that run on alternative energy alone such as hydrogen fuel cell, solar power or electricity. Even though a lot of it is still in the research stage, a car buyer today has many options of making his drive green by choosing hybrid cars or a range of vehicles that run on electricity alone. Take a look at some of the benefits of green technology.

Fuel Cost Reduction

The first thing that will swing your new car purchase decision to a hybrid car is the significant reduction of annual fuel costs. Hybrid cars run on a combination of gasoline and electricity; typical short city drives are done with electricity and high speed highway runs on gas. On an average you can expect to save 38% in the city and half of that on the highway. Driving vehicles powered by electricity is also a smoother experience as the power efficiency is a constant, irrespective of the speed of the vehicle. Driving up to the fuel pump will now be a far more pleasant experience than ever before. The cost of vehicle ownership is further reduced by the generous tax credits given by the Federal as well as different State governments to encourage customers to purchase environment-friendly vehicles.

Greenhouse Gas Emission Reduction

One of the biggest advantages of owning a hybrid car is that now you can be sure that your tailpipe emissions will contain far less oxides of carbon and sulfur, the two main ingredients responsible for playing havoc with our eco-system. Emitting less quantities of toxic fumes will ensure that your car has a lesser environmental impact on the top concerns of today such as global warming, acid rain, pollution of water reserves, changed climatic patterns, severity of natural events like floods and draughts, etc. You can reduce toxic emissions by up to 97% using ethanol or biodiesel.

Commuting Time Reduction

With the government actively attempting to promote the cause for environment-friendly cars and to provide incentives for people to switch to them, special lanes are being designated in highways that will be kept reserved for these vehicles. Increasing availability of these special lanes that will enable faster commutes as well as parking spaces available free of charge can really add up to significant conveniences for hybrid car owners.

Insurance Cost Reduction

Many of you have been forced to consider options from salvaged cars for sale due to budgetary constraints. The initial cost of eco cars may seem slightly more than usual gasoline-operated cars, but they work out much cheaper in the long run.  Although this rarely comes up for discussion, the cost of insurance of cars can be quite steep and adding significantly to the total cost of ownership of vehicles. When you buy an environment-friendly vehicle, you can get better deals from many insurance companies that are also actively promoting a greener planet. Buying an environment-friendly car automatically makes a statement regarding your status as well as your concern for the planet and the generations to come.