Forbes: Top 12 Greenest Cars

[Atomb]

http://www.forbes.com/energy/2...r=rssV ... ix/Corrola didn't make the list....of course most are hybrids, but it's interesting to note the non-hybrids in the list!

[Vibr8tr]

You know what I don't like about all the hybrids. Though they get phenominal MPG... the highway is always lower. I spend 90% of my driving on the highway....

[WaveAction]

thats good out of the 12..there were only 6 hybrids..the others wernt..focus, elantra, spectra, mazda 3, altima, and ion..i know my car is pretty clean too, had .1 CO and that was it

[Vibe_dude]

Wow was shocked to see the ION there....it has the same engine as the g5 and cobalt but no mention of those 2 sweet rides.????

[TJinPgh]

It must really be nice to have a virtually endless budget like the editors of Forbes. It allows you to really blur the lines of what is or isn't "economical."While the Civic Hybrid may be "economical" to drive, it's not exactly "economical" to both OWN and drive.Given the difference in cost between the Civic Hybrid sedan and the standard Civic Sedan, compared against the EPA average fuel costs for those vehicles per year, it will take you over 17 YEARS to break even on the costs. Long after the typical original buyer will own it. So, it MAY be environmentally friendly, but it's hardly wallet friendly.As a side note, it should also be mentioned that the Hyundai Elantra and Kia Spectra are essentially the same car and should probably be mentioned together rather than separately. It would be like listing the Vibe and Matrix separately (although many lists do).

[vibe-04]

Also, not much discussion in the media has been place on the energy/pollution required to create hybrids. Quote" The EPA bases a car's air pollution score on the vehicle's output of substances that produce smog and cause health problems. "Then process to create, operate and dispose of a car -- the entire lifecycle -- should be included. I found this editorial http://greenmesh.com/2007/03/u...s.phpas an example of alternate way of looking at the effectiveness of hybrids. The nickle required to make the batteries generate tremendous amounts of pollution.Then there is the safety factor. I sure as hell wouldn't want to be a firefighter using the jaws of life or a saws-all on a hybrid. Presumably, they have an auto cutoff switch similar to a fuel pump cutoff but would you want to find out after accident if it did? And just wait until the weekend mechanic warriors try to short together batteries to "boost" performance and next thing you know we've got exploding cars like Dell exploding laptops.I think hybrids are a step in the right direction but not the absolute answer. And don't get me started on the inefficiency of corn to create biofuel. It needs massive petrochemical fertilizers to grow. I read that corn consumes 1/5 of all U.S. consumption of fuel (fertilizer, tractors for planting, and movement to market). Sure if this was Brazil and sugar cane grew like a weed but it ain't.If everyone drove a fuel efficient Vibe, we'd be buying gas at a buck a gallon again, maybe.OK, off the soap box and back to work.Andrew

[Atomb]

Quote, originally posted by vibe-04 »I think hybrids are a step in the right direction but not the absolute answer. key words...it's not the holy grail...but we can't exactly sit around for the second coming to fix our problems and continue down our current path in the meantime.RE: TJ's comments.You are right...hybrids are NOT cheap and there needs to be efforts into reducing these costs (i'm sure a lot is currently being done).But the gist of the list was to point out least polluting cars...Forbes view on 'economical' is not the average american's.

[engineertwin2]

Quote, originally posted by Vibr8tr »You know what I don't like about all the hybrids. Though they get phenominal MPG... the highway is always lower. I spend 90% of my driving on the highway.... This is because most hybrids have regenerative braking, allowing the batteries to reclaim some of that motive energy while coming to a stop.Consequently, you do a lot more stopping and going in city driving conditions (whether on the highway or on the main/side streets), so you have more energy recaptured in city driving, and thus improved gas mileage.

[TJinPgh]

The funny part is that I heard earlier that they are having a very difficult time getting the Prius to pass the Georgia emissions test.Apparently, they conduct the test at a certain idle speed. But, once the Prius hits that idle it shuts down to conserve fuel. The problem is it apparently shuts down before they can complete the tests. So, the Prius scores an "incomplete" on the emissions tests, which is viewed as a failure by the computer.Hehe.

[VivaVibe]

From the article, "In determining the entrants on our list, we evaluated only one vehicle per model range: the cleanest one. In other words, we considered Ford Motor's Escape Hybrid SUV for the list, but not the regular, non-hybrid Escape."This would explain the absence of many vehicles. The article would be more useful if it listed the top 3 or 5 in each class. We can't all afford the top vehicle. But, many people buying #2 and #3 would make a big difference for those wanting to improve the total emissions.