Considerations for Buying a "Leaner and Greener" New Car

Way back in the summer of 2001, in the time before the tragedy of 9/11 happened and gasoline prices averaged below $2.00 per gallon in the United States, buying a new car was pretty simple and straightforward. Pick a color, style, and feature package, agree on a trade-in price for your old vehicle, arrange financing, and drive out with a new vehicle. When I bought my 2001 Ford Ranger pick-up truck that year, it took me about 20 minutes to close the deal.

Car Buying in 2011: Some New Considerations

In 2011, purchasing a new car or truck is certainly a lot more complicated than it was ten years ago. To be sure, color, style, and features are still important for today's car buyers, but many other factors must be taken into consideration when selecting a new car. New vehicles have become much more expensive; an average, reasonably well equipped family car can run $20,000 or more now. With the price of gasoline in the United States averaging over $4.00 per gallon as of this writing, and with new, more stringent fuel economy and national emission control standards constantly being implemented, it's imperative for responsible car buyers to consider two additional factors in selecting their new car:

1. How fuel-efficient is it?
2. How "green" is it? (How well does it reduce or prevent the emission of pollutants into the atmosphere?)

Fuel Economy Standards in the United States

For the past 20 years, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has required newly manufactured passenger cars to achieve a minimum of 27.5 miles per gallon corporate average fuel economy (CAFE) standard. Beginning with the 2011 model year, those CAFE standards will begin to increase. Passenger cars produced in 2011 must achieve 30.2 miles per gallon (combined city and highway driving); by 2016, the CAFE standard for new cars will be 39.0 miles per gallon.

Vehicle Emission Control Standards in the United States

As fuel economy standards for vehicles driven in the United States have become more stringent, so have emission control standards for those vehicles. U.S. laws and regulations for the control of pollutants emitted from vehicles are very complex and constantly evolving.

Here is a quick primer explaining the very basics of vehicle emission control standards in the United States. There are currently two sets of emission control standards: those established at the Federal level by the Clean Air Act of 1990, and those established in California by the Mulford-Carrell Act of 1967. Because California's emission control standards were enacted before the Clean Air Act, and because they are far more stringent than those prescribed in Federal law, states have the choice of adhering to either Federal or California regulations. States cannot, however, establish their own separate emission control standards.

Beginning in 2016, California's emission control standards will become the national standard as well, and will be enforced by the EPA. It is important, therefore, to have a basic understanding of emissions control standards now in effect in the Golden State.

California's current emission control standards are enforced by the California Air Resources Board (CARB) and based upon a "Zero Emissions Vehicle (ZEV) Program" enacted by the CARB in 1990. The purpose of ZEV Program is to restrict or eliminate tailpipe and evaporative pollutants from a vehicle's source of power. The ZEV Program has been amended several times since its enactment. As it is now written, it establishes several classifications of vehicles:

Low Emission Vehicle (LEV): The least stringent category. These vehicles (sold in CARB states since 2004) are permitted to emit only very low levels of "greenhouse gases" and other pollutants into the atmosphere, as compared to the average for new cars sold in California in 2003.

Ultra Low Emission Vehicle (ULEV): Certified by the CARB as emitting 50% less pollutants into the atmosphere than the average new car sold during the current model year.

Super Ultra Low Emission Vehicle (SULEV): Certified by the CARB as emitting 90% less pollutants into the atmosphere than the average new car sold during the current model year.

Partial Zero Emission Vehicle (PZEV): Meets all of the CARB's SULEV tailpipe standards, and is also certified to emit no unburned fuel vapors or other evaporated pollutants from any vehicle component; PZEVs must also have a 15 year/150,000 warranty on their emission control systems.

Advanced Technology Partial Zero Emission Vehicle (AT-PZEV): Meets all of the CARB's PZEV standards, with advanced technology (hybrid electric/battery/gasoline, or compressed natural gas engine) included.

Zero Emissions Vehicle (ZEV): Certified by the CARB as having zero tailpipe or evaporative emissions, and is 98% cleaner than the average new vehicle sold during the current model year. As of this writing, no vehicles containing internal combustion engines are able to meet this standard.

As of this writing, 12 states - Connecticut, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, and Washington, as well as the District of Columbia - have adopted California's more stringent emission control standards. Arizona will join this "clean baker's dozen" beginning in 2012, and other states are considering taking the same action. By law, only these states, and those states directly bordering on them, are permitted to sell vehicles that meet CARB's standards.

Next time you're in the market for a new car, you may be assured that it will definitely be "leaner and greener" than your older one. Happy new car buying!

SOURCES: Embedded in article.