You’re ready to kick carbon to the curb, but you’re not sure which kind of car will work best for you. With oil prices spiking, temperatures rising, and the public crying for relief, automakers are scrambling to offer consumers alternatives to pollution-spewing gas-guzzlers. Here are the specs on the best available technologies – flex-fuel, diesel, and hybrid.
Three carbon-cutting car technologies compared
FLEX-FUEL
2006 Nissan Titan Crew Cab
MPG: 14 city/19 highway (gas only); 10/14 (E85) average annual fuel cost: $2,766 (gas only); $3,011 (E85)
Price: $26,250 to $35,900
Special sensors mean flex-fuel car owners can fill up with either gasoline or an ethanol blend and the vehicle will automatically adjust to the mix. Although the engines can run on any gas and ethanol/alcohol combination, for now there are only two options at the pump: E10 (10 percent ethanol, 90 percent gasoline) and E85 (85 percent ethanol, 15 percent gasoline).
WIRED
• With homegrown E85, at least 85 percent of your dollars stay in the US.
• No sticker shock. These cars cost the same as internal combustion models.
• E85 emits 30 percent less greenhouse gases than gasoline.
TIRED
• Big subsidies for Big Agriculture (think Archer Daniels Midland).
• Good luck finding E85. Of 165,000 stations in the US, only about 685 sell the stuff (with most in the Midwest).
• Oil’s new best friend – gasoline retailers get a $30,000 tax deduction every time they add an E85 fuel pump.
DIESEL
Mercedes E320 CDI sedan
MPG: 27 city/37 highway
average annual fuel cost: $1,449
Price: $51,825
Forget the smelly, smoke-spewing chuggers of yesteryear. By 2007, 80 percent of the diesel for cars in the US will be as clean as the diesel Europeans have enjoyed for years. Expect carmakers like Volkswagen and DaimlerChrysler to debut clean diesel engines this fall. As the dark horse of green auto tech, diesel is poised for success: Starting this summer, gas retailers across the US will be required to carry the eco-friendly fuel.
WIRED
• 25 percent more fuel efficient than the average all-gas engine.
• Keeps some of your dollars stateside: Most common clean biodiesel blend, B20, is 20 percent homegrown refined soybeans.
• B20 reduces CO2 emissions by about 15 percent over hydrocarbon diesel.
TIRED
• Cost more than all-gas cars.
• 100-plus blends of diesel available – drivers will have to watch what they pour.
• Pure biodiesel gels in cold weather (B20 solidifies just below freezing).
HYBRID
2008 Lexus LS 600h L
MPG: Est. low 20s
average annual fuel cost: $1,819 est.
Price: $100,000 est.
The Prius isn’t the only hybrid. The first models were designed solely for fuel efficiency, but lately the trend has been more horsepower with only token MPG increases, like the Lexus featured here. In two to three years, new ethanol and diesel hybrids should give us both top-notch power and fuel efficiency.
WIRED
• No other green tech beats hybrids for fuel efficiency, carbon cutting, and horsepower.
• In some states, a hybrid is a free pass for a solo driver to ride in the carpool lane.
• Save up to $3,400 with a federal tax credit (additional state benefits vary).
TIRED
• Expect to pay about $5,000 more for a hybrid than for an all-gas vehicle.
• Your results may vary: EPA currently overstates the MPG of all hybrids.
• Slow adoption: Hybrids still make up only 1.2 percent of the market.
- Lou Ann Hammond
credit:Mondolithic Studios
2006 Nissan Titan Crew Cab, Mercedes E320 CDI sedan and 2008 Lexus LS 600h L
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