Top Five Reasons to Drive A Clean Green Machine
August 27th, 2010 // 1:54 pm @ Shannon Arvizu
Why do I love driving clean, green machines? Why should you consider one for your next car? Here are the top five reasons why a hybrid or plug-in car could be the one for you.
1. Save Money: Hybrid and plug-in cars have a lower overall operating cost. Less money at the pump means more money in your pocket. Of course, hybrid cars still use gas (though usually 25-50% less than their conventional internal combustion engine versions). Plug-in cars, however, benefit from the use of electricity (which is a much cheaper form of energy per mile than gasoline).
2. Fun to Drive: Electric car performance is exhilarating. High torque and zippy handling make plug-in cars a joy to drive. Even hybrid cars have an all-electric mode that lets you drive smoothly and silently for short distances.
Moreover, driving with regenerative braking lets you create your own energy for the car. Hybrid and plug-in cars come with an efficiency gauge that lets you know how much energy you create for the car by accelerating and decelerating strategically. Some cars, like the Ford Escape Hybrid, have a well-designed interactive display that shows where the energy is coming from to power your car at any given moment.
3. Care about Your Family: Driving a hybrid or plug-in car says you are an individual on the fore front of mobility, but you also care about how you transport those you love. Hybrid and plug-in cars have automatic stop-start features, which means you and your family do not breathe toxic fumes when idling in crowded traffic or waiting to pick up the kids from school.
4. Care about Your Country: We know that the U.S. spends billions of dollars every year to import oil to our country. This is in addition to hundreds of billions spent on the military to protect oil reserves around the world. That is money that can be used to provide better schools, health care, or go right back into our pockets as lower taxes. If we use less imported oil and start using domestically-produced electricity (which is cleaner thanks to increased use of renewable energy), we work together to enhance the economic state of our country.
5. Be Part of the “Cool Kid” Crew: Those that drive hybrid and plug-in cars have fun together. You can see us giving each other “the nod” as we drive by on the street, and some crews even have meet-ups to share the “kind ride” experience. This is in addition, of course, to the lively online forums.
What are your reasons for wanting or owning a clean, green machine? Would love to hear your thoughts!
This article has been published on Honk.com.
Category : Marketing EVs
What’s Your Clean Tech Story?
2 years ago
[...] Nissan, for example, may be limiting its consumer market by promoting the Leaf on its ecological benefits alone. The latest Nissan Leaf video shows a polar bear traveling across the globe to hug a Leaf driver. While polar bears may capture the “hearts and minds” of some Americans, the video may actually alienate many others who do not hold strong ecological values. Should they be excluded from being a potential Leaf driver? Absolutely not. There are many other attributes of driving a Leaf that can be capitalized on by creating a frame with wider resonance. I’ve discussed these reasons on MissElectric.com. [...]