Automotive technology has been constantly evolving since the first car was invented by Henry Ford. Many believe that the automobile has been actively contributing to pollution and other harmful environmental effects that we have been experiencing over the last century. Therefore, in order to help keep up with the times, the automobile has been influenced by environmentalists and environmental changes.
Environmental sustainability is more important than ever, and now even the automotive industry is getting on board with the green initiative! Here are just a few ways that automotive manufacturers have started to go green.
Design
Everyone knows that car producers have been releasing electric vehicles and hybrids to help cut back on the amount of fuel that a car uses and subsequently releases into the atmosphere. The green initiative in the automotive industry goes deeper than that, however. After all, not everyone wants to drive a small electric car. There is also a trend of car manufacturers going green in their methods of producing cars. After all, everyone needs a planet, even someone driving a gas guzzler!
Toyota claims that it is an environmental leader, and their manufacturing process does give some credence to that claim. They have been limiting the amount of resources used during production and claim to have saved 93 million gallons of water from this new practice. Of course, this is only compared to how much water they were using before, but it is still an undeniable progress.
Like anything else, manufacturing a car leaves waste. This can come in a lot of forms, but metal is one of the most common. Car manufacturers have begun to recycle unused steel from their cars, as well as recycling or composting their other wastes. This does a lot of good for the environment before the car is even finished!
Parts
Of course, a car does not have to be designed to run on electricity to be more eco-friendly. Companies like Power Test Inc. have been doing interesting work in the creation of an AC dynamometer which eliminates the need for water to be getting rid of extra power from the engine.
Instead, the excess power is dissipated in an air-cooled resistant load bank, where it can be released harmlessly into the atmosphere or put back into the electrical grid. This saves resources and could be a considerable help to those that don’t want to drive electric cars or hybrids, but still want to help the planet.
There are dozens upon dozens of ways that automotive manufacturers are trying to help the planet. Most if not all car manufacturers now have some kind of hybrid and more energy efficient vehicle that emits less toxins into the air. As an understanding of the importance of green living continues to grow, the demand for more eco-friendly alternatives will continue to grow. Perhaps even to the point where the automobile will no longer be a so called environmental hazard and making the Earth a greener place to live. While the automotive industry does not change for much, it will certainly change for the desires of its consumers.