Biodiesel vs. Hybrid Automobiles
Seems like lots of eco-conscious folks are making the decision lately to buy a biodiesel or a hybrid car. Without even knowing which is better, isn’t it cool that people actually care?
But which is better, and by what measure(s)? (skip to the end for the answer)
I don’t know the answer, but I’d love to see a holistic comparison of the choices available. I did find a few links that may be helpful if you are thinking about something besides a plain-old gas auto.
New life journal looks at the more practical aspects of the choice at hand
worldchanging.com ponders diesel vs. hybrid vs. gasoline emissions
various sightline.org biodiesel posts
even more biodiesel vs. hybrid
Let’s make it even more interesting by throwing vegetable oil (an alternative fuel that Rudolf Diesel was especially interested in) into the mix:
grist.org on hybrids vs. veggie oil cars
THE ANSWER
Drive less. Move closer to where you work, buy stuff, and the people you want to spend time with.
Yeah, okay, you still need a car. So get a turbo-diesel! I chose one for the following reasons:
- efficient, simple, long-lasting engine
- proven technology
- possibility to convert to straight or waste vegetable oil fuel
- reduces our dependency on fossil fuels
- extremely low emissions
- availability of biodiesel in Seattle is good
Good luck!
I think this is good advice and any time someone cares and makes a conscious decision they’re probably doing the right thing. But as a hybrid owner (or hyly opinionated one?) I have to pitch in one comment :) One thing the hybrid election gets that you don’t get with biodiesel (or that is a little more mixed) is the displayed economic incentive to car companies that there is demand for hybrid technology, and that’s a good thing. The demand for better, more cleanly burning diesel is also a good thing, for sure and you do get more greatly reduced demand for fossil fuels (and with it, reduced demand for protection of foreign oil interests) which is hard to quantify but definitely compelling.
Dollar for dollar and in the final environmental analysis, you’d probably save the most and make the greatest positive impact if you bus or buy an old Festiva and spend more on green energy rather than creating the demand for a new car at all, though. The only drawback there is that I think the Festiva’s engine really kills your hearing sensitivity for high frequency sounds!
Comment by Patrick — May 27, 2007 @ 9:25 am CDT