Brave New Leaf

Misinformation at Seattle Electric Vehicle Booth

I swung by the Seattle EVA (Electric Vehicle Association) booth to chat with some of the folks over there. The conversation went something like this:

Me: So, does it really make sense to get an electric vehicle that runs from a coal-fired grid?

Old Man: Absolutely. Anything to get off foreign oil.

Me: But, what about the emissions? Are the emissions better through the grid than using oil?

Old Man: [rolls eyes] Of course they are. Electric vehicles are 5x more efficient than a gas vehicle, so the emissions are 5x better.

Me: Are you sure about that?

Old Man: [looks annoyed] Read this pamphlet. [Throws me a flyer and runs off to greet some other people].

Truth is, he is absolutely correct in saying that electric cars are 5x more efficient at using energy than gas cars. Problem is, the grid that gets the energy to us isn't very efficient, so much of the efficiency gains are lost in the transport of the energy.

Take a look at the graph above. That represents the lifetime CO2 emissions for different types of automobiles. Partly because the manufacturing emissions are higher for electric cars, an electric car run off of today's grid has a much worse emissions story than a hybrid. But if you can transform the grid to run from a renewable source, then you have something exciting to talk about. We're not there yet.

And this doesn't even begin to get into the water requirements to generate the power behind electric vehicles. Needless to say, I'm disappointed that Seattle EVA doesn't have their facts straight.

Carbon Hero key chain tracks your travel emissions

For most of us, transportation is the biggest way in which we contribute to carbon emissions. But because carbon is invisible, it makes it difficult for us to witness the impact of our actions and improve our daily behaviors.

Enter the Carbon Hero, which promises to make your transportation footprint visible.

The device itself is a key chain which is equipped with Bluetooth technology that lets it present an interface on your mobile phone.

Via GPS, the keychain is able to deduce when you are traveling, how far you have traveled, and what method of transport you have used. It can handle airplanes, trains, the tube, buses, bikes, and different types of cars. I'm not certain to what degree this is automated vs. manual input, but the website promises it is automatic and easy, while simultaneously keeping your data private.

Then it plots the results of your travel via your cell phone and compares you to the national averages, helping you to get a more visible read on the impact of your habits.

One can see how this data might ultimately become available on the web to track the transportation impacts of cities, areas, and countries and encourage them to compete against each other.

It's an interesting concept, but only available in the UK presently. If you've trialled one, be sure to let us know.

You can learn more about the device at http://www.carbonhero.net.

Hybrids, move over. Here comes the 106 mpg Air Car.

Introducing the Air Car. Hopefully you've heard about it by now. The creation of its engine, designed by ex-Formula One engineer Guy Nègre, rocked automobile circles when it revealed that it uses compressed air, as opposed to the gas-and-oxygen explosions of internal-combustion models, to push its engine’s pistons. People marveled at the potential.

Then Tata Motors, India's largest car company, announced that they would produce cars for India with this engine by August of 2008 at the reasonable price at $12,700 each. People again got excited about the idea of filling up at a gas station with compressed air instead of fuel, but also assumed it would be decades before we saw these in the US, since Tata Motors was essentially producing cars that were glued together.

But a company called Zero Pollution Motors has stepped in. They are aggressively pushing for the Air Car to be available in the US by late 2009. A new version of the engine has been created that uses a small gas tank as well over speeds of 35 mph.

The new engine pushes the top speed of the car to 96 mph and gives it a range of just less than 1000 miles. On an 8 gallon tank of gas, that makes it a 106 mph car. The body of the car has been overhauled to US standards and is undergoing crash tests in Europe.

The initial version of the car is also slated to be a six-seater, making it family-sized, and fairly unique in the market. Oil changes will only be necessary every 31,000 miles. It will cost around $17,800.

It all sounds too good to be true. Some back of the envelope math shows that if we could instantaneously replace half of the cars on the road with air powered cars, US greenhouse gas emissions would go down by 23% overnight. I can't wait to see what 2009 brings.

You can read more about the Air Car at Zero Pollution Motors.

Idle Cars are the Devil's Work

Quick little green tip for the day:

Don't use the drive-through. Ever.

Seriously. Just park your car and go in. Say you use a drive-through bank or meal once a week. Over the course of the year you'll save 3.12 gallons of gas. That's over 60 pounds of CO2 saved.

Plus you'll work off nearly 10 of those calories of that burger you're about to eat by walking in and standing in line. It's amazing how frequently dieting tips correspond with green tips...

Learning how to drive green

Meet Wayne Gerdes:

Wayne is the most fuel-efficient driver in the world. Seriously. There's a competition and a trophy and everything.

Wayne drives a 2004 Honda Accord which, according to the US Department of Energy, gets 23 MPG city.

Wayne gets 59 MPG.

When he's driving an actual fuel-efficient car, like a 48 MPG Prius, he can top out at just over 120 MPG.

What's his secret? Wayne is a leader in a new craze called hypermiling: the art of pushing your vehicle's fuel efficiency to the limit. He has personally pioneered many of the techniques becoming widely adopted by the sport.

Some of the accepted practices of hypermiling are a little over-the-top for the average driver. For example, to preserve their inertia, they would take a 25mph corner at 50. On a 70mph freeway, Wayne likes to hug the right shoulder and stick to a conservative 50mph. They fill their tires to the point of bursting. And hypermilers frequently turn their engines off whenever they find an opportunity to glide, potentially sacrificing his car's safety features.

Still, as somebody who often has a heavy foot on the accelerator, I think there is a tremendous amount to be learned from the hypermilers. They are living proof that some of the responsibility for MPG lies in the driver, and not the car.

Want to increase your MPG? Here are the core techniques you'll need:

1. Keep your car well maintained. Tires and oil are the big ones. You'll lose 1.4% of your fuel efficiency for each PSI your tires are under recommended values.  Not having enough, or the right kind of motor oil in your car could lose you 1-2%. Contrary to common wisdom, a higher octane gas will not significantly help your fuel economy.

And make sure you get your regular maintenance check-ups. A clogged air filter could cost you 10% efficiency, and a faulty oxygen sensor 40%.

2. Put your car on a diet. In our car, the trunk is always full with random things. The more weight you haul around, the less your fuel efficiency. Remove whatever excess weight you can from the vehicle: snow chains, boxes, etc. Every 100 pounds you can take out will improve your fuel economy another 1-2%.

3. Make your car aero-dynamic. The easier air flows over your car, the better mpg you'll get. Removing your luggage roof rack will buy you 5% fuel economy. Keeping your car sleek with regular washings and waxings will improve its efficiency another 7%.

4. Stop driving like a maniac. This is the one I need to work on, and the biggest way to increase your fuel economy. Everytime your foot hits that gas pedal, you are burning fuel. Be light and delicate with it and you could see up to 30% gains in fuel efficiency. Also, your car doesn't like going super fast. For every 5 mph over 60, you'll see a 7% decrease in fuel efficiency. Try not to max out above 60.

The brakes also require more ginger treatment. You lose energy every time you hit the brakes. Experiment, and see when you can avoid doing so. Your car should flow in a very zen-like way, rather than lurch forward and grind to screeching halts.

5. Pre-juice before a hill.  If you see a hill coming, give your car some gas while you're on the flat part, and coast up as much of the hill as you can. It's more efficient for your vehicle to use that inertia to get up the hill than to burn fuel to do so.

6. Use your cruise control. Unless you're in a hilly area, cruise control will help save you an average of 7% in fuel economy. Flat highway? Turn it on to 55-60mph and see the benefits.

7. Use the highest gear possible. If you have an automatic car, this tip is useless, but manual vehicles can see major gains from shifting into the highest gear possible. Just like when you're in a bike, the higher the gear to support your speed means less overall work.

8. Idling. Idling uses a shocking amount of gas. If you are going to be sitting anywhere for over 60 seconds, turn the engine off. Unlike the hypermilers, however, please don't do this in the middle of stop-and-go traffic.

9. Drafting. Be careful putting this one into practice. It's tempting to nose up behind the car in front of you like a NASCAR driver and maximize your fuel efficiency returns, but tailgating is just a good way to get yourself killed. Follow the two second rule, and find a semi-truck to drive behind to see gains of up to 25% in fuel economy.

10. Turn it into a game. The built-in trip computer in your car is pretty accurate at calculating your fuel efficiency. Turn it on, drive around, and see how high you can get your number. Compete with your SO, try to break records, etc. The more fun you have, the more you'll be motivated to do it.

Add up all of the above changes, and you could be seeing up to 47% gains in fuel efficiency, just for changing your driving patterns. In my 18mpg SUV, that would see me up to 26mpg. Maybe I won't be a hypermiler, but that's still pretty super mileage.

More resources:

• The official Hypermiling web site
• More on Wayne Gerdes
• The Edmonds.com fuel efficiency tests
• Hardcore fuel efficiency analysis of a Jeep Wrangler

Cutting through the "green car" confusion

According to our carbon footprint audit, and an evaluation of our three current vehicles, our cars contribute significantly to our carbon emissions. Though we don't drive very long distances, none of them get over 18 MPG.

Throughout our debates on the subject, my husband continues to espouse undying devotion to his 18 year old Jeep Cherokee, so we are going to keep that car. The Ford Mustang and newer Jeep Liberty will be sold to fund the purchase of a new "greener" car.

Now the question is: which car do we get?

We went to the Seattle Auto Show a few weeks ago to begin scoping out vehicles. The number of cars proclaiming themselves as "green" was astounding. So much so, that as I stood in front of a display that contained both a Toyota Highlander Hybrid and a small electric car from the Green Car Company, I heard a man behind me say loudly to his wife: "This green stuff is absolute bullshit."

I cringed a bit, but I couldn't blame him. Though there were a dazzling number of vehicles and technologies claiming to be "green", the message in totality made absolutely no sense. Diesel, biodiesel, ethanol, hydrogen, hybrids, natural gas, and electrics all posed as eco-friendly alternatives to gasoline. There was one car there that simultaneously worked on half of those technologies. For me, it created more questions than answers.

For example, is something green just because its fuel comes from something grown? Is an SUV green because it has improved mileage over its non-green sibling, even if it doesn't meet the minimum mileage standards for a car? How should we feel about "green" technologies that aren't even on production lines yet?

Overall, the baffling array of messages led me to do some research of my own to help make sense of it all. Let me split the cars into two buckets: cars of today and cars of tomorrow.

Green Cars of Today

1. Ethanol (e85) Powered Vehicles

What is it? Ethanol is an alcohol product made from biomass. Think of the rubbing alcohol in your medicine cabinet and you have the general idea. Ethanol is usually mixed with gasoline, and is totally different than biodiesel (see below).

Pros: Ethanol can be used by 6 million cars already on the road in the US, called "flex-fuel" vehicles. Using ethanol gets you off of foreign-imported oil, and onto using a more renewable source of fuel. Actual costs are about the same as gasoline. Can leverage similar distribution infrastructure as gasoline.

Cons: Despite what you may hear, it is not clean burning! Emissions per gallon are less than gas, yes, but ethanol is a less efficient fuel, and you need to burn more to go the same distance as gasoline. Estimates of the carbon emissions from the entire lifecycle of ethanol range from a little better to about the same as gasoline.

Also, there are concerns regarding whether powering cars from ethanol will result in more worldwide deforestation, since additional crops will be needed.

Brave New Leaf says: Running out and buying a flex-fuel car just to use ethanol isn't getting you much in cost or in carbon. Use it if your current car can handle it. Given that there is only one public e85 filling station in all of Washington, this is not an option for me.

2. Diesel / Biodiesel Powered Vehicles

What is it? You remember diesel fuel. Trucks use it still today. It makes engines noisy, and it produces lots of smog, but it gets better mileage, and thus makes less greenhouse gases than gasoline. Biodiesel is like normal diesel, but made from plants.

Just like with ethanol and gasoline, biodiesel can be mixed with normal diesel to use in diesel engines. As opposed to the rubbing alcohol consistency of ethanol, think of biodiesel as vegetable oil: thick and yellow.

Pros: Any diesel engine can use biodiesel without modification. Diesel gets better gas mileage than gasoline, and produces less carbon emissions. When mixed with biodiesel, emissions go down even further. Biodiesel makes your exhaust smell like french fries, which is fun and delicious.

Cons: Diesel engines are noisier. Not all gas stations have diesel fuel. Availability of vehicles in the US with diesel engines is limited largely to huge trucks and SUVs. Though cleaner diesel engines are coming, still creates a lot of smog. Biodiesel fuel is hard to find. Diesel engines are banned in 5 states (including California and New York).

Brave New Leaf says: If you went to buy a diesel vehicle today, you'd have the choice of a big truck or a 50k Mercedes. So much for getting access to that better mileage. But because diesels are super popular in Europe, the smaller diesel vehicles are coming in the next 1-2 years. The jury is out on how much better their mileage will be than their gas siblings, or how noisy their engines will be, but we'll start to find out in the next few months.

Today's bottom line: if you need a big truck, diesel is the available greener option. If you need a small car, you're likely better off with a hybrid.

3. Natural Gas Powered Vehicles

What is it? The same gas that powers your cooktop and hot water heater can now be used to run your car. There is one major production car in the US that uses natural gas: the Honda Civic GX NGV. It is also a hybrid.

Pros: Natural gas produces less emissions than gasoline. So combine NG with hybrid technology, and you get an extremely clean burning car. To fill your car up, many Americans could use the existing gas lines in their homes (a Phill).

Cons: Natural gas is still a finite fossil fuel. Natural gas filling stations are rare, and Phills cost $4000 retail. The car itself is also more expensive.

Brave New Leaf says: The Honda Civic GX NGV is theoretically the greenest car on the market. You pay for that green though: the car and the private filling station are expensive. Still, with a $4k federal tax credit and further local incentives for Phills, this might be an interesting option for an adventurous homeowner. Living in a high-rise condo building, this option is not for me.

4. Hybrid Vehicle

What is it? You should know by now. It's your current, gas, natural gas, or diesel-powered car with some batteries to capture the kinetic energy your car produces to be used to further power the car. Sometimes your car runs from battery (usually 0-30mph), sometimes from the combustion engine. Hybrids give you higher gas mileage.

Pros: Get better mileage and lower emissions (mostly for city driving). There are lots of hybrid options on the market now, many of which have federal tax credits to offset the additional expense. Many states also have cool local incentives too (like you can skip your emissions checks, driving in HOV lanes, or free parking).

Cons: You pay more for your vehicle. The vehicle still uses gasoline. Potential loss in acceleration power. If you're a highway driver, might not be worth it. Repair costs and battery replacement costs could be significant. Reeks of smugness.

Careful of myths: There was a 'study' done about a year ago citing that a Hummer is more environmentally friendly than a Prius, thanks to manufacturing costs. This study was a load of crap, and built on all kinds of incorrect data, including the assumption that a Hummer's roadlife is 300k miles, and a Prius only gets 100k. It's critical to question the full carbon lifecycle of our vehicles, but in this case: it's bad data, and it's simply untrue.

Brave New Leaf says: At the end of the day, the hybrid story is all about gas mileage. Yes, carbon used in manufacturing is also important, but the manufacturing footprint is only 10-15% of the car's full lifecycle footprint. The rest is fuel.

When it comes to fuel, there are cars like the Toyota Yaris that get good mileage without the hybrid engine. And there are hybrid SUVs, like the Lexus Rx Hybrid, that get mediocre mileage with the hybrid engine. Consider the class of vehicle that you really need and the type of driving that you do, and max out the mileage you can get in that class: hybrid or not.

To sum up, here is a list of the greenest vehicles commercially available today.

Green Cars of the Future

5. Electric Cars /  Plug-In Hybrids

What is it? Wouldn't it be cool if your hybrid could get a charge from out of your garage wall that could let it drive without any gas for 100 miles a charge? And wouldn't it be cooler if when you ran out of electrical energy, your normal gas/ethanol/biodiesel engine could kick in? This is where the electric car is going.

Pros: We have an existing distribution infrastructure in our electrical grid. When running on electrical, the car itself creates zero emissions. Even factoring in grid emissions, the carbon footprint of an electric car is smaller. Next logical step for owners of hybrids.

Cons: If power is drawn from the grid, it's still taken from greenhouse gas producing sources (coal, natural gas, etc.). Some complain of loss of acceleration, though car manufacturers are getting better at producing 'zippy' electric cars. Range of electric car may be smaller than today, but if they are hybrids, this may not be a problem. Production models cost more than $100k.

Brave New Leaf says: This is a sensible next step in the evolution of hybrids. Particularly in Western Washington, where much of our electrical energy comes from hydroelectric power, this is a very sensible way to further green your car. As renewable energy becomes a larger and larger percentage of the nation's electrical grid, this could aid our country in producing less emissions.

Today you can't buy a plug-in model, but some conversion kits are available if you have mad cash. Keep your eyes open and wait it out.

6. Hydrogen Fuel Cells

What is it? Mix hydrogen, the most plentiful element in the universe, with oxygen, an abundant element of our atmosphere and make car go!

Pros: Car itself can be considered zero emissions; smashing hydrogen and oxygen together only produces clean, drinkable water!

Cons: Unless you're ready to take a trip to the sun, hydrogen isn't just lying around. Today, making hydrogen takes lots of fossil fuels, either burned directly or taken from the electrical grid (which also burns fossil fuels).

Also, there is no current distribution infrastructure for this fuel. And you can't buy a fuel cell car yet (maybe around 2010). Manufacturing the fuel cell requires expensive and difficult to mine materials. Despite the enthusiasm surrounding their potential, hydrogen cars can still be considered an unsolved problem.

Brave New Leaf says: Don't even worry about these right now. Maybe they'll figure it out, maybe they won't, but it won't be a realistic alternative for a while.

Other ways of getting around:

With all of the focus on automobiles, it's important to remember there are completely different alternatives for getting around:

• Buy a motorcycle or scooter. Even Vespa go 74 mphs and get 64 mpg. Plus, you'll look cool.
• Take the bus. Taking public transportation reduces your footprint more than driving a Prius. Even more if your transportation fleet uses energy-efficient buses or trains.
• Buy a commuter car. On second thought, scratch that. I still can't look at these things without cracking up.
• Look into electric bikes. If you're like me, you'd love to ride your bike to work in the summer, but are too out of shape to do so and have lots of hills in your way. An electric bike might give you the pick up that you need to make biking convenient so you don't arrive a sweaty mess every morning.  New models are looking sleeker and sleeker.