Sustainable Transportation - Slowly Getting Greener

Posted on August 31, 2007
Filed Under Sustainable Technology |

Rising fuel prices has prompted automobile makers (and consumers alike) to make more economical and intelligent choices for their respective transportation methods.

In the U.S. the eternally sold-out Prius has made a name for itself, and cars such as the Civic hybrid have been following its footsteps, adding a tinge of class and luxury to the market of hybrid energy automobiles.

So, are we at the turning point of transportation change in our generation?

Ford has had quite a bit of strategic activity over the past few months, ranging from implementing a “Fumes-to-Fuel” System, which turns waste paint exhaust into clean electric power; to announcing the adoption of a range of Ultra-Low CO2 European Model cars called the “ECOnetic” Range. Likewise, Volkswagen America has recently announced that they have partnered with Carbonfund.org in order to offset one years worth of carbon emission, for each new Volkswagen vehicle sold in the US between September 2007 through to January 2008. For all of the above efforts mentions, much compliments should be paid for their proactive decision to reduce CO2 emissions.

If you look at the statistics, the seemingly coincidental green-marketing strategies and innovation heralded above by VW, Honda and Toyota may seem like the only possible direction in order to stay with the market, as well as combat global climate change.

But is the direction of sustainability sustainable for the business in itself? According to a report by GreenCarCongress.com , the Secretariat of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) released a recent report that found very significant changes were required in order to support climate change mitigation - specifically, approximately US$88 billion will be spent on implementing and carrying out these solutions, (whether they be hybrid car related or not) annually by 2030. This may seem like a large figure, however one must not forget the amounts spent on a daily basis for war against terrorism.

Will people be more willing to accept hybrid or lower performance / low emission like cars for their own individual consumption? The largest challenge for the success of green car marketing, is the successful conversion of attitudes towards driving performance driven cars, whether they be v6-v8 or turbo engines. Try telling the little child down the road who loves v8 engines, about the environmental and social costs involved with large cars, and the effects of global warming, and you’ll be very lucky to convert their way of (future) life.

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