Gas, Electric, Hybrid: the technologies of the future
Car sharing - one for many?
That does not sound particularly appealing: sharing a car with other people. However, the prospect of saving costs and at the same time protecting the environment is causing more and more Germans to switch to car sharing. The number of members in a car-sharing association www.carsharing.de rose by 18 percent in 2008 from 116,000 to 137,000 Bundesverband Carsharing expects further double-digit growth this year.
A completely new concept is currently being tested by car manufacturer Daimler: At "Car2go" everyone should be able to borrow a car at any time and drive indefinitely. The car does not have to be delivered to any particular location, because location, registration and deregistration take place electronically. The practical test is currently running in Ulm with 200 smarts. And this is how it works: You register for free, e.g. online at www.car2go.com and have a small seal stuck to the driver's license. Where a free smart is, you can find out on the Internet or via a service hotline. With the driver's license seal, the door can be opened via a card reader, keys are in the glove box. Billing: one hour 9.90 euros, one day 49 euros, no monthly fee or cost of gasoline and insurance. The bill comes at the end of the month and can be transferred. The start of the next Car2go project is planned in the Texas capital Austin? with 750 000 inhabitants much larger than Ulm.
Deutsche Bahn is also increasingly entering the carsharing business. The offers at www.dbcarsharing.de www.dbcarsharing.de are often cheap - for example, there is a car in Berlin from just 1.90 euros per hour, recently in Stuttgart and Cologne from 1.50 euros per hour (but plus 25 cents per kilometer)
Tip: Even a simple carpool of work colleagues brings ecological and financial benefits. What many do not know: Every participant can (as of the 21st kilometer) deduct the commuter tax allowance as if he were driving alone.
Car sharing: Further information and the largest providers in Germany
Why green cars?
Anyone who now buys a fuel-efficient car or even a model with completely new technology is investing in the future and will benefit financially in the longer term. The Federal Government has decided to free particularly environmentally friendly models from motor vehicle tax for up to two years. And the EU is planning legislation to gradually lower the average carbon footprint of new cars. Currently, traffic absorbs more than half of the world's daily oil needs. The released CO2 exacerbates climate change. Experts estimate that the oil stockpiled in millions of years will be used up within 40 years at the latest. Gasoline and diesel will therefore be much more expensive in the next few years.
How does a hybrid car work?
A hybrid has two drives: a gasoline engine and an electric motor. When the internal combustion engine is in use, it charges the battery of the electric motor and stores energy generated during braking in a rechargeable battery. The electric motor uses this energy, which saves fuel, especially in city traffic - up to a third. For longer distances, however, the electric motor hardly comes to the train, instead, the heavy battery increases the car weight, which costs fuel. So far, only four cars with the innovative drive are available: the "Prius" from Toyota (winner of the VCD environmental hit list 2008/2009), the "Civic Hybrid" from Honda and two "Lexus" models from Toyota (both luxury cars) Almost all manufacturers are working hard on hybrid cars, but at the moment it is not possible to predict which models will actually be on the market in 2009. Recommendation: A hybrid is suitable if you need a spacious car mainly for city traffic and drive more than 10 000 km per year.
How safe is a natural gas car?
260,000 gas, either pure natural gas (CNG) or the propane-butane mixture LPG, is used by 45 million cars on German roads. Both substances cause about 20 percent less CO 2 than gasoline; Nitrogen oxides or fine dust are reduced by up to 80 percent. When refueling gas costs much less than gasoline and diesel, since it is taxed until 2018. The reason buyers hesitate is the car price: On average, the cars are 25 percent more expensive. Recommendation: If you need a family-friendly van and drive a lot, then such a car can be worthwhile. Some family coaches are even slightly cheaper in the natural gas variant than the diesel model. The fear of an explosion is unnecessary and even the (still) holey gas filling station network is not the biggest problem: The cars have a gasoline emergency tank, with which you can travel more than 100 kilometers. Tip: Some gas suppliers give away vouchers to their customers on demand.
Where does the electricity for the electric vehicle come from?
Electric cars are the future: by 2012, all major manufacturers want to launch electric models that produce neither noise nor exhaust gases. The power comes from a battery, but that's the problem. The battery needs to be recharged, depending on its size and use at the latest every 100 to 150 kilometers. It takes several hours at the domestic power outlet, and there are only a few public fast-charging stations. The biggest catch, however, is the price: at least € 10,000 more expensive than a comparable petrol or diesel car will be the e-mobile. And electric cars are only really environmentally friendly if their electricity comes from renewable energy sources. But they are not yet available in sufficient quantities.
What will become of the bio-fuel?
A few years ago, there was great hope that gasoline from wheat or diesel from rapeseed would solve the energy problems of the future. Then it turned out: In countries such as Brazil or Malaysia, cultivation leads to the deforestation of rainforests - which in turn enormously fuels the greenhouse effect. In addition, there are not enough land left to grow food, which aggravates poverty in developing countries. Rule of thumb: 100 kilograms of wheat can be used to bake 100 loaves of bread - or produce 40 liters of bioethanol. Now, the federal government has even lowered the quota for bio-fuel, which the mineral oil companies have to add to the gasoline or diesel. Scientists rely on second-generation bio-fuel, which is to be extracted from biomass such as sawdust, leaves or olive pits.
Hydrogen - nothing but air?
The industry has been researching hydrogen cars for a long time. The idea: Hydrogen is converted to water by a chemical reaction, the released energy drives an electric motor - and from the exhaust comes only water vapor. Although there are trials with hydrogen buses in some cities, hydrogen cars are also being tested. But the experts agree: At the moment, this technology is still an absolute dream of the future.
Start-Stop by Stop-and-Go?
A proven, but somewhat forgotten technology is currently celebrating a comeback: the automatic start-stop system. BMW has already sold several hundred thousand cars equipped with it, at VW "Blue Motion" - models are equipped. Principle: When stopping at the traffic light or another stop, the engine automatically switches off after a short time. As soon as you touch the accelerator pedal or the gear lever, the engine starts without the ignition key being pressed. The fuel saving is up to 15 percent.
Which eco-car suits me?
That depends on what you mainly use the car for: in city traffic, on long journeys or as a family coach. When buying, pay close attention to the fuel consumption and the CO2 value, which must be clearly legible on every new car in the dealership. A really good value is below 110g / km. The reach not only hybrid cars, but for example, the city runabouts of Toyota (Aygo), Citroën (C1) or Peugeot (107), which cost in the basic version about 10 000 euros. Good orientation is offered by the Verkehrsclub Deutschland (VCD). Every year, the non-profit association compiles a top ten list of environmental cars (www.vcd.org) that takes into account not only CO2 emissions but also other pollutants and noise. And with the "Typberatung" on www.besser-autokaufen.de you can find out which car suits you.
Save on driving - how does it work?
One third of all car journeys are shorter than three kilometers. To rev up, the engine needs a lot of gasoline, only from five kilometers, the consumption decreases. You have to know that, then you saddle up on short trips on the bike. On city routes, it is also demonstrably faster at the finish. Incidentally, the principle of the automatic start-stop system can be applied to any car: switch off the car if the vehicle stops for a long time at a traffic light or in a traffic jam (the VCD recommends starting with ten seconds). When starting you should then only turn the starter, no gas - although many have learned in the driving lesson. If you switch early, you save a lot of fuel. As a rule of thumb: at speed 30, the third gear, at 40 the fourth and from 50 kilometers per hour already in fifth gear. Always drive at the maximum recommended tire pressure; That reduces fuel consumption by about five percent. If you need new tires: Ask at the dealer or in the workshop specifically for low-rolling-resistance tires, they are unfortunately not specially marked. Also, prefer synthetic smooth running oils; Although they are slightly more expensive, but reduce according to ADAC fuel consumption by up to six percent.
How to avoid fine dust?
Diesel is economical and robust. The problem: The particulate matter that comes out of the exhaust as soot can cause asthma, cancer and cardiovascular disease. When buying new cars, you should prefer a vehicle with a "closed particle filter", which draws more than 95 percent of the dangerous soot particles from the exhaust gases. An older vehicle should definitely be retrofitted (the "teething problems" of the first years are over, now the filters work reliably).Incidentally, more and more cities are setting up environmental zones that can only be driven on with a relatively "clean" diesel or a gasoline engine with regulated catalytic converter (www.umwelt-plakette.de). Tip: If you often travel longer distances as a businesswoman, a modern diesel car can be a good option.
This is how your car runs easier
You already have a fuel-efficient car and want to save even more fuel? Ask for a "smooth running oil" at the next oil change. Consumption is reduced by about five percent due to this synthetic engine oil. And the life of the engine increases. Another five percent fuel savings bring modern "low-friction tires". However, most are not marked and some products perform poorly when braking on wet roads. The German Energy Agency (dena) has therefore compiled a database of test results. Additional service: A list of dealers and workshops offering these tires sorted by postal code: www.ichundmeinauto.info "
News: Bundestag decides: less biofuel in normal fuel
In July 2007, the Bundestag finally decided after a long dispute: normal fuel will not be mixed with as much biofuel in the next few years as initially planned. The reason: It has been found that the addition of plant spirit leads to the extraction of huge jungle areas in Asia and South America in order to grow oil palms, soybeans and sugarcane. Thus, the original intention to reduce CO 2 emissions through biofuel reverses the opposite. And because fewer areas are available for growing food, more famine threatens.
