Morin Brothers Automotive

In my last article I promised to reveal my choice of “really, really, green cars, and when we will get them”. The good news is that they are here now. The bad news is that they are called ‘bicycles’ and use a form of “biofuel” that includes sweat in the equation. There are several runners up, however, that require more money but less sweat. Some, like the hybrid and diesel cars, are here now, others, like the hydrogen fuel cell and hydrogen fueled cars are still in the making. Each of these options comes with environmental tradeoffs.

All the major car manufacturers are making gasoline/electric hybrid cars. Some are small and among the most fuel-efficient cars made. Others are larger and even more powerful than their non-hybrid brethren. Their biggest drawback is complexity and the unknown (so far) life expectancy of the batteries. They all still use gasoline and contribute to global warming and pollution, just less so than non-hybrid cars.

Diesel powered cars and trucks also emit their share of pollutants, including hydrocarbons, carbon monoxide, and particulates, but they are more efficient, using less fuel per mile than gasoline powered cars. In addition to the drawbacks of pollution, emissions, global warming, etc. of both diesel and gasoline powered cars is their fuel’s limited supply. Sooner or later we will run out!

Alternative fuels: Not the miracle cure, but definitely an improvement. Biodiesel is so far the “greenest” fuel available today. Energy costs involved in production are low, and efficiency, the available energy per gallon, is relatively high. Ethanol is being touted (especially by Midwest farmers) as the ideal replacement for gasoline, but the energy costs in production are high and its efficiency is low. Biodiesel has the same drawback in so far as production costs are concerned, however it’s efficiency helps it outweigh that disadvantage. The famous Country Western singer Willie Nelson has even come out with his own brand of biodiesel and hopes that it will be marketed along side conventional diesel in truck stops. Right now biodiesel users have to rely on independent producers and suppliers. Locally biodiesel is available at J.B.Dewar on Prado Rd, San Luis Obispo. It is only available in 55 and 5-gallon quantities but they plan to install a conventional pump in the near future.

To sum up, human power is still the greenest way to get around, but bio diesel is a close second and hybrids third, with fuel cell and ethanol power an unknown quantity at this time

I’m a car guy, so automotive related stuff always catches me eye. New Times "man in the street" question last week was "If you could purchase a new car today, what would your number one priority be?" Two out of five said "Power, definitely power". One said style, one economy, and one (if I recall correctly) was happy if it just started every time. This gives us a pretty good idea why many of the car ads feature bigger engines and more horsepower and only a few promote their economy. We also get a quick lesson as to why fuel efficiency has been such a hard sell and why many of the new hybrids are actually more powerful than the cars they are meant to replace. Despite the huge jump in fuel prices and the environmental penalty, drivers are still opting for style and power over economy.

Short of a huge shift in the American psyche, what can we do as individuals to "drive green"? First off, if we have a car we depend on, we should keep it in the best running order possible and keep it as long as is economically feasible. The economics of replacing an automobile that is running well and reliably, unless it is so old that even when running well it is a gross polluter, can be calculated just like calculating the payback time for installing an energy efficient heater or dual glazed windows. Even if you buy the cheapest gas sipper you can find, it is still going to cost you $4,000 a year or more for three years. During that time it will lose up to one third of its’ value. The car you are driving now is already paid for. Another reason to keep a car that runs well on the road is the environmental penalty imposed in the manufacture of the replacement car. Even though manufacturing efficiencies are vastly greater than they were just ten years ago, building even a modestly sized car consumes huge amounts of materials and energy, and creates a fair amount of environmental pollution and degradation in the process.

If your treasured vehicle has reached the end of its’ life, by all means replace it. Take a really close look at the kind of driving you do. If you are alone or with one other person in your car most of the time, chose a small hybrid sedan or coupe. If you regularly haul half the soccer team, consider one of the mini vans before looking at that Suburban. Many of the new mini vans can get close to 30mpg on the highway and are capable of hauling up to nine people and gear! If you really need to haul stuff, take a look at diesel power in trucks. Despite the initial added expense of opting for a diesel engine, as well as the more expensive fuel (here in CA), diesel powered trucks can get more that twice miles per gallon and potentially last twice as long as gas powered trucks.

To sum up, the car you drive right now may be the cheapest car you can own, but if you have to replace it, think green.

Next month: Really, really, green cars, and when we are going to get them.

The oil that lives inside the engine of your car or truck is indeed a petroleum product and comes out of one of those sixty-six dollar barrels just like gasoline. It’s origin, use, and disposal has contributed to world wide environmental degradation just like it cousin, gasoline, and, like its’ cousin, it is a necessary part of daily driving. Inside your engine it lubricates in all temperatures, from Alaska to Death Valley, it prevents corrosion and oxidation, and carries away harmful by products of combustion including water, soot, particulates, and raw gas, all the while allowing itself to be ignored by everyone but the most conscientious driver.

Recommended replacement intervals for this hard-working substance are all over the map. Car manufacturers are typically recommending intervals of 7500 to 10,000 miles. Click and Clack of “Car Talk” fame recommend 5000 miles. We at Morin Brothers and most “quick lube” franchises recommend 3000 miles. So who is right? The best answer is “it depends”. The dependent variables are distance, time, and foot pressure on the go pedal. Trips of less than ten miles, stop and go driving, and rapid acceleration force the oil to store far more contaminants than steady state driving (Pizza delivery comes to mind, though having four kids in school may be a close second). Commutes of 20 miles or more and long trips are very easy on the oil. The engine is right up to temperature, the car rarely experiences cooling cycles, and heavy acceleration is unusual. So for one driver, the oil could be overdue at 3000 miles, and for another, a 3000-mile oil change would be too soon. Recommending a 3000-mile interval is a conservative approach. We’d rather be safe than sorry. The manufacturer’s recommendation is not based on ‘best practices”, but on a hypothetical “average driver” that drives 15,000 miles a year at speeds above 35 miles per hour and doesn’t want to spend more that $50 a year in maintenance. Not exactly your real life driver.

A more reasonable guideline might be time, not miles. If you are driving 16,000 miles a year and change your oil every three or four months you will be servicing your car between 4,000 and 5,000 miles - about right. If you are driving 6,000 miles a year and change your oil twice a year, at 3,000 miles between services, you are at a very reasonable interval.

The bottom line is that it is better to change your oil than not. In spite of the environmental impact, keeping your oil clean keeps your engine in good health, which extends the potential life of the car. The longer your can keep your car on the road, the longer you can postpone the much greater impact of disposing of it and manufacturing a replacement.