Australia’s Green Vehicle Guide
by Warren McLaren, Sydney on 02.15.07
Thought we’d done this one aeons ago, but it seems only in passing, when mentioning green car loans. So we’ll steal a few pixels for it now. In short the Australian government rate all new cars for their fuel consumption, greenhouse gas and air pollutant emissions. This information is displayed on a sticky label adhered to windshields of vehicles in car lots. Although instituted back in 2004, it is probably only in the the past year of volatile petrol prices that new car owners have paid much interest. Vehicles are also given star ratings, but only four currently score a whole five stars. In order, these are Toyota Prius (well, strike me down with a feather), followed by Fiat Punto, with the Citroen C3 and Mercedes-Benz A150 coming in next. The guide also points out that while diesels will perform well on fuel consumption they will drop down some in the pollution rating due to their emission of particulate matter and nitrogen oxides, not so much greenhouse gases but still detrimental to human health. On the other hand liquid petroleum gas (LPG) vehicles score better on GHGs, but not as well for consumption. And interestingly, the recent Toyota Yaris, which scores better against its heftier sibling, the Corolla, on fuel and CO2 ratings, then fares badly on air pollution. The Yaris can only manage 5/10, while the Corolla attains 8.5/10.
But regardless of whichever vehicle you select, the guide suggests some tips for greener driving (just like our own Green Car Guide). These include: driving at less than top speed - 110 kph uses 25% more fuel than 90 kph, roof racks and such forth add 20% or more to fuel consumption, and for around town driving air conditioners add about 10% to fuel loads. ::Green Vehicle Guide
