Carbon foot print, carbon emissions, and even more buzzwords are appearing more frequently in the media and even our every day conversations.
In the last couple of years, carbon emissions have become an issue of contention for new and used car owners. Motorists are being encouraged by both politicians and the media to downsize their vehicles and reduce their carbon footprint.
Large cities, such as London, now have a Congestion Zone, where you are taxed for every little bit of distance you travel in it. There is a suggestion that it will shift to incorporate vehicle emissions by the end of 2009, making it more a low carbon zone than a congestion zone.
Some manufacturers including Saab, think that bio powered or Flex-Fuel cars (ie. Cars which can run on emissions free E85 ethanol or petrol or a combination of the two) are the solution. However, the infrastructure required to set up ethanol filling station pumps, let alone ethanol refineries on a national scale is years away.
Instead, we must embrace the more obvious but mass scale breakthroughs that are happening today. No car manufacturer has been so readily willing to change as BMW.
It’s ‘efficient dynamics’ programme has re-engineered its cars at a phenomenal rate from engine tuning to incorporating regenerative braking technology throughout the range.
The Mini Cooper Diesel, available mid 09 in Oz, is now the cleanest car BMW has ever built, having a combined fuel consumption figure of 3.9l / 100kms and emitting just 104g/km of carbon dioxide emissions – tailpipe emissions that were unfeasible three years ago. These emissions savings even extend to the 5-series saloon where the 2.0-litre diesel version emits just 136g/km – about the same amount as a hatchback.
Simultaneously, Mercedes released the E 320 BLUETEC in the States. It became the first diesel engine to pass California’s stringent vehicle emissions tests, achieved by developing a urea injection system (yep, that’s basically wee) to pump a small amount of ammonia-based acid into the exhaust stream, neutralizing the harmful emissions. As a result, it was voted “World Green Car of the Year 2007”.
But in the future, Mercedes Benz reckons we will adopt DiesOtto technology, which basically fuses the talents of both petrol and diesel engines together. This technology was unveiled in the shape of the F700 Concept and a compact four-cylinder turbocharged engine with unparalleled power, torque and flexibility. Ignore the fact that the F700 is more than five metres in length… it’s a luxury performance saloon that has the same economy and emissions as a diesel supermini.
In Japan, Mazda has become the world’s first car manufacturer to begin commercial leasing of a hydrogen hybrid vehicle; the first units will be delivered to local government authorities and energy-related companies during 2009.
The Mazda features a hybrid drivetrain which combines Mazda’s hydrogen rotary engine with an electric motor. The engine output is converted to electricity, which then powers the motor that drives the wheels. This hybrid system boosts the hydrogen fuel range to 200 kilometres.
Mazda’s latest eco-car features many other forward-looking environmental technologies, including Mazda’s proprietary dual-fuel system, which enables the car to run on gasoline if hydrogen is unavailable, and interior parts made from Mazda’s plant-derived Biotechmaterials.
While hydrogen technology in Australian driven cars is probably some way off, generally because of the cost of setting up infrastructure vs population, BMW technology is here now. Read on and find out what smart car has to offer with its new hybrid capable of under 4-litres per 100kms, and yes it’s official. The smart fortwo micro hybrid drive (mhd) is currently Australia’s greenest car.
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