The Most Environmentally Friendly Car Brands
Many car brands have risen to the challenge of tackling man-made climate change. In trying to better protect our environment, they have provided alternatives to the standard issued, petrol-fueled cars. Here are some car brands and models that are at the forefront.
Toyota
The world’s market leader in sales of electric hybrid vehicles, Toyota was the first company to commercially mass-produce them. They are one of the largest companies to encourage implementation of these vehicles across the globe. They have an extensive hybrid range, a plug-in model, all-electric vehicles, and hydrogen fuel cell-based cars, all being sold in over 90 countries.
Their first full hybrid electric car was the Prius, having been manufactured since 1997. It has an electric motor and an internal combustion engine. In this way, it produces less emission and has a higher fuel economy. During braking, waste energy is converted into electricity which in turn recharges the car’s battery.
Honda
The experts at Honda have developed high-level hybrid solutions. They came up with the Clarity Plug-in Hybrid. Its electric power system lowers fuel consumption substantially. It is a powerful car that is recommended for bumpy terrain, as it can take it.
Chevrolet
The Electric Chevy Volt has two electric motors that make for optimal fuel efficiency. It offers 675 km with a full charge and full tank of gas. So you can charge it and put in gas if you need to. It also has regenerative braking, which captures kinetic energy and transfers it back to the battery.
Ford
Ford’s EcoBoost engines are lighter, smaller, and equipped with the latest emission reducing technologies. They gave us an electric variant of their Focus range. It runs on 23-kilowatt lithium-ion batteries. You can get an app that shows you the carbon emission that you avoided and alerts you to nearby charging stations.
Hyundai
Hyundai is one of the oldest car brands to develop flexible-fuel vehicles, having done so since 1988. Their Hyundai Ioniq model is a jack of all trades. You can use it as a petrol-electric hybrid, a plug-in, or as a straight-up electric vehicle. It’s constructed out of carbon fiber and the interior’s made out of natural fibers. It is the most efficient mass-produced hybrid vehicle, and one of the most family-friendly.
It’s worth noting that one of their endeavors involves creating highly efficient sports car models. This is a move in the right direction, as these high-powered cars pollute more.
Nissan
Nissan has a focus on aerodynamic design and low consumption technologies. They created the Leaf, a car whose interior is made out of 60% recyclable plastic. And get this, when the car’s outlived its usefulness, it won’t go to the scrapheap. 99% of the car is recyclable. It’s fully electric and has zero tailpipe emissions. It is the world’s best selling electric car to date.
Tesla
This one’s probably a no-brainer. Out of all car brands, Tesla stands alone as it only makes electric vehicles. They also manufacture and sell solar-related products like solar panels and solar roof tiles. Their overall goal is to make electric cars affordable to the average customer. They see themselves as much as a software company as a Motor company, describing their cars as “computers on wheels”.
The Tesla Model S offers the longest pure electric range. It can go from 0 to 100km in as little as 2.6 seconds. It also has autopilot capabilities. There’s no engine, just two motors, so the front serves as a trunk as well(a frunk). It has a lot of bells and whistles aside from its environmental upsides, so it’s a fairly luxurious option. It is the second most-sold electric car worldwide. During their lifetime, they emit roughly half the amount than that of comparable fossil-fueled cars.
