Bryan Fife
Gas prices may be on the rise soon, and students can help improve air quality, and save money at the same time by driving cars that burn cleaner fuel and produce lower emissions.
Students can pick up alternative-fuel vehicles at many auto auctions, said Steve Jackson, the chair of Salt Lake’s Clean Cities Coalition
According to Jackson, many auto auctions allow the general public, not only car dealers, to purchase used-vehicles that use cleaner fuels. He said students may call car auctions to find out what days they will have alternative fuel cars available to purchase.
The general public can purchase used clean-fuel cars at some auctions at prices well below what they would generally pay at car dealerships, said Jackson.
Bill Colbert, an environmental scientist on mobile sources, said that some of Utah County’s largest air pollutants are ozone and carbon monoxide, which the Utah Division of Air Quality is continually taking action to lessen.
One of the actions taken is to reduce vehicle emissions, said Colbert, and vehicles that produce lower emissions will help improve air quality.
According to Jackson, cars that run on compressed natural gas, propane, and a mixture of ethanol and gas (E-85) are available for students to purchase as well as “hybrid” cars that run primarily with electricity.
Jackson said that Honda currently has a Civic model that runs with compressed natural gas. This model emits less pollution after being driven 100,000 miles than one cup of unleaded gasoline emits that is spilled on the ground and evaporates said Jackson.
Jackson said that the price of an equivalent gallon of compressed gas costs about 75 cents, and a gallon of propane costs $1.05.
Many gas stations currently have compressed natural gas, propane, and E-85 filling capabilities for vehicles, said Jackson.
Jackson said that one of the “downsides” of cars that use compressed natural gas and propane is that they must be refilled every 200 to 250 miles.
Bill Colbert, an environmental scientist on mobile sources, said that Honda and Toyota currently have developed hybrid cars that get about 70 miles per gallon. Honda’s hybrid model is called the Insight, and Toyota’s, the Prius. These cars produce extremely low emissions, said Colbert.
Jackson said the hybrid vehicles have a tank that holds about 10 gallons of unleaded gas. The gas is used to generate electricity that runs the motor in these cars.
Jackson said that a lot of people aren’t aware that their vehicles are capable of running on E-85. He said a lot of Ford and Chrysler vehicles are “E-85 capable.”
According to Jackson, the state of Utah currently offers tax credits for the purchase of alternative-fuel cars. The federal government may also offer tax credits for the purchase of alternative fuel cars, as well as the purchase of alternative fuels, if a bill proposed last week by a number of senators, including Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, passes. Jackson said he thinks there is a good chance that the bill will pass.
