Generations of new car buyers have gotten a thrill each time they caught a whiff of their new steed’s interior. However, this enticing smell could prove to be downright hazardous.

According to a survey just released by the Ecology Center, the chemicals that make up these auto aromas are often volatile and, while no one but the writer of the above headline is suggesting that they can kill you, they can make you rather sick.

Speaking about this danger, Jeff Gearhart, research director at the Ecology Center, said, “Automobiles function as chemical reactors, creating one of the most hazardous environments we spend time in.” This aroma awareness is a departure from just a decade or so back when many automakers actually worked to create the classic new car scent within their vehicles.

The Ecology Center survey listed both the most dangerous and the cleanest from an interior chemical perspective. Smell-wise, the safest new cars are the Honda Civic, the Toyota Prius and the Honda CR-Z, while the most dangerous new vehicles are the Mitsubishi Outlander Sport, the Chrysler 300C and the Kia Soul.

Thanks to Auto Loans NH for this guest post.

The California Air Resources Board, apparently not satisfied with the new Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) requirements that every automaker’s fleet must average 54.5 mpg by the year 2025, has decided to tack on an additional requirement that 15.4% of each automaker’s lineup must be “non-polluting”.

These vehicles can be hybrids, fully electric, or hydrogen fuel cell powered, but they must have zero emissions. According to chairwoman Mary Nichols, 15.4% of an entire fleet is “a relatively modest goal”. What remains to be seen, however, is whether or not that many people will be interested in buying these vehicles, since the mere fact of legislation passed does not automatically equate to changing consumer tastes.

To help attract new customers to the potentially more expensive drivetrains, Nichols added that they would be considering rebates and/or tax credits to those who purchase the vehicles to help offset the higher cost.

Late last year, the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) and Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced the new CAFE standards that will apply to vehicles sold beginning in 2017. Federal government studies have found that these standards will save the average buyer of a new vehicle in 2025 $6,600 in fuel costs over the life of the vehicle.  Of course, offsetting this is the steeper price purchasers will pay for hybrid/electric drivetrains.  The NADA is now saying that new standards could make vehicles cost $3200 more!

Due out this Spring, the less-than-$19,000 C is rated at 53 MPG in the city and 10 MPG fewer on the highway. Nineteen inches shorter and 540 pounds lighter than the regular Prius, the C is noticeable smaller, a positive for the young, city-dwelling first time auto loan shoppers for whom it was designed.

Image by Autoviva.com

The Los Angeles Auto Show features a little side competition: the Green Car of the Year. Each year multiple powertrains are introduced in an attempt to take the coveted title. This year the Honda Civic NG took the honor.
 
That is not to say there was not a strong field of competitors. The Civic NG faced the Ford Focus Electric, Toyota Prius V, Volkswagen Passat TDI, and Mitsubishi’s i vehicle. ”There is no other vehicle like the Civic Natural Gas on American highways, and this recognition has been a long time coming for Honda,” said Ron Cogan, editor and publisher of Green Car Journal and editor of GreenCar.com.

• The Honda NG has been around since 1998, but has been one of the best-kept secret of the green car set. This is the fifth generation and it features better fuel efficiency: 27 city, 38 highway. The NG can travel about 240 miles on a tank of natural gas, giving it a much greater range than all-electric vehicles.
• The Civic NG is the only mass produced CNG passenger model for sale in the United States. The main challenge to the vehicle is the availability of filling stations.
• The Civic NG is more expensive than its gasoline counterpart, starting at $26,155. The extra cost can be recouped when you fill up since compressed natural gas costs less than gasoline. An added bonus is that CNG burns cleaner.

For more information, visit Honda Civic Insurance.

Since his retirement, Norman Mineta, the longest serving U.S. Transportation Secretary in history, is urging a more common sense approach to allocating public funds as they apply to the development of automotive technologies.

He has released a white paper titled ”The Case for Technology Neutral Public Policy in Fuel Economy Debate: Allowing Performance To Determine Solutions” in which he asks that the government adopt a technology-neutral approach and allow mass-market adoption decide where funds should be allocated.

The paper makes many points, but one of the highlights is that high-efficiency gasoline and diesel engines are within 15 percent of the performance of EVs and hybrids and that these vehicles are the most effective way to lower emissions in the short and mid-term. He goes on to point out that the Obama administration’s preference for battery-assisted vehicles is siphoning needed money away from potentially better solutions.

While it makes sense to spread funds around for research, most administrations have put all of their eggs in one basket, so it is easy to see that the paper may have been published in vain.

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Fisker Karma’s Official EPA Numbers Disappoint – Green Car Fans.

Image by Fisker Auto

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New-Car Fuel Economy Flat for September

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Mitsubishi Transforms Small Town Into EV Town.

Image by David Villarreal Fernández

Kenneth Cobonpue and Albrecht Birkner have created a car, dubbed “The Phoenix,” set out to reduce waste materials. The body and interior of this car are made of bamboo, rattan, nylon and minimal amount of steel. It is powered by a small electric engine. Many doubts have been raised such as how will bamboo fare in a crash and many remarks have been made such that one may be as well driving in a car made of bubble wrap. One may giggle and poke fun at the car, but one can’t argue that the intention is solid and commendable.

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First Biodegradable Car Can Go In Curbside Garbage – Green Car Fans – Social Network for those of us whose passion is following the green, hybrid, electric, and alternative fuel vehicle industries.

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How Long Does It Take A Hybrid To Pay Off Its Extra MSRP? – Green Car Fans.