What does 'going green' really mean?

When it comes to cars, 'green' is becoming a more commonly used term - but what does it mean?

Basically, a green car is a car that is considered 'environmentally-friendly' - it produces less harmful emissions and often uses a more sustainable fuel resource.

Should I be considering green cars?

If you're not a long-distance or barely-ever driver, there's a lot to be said for going green. Average city drivers can benefit hugely from hybrid or electric vehicles.
 
If you're someone who only drives a short-distance once or twice a week, you'll still be best off financially with an efficient petrol engine, but you may not reap the full benefits of a 'green' car (financially anyway). For your bank balance to benefit from an electric or hybrid vehicle, you need to be filling up your tank regularly.

Then we have the regular long-haul drivers. For you, diesel remains an excellent choice, both financially and in terms of environmental footprint. There have been huge advances in the fuel efficiency of the diesel engine which naturally lead to lessening of emissions. 

Why go green in the first place?

Air and water quality, greenhouse gas emissions, ozone depletion and resource depletion are all linked to the manufacturing and ongoing use of cars. Green cars seek to minimise our environmental impact, and they do this by eliminating or reducing a car's reliance on fossil fuels.

For some people, that is reason enough to buy green. But for most green car owners, it doesn't even come close to being enough. For these people, money talks, and it's the environmentally sensitive cars that are making the best arguments. With the reduction of emissions, green cars tend to have lower running costs, with some varieties up to 70% cheaper to run than their combustion-engine equivalents.

Electric cars

Electric cars offer the most environmentally friendly package. They produce no tailpipe emissions, meaning that when people choose to drive electric instead of fuel, they're contributing to a significant improvement in local air quality and CO2 levels in our atmosphere.

While they are usually more expensive to buy, an electric car usually costs, on average, up to 70% less to run than a normal petrol engine.

The main concern for people considering an electric car is the limited range, that is, how far the car can go on one charge. While there are electric cars that can travel over 450km on one charge, most production models will travel around 160km before needing a recharge. Australia's daily average is about 40km per vehicle, so for the vast majority of people there would be no range issues.

Hybrid cars

For those who can't move past the range anxiety, hybrid cars offer the benefits of both worlds. 

There are two kinds of hybrid car: full hybrid and mild hybrid. Full hybrid cars allow both the petrol and electric engines to power the wheels. So, it is possible to drive the car on electric power only. Mild hybrids, on the other hand, can only move when the combustion engine is at work, and rely on the electric engine to simply boost the performance of the petrol engine.

Hybrids do get better fuel economy than fuel comb