Emission Standards - How Do Hybrids Perform?

A close look at the EPA's (Environmental Protection Agency) will make most people wonder why we have all not been forced to purchase hybrid cars. The mileage performance of the Honda Insight, which gets into the high sixties at times, should be enough incentive to get one to purchase it, without even looking at the EPA ratings. The truth is that the more gas one uses, the more emissions and air pollution you put into the air. The way to counteract the hazardous effects of gas guzzling vehicles is of course, the combination of electric and gas power. The performance of hybrids in the environmental department is not just cutting pollution by a few percentages. Some hybrids, like the Toyota Prius, are cutting numbers by a staggering 90%. It seems that the combination of electric with gas power, has not been totally perfected, but it is taking emissions standards to an unthought-of level.

Hybrids are showing what regular gas cars really are because they so vastly bypass them in emissions ratings. One-third of the world's pollution is directly caused by cars. The burning of fuel in regular cars actually puts tons of toxic chemicals into the air. The worst of these chemicals is carbon dioxide. This is the gas which is being linked to possible global warming. Driving a Toyota Prius cuts the tons of carbon dioxide being released into the air by half. Another chemical which some studies show contributes to global warming is nitrogen oxide. This has also been known to cause lung irritation and acid rain. Driving a hybrid has been known to cut emissions of nitrogen oxide by more than half. Hydrocarbons affect the human body to catastrophic results. Birth defects and cancer have been linked to the release of hydrocarbons into the air. Honda's hybrids have cut emissions of hydrocarbons by more than two-thirds.

There is also lead, particulate matter and carbon monoxide being released into the air every time we drive in our car. Sitting in traffic during rush-hour or at the drive-through lets one sit in a stew of toxic chemicals. All of these chemicals, gases and particles are being cut in half, or by triple, with the purchase of a hybrid car. Because more and more people are becoming interested in what the EPA has to say about global warming, harmful effects on the human body, and general pollution by regular cars, makers are coming out with better and better hybrid cars. Each year, makers like Toyota, Honda, Ford and soon GM, Saturn and Mazda, are improving the gas mileage performance of the hybrid models which directly affect how much emissions will get into the air and produce fatal results.

The EPA and other environmentally minded groups are supporting the production of hybrids simply by getting the results of their studies to consumers. Special ratings are being given to hybrid vehicles. For example, a ULEV rating indicates ultra-low-emissions-vehicle and SLEV is a super-low-emissions-vehicle. All of the hybrids are receiving these ultra or super-low emissions ratings from the EPA, while their non-hybrid counterparts are still receiving below average ratings for air pollution emissions.

The EPA breaks down the scoring for vehicles and gives them a separate rating for air pollution, and one for greenhouse gases. Even though emissions standards released in the 1970s made it mandatory for vehicles to maintain certain standards, which helped reduce some of the pollution and greenhouse gases, makers are usually not able to even get above average ratings in both categories for most models. Hybrids hold the key to excellent ratings. Terrain, weather and speed all affect the data which goes into calculating the ratings for hybrids, and all other cars, but all considered; hybrids are still surpassing the EPA's expectations. They are all scoring above average, even perfect scores in some cases, because they are able to use electric power. The hybrid is still using plenty of gas. It just combines this with electric power when it can. This keeps the hybrid from having to use as much gas. This reduced use of gas is what is making the hybrid the bright star of the EPA standards and is pleasing fuel conscience people around the world.