Earth, Wind & Power Blogazine

Need to Rent a Car? Rent a Hybrid

Next time you need to rent a car for whatever reason, why not try a fuel-efficient hybrid? With fuel-economy becoming top of mind, more rental companies have established a hybrid fleet, so not only will you be driving around a low-emissions vehicle, you will also save some cash on gas. Now that isn’t something to complain about.

Most rental companies, like Avis, have a small fleet of hybrid cars and SUVs ready to hit the road when you are. Not only will you get to be eco-friendly for your trip, you will also get to experience what it’s like to get behind the wheel of a hybrid, just in case you were in the market for one yourself. Over 25 percent of the Avis fleet gets 30-mpg highway, so next time you are looking to rent a car, no matter what company you use, inquire about renting a hybrid or something that gets good fuel-economy.

A Little Greener With Hybrid Cars

As the U.S. economy continues to sputter out of the recession, the American people are still pinching pennies; and cars using alternative fuels such as hybrids are rising in popularity. The hybrid is becoming more popular among consumers because the benefits are not only economical, helping consumers save at the pump; they benefit the environment as well.

But if you are a little confused as to what defines a hybrid, here it is. A hybrid car is basically a normal, fuel-efficient car with two motors - one electric and one gasoline powered. You get the best of both worlds. The electric motors use no energy during idle and use less gas at lower speeds. Gas motors do better at high speeds and deliver more power. That means during rush hour and stop and go traffic, the electric motor does not produce any exhaust, reducing smog levels.  Once you reach higher speeds, the gas motor kicks in. Fuel-efficiency is greater in hybrids- ranging from 48 to 60 mpg, which also cuts emissions by 25 to 30 percent. Good for the wallet and the environment!

Learn more about the Hybrid advantage.

Dirty Cabin Air Filters Can Hamper Easy Breathing Inside Car

Brought to you by Car Care Council

During the hot summer months, contaminants, such as pollen, dust, mold spores and smog, can easily enter a vehicle's passenger compartment through the air conditioning, heating and ventilation systems, making the air in the car six times dirtier than the air outside, cautions the Car Care Council.

Motorists can protect themselves and their passengers from these containments by replacing the vehicle's cabin air filter annually or more often in areas with heavy containments, or whenever heating or cooling efficiency is reduced. Cabin air filters clean the incoming air and remove allergens - especially beneficial to people who suffer from allergies.

If your vehicle is model year 2000 or newer, there's a good chance it is equipped with a cabin air filter.

"There are about 30 million vehicles in North America that currently have cabin air filters," said Rich White, executive director of the Car Care Council. "However, most people have never heard of a cabin air filter or don't know if their vehicle is equipped with one. Vehicle owners should refer to their owners' manuals for this information."

If the cabin air filter is not replaced, it can cause musty odors in the vehicle, and over time, the heater and air conditioner may become damaged by corrosion. A dirty or clogged cabin air filter can also cause containments to become so concentrated in the cabin that passengers actually breathe in more fumes and particles when riding in the car compared to walking down the street. 

Better Driving Habits Help the Environment

Brought to you by ASE - National Institute for Automotive Service Excellence

Motorists can help the environment and their own finances by altering a few habits. “Regular vehicle maintenance and better driving habits are two simple ways car owners can go-green,” notes Martin Lawson, ASE’s editorial director.

 

Here are a few specific, easy-to-implement tips from ASE:

 

• Keep the engine running at its peak performance—a misfiring spark plug can reduce fuel efficiency as much as 30 percent. Replace filters and fluids as recommended in the manual. A well-tuned engine pollutes less and uses less. Moreover, neglected engine performance problems can cause costly repairs over time

• If you do your own repairs, be a good steward. Dispose of engine fluids and batteries properly. A single quart of used motor oil can pollute thousands of gallons of water. Anti-freeze poured on the ground can poison wildlife and household pets. Check around at local repair facilities to see if they accept used fluids and parts, or call your local government for information on proper disposal.

• Keep tires properly inflated and aligned. If your air pressure is low, you force the engine to work harder, and burn more gasoline. Tires that are misaligned also make your vehicle work harder. Consider, too, that poorly maintained tires wear out faster, which means more discards have to be scraped, recycled, or sent to the landfill. 

• If weekend car tinkering is not your idea of fun, find a good technician. Ask friends for recommendations. Check the reputation of the repair shop with your local consumer group. Check out the technicians’ credentials. ASE-certified auto technicians have passed one or more national exams in specialties such as engine performance and air conditioning.

• Have your vehicle’s air conditioner serviced only by a technician qualified to handle and recycle refrigerants. Older air conditioners contain ozone-depleting chemicals, which could be released into the atmosphere through improper service.

• Avoid speeding and sudden accelerations. Both habits guzzle gas and put out extra wear and tear on your vehicles engine, transmission, steering, and suspension, and other components.

• Cconsolidate daily errands to eliminate unnecessary driving. When waiting for friends or family, shut off the engine.

• Remove excess items from the vehicle since less weight means better mileage. Remove that roof-top luggage carrier after vacations to reduce air drag.

While there is no single vehicle that’s ideal for every lifestyle, regular car care and gentler driving lets your maximize gas mileage for your particular make and model—saving you money and helping the environment.

   

Visit www.ase.com for additional information, including seasonal car care tips.

Prepare you Car for Spring, Get a Green Oil Change!

Next time you find yourself thinking about what you can do for the environment whether it is recycling, planting a tree, turning off lights when you’re not in a room, consider taking another small step to making a big change — take your vehicle to a fast lube center for its next oil change. Going green with your car isn’t just about fuel efficiency, alternative fuels, and hybrid automobiles. It’s about keeping your maintenance eco-friendly too. By visiting a fast lube center you can protect the water you drink.

If you change your own motor oil, what do you do with the used oil? Pouring it down the drain or dumping it on the ground or in the trash may not seem like a problem, but these disposal methods allow the oil to seep into the ground water. Four pints of waste oil can ruin 1 million gallons of water, which is a year's supply for 50 people, according to the Automotive Oil Change Association.

Almost half of the U.S. population relies on groundwater for their drinking water supply and the United States uses 83.3 billion gallons per day of fresh ground water, so protecting it is vital.

Taking your car to your local fast lube center will help protect the ground water. If you bring your car to a fast lube center for an oil change, the used oil from your car will be properly stored and recycled. If you do change your oil yourself, most fast lube centers also accept used oil from do-it-yourselfers. Either way, you are doing your part to keep used oil out of drains and landfills so our drinking water supply will be cleaner and safer to drink.

 

Click here for more articles on green car care from Road & Travel Magazine.

Steps to a Greener Car

By Erin marquis

Want a green vehicle? Your average gas powered car could be closer to environmentally friendly than you might think. Here are so steps you can take to make your car run great, look great, and save the planet.

1. Check out Your Tires: Tires keep at the proper pressure can save you a lot of gas in the long run.  

2. Smaller vehicle, newer vehicle: if you’re driving an older car, or an SUV, now might be the time to move to a smaller more fuel efficient vehicle.

3. Go Slow!: Lowering your speed on the highway will save a lot of gas. Today’s cars are manufactured to be most fuel efficient when driven at 55 mph. Drive at 70 mph, and you will be getting at least 5% less, miles-per-gallon, than if you drive at 55!

4. Preventative Maintenance: The best way to get the best mileage from your vehicle is to keep your vehicle well maintained. An engine that is not regularly serviced will burn more gas. Preventive maintenance saves you money in the long run, by maintaining your car’s fuel economy.

5. Control your right foot!: Gentle acceleration and gentle braking can save you up to 10% of your gas used. Vehicles are most inefficient when accelerating quickly away from rest. So, take it slowly and save gas.

Five Ways to Greener Driving

By Liz Kaadou

If the world were an eco-oasis, we would all proudly drive swanky electric cars, jump on the super efficient subway or simply stroll to our desired destination.  But the world is not that perfect, and with work, school, the gym, errands and anything else penciled on our “to-do-list," being environmentally friendly is sometimes the last thing on our minds.  To make life a bit easier and driving a bit more “greenified,” here are five practical ways to take your car rides to the green level.

 

1)  Take the Junk out of your Trunk - we tend to accumulate everything from soccer balls to pop bottles in our trunks, and adding extra weight to your car only guzzles more gas. Try emptying your trunk and throwing away the junk every night to ensure a swift car ride the next morning.

 

2) Be Creative with Carpooling - find some buddies at work or school that live nearby and set up a car sharing schedule.  Not only is it a great way to reduce pollution but it saves you money at the pump!

 

3) Keep a Detailed Drive Schedule - keeping a schedule of all your driving destinations for the day will allow you to plan the best routes and group errands that are close to each other, thereby avoiding any unnecessary travel.

 

4) Shade Yourself - a simple way to reduce energy use is to invest in window shades. These inventive devices keep your car cooler during warm weather so your A/C can take a breather!

 

5) Fuel up at Night - Heading to the gas station later in the day is actually a plus for the environment. When you fill up your tank at the station, fumes are created by the patron in gas and are more potent during the day because the temperature is warmer.  At night, less gas evaporates, lessening the potent fumes released in our atmosphere.

 

For more eco-friendly driving advice, visit RTM's Earth Tones section.

 

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Maximizing and Maintaining Hybrid Car Performance

About to take the plunge and purchase your first hybrid? Take a moment to get familiar with the maintenance involved in ownership. Now that hybrids have become more established in the market, potential buyers can even save on their purchase by buying them used. Car Coach Lauren Fix offers these tips for taking awesome care of your newest eco-friendly venture:

1. Read the owners manual! "This is the book in your glove box under all the napkins and ketchup packs." Lauren admits it's not a great novel, but there is a lot of very useful information in there. Remember: they wouldn't pay for it to be printed if it didn't matter.
2. Remember to change the Inverter Coolant! For many hybrids this should be done during the 30,000 mile service, so when purchasing a used hybrid, be sure to ask for all receipts!
3. Oil and oil filter changes need to occur every 3,000-5,000 miles. Synthetic oil is recommended and will extend the life to 7500 -10000 miles between oil changes.
4. Remember to change the Inverter Coolant! For many hybrids this should be done during the 30,000 mile service, so when purchasing a used hybrid, be sure to ask for all receipts!

Read the full RTM article here.

Tips for Buying a Used Hybrid

Shopping for a car is never an easy task especially if it is a hybrid, but don't worry you don't have to spend a fortune to get the hybrid you want. There are plenty of quality hybrids that have made their rounds once before, all you have to do is consider a few key factors before your purchase.

Just like any used car run a vehicle history report, such as those offered by CarFax. Reports like these can give you valuable insight into how many different owners the hybrid car has had as well as alert you to any reported accidents involving the particular car. Look for certified pre-owned vehicles if buying from a dealer or have it inspected by an auto shop

A low mileage used hybrid car is generally better than a high mileage used hybrid car. So far hybrid cars have been as reliable as their non-hybrid counterparts, and when there have been problems, manufacturers have set things right.

One of the biggest concerns relating to buying a used hybrid car is the hybrid battery. Each hybrid car manufacturer has different warranties for their hybrid components; batteries can be expensive when the warranty is up so ask about extending the warranty.

Click here for more information on buying a used hybrid.

Hit the Road with Solar Powered RV's

Tired of being confined to certain RV parks because you need electricity? Would you like to be independent of these confinements and gas costs?

Consider trying RV Solar Panel Kits, they can give you the freedom to travel anywhere you want for as long as you want without worry. Your generator will now act as an accessory rather than a necessity and may eliminate it all together.

A Solar Power Panel or Kit is designed to keep your RV batteries charged so you can have light and operate other RV appliances. This allows you to go anywhere you want in the USA. Every year thousands of people install solar charging systems on their RVs. Why? A solar system can put an end to battery worries, allowing you to dry camp without giving up the luxury of elecricity. From simple battery maintenance to full-time live aboard power, Solar RV Kits come in a range of sizes and can be installed on RVs, campers, trailers, fifth wheels and motor homes.

Click here for more on RV solar panels.

Things to Consider When Choosing a Solar Battery