Considering the state of the world today, as well as the local economy, driving a green vehicle just makes good sense. Green vehicles are easy on the environment because they do not use as much gasoline as traditional models and therefore emit less emissions then their non-green counterparts. Overall, green cars are becoming more popular because people for the most part are starting to see the value in protecting the environment. In addition, in recent years the price of green cars has come down immensely. For example, just ten years ago it would have been impossible to get a vehicle that ran on electricity if you were a common working citizen. Today, however, cars that use electricity as their main source of fuel are affordable (and practical) for most people. The future of green cars is as exciting as the present. There is anticipation that within the next five years the current R&D of green cars will hit the market place and finally appeal to the masses. Ideally, cars that run on gasoline will be replaced with cars that use electricity as the primary fuel source. This will eliminate personal transpiration emissions completely as well as help regulate the price of oil throughout the world.
Back to the present, the most popular choices for top-notch green cars are the Chevy Volt and the Nissan Leaf. The Chevy Volt is a four passenger mid-size car. The vehicle is powered primarily by electricity but has a gasoline generator that helps to recharge the battery pack. The nice thing about the Chevy Volt is that it can go up to 40-miles just off its batteries. However, if traveling farther, the volt can go up to 400-miles between gas station fill up on traditional gasoline. The fact that the volt gets such good gas mileage (in certain conditions) makes it one of the greenest cars. In comparison to the Volt, however, is the Nissan Leaf. The Leaf is considered to be even greener than the Volt because its “gas mileage” is superior and is thought to have an even smaller carbon footprint. The Leaf can go for about 100-miles on a fully charged battery without burning a drop of gas. In addition, the Leaf can reach speeds that exceed 90-miles per hour while on battery power. This far exceeds the top speed that the Volt can reach. However, unlike the Volt, the Leaf does not have a built in gas powered generator so the range limits cross-country trips and the like. The Leaf is a hatchback that can seat five people.
In my opinion, the future of green cars looks bright. With all of the major technological advances of the past few years it is easy to see why many are excited about the impact that green cars are going to have over the next several years. There are many car manufacturers that are getting ready to debut their version of the Nissan Leaf or Chevy Volt in the very near future. In the next five years or so there are hopefully going to be electric vehicles all over our highways. For example, Ford is all set to debut an electric version of their popular Focus. The Ford Focus Electric is set to hit the market in 2011 and is thought to be a direct competitor to Nissan and Chevy. Features of the Focus Electric that are making the release highly anticipated include the Leaf-rivaling distance it can travel on the battery power—but will only need to be charged for half as long. This will make Ford’s version of the electric car superior, and will up the ante. There will be no need to charge it for hours on end because the battery will soak up the charge very quickly (the largest hurdle in battery technology). In addition, since it can run for so long on just batteries, the need for a gas station will almost be completely eliminated as it will be a comparable alternative to traditional cars. Toyota is also planning on unveiling an all-electric version of the Prius in the next few years. However, the Toyota Prius plug-In will only be able to go about 15-miles before the gas engine takes over. However, the plus side to that is it will take only about 1.7 hours until it is fully charged. The Prius Plug-In is being designed for people who use their car for running errands around town and rarely drive long distances in their day-today activities. If, however, long distance driving is required the Prius Plug-In will be able to go nearly 400-miles between fill ups, at the current 50 MPG+.
