Tuesday, July 19, 2011

Which Is Better: Hybrid or Fuel-Efficient Conventional?

Our show has been reporting on the advent of the electric cars (EV's) and the potential impact on our world.  We believe a transformation to EV's is the solution to mitigating transportation's carbon impact on the air we breath. 

Now Mother Jones magazine does a great job of comparing hybrids (which partially uses electric) to fuel-efficient conventional cars as the reporter looks to buy a new car.  If EV's are not for you, which is disappointing but understandable, read this to determine the best clean alternatives to buying a new car.

The link:  http://motherjones.com/blue-marble/2011/07/hybrid-prius-fuel-gas

Part of the story:  "After five car-free years, I am finally considering buying a vehicle. But which kind of car is best for the planet?

Yeah, yeah, I am well aware of the fact that the most environmentally sound decision would be to not buy any car at all. But there are some things that bikes just can't do. They can't haul big stuff (though I've schlepped some impressive-sized things on my bike). And the bike can't get me to North Carolina or New Jersey, the respective native lands of my partner and me, unless we plan a few extra days of travel. And while I like living in Washington, DC, I do occasionally want to get out and see a tree or two.

I've gotten conflicting reports about whether it's better to invest in a hybrid or opt for an extremely fuel-efficient conventional auto instead. It's not an easy question to answer, since much depends on your driving habits, where you live, and what kind of money you have. The sticker price of most hybrids is still a major barrier—I work at a nonprofit magazine and my partner is an academic, so a $10,000-plus difference is significant to us. And most of our car trips are longer ones, meaning we wouldn't see quite as much advantage from a hybrid as people who use it to commute daily in a relatively small area..."

Read the rest and let us know what you think.

Don't forget:  A new show will stream live this Weds on RenewableNow :http://www.arpinbroadcastnetwork.com/Arpin-RenewableNow.html

Also, take a look at the past shows and vote here on the best one.  It is pretty close right now the battle for the highest number of downloads for an individual show.

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