 Earthly
advice for a greener life
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The first thing you should ask yourself is actually 'Do you actually need a new car?' A lot of resources and energy is used in manufacturing a car, so if you don't need a new car then don't buy one. And don't kid yourself that someone else will get the benefit of your old one as supply of used cars far outsrips demand. Should I buy a Hybrid car? Hybrid cars are less damaging to the environment as they have a rechargable electric battery that is used instead of petrol for some of your driving, notably when stopped in traffic, coasting or when the engine is idle. They won't be a great benefit if most of your driving is motorway, particularly if it has a large engine. Also the batteries contain some particularly nasty chemicals that will need disposing of. What size engine should I get? Buy a car with a smaller engine the smaller the engine the less fuel, however, the larger the car the larger the engine it needs. Smaller engines mean less petrol/diesel, don't buy cars with 2 or more litre engines for general road usage, they are not needed. A 1.2 litre engine is plenty for a small car and a 1.6 litre for a large family car. What about a 4x4? There has been a significant trend towards 4x4s, which can have 3 or 4 litre engines or more, and are often used just to take the kids to school, the so called 'Chelsea tractors'. Bear in mind though, that people in rural areas may have a genuine requirement for 4x4s, they do serve a purpose. But don't buy one if you don't have a genuine need for one. Or an electric car? Electric cars are great for city use, as they have low emmissions, although the electricity used to run them does. They aren't much use for motorway travel though, as the engines aren't powerful enough. The bottom line is to really assess your needs before you buy a car, then buy one with low emmissions, as small an engine as you can manage, but most of all only drive it if you need to. |