Subcompact, Green Cars, Hybrids, Alternative Fuel

Making sense of the car industry buzz words

We’re mussing things together when it comes to fuel economy and how it relates to the current economic condition, including the state of the automotive industry. Advertisements talk about low cost or hybrid this or diesel fuel that. The government is mandating what kind of vehicle implementation? What does it all mean?

When you review and purchase a vehicle, don’t be confused with the mix of current car lingo. Make sure you understand the difference and decide what’s most important to you. Price of the car upfront? Long-term fuel-efficiency? Super-low emissions?

There are several distinct phrases that car ads and the automotive industry have buzzed around lately. They are different and though some aspects cross over, they are not synonymous.

The current car lingo phrases are:

Small Cars

Low Carbon-Footprint Cars

High MPG Cars

Hybrids Cars

Electric Cars

Diesel Cars

Alternative Fuel Cars

The Ever-Shrinking Small Cars, Compact Cars, Sub-Compact Cars

Have you ever heard of a Hummer? An H2? A Suburban? You might remember those, but their names are pretty much dirty words these days.

As gas prices blew holes in the ceilings, thousands of consumers turned to smaller cars that traditionally consume less gasoline. But the new compact and sub-compact vehicles that are hitting the roads these days do not necessarily mean they have a low-carbon footprint, even if they sip gas.

Green Cars, Eco-Friendly Cars, Low-Carbon Footprint Cars

That’s not to say all of these “little ones” jaunting around town aren’t trying to be good for the environment too. These eco-terms (green car, low-carbon footprint cars, eco-friendly cars, and good for the environment cars) are flying around our media faster and busier than a swarm of bees knocked out of a nest.

Of course our vehicles have a significant contribution to the carbon dioxide pollution. But there are several aspects that make a car “green,” including carbon emissions, soot emissions, how the car was made, the materials used to make the car (and interior), and how the car can be recycled.

And just because a car is small doesn’t mean it’s “green.” On the reverse, some manufacturers are making large vehicles, like SUVs and trucks that have amazingly low carbon emissions, therefore a low impact on the environment and air quality.

Hybrid Cars

Now here’s where high fuel-efficiency and low carbon-footprint meet. While there are many forms of “hybrids,” the type that’s being talked about the most is cars that have special engines that are part electric and part gasoline. [Read more about hybrid cars].

Hybrid vehicles come in all shapes and sizes—small cars, sedans, sub-compact cars, SUVs, and some trucks. There are certain economic benefits of a hybrid such as higher gas mileage (less money spent at the pump) and tax credits, but hybrid technology is much more expensive to produce than traditional gasoline cars.

Fuel-Efficient Cars, Fuel-Economic Cars, Vehicles with High MPG

Some small cars get great gas mileage—25-35 mpg. Some hybrids get the same or a little better. Larger hybrid SUVs mostly get better gas mileage than their gasoline counterparts, but they’re barely around 20-25 mpg.

Diesel fuel gets the best miles per gallon. Period. However, only a few have mastered the low-carbon footprint thing. In addition, many of the smaller, subcompact cars mentioned above also get fantastic gas mileage, but they may or may not be hybrids.

Also, keep in mind that the mpg given you on the sticker is just an estimate. Your car may get slightly lower than (or sometimes higher) what’s listed due to driver habits and other environmental aspects. Read more on [fuel saving tips for your car].

Electric Cars

When electric vehicles emerged a few years ago, they took 5-6 hours to charge, were very slow and weak on power, and could only go a short distance before needing a recharge. Now, electric cars have the capacity to run more that 340 miles on a single charge, can top out at 300 mph, and go 0-60 in 4 seconds. Though those high marks aren’t average, it’s now possible. And more electric vehicles are slowly emerging in the market.

It’ll be a long time—if ever—before we see lots of electric cars on the roads. Many changes in our infrastructure need to occur before that becomes plausible.

Diesel Cars

BMW recently launched an ad campaign promoting the fuel efficiency of diesel fueled cars, and it’s true. Diesel fuel has higher energy content than gasoline, 30% farther on a gallon of diesel, and emits less carbon dioxide than traditional gasoline.

So why aren’t we all driving diesel cars? First, it’s takes about 25% more oil to make a gallon of diesel. Second, even though it emits less carbon dioxide, there are more soot particles released into the air that contribute to air pollution. And third, Americans still have leftover memories of the shaky, dirty, smelly cars from in the ’70s.

However, great strides have been made to reduce those toxins, and the new diesel cars available now are smoother, cleaner and sometimes more powerful than their gasoline counterparts.

Alternative Fuel Vehicles

Alternative Fuel Vehicles are cars that have been engineered to run on sources of fuel other than gasoline—called flex-fuel vehicles. Types of fuel include ethanol, biodiesel, natural gas, propane and hydrogen.

While each of these types of alternative fuels have their benefits and drawbacks (and tax incentives), alternative fuel cars constitute only a small percentage of vehicles sold in America today. One of the primary drawbacks is the lack of infrastructure to support these types of fuel. It is one thing to have a car that doesn’t run on foreign oil, emits little to no pollutants, and isn’t any more expensive than gasoline. It’s another to actually have an available fuel station to fill up your alternative fuel vehicle.