Racer Robbie
Enthusiast
http://www.autoweek.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070418/FREE/70417001/1528http://javascript<b></b>:var n=1
Hold Your Breath
Supreme Court CO2 ruling puts future of performance cars up in the air
By SCOTT KUDIRKA
AutoWeek | Published 04/17/07, 2:05 pm et
Car enthusiasts are among those scratching their heads and wondering what the April 2 U.S. Supreme Court ruling defining carbon dioxide as a pollutant means for the future of cars and trucks as we know them.
The ruling came in response to a lawsuit brought by the state of Massachusetts against the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency for its refusal to regulate CO2 as a pollutant under the federal Clean Air Act. The ruling opens a can of worms, and in the end, no one can state how and when the regulation will be enforced. But rest assured, there will be regulation of CO2 emissions from the tailpipe.
The biggest irony is that three decades ago, when the Clean Air Act took effect, CO2 was deemed harmless. After all, it is what we exhale. Autos were permitted to emit CO2 as the natural byproduct of burning fossil fuels and from catalytic converters used to clean up harmful carbon monoxide from engine exhaust gases.
Since the implementation of the Clean Air Act, automakers have done a great job of producing efficient, powerful vehicles that emit far lower quantities of smog-forming pollutants. Yet now this very achievement is judged a failure, because regardless of how efficient a gasoline-burning engine is, it must always produce CO2. With CO2 as a pollutant, the only way to curtail its production is by reducing the amount of gasoline consumed.
Is this glorious news for environmentalists who desire the elimination of fossil fuels? Are enthusiasts damned to mere memories of performance? Enthusiasm does not equal a lack of responsibility. Automotive scribes, including those at AutoWeek, were writing about the need for smog-control laws and alternative sources of power as far back as 1974—in the darkest days of the energy crisis. They were right then, and they’re right now.
Today the most proletarian of vehicles benefit from previously unimaginable technologies that are now commonplace. The solution to future mobility lies in technology, whether in hydrogen-boosted gasoline engines, biofuels or other alternative methods of propulsion.
For now, all we can do is balance the environmental impact of a vehicle against its relative performance. And maybe try not to breathe so much.
Green or Mean?
The American Council for an Energy Efficient Economy lists these vehicles for 2007 as best and worst for annual production of CO2 and other greenhouse gases.
GREENEST
Toyota Prius—5 tons
Honda Civic Hybrid—6 tons
Honda Civic GX—7 tons
Honda Fit—8 tons
Honda Civic—8 tons
Hyundai Accent—8 tons
Kia Rio/Rio 5—8 tons
Toyota Yaris—8 tons
Toyota Corolla—8 tons
Toyota Camry Hybrid—8 tons
Hyundai Elantra—9 tons
Nissan Altima Hybrid—9 tons
MEANEST
Lamborghini Murciélago—23 tons
Bentley Arnage RL—21 tons
Bentley Azure—21 tons
Maybach 57S/62S—20 tons
Dodge Ram 2500 Mega Cab—19 tons
Lincoln Navigator—19 tons
Ford F-250—18 tons
Volkswagen Touareg—15 tons
Jeep Grand Cherokee—13 tons
Mercedes-Benz GL320 CDI—13 tons
Mercedes-Benz ML320 CDI—12 tons
Mercedes-Benz R320 CDI—12 tons
Hold Your Breath
Supreme Court CO2 ruling puts future of performance cars up in the air
You must be registered for see images
By SCOTT KUDIRKA
You must be registered for see images
AutoWeek | Published 04/17/07, 2:05 pm et
Car enthusiasts are among those scratching their heads and wondering what the April 2 U.S. Supreme Court ruling defining carbon dioxide as a pollutant means for the future of cars and trucks as we know them.
The ruling came in response to a lawsuit brought by the state of Massachusetts against the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency for its refusal to regulate CO2 as a pollutant under the federal Clean Air Act. The ruling opens a can of worms, and in the end, no one can state how and when the regulation will be enforced. But rest assured, there will be regulation of CO2 emissions from the tailpipe.
The biggest irony is that three decades ago, when the Clean Air Act took effect, CO2 was deemed harmless. After all, it is what we exhale. Autos were permitted to emit CO2 as the natural byproduct of burning fossil fuels and from catalytic converters used to clean up harmful carbon monoxide from engine exhaust gases.
Since the implementation of the Clean Air Act, automakers have done a great job of producing efficient, powerful vehicles that emit far lower quantities of smog-forming pollutants. Yet now this very achievement is judged a failure, because regardless of how efficient a gasoline-burning engine is, it must always produce CO2. With CO2 as a pollutant, the only way to curtail its production is by reducing the amount of gasoline consumed.
Is this glorious news for environmentalists who desire the elimination of fossil fuels? Are enthusiasts damned to mere memories of performance? Enthusiasm does not equal a lack of responsibility. Automotive scribes, including those at AutoWeek, were writing about the need for smog-control laws and alternative sources of power as far back as 1974—in the darkest days of the energy crisis. They were right then, and they’re right now.
Today the most proletarian of vehicles benefit from previously unimaginable technologies that are now commonplace. The solution to future mobility lies in technology, whether in hydrogen-boosted gasoline engines, biofuels or other alternative methods of propulsion.
For now, all we can do is balance the environmental impact of a vehicle against its relative performance. And maybe try not to breathe so much.
Green or Mean?
The American Council for an Energy Efficient Economy lists these vehicles for 2007 as best and worst for annual production of CO2 and other greenhouse gases.
GREENEST
Toyota Prius—5 tons
Honda Civic Hybrid—6 tons
Honda Civic GX—7 tons
Honda Fit—8 tons
Honda Civic—8 tons
Hyundai Accent—8 tons
Kia Rio/Rio 5—8 tons
Toyota Yaris—8 tons
Toyota Corolla—8 tons
Toyota Camry Hybrid—8 tons
Hyundai Elantra—9 tons
Nissan Altima Hybrid—9 tons
MEANEST
Lamborghini Murciélago—23 tons
Bentley Arnage RL—21 tons
Bentley Azure—21 tons
Maybach 57S/62S—20 tons
Dodge Ram 2500 Mega Cab—19 tons
Lincoln Navigator—19 tons
Ford F-250—18 tons
Volkswagen Touareg—15 tons
Jeep Grand Cherokee—13 tons
Mercedes-Benz GL320 CDI—13 tons
Mercedes-Benz ML320 CDI—12 tons
Mercedes-Benz R320 CDI—12 tons
Tell Al Gore to fly over in his private/chartered jet with 4 people in it and tell a group of Viper owners not to waste gas or emit Co2
