Hybrid cars are all the rage. But are they really greener?

Some people might call my car a junker, but I roll around town in my 1997 Nissan 200sx with pride. That’s partially because I’m glad to tout my non-preoccupation with shiny new stuff, but mostly because my trusty little subcompact gets 35 miles to the gallon on the highway. That’s right—read it and weep, hybrid-SUV owners. The truth is that, despite the clever marketing, hybrid cars are not always greener than their traditional counterparts—and not just because of gas mileage.

First of all, let’s talk new versus used. Cars require factories to produce them, which require parts, which require raw materials…you get the idea. So that Prius uses a whole lot of energy and resources before ever seeing the sales lot. In fact, Wired magazine estimates that pollution-wise, building a new Prius is equal to burning 1,000 gallons of gasoline.

Given the wastefulness of auto production, it’s often better to buy a used car than a new one, even if the mpg is somewhat lower. Obviously a Hummer is a worse choice than a Prius in almost any case (unless that monstrous vehicle runs on biodiesel), but a car built a decade ago that gets around 30 miles to the gallon is greener than a new hybrid that gets 46 mpg, according to Wired.

Speaking of mpg, not every hybrid gets great gas mileage. The aforementioned SUVs range from 20 to 34 miles to the gallon, according to the U.S. Department of Energy. (Ahem, not quite up to par with my little 2-door.) Hybrid pickup trucks are even more abysmal, with Chevys and GMCs ranging from 20 to 23 mpg. Surprisingly, pricey luxury cars are the worst offenders: a 2013 Lexus LS 600h gets 19 mpg city and 23 highway, and the 2012 BMW ActiveHybrid 7 gets just 17 mpg city and 24 highway. Yep, that’s 17 luxurious miles per gallon driving on surface streets. But I bet it’s fast.

Despite the eco-unfriendliness of certain models, there are a fair number of hybrids with better mileage than most traditional cars. The 2013 Prius gets 48 mpg city and an impressive 53 mpg highway, while the 2013 Ford C-CMAX gets 47 mpg across the board. Interestingly, you can come close to these numbers with a true blast from the past like the 1986 Honda CRX HF, which gets 42 mpg city and 51 highway — but the repair bills could get steep.

So what’s an eco-lover to do? Emissions-free electric cars are a good choice, but only if you live in an area that produces clean power. Otherwise, think small and used. If you don’t want to risk something too old, a used hybrid might be a good idea. They’ve been out long enough now to hit the used-car circuit and get better mileage than many other options. Whatever model you go with, it’s crucial that you consider the ecological impact of your choice. Transportation emissions are responsible for most of the pollution in the United States, spewing toxins into the air we breathe and contributing to climate change — which affects all of us.

image: SusanAstray

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Trade in your SUV for a hybrid? Now that’s a stretch for many drivers who are hooked on the notion that more is more, even in the age of doomed resources.

Why is it that well informed, nice people refuse to pull the plug on those ubiquitous waste wagons, despite poor gas mileage and environmental concerns?

The valid eco argument rubs up against a strong attachment to the behemoth breed at every turn as America keeps on trucking. People feel good having them in the garage, owning one after another, perhaps scaling down with a “hybrid” sport ute but not going cold turkey.

It’s a pernicious addiction flaunted in outdoorsy states like California, Arizona and Colorado, where the boxy cars dominate the parking lots of public beaches, shopping malls and ski resorts. Hey, they’re super suburban and sporty, can hold a family of five to eight extremely comfortably, and can’t be beat for schlepping unruly, drooling pets. And don’t forget the winning outcome in bumper-to-bumper combat with puny Smart Cars and other precocious upstarts.

The benefits keep consumers from succumbing to pressure levied by anti-SUV groups like Greener Cars.org, who have galvanized movements against what they deride as “Land Bruisers” and “Extinctions,” spreading slogans like “SUV’s Suck!” I spoke with some of these critics, along with owners to understand the mega car mindset.

There are many obvious and hidden reasons good people won’t buck the truck:

1.Versatility

You can dress the trucks up or down. They handle like cars but have truck qualities. This is what attracts Rob Raznick, a childless, L.A. real estate developer with three horses and three dogs who has owned five super-sized SUV’s. “You’re mixing luxury with utility, cargo, space and amenities for sure,” Raznick says. “I can take my Navigator to the finest restaurant in the evenings with seven people, then put saddles in it the next morning and hook my horse trailer to it and go off road. ”

2. Safety and Security

Sitting high up, looking down on people, not hearing the road or other cars. The stereo is on – the preferred soundtrack to life – and the kids are quietly seated in the back watching a DVD. “It feels like a comfortable couch or easy chair, a safe family room on wheels with that video player, phone and coffee holder, and that’s why one of the biggest ones by Chevy was called the Suburban,” observes consumer activist Ed Lamar. “But it’s like feeling secure because you have nuclear weapons. It is a false sense since they are not safe or secure.”

3. Great for Kids

How many kids can you fit in your car for soccer practice? SUV moms sometimes say eight, while many of us can only fit four. Carpool duty, built-in DVD players and getting those baby carriers easily in and out are among the big lures for parents who opt for the vehicles. Although Janelle Ticktin, a mom of two, says it isn’t as much the kids but the curbs. She can drive up to them with her mega wheels whenever she needs to. “Everyone in Scottsdale drives them because there is tons of space to park all over the city, unlike the situation in congested towns  like San Francisco,” she says.

4. Empowerment

Many of us are looking for power in our powerless lives, and this clearly extends to the road, where big rig envy lets you rule with a small sense of anonymity, especially with that tinted window option. American workers sit in cubicles all day to pay for luxuries like the sport vehicle and a growing number are hiding them from the re-po man. Does fear drive these owners? “You can bring a little suburbia with you when you go the mean streets and pose a threat to everyone around you, and assert your power by not allowing lane changes,” explains Lamar. “Anyone who looks in their rear view mirror will see your grill.”

4. Off Road Use

Commercials featuring minis gliding through water? Nah. Can’t compete with the way  SUV’s are hyped on television. The ads show the picture of the sporty, American life, not being limited by pavement, tearing up some big wheel ruts. And it is a huge draw for weekend warriors who want to get out of Dodge in a Ford Escape and head to the beaches, mountains and other beautiful terrain. “It’s like a ballet for a depraved society,” says one critic.

5. Hauling Cargo

Those without trucks must hire people to lift and haul cargo – or hit up a friend with an SUV. Put the seats down and store your work tools and supplies, Costco economy bundles or toys (skis, snow board, mountain bike). Take home that giant squishy chair you bought on sale at Urban Outfitters. The SUV supports both work and play for many. But the question remains: Is it still okay to drive so much to play?

6. Status

It takes money to buy them and keep the tank fed, and lots of drivers tend to equate the shiny trucks with having arrived, even if it means having arrived on the freeway or at Yosemite’s ritzy Ahwahnee Hote. If you are what you drive, does lugging an SUV make you a sportsman, surfer dude, powerful real estate woman or fierce weekend warrior? Conversely, what does driving a Mini Cooper make you? Clearly, many drivers can’t go there.

7. Hybrid = Eco Option

The introduction of hybrid SUV’s offered even more status to those ready to compromise but not sever their love of trucks. Hybrids are powered by the combo of a gas engine and an electric motor and there have been federal tax benefits offered to those embracing the hybrid technology, which the EPA estimates delivers twice the fuel economy in city driving and nearly double on the highway, along with lower emissions. People can feel hip driving one, like they are doing their part to reduce consumption and fossil fuel emissions.

8. Using them Economically

Some frugal owners clinging to their 1984 Caravans argue there are good ways to green their impossible-to-sell SUV’s. They include driving less and abiding by rules of the road (slowing speeds and brake and gas acceleration), keeping tires inflated and not idling. It could be those employing these methods are doing less damage than hybrid owners who don’t.

9. The “Fun” in Functional

Hummers, Land Rovers, 4-Runners and Land Cruisers have all been added to lists of the “most fun off-road cars” because of attributes like solid suspension, high ground clearance, crawl, action and stability control. The best ones can venture where many other vehicles can’t, and best of all, they look and feel like big toys as they cover rough terrain with ease.  The Mercedes G-Class may rate badly in road tests and on fuel scores, but the car is just so darn adorable. One fan says this Jaguar of jeeps looks like “Herby the Lovebug and a Hummer got a little too friendly.”

10. Beauty and the Beast

In this beauty contest, fuel efficiency might take a back seat to striking good looks. Black SUVs have the largest cache (heck, they’re even in the President’s motorcade) and are common sites in downtowns these days as the choice of “important people.” The Mercedes G-Class may rate badly in road tests and on fuel scores, but the Mercedes emblem is still a yuppie success symbol.

Main Image: About

Images: Amog, Autos.AOL, Edmunds, cargocoach, Mercury Vehicles, The Truth About Cars, Motortrend, blogs.cars

The post Sorry, But I’m Not Driving a Hybrid! 10 Reasons Why Good People Are Sticking with SUVs appeared first on EcoSalon.

Al Gore taught us just what high profile people can do to further the green movement. If stars and top models can sell wrinkle cream, they also can sell hybrids, lower fuel emissions and green school initiatives.

Global Green USA is harnessing that star power, hosting its sixth annual Pre-Oscars party at the Avalon in Hollywood. Sheryl Crow and Gavin Rossdale (lead singer from Bush) will perform and heavy hitters like Leonardo DiCaprio, Orlando Bloom, Kate Bosworth, Marisa Tomei and Penelope Cruz will walk the green carpet. It’s all designed to raise funds and awareness about improving the efficiency and conditions of schools in ailing New Orleans and elsewhere.

“This is the launch of our national initiative to raise $3 million in the next five years for on the ground projects and educational awareness,” Matt Petersen told me. Petersen, the president and CEO of Global Green USA, says good light and indoor quality in the classrooms results in fewer missed school days and higher test scores. The Andrew Wilson Elementary School in New Orleans is among the green models of the initiative, as pictured in the rendering below.

In 2004, Global Green launched The Green Schools for Southern California Initiative, partnering with the L.A. Unified School District and other government entities to build more than 34 new schools. The New Orleans effort – which also includes affordable housing (Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie have been big backers) – targets a new, greener Big Easy that returns students and teachers to vastly healthier learning environment. Petersen figures the schools can save an average of $40 thousand per year by converting to better energy systems.

“Green building and sustainability forces us to take a holistic view and see how everything is connected,” he says. “For too long, a stovepipe mentality has driven an over-specialization with everything.”

Certainly, Hollywood’s film icons are part of the holistic picture. Petersen (second from left in group photo, above) says he has been fortunate to work with motivated, educated and informed people – who just happen to also be big names. Petersen even sends his celeb board members to the Academy Awards in hybrids to really drive home the message. “Whether it’s Leo or Brad or Salma Hayek, they help in the continuation of our efforts to combine real substantive work with shining lights on the solutions,” Petersen explains.

The party tickets range from $125 for general admission to $2500 for the exclusive patron level – swhere I imagine most of the stars will be sipping their green drinks and making Oscar predictions.

(Photo credit: Global Green USA, Leonardo DiCaprio, top; 2007 pre-Oscar party group.)

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