Green car buying gets easier

Automakers offering more choices for high mileage, low emissions

Amy Bryer, Special to the Rocky

Published October 29, 2007 at midnight

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Car buyers looking to "go green" face a dizzying array of choices when shopping for a new vehicle that adheres totheir philosophy and lifestyle.

And the choices keep changing - and growing - as automakers balance advancements in technology that improve mileage and reduce harmful emissions while making efforts to keep the price down.

The number of alternative fuel vehicles on Colorado roads jumped by 17.3 percent from 2005 to 2006, ranking Colorado 18th in the nation, according to the Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers.

Consumers today typically can choose among automobiles that use three alternative sources of fuel: flex fuel (also called E-85), hybrid electric and clean diesel.

Opinions about each fuel method vary, so consumers should evaluate their priorities - fuel efficiency, emissions, annual fuel costs, price tag of the vehicle or resale value - when determining what kind of car or truck is best.

"A lot of people make decisions for the environment without it having to be the cheapest choice," said Tom Brotherton, regional director or WestStart-CALSTART, a coalition of businesses and agencies promoting sustainable energy.

While being environmentally friendly often comes with a higher price tag, that's not always a hard-and-fast rule with some of these eco-friendly cars.

Some Coloradans who are driving flex-fuel vehicles might not even know it, said industry observers.

An estimated 64,000 flex-fuel vehicles are in Colorado and 6 million in the U.S., but manufacturers and dealers haven't aggressively advertised the flex-fuel feature because of the scarcity of the fuel itself.

Flex-fuel vehicles are designed to run on gasoline or a blend of up to 85 percent ethanol (E-85). The higher level of ethanol burns cleaner emissions than traditional gasoline. But drivers could have trouble finding stations that carry the special E-85 mixture.

Only 10 stations in the metro area carry E-85 and 34. Another station opens each month, but they're more plentiful outside the Denver area.

"There are a lot more vehicles that burn E-85 than pumps available to make it convenient," said Tim Jackson, president of the Colorado Automobile Dealers Association.

(To find nearby stations, go to eere.energy.gov/afdc/progs/ ind_state.php/CO/E85)

The E-85 fuel typically runs about 25 percent cheaper than gasoline at most stations. The downside is that it puts out only about 73 percent of the power that a gasoline engine does - meaning drivers will be filling up more often to get the same number of miles.

"If gasoline costs $2.80 (a gallon), then E-85 should be $1.98 or less to be a good value," said J. -Thomas McKinnon, environmental studies professor at the Colorado School of Mines. "This only matters to consumers if their only interest is the dollar."

Jackson, who drives a GMC Yukon that burns E-85, said he can't tell the difference in performance when he switches from gasoline to E-85. He warns, however, that drivers who put E-85 in tanks of cars that were not designed to run on the fuel will be ruining their gasoline engines in the long run.

The more popular type of fuel engine among green promoters is the hybrid-electric car model. Hybrids use electric motors powered by a battery to take off and drive at low speeds. As the car accelerates, a traditional gasoline internal combustion engine takes over.

The Toyota Prius has been at the forefront of the hybrid movement. Its unique body design gave it more cachet among environmentalists.

"It looked different, and you could show off you were being green," said Lee Payne, owner of Planet Honda and Planet Hyundai.

Consumer Jared Schoch didn't buy his hybrid for the status symbol, but he did feel pressured to go green because he works in a sustainable energies division of Johnson Controls.

Schoch, who recently purchased a 2008 Toyota Camry hybrid, needed a car that would get better mileage to offset the 25,000 to 30,000 miles a year he drives to visit clients.

Schoch fills up his tank once or twice a month compared with once or twice a week when he was driving his previous vehicle, a light SUV. Plus, he got a couple of thousand dollars back from the state and federal governments in tax credits, he said.

"I was waiting for an attractive car that was practical and made sense," Schoch said.

"I'm not the type of guy who buys the first version of anything," he said, referring to the -Prius. "I'm considered the part of consumer America that wants a hybrid but also wants a car that can give me what I want."

Giving American consumers what they want is part of the reason the alternative fuel car market has not taken off as anticipated, said Jon Kroneberger, executive director of the Colorado Independent Automobile Dealers Association.

"I think people have made the decision they want to have a big SUV that can be used to hold their whole family, and they can use it for recreation instead of a car they can only take back and forth to work," Kroneberger said. "Unless gas gets up to $4 and $5 a gallon, I think people will continue to drive the big SUVs."

Hybrid SUVs are available on the market, but they lose fuel efficiency the larger they get.

One drawback of the hybrid vehicles is the limited life of the batteries, which can cost $4,600 to $6,000 to replace. Many carmakers offer warranties that cover replacement, but these vehicles are just beginning to enter the used- car market and there's little research on resale.

Critics also say that hybrids don't perform well in mountain conditions. But Schoch said that when he drove his Camry in the mountains recently, he didn't notice a difference. As a matter of fact, he said, he thought his new hybrid performed better than the Subaru Forester he owned previously.

Hybrids can have a higher sticker price than either gasoline or flex-fuel vehicles, but tax credits for hybrids in Colorado fall into the $2,000 and $3,000 range - the most lucrative in the country, Brotherton said.

Federal tax credits for the Toyota Prius have expired, but credits are available for other hybrid models.

Clean diesel is the relative newcomer to the alternative fuel group, but it could gain momentum in the next few years. Volks- wagen is expected to come out with a clean diesel Jetta for 2008, and Jeep has a 2008 diesel Grand Cherokee.

Diesel gas manufacturers were required to switch to the clean, low-sulfur diesel last year, and carmakers are just beginning to catch up with cars that can run on the new fuel.

The next step is expected to be biodiesel, which can be made with vegetable oil, but it's not commercially available to consumers. Some corporate fleets, however, have begun to switch over.

Colorado legislation is expected to be introduced next year to increase emissions standards that eventually could require cars to boost mileage performance from 27.5 miles per gallon to 43.6 mpg by 2016, according to the Colorado Automobile Dealers Association, which opposes the proposal.

Alternative-fuel vehicles

Flex fuel, E-85

Flex-fuel vehicles can operate on either traditional gasoline, which has 10 percent ethanol, or a blend of up to 85 percent ethanol, E-85. The higher level of ethanol burns cleaner than gasoline, but it can be difficult to find stations that carry the alternative fuel.

Top seller: 2008 Chevrolet Impala

MPG: 16 mpg with E85, 22 mpg with gas

Annual fuel cost: $2,466 with E85, $1,904 with gas

Price: $28,290 MSRP

Leading flex-fuel automakers: GM, Ford and Chrysler

Hybrid electric

Hybrids use electric motors powered by a battery to take off and drive at low speeds. As the car accelerates, a traditional gasoline internal combustion engine takes over. The vehicles are considered more fuel-efficient than gasoline and flex-fuel vehicles.

Top seller:2008 Toyota Prius

MPG: 46 mpg combined city and highway

Annual fuel cost: $908

Price: $20,900-$23,220 MSRPLeading hybrid automakers: Toyota and Honda

Clean diesel

Sulfur has been reduced in this diesel fuel to create lower emissions. The fuel is widely available in Colorado stations. Carmakers are catching up, manufacturing diesel engines that can operate on the fuel. Diesel vehicles are more fuel-efficient than gas or flex-fuel vehicles.

Top seller:2008 Jeep Grand Cherokee 2WD

MPG: 20 combined city and highway

Annual fuel cost: $2,288

Price: $28,520- $43,440 MSRPSource: Fueleconomy.Gov

Leading clean diesel automakers: Mercedes and VW

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