The Mean and the Green
The American Council for an Energy Efficient Economy has released the 2006 Green Book, which ranks cars based on their environmental impact: The "greenest" on one end of the scale, the "meanest" on the other. The rankings take into account smog and greenhouse gas emissions as well as fuel economy.
Now, the Hummer may be the machine we all love to hate, but it lands at number 7 on the meanest list -- still despicable, mind you, but not the worst of the lot. Nope. Currently parked in the innermost circle of automotive hell is the Dodge Ram SRT10, a short-bed pickup with a mighty big engine. Under the hood is the same 500-horsepower, 8.3-liter V10 engine that is used in the Dodge Viper. In other words, it's not really a truck at all, but a sports car dressed up as one.
Just looking at fuel mileage, the Ram SRT10 gets a disgraceful 9 mpg in the city while the greenest vehicle in the year class, the gasoline-electric hybrid Honda Insight, gets an impressive 57 mpg in urban driving. Admittedly, that's an apples-and-oranges comparison, but the Green Guide also ranks cars by vehicle class: The Toyota Tundra is the top performer when it comes to standard-size pickups, getting double the mileage of the SRT10.
You don't have to buy a subcompact to make a substantial difference. As ACEEE Policy Director Bill Prindle says, "Simply by choosing the most efficient vehicle in each class, we could cut our average gasoline bill by $510 a year, while cutting carbon emissions more than 30 percent."
Now, the Hummer may be the machine we all love to hate, but it lands at number 7 on the meanest list -- still despicable, mind you, but not the worst of the lot. Nope. Currently parked in the innermost circle of automotive hell is the Dodge Ram SRT10, a short-bed pickup with a mighty big engine. Under the hood is the same 500-horsepower, 8.3-liter V10 engine that is used in the Dodge Viper. In other words, it's not really a truck at all, but a sports car dressed up as one.
Just looking at fuel mileage, the Ram SRT10 gets a disgraceful 9 mpg in the city while the greenest vehicle in the year class, the gasoline-electric hybrid Honda Insight, gets an impressive 57 mpg in urban driving. Admittedly, that's an apples-and-oranges comparison, but the Green Guide also ranks cars by vehicle class: The Toyota Tundra is the top performer when it comes to standard-size pickups, getting double the mileage of the SRT10.
You don't have to buy a subcompact to make a substantial difference. As ACEEE Policy Director Bill Prindle says, "Simply by choosing the most efficient vehicle in each class, we could cut our average gasoline bill by $510 a year, while cutting carbon emissions more than 30 percent."
1 Comments:
I purchased a '01 Insight about 3 months ago and despite the snowy end to a Wisconsin winter (yes it handles the snow fine) I am getting 64mpg averaged over the past 1500 miles. With the previous owner a the helm it has averaged a lifetime 59mpg over 58,000 miles. I have beat 80mpg twice on my 19 mile commute. I averaged 74 mpg in heavy, fast (up to 80 mph)traffic in Milwaukee last week for 90 miles. These cars are the real deal.
Post a Comment
<< Compass Main