Greener Cars For a Greener Future

Environmental awareness has built steadily over the past several decades, and we're at the point now where we understand that what we do can and will have a major impact on the world around us. The biggest issue facing the stability of the natural world is, of course, pollution, with one of the greatest sources of pollution being the vehicles we drive every day. However, with our self-awareness and ability to observe and detect has come an extraordinary capacity for clever innovation, something that has been applied to the automotive industry and that we, on an individual basis, can apply for ourselves.

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Designing Green Cars:

One of the first eco-friendly cars to be designed is the hybrid. A hybrid vehicle is simply a combination of a more traditional combustion-type engine and an electric battery. These vehicles typically work by creating energy each time you press the brake, and then storing this energy in a battery that can be used in lieu of fuel.

Other vehicles operate under completely different systems, such as electric or hydrogen. These systems create energy with little or no harmful emissions through the use of renewable energy. Many automotive companies are also investing more in the creation of flex vehicles, which can operate through the use of either regular gasoline combustion or through the use of biodiesel or ethanol.

Taking Things into Your Own Hands:

You don't necessarily have to go out and get rid of your car in order to purchase a more eco-friendly designed model. There is a lot that you can do yourself to improve the environmental footprint of your car. Something that can make a big impact is to reduce how much weight your car is carrying. This can be achieved by trading out various parts of your car for lightweight counterparts, from nuts and bolts all the way to the body components of your car. The less your car weighs, the less fuel it has to burn in order to get you down the road.

An easier and less expensive way to get your car to act a little greener is to simply change your own driving behavior. The harder you drive, the harder your car has to work, and this translates directly into how much fuel it has to burn in order to create enough energy to carry out what it is you're telling it to do.

Constantly speeding up and slowing down, dodging in and out of traffic, and suddenly slamming on the brakes can lead to a great deal of fuel being burned off. On the other end of the spectrum, keep your car from idling unnecessarily. Simply sitting with the car in park while it's turned on will consume more energy than if you were moving.

How much you're using your air conditioner and heater also correlates to how much fuel you're burning, and subsequently how much pollution your car is tossing out into the atmosphere. To help reduce your need to cool your car, try parking in shade whenever you can, and use sun visors to cover your windshield when you leave your car. For the winter months, try to keep the heat at a minimum and focus more on keeping your window defrosted.

A major way of making your car greener is to bring it to your local Mavis Tires and Brakes to have it serviced by our reliable, professional team on a regular basis. When your car is in the best working order, it’s far less likely to have a negative impact on the environment. Schedule a service at your local Mavis today.