Toyota Prius

The New Innovations In Fuel Efficient Cars

Monday, October 6th, 2008
by Alaina Stochaj

Vehicle manufactures are taking technology to a whole new level with new and futuristic fuel-efficient vehicles.  There have been exiting new developments in making the best and most fuel-efficient vehicle out there.  Consumers have a variety of vehicles to choose from such as hybrids, fuel cell, electric, and diesel.  The new lineup of cars that will be out in the future are definitely worth being built and purchased because of the environmental advantages they include such as better gas mileage and lower emissions.  Many argue that the new fuel-efficient vehicles are expensive and are not worth it, however that does not address how the U.S. emits incredible amounts of greenhouse gasses into the air.  Fuel-efficient vehicles would save people a lot of money on gas because of how many miles to the gallon they get.  The Toyota Prius is the most popular selling hybrid out there.  In fact, more Prius cars have been sold than any other hybrid combined.  The Prius gets about 45 mpg on the highway and around 48 mpg in the city and emits 89 percent less smog than the average car.  This current hybrid is incredibly fuel efficient, but there are more hybrids to come that will be even more technological advanced and efficient.

A new plug-in hybrid called the VentureOne, which will arrive in the showrooms soon is one of the most unique vehicles we have ever seen.  It is a combination of a motorcycle and a car that has two seats and runs on three wheels.  It will be able to ride similar to the style of a motorcycle turning sharp corners and leaning from side to side.  The vehicle apparently uses advanced technology to determine the perfect balance while driving.  When I first learned about the three-wheel car, it seemed a bit dangerous, but it will supposedly be thirty times safer than a standard motorcycle.  It will have all the safety features of a vehicle like airbags, bumpers, and impact protection, and it’s going to be environmentally friendly getting about 100 mpg and equipped with two 20 kW electric motors and a 17 kWh lithium ion battery pack.  More importantly the manufacturer is really trying to show how environmentally friendly the vehicle is, coming in three different shades of green.  I’m surprised that they are coming out with this vehicle because I am not sure how many people will find it appealing.  It is a very cool piece of technology, but I am not sure that the average driver will choose to purchase one of these.  Despite being fast and fuel efficient, it will be expensive and drivers might not find it safe.

Another interesting soon to be vehicle in the hybrid market is the Honda FCX Clarity, a fuel cell car that will be available in 2008.  The vehicle will run on a hydrogen fuel cell stack.  It will produce electricity, but no exhaust emissions will come out of the tailpipe.  Honda is also working on trying to build a hydrogen fueling station for homes.  It would be very convenient for an owner of one of these cars if the company were able to create such a home based refueling station.  What I really took notice of was that the hydrogen station would also supply a house owner with heat and electricity in addition to producing hydrogen fuel.  From the natural gas, it would generate the hydrogen for homes.  I could imagine that this would expensive, but would be extremely efficient reducing energy costs as well as emissions dangerous to the environment.  It is unlikely that this home fueling station will be out for several more years.  It’s a really intriguing idea that people should take notice of, but who knows what other types of fuel-efficient vehicles will come out during that period of time.

There are now numerous different types of fuel-efficient cars out now and many arriving in the future.  Drivers need to take an interest in what is coming out and should take a closer look.  They might be more expensive then the average car, but are incredibly more efficient and better for the environment.

Photo Credit: geognerd

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