The Search for Sustainable Private Cars

Nearly everyone I know as soon as they hit 17 started to learn to drive and also to save up to purchase their own vehicle. In our day and age having a car in the family is a necessity. There are obvious reasons for this, they give us independence we don’t have to rely on bus or train timetables, they are easy to use, and an affordable way of getting around quickly and safely.

The sustainable development indicator 2008 for private cars shows that co2 emissions have increased by 4% between 1990-2006. In the same time the total car km travelled has increased by 20%. Private cars are unsustainable not only do they add to the greenhouse gases they are using a resource that is limited. So why do we use cars? Cars give us freedom to go anywhere within reason at any time, we don’t have to wait around for public transport. Also public transport for example trains are very expensive I would say it is cheaper to drive to destinations. Buses are cheap but are very slow and can triple the time it would take to travel. So what other options do we have for sustainable effective travel?

There are new cars that give out lower emissions such as Honda’s new FCX Clarity which is the first commercial production of a zero emission, hydrogen fuel cell powered vehicle. It runs on electricity produced by combining hydrogen with oxygen and emits water vapour. There are also electric cars but the problem with these new advanced more sustainable cars is that they are very expensive so not everyone can afford these. Another option is Biofuel a renewable solar energy store made from plants. The problem with this being that its grown on land that might otherwise be used to feed people, and its limited to very few parts of the country so far. those where alternatives to car options other options to travel consist of using your bike more for short journeys, using public transport instead and try walking. But obviously these are not the desirable options.

At the moment there is no straight alternative to using unsustainable cars, there are new cars that are way more sustainable and I believe will be the future for sustainable private cars. I can’t see public transport being preferred when trains are very expensive and buses are unreliable and slow. The only effective replacement for unsustainable private cars would be a new sustainable fuel, and a lot of money is going into research in order to get this. For exp Exxon Mobil are:
‘Working with the scientific and business communities on leading research to identify economically viable technologies that can meet future energy demand while dramatically reducing global GHG emissions. This includes work on advanced fuels, lubricants and combustion technologies, as well as support for the Global Climate and Energy Project (GCEP) at Stanford University, which represents the largest-ever privately funded research effort in low-GHG energy.’