Is your vehicle EPA SmartWay certified?

Truly and Eric Mount sit in their Toyota Prius, with their grandchildren Sidney and Madeleine.

The EPA lists the Prius as “most efficient overall” and gives it the “SmartWay Elite” certification.
    

Perhaps with the year winding down, you are looking for a bargain 2007 or new 2008 vehicle. Did you know that six of the top ten most fuel efficient cars in 2007 have manufacturers suggested retail prices starting between $11,000 -$15,000?  Truly and Eric Mount were surprised to find that they could buy the Prius, the very top ranked fuel efficient car, for about $22,000.

Besides rating the miles per gallon (mpg),  the Environmental Protection Agency now certifies the most environmentally friendly vehicles as “U.S. EPA Certified SmartWay.”  The EPA ranks vehicles according to the amount of greenhouse gas and other air pollution they cause. Also, the EPA lists vehicles by class  (family sedans, sports cars, pickup trucks, minivans, etc.) to help make it easy for you to find the most gas efficient and least polluting vehicle in each category. They also list vehicles by year, to make it easier to identify the most fuel efficient used cars. 

There is a surprising amount of room in some of the top ten most fuel efficient cars. Even if you have lots of stuff to haul, you can still enjoy an efficient car - especially if it has a flexible interior. The Mounts are pleased with how much room they have and are glad they bought the Prius.
 

It is urgent that people cut down on their carbon dioxide emissions caused by burning gasoline. There are dangerous feedback loops with carbon dioxide that accelerate global warming.  Even a little warming causes the oceans and permafrost to release more carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases. This causes more warming, which in turn causes more greenhouse gas, and so forth. Scientists are concerned that, without rapid decreases in our emissions, this cycle will spiral out of our control.
    

To see the Environmental Protection Agency’s ranking of vehicles and their fuel efficiency, or to see if your vehicle is a “SmartWay” vehicle, visit the EPA’s websites:  www.fueleconomy.gov  and  www.epa.gov/greenvehicles     

Copyright 2007 Christine Missik