3 Savvy Driving Tips to Help Save the Planet

The automotive industry has come a long way from damaging gas emissions to solar panelled electric cars. Governments, consumers, and investors are currently pushing various car-making supply chains to adapt their methods for a more sustainable future.

According to a Capgemini report, 62% of automotive organizations claim to have an exhaustive sustainability programme with explicit objectives and targets. Clearly, sustainability has become an important consideration for the industry.

This will have broad ramifications for the automotive business indeed. However, businesses, organizations and the government alone cannot process and speed up these changes alone. There is quite a significant role the consumer gets to play in this forthcoming era of eco-consciousness.

What are some famous myths that consumers keep when it comes to shifting their attitudes and perceptions for the better?

Number 1: Used Cars Can be More Eco-friendly Than New Cars

It is a popular belief that old cars that run on diesel and gas are far more harmful for the environment as compared to the whole new range of hybrid and electric cars as these tend to generate less carbon dioxide.  So much so that several Southeast Asian countries have public charging stations peppered around the continent to encourage the use of electric cars.

Indeed, while new cars may tend to be less polluting than old technologies from the 20th century, the real emissions generated by a car is not produced by the consumer but rather when it is being manufactured. This is often the mistake we all make as consumers when considering the emissions from our travels. We forget to look at the whole lifetime emissions of the vehicle purchases and dwell on what toxic gases are produced by the vehicle while we drive it.

A 2004 investigation by Toyota found that as much as half of a vehicle’s carbon dioxide discharges are created during the assembling stage. Consider purchasing used cars especially only if you require private transportation for only a short period of time when you are driving abroad or for a temporary lifestyle shift.

Of course, you might require some maintenance of the used or second-hand car to make sure that the ill-maintained engine doesn’t leak gas or spew out dark smoke. Regardless, this can also mean that it is an opportunity to buy recycled spare parts or parts that are certified to be eco-friendly. It is a great opportunity to educate and retrain our own consumer minds.

Number 2: There are Eco-friendly Car Options for Every Budget

With the starting price of an electric hybrid car at approximately $24,055, there’s a car that can fit anyone’s budget. One does not entirely require a loan or lending plan for a hybrid or electric car than it does for a normal gasoline or diesel car.

The way to go about this is to aptly do one’s research in the eco-friendly car options sphere. You can start by checking the various electric or hybrid car options available in your local market or regional and neighboring country markets. If you do decide to go with an electric vehicle, you may want to look into installing your own EV Chargers at home to make the charging process more convenient too. It’s also important to have an awareness of your countries tax laws and duty benefits to help in the planning process.

These are important considerations to have especially if you are planning to invest in a new gasoline-efficient car for the long run. If the car is for your family, you have even more reason to do your research.

While a car’s value can be difficult to measure, align your final choice with your personal tastes, lifestyle, budgets, and uses. A wise way to go about it is to also check options that were considered the most eco-friendly a couple of years ago from your chosen date of purchase. For example, checking the list of the most popular electric cars in 2019 for example can help inform your budgetary choices for 2021 even better.

Number 3: The Circular Economy is here and it works

According to Innovator News, 52% of organizations support and promote circular economy and is actually the most implemented sustainability initiative. The auto business doesn’t just add to the circular economy by remanufacturing parts or decreasing waste, but also by broadening the lifetime of a vehicle and making it possible to replace car parts by recycled and sustainably produced ones. Indeed, there is a consumer segment across various industries who favour service over ownership, which means more and more individuals are subscribing and recycling as opposed to purchasing novel versions of the same product line.

Picking an eco-accommodating vehicle can set aside both cash at the gas station and assist you with doing your part to improve air quality and forestall active pollution – if not stop it altogether.

Hence, as a driver, one can seek to be part of this economy mode and endeavour to fully engage with it. For example, you can seek to shift your car buying process from the physical to the digital, by taking virtual test drives, or buying local cars instead of imported cars if you have the opportunity to do so.

Educating oneself as to what one would do at the end of the car’s shelf life for disposal is also a smarter and more responsible way to consumerism. If the vehicle being bought cannot be safely reused or disposed of, one should think twice before purchasing it. Or what if the vehicle to be bought in question is co-owned where several households who have a fairly low usage of private transportation could simply own a single car as opposed to one per household? Could considering various ownership options help be more engaged in the circular economy?

The support of consumers has been an essential part in driving the automotive industry towards a sustainable future. With surging concerns about environmental change and ecological disasters, carbon footprint manageability has become a basic modern-day requirement for car manufacturers. All these little myths once fully de-bust will have wide consequences for the auto business and the world. Notwithstanding, organizations, associations and the public authority alone can’t measure and accelerate the progressions of eco-friendly vehicles alone but together with consumers who are actively seeking environment sustainable vehicles.