By Elena Voropay

When you think about vehicle damage, what comes to mind? Probably crashed cars on the road. Indeed, hundreds of thousands of people die and millions get injured each year as the result of accidents on the road involving cars and other types of vehicles. But this is not the only negative effect of driving a car. Vehicles with petrol driven internal combustion engines produce dangerous waste products which are toxic to our health, animal life and the environment.

Carbon Monoxide (CO) is an odorless, colorless, but potentially deadly gas created by the incomplete combustion of any carbon-containing fuel, including gasoline and diesel. When inhaled, CO combines with the hemoglobin in our blood and impairing the flow of oxygen to the brain and other parts of the body. Many people are killed by carbon monoxide poisoning when they stay in vehicles in closed garages, during fires, or in homes when indoor CO concentrations are raised by malfunctioning stoves or furnaces. Even if you prevent these cases, simply constantly inhaling CO from the air may permanently damage your nervous system and heart.

Oxides of Nitrogen, another culprit in raising air pollution levels, when released from the operating vehicles react in the atmosphere to form Nitrogen Dioxide (NO₂) which can have adverse effects on health, particularly among people with respiratory illnesses. Long term exposure may affect lung function and increase the response to allergens in sensitive people. NOx also contributes to smog formation and acid rain endangering crops and adding to the ground Ozone Level formation – the well-known Greenhouse effect. 

The release of Carbon Dioxide from the fuel is the most important contributor of the greenhouse gases bringing on Climate Change, increasing the frequency and intensity of heatwaves, floods, droughts and storms.

What you can do

Cars are wonderful things that get you going almost anywhere regardless of weather or distance. But you have to pay for such convenience, and sometimes the price may not be worth it. However, you can still enjoy the best of both worlds if you choose wisely.

Cleaner cars

Are there any cars that are environmentally clean, inexpensive and show excellent performance? The answer to this question is not easy to find, but the automotive technology is moving in the right direction. Recent technological advances, particularly in hydrogen fuel cell design, give a few alternative options that provide a very good answer to carbon dioxide emission problems emanating from the use of fossil fuel hungry cars. Using lighter materials, recyclable bio-plastics made from plant fibre, direct fuel injection, streamlined bodywork and a slew of other technological advances make the newer arrivals to the car market much “greener” than their older counterparts.

The Hydrogen Choice

Hydrogen is the most abundant element in the universe and produces significant amounts of energy when burned, leaving nothing but water vapor. Sounds like a perfect solution for all pollution woes, doesn't it? Well, it is, and if the technological problems related to storing hydrogen reliably without jeopardizing safety or cost can be resolved, will be living in a much greener world indeed.

Two kinds of engines can use hydrogen as a fuel – an internal combustion engine much like every other engine on the road today only converted for hydrogen use and second alternative a fuel cell generating electricity from hydrogen and driving the electric motors propelling the car. Internal combustion engines have powered cars since they first began to replace horse-drawn carriages more than 100 years ago and can be converted to run on a variety of fuels, including hydrogen. When hydrogen burns, the only by-product is water – not the polluting cocktail given off by burning petrol and other fossil fuels.

Engines with fuel cells make electricity as they go and you don't need to recharge them, unlike batteries which store electric power.

Fuel cell technology forces hydrogen fuel to combine with oxygen from the air . This produces water and electricity. Fuel cell engine is much more efficient then an internal combustion engine running on hydrogen - you can travel twice the distance on the same amount of hydrogen using a fuel cell car instead of a converted internal combustion vehicle.

With its many advantages, hydrogen has downfalls. Because at normal temperatures this chemical is a gas, it needs to be liquefied for compression in the car tank, otherwise a filling stop will be needed every few kilometers. Liquefaction requires a lot of energy – an estimated 20–40 per cent of the fuel energy. Additionally, tanks designed to hold hydrogen at extremely high pressures are heavy and expensive. These are the largest problems as far as refuelling with liquid hydrogen is concerned.

There is another option - fuel tanks could be filled with petrol or methanol, with the cars using on-board ‘reformers’ to generate hydrogen from reaction with water for their fuel cells. However, CO2 and N gases will still be released during operation, but to a much lesser extent than from petrol-burning vehicles.

Hybrid Cars

Have you ever dreamed of a car that is not only going to save money, but would be helping your country and environment as well? Believe it or not, your dreams came true. They are called hybrid vehicles.

Hybrid Electric Vehicles (HEV) have better mileage then an average gasoline powered car because they use different technology. With gasoline internal combustion engine and an electric motor powered by battery the HEV's are able to exploit and store the energy that usually waisted in ordinary cars – when idling at the stop light or rolling downhill the hybrid will tap into that energy and store it in the batteries using it later on when needed, hence reducing the need for burning additional petrol.

The engine of a hybrid car is smaller, lighter, and more efficient than the one in a conventional vehicle and is better suited to variable speeds. If you add a reduced wear on the gasoline engine and brakes from the regenerative braking system use, you have the most efficient car.

Besides using less fuel thus lowering air pollution, hybrid cars show reduced noise emissions. Driving tests show total air pollution of carbon monoxide and reactive hydrocarbons are 80 to 90 percent cleaner for hybrid versus conventional vehicles. Now you wouldn't have to think of the ways how to escape the insanity of traffic noise and can breathe in cleaner air while walking on the footpath – what more can you ask for from simple means of transportation? Just think of the crispy voices of green trees talking to you in the wind fulfilling your mind with peace and stillness.

However, there is a heftier price you have to pay for all the high-tech developments. HEVs are more expensive than traditional vehicles due to extra batteries, more electronics and other design considerations. But the trade-off between higher initial cost and lower fuel costs plus less environmental damage may be worthwhile.

Currently almost all major car manufacturers have at least some sort of a program trying to bring their version of a hybrid car to the market validating the viability of HEV concept. Toyota with their Prius model and Honda with Civic Hybrid have more or less pioneered the hybrid electric car being the first to the mass market with their cars and are currently the leaders in this space. Toyota Prius and Honda Civic Hybrid return very misery and very green 4.4 and 4.6 liters per 100 kilometers in fuel consumption respectively.

Living Large

Think carefully about what type of vehicle you really need before you go out and purchase one. Say, you really like a sport utility vehicle (SUV) and want to cruise between states camping with your family, ask yourself: how often is it going to happen? If it only happens a few times a year, why not get a smaller vehicle or station wagon for daily trips and hire an SUV for special occasions? Note that accident records show that SUV's are not as safe on the road. So, protect your family, environment and the health of others by living big with smaller things. You may find it more enjoyable to think of others first.

Economy Cars

For most people, choosing the vehicle is the most significant environmental decision. So, try to base your choice not only around your own personal needs and available resources, but also the options each model has to offer. Economy cars may be the first-class transport in all the categories. The are inexpensive, economical and environmentally friendly. If you shop around, you are very likely to find a car that gets twice as good gas mileage as your current vehicle. Just this factor would have the same impact on gas use as reducing your driving in half. Even small difference in gas mileage can make a big difference to the environment. With driving an economy car you not only save your gas money, but minimize the air pollution as well.

For example, a minivan that has fuel efficiency of 10L per 100km compared to the one that gets 12L per 100km - a 20% improvement in gas mileage and a 20% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions. If you were to drive the minivan 50,000 kilometers in a year, you will use 1000 liters fewer of petrol and produce around 11,000 fewer kg of carbon dioxide, the main contributor to global warming. Given the present prices upward of $1.30 per liter of gasoline, selecting an economy minivan would also add savings into your bank account of about 1300 dollars each year! If you drive this type of car for five years, you will lessen CO pollution by 55,000 kg and put additional 6,500 dollars into your savings account, or maybe invest them somewhere else.

Now times are as good as never to swap a gas-guzzler for a more fuel efficient alternative, you can literally be spoilt for choice of fuel efficient cars currently on the market. Honda Jazz, Toyota Yaris, Mitsubishi Colt, and Hyundai Getz, just to name a few, can return very respectable fuel efficiency from high 5 liter to low 6 liter mark per 100 kilometers. And if you're a dedicated urbanite spending most of the time navigating the concrete jungle, Smart Car can truly dazzle you with its fuel saving credentials. Smart Car claims to have rather exceptional and very close to hybrid-like efficiency of just 4.7 liters per 100 kilometers in combined cycle. And all that without breaking a bank and allowing you to park in the tiniest of parking spots.

Act Now

Many people avoid using public transport because it is slow, inconvenient, not always available or simply not comfy enough. However, is a far more energy efficient means of transportation and everyone can benefit. Fewer cars on the roads means fewer accidents, less air pollution, quieter streets and cleaner and greener environment. Try to minimize using your car if you can. Instead choose public transport, ride a bicycle or walk an extra distance. This way you will do great for your health and the health of others. You may also plan ahead - choose uncongested routes, combine trips, car share.

Smooth and efficient driving without harsh acceleration, heavy braking and fast speed use significantly less fuel releasing fewer harmful gases and saving you money. Driving slower and using high speeds when appropriate also uses less energy. Try not to abuse air conditioning, try to lighten the car by unloading unnecessary items and service your car regularly – it may sound small, but if everybody employs these techniques, the contributions will be huge.