While many Americans have been glues to news stations, fascinated by the revolutions and political change in Middle Eastern countries, many other Americans have been glued to the same coverage for a different reason. America’s dependence on foreign oil means that any instability in oil-producing countries directly effects gas prices at home and can put a strain on budgets. This is one of the main reason to purchase a highly fuel-efficient vehicle. Finding cheap car insurance is also going to be easier.
Budgetary Concerns
It’s no secret that the price of gasoline has skyrocketed in recent years, leaving many Americans unable to take the long road trips and family vacations that had been a mainstay of American life for decades. With prices over three dollars per gallon, and quickly heading higher, there are a significant number of people who simply cannot afford to drive their own vehicle.
This is where hybrid and electric-powered vehicles come in. Cars like the Toyota Prius offer up to 50 miles per gallon by using a built-in battery to supplement the power (and energy consumed) by the traditional combustion engine. Other vehicles, like the Chevrolet Volt and Nissan Leaf, use traditional electric motors that charge by plugging into your home’s standard electrical outlet. While the Volt uses this motor to supplement its combustion engine, the Nissan Leaf is entirely powered by its electric motor and can help price-wary consumers leave the gas pump behind.
Those not interested in a hybrid, or those who would prefer to stay in a lower price range, can ease their budgets simply by moving from a large sport utility vehicle to a compact sedan. A lot of SUV owners are lugging around extra cargo space that they rarely use, and are needlessly suffering from low mile-per-gallon rates that can end up costing them hundreds of dollars a week in fuel alone. Because of this, car dealerships nationwide have seen a spike compact car sales, while the SUV section on most lots sits untouched and unconsidered.
Energy Independence and Environmental Concerns
There’s no denying that large vehicles like SUVs and cargo trucks contribute comparatively enormous amounts of carbon emissions that have been shown to induce climate change. Even compact cars emit a good deal more carbon than their hybrid counterparts. For this reason, choosing a hybrid or electric-powered vehicle is a great way for consumers to reduce their carbon footprint and help blunt the effects of climate change.
Furthermore, fuel efficient vehicles reduce America’s dependence on foreign oil. Energy independence is a key way to lower prices at the pump by making them less susceptible to the instability of countries in North Africa and the Middle East. Not only does it insulate the market from wild swings in the international political environment, but it encourages the use and refining of oil reserves located on American soil.
The energy independence promoted by highly fuel efficient vehicles can be a boon to oil-based economies in states like Alaska, Texas, and states on the Gulf Coast whose residents work on oil rigs in the Gulf of Mexico.
Conclusions
The benefits of fuel efficient vehicles are most immediate when a consumer’s wallet is a little thicker every week, but it has long-term benefits that improve the American economy, reduce global warming risks, reduce dependence upon unstable countries in other parts of the world.