As Americans and Midwesterners, we love our automobiles. But that dependence carries a big price tag for the economy, our public health, and the environment.

Americans spend billions each year for oil to fuel their gasoline consumption. Demand continues to grow, emptying our wallets, and compromising global security. At the same time, pollution from cars and trucks fills our skies and damages our lungs. Automobile use drives the urban sprawl that is consuming our Midwestern landscape at an alarming rate, and our cars create much of the pollution that leads to global warming.

The popularity of hybrid and other environmentally-friendly vehicles continues to grow. Unfortunately, the top sellers are manufactured by overseas companies. The U.S. big three automakers—Ford, GM, and DaimlerChrysler—have a lesson to learn...perhaps the Mercury Mariner is a step in the right direction (see below).

Ranking the automakers
What's the environmental performance of your car company?

The Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS) released its Automaker Rankings 2007 (PDF). Honda, Toyota, and Hyundia-Kia took the top three spots for clean cars. The U.S. big three filled out the bottom.

According to UCS, all automakers can produce cleaner cars and cut global warming pollution by 40 percent using conventional technologies; hybrids can do even better.

Honda retained the Greenest Automaker title by producing vehicles that have better-than-average global warming scores and smog performance in four out of five vehicle classes. Toyota was a close second and has been the only automaker to consistently improve global warming performance since 2001.

Greener cars are hot sellers. According to the report, nearly half of the vehicles Toyota sold in model year 2005 were the best in their class in at least one environmental category, while one in four Hondas sold were the best in their class.

Hybrids are hot in Minnesota
Sales nearly double in one year

On September 17 the Star Tribune reported that Minnesota hybrid sales had increased 98 percent over the same period last year. Hybrids are still a very small portion of the 4.2 million passenger vehicles and pickup trucks driven, but the numbers are increasing steadily.

The Toyota Prius accounted for 55 percent of hybrid sales during that period. Nationally, the Prius has 50 percent of the hybrid market, Camry 15 percent, and Honda 9.1 percent. Nationally, hybrid sales have increased 49 percent. California leads national sales with almost 56,000 hybrids sold (26 percent).

Customers request green limos
Companies are upgrading their fleets with hybrids

The Boston Globe recently reported that the Mercury Mariner made a splash at the 2007 livery trade show and convention. The hybrid SUV is capable of 34 miles a gallon in city driving and is the first manufacturer-sponsored hybrid made specifically for livery service.

Some limo companies have begun to add hybrids to their fleets because customers are demanding hybrids, the Globe reports. But the new technology is also good for the bottom line. “Our biggest challenge right now is the price of fuel, and if you compare the costs, apples to apples, this is a cheaper vehicle to run,” said Roger J. Richard, president of Associated Cab Ltd.

Fresh Energy is a nonprofit organization leading the transition to a clean energy system. One that supports the health of our economies, our people, and our environment while moving us toward energy independence. www.fresh-energy.org