A recent study by Union of Concerned Scentists USA (UCSUSA) concluded that Hyundai Motor and its sister concern Kia Motor were the most eco-friendly automakers in the country in the 2014 Environment rankings, beating other mainstream manufacturers for the title. Out of the eight manufacturers that were selected, Hyundai-Kia took the most effort to improve fuel efficiency and reduce tailpipe emissions of its entire fleet. The study also concluded that the strong federal and state emission standards made the average new car cleaner by 43 percent since 1998.
While the South Koreans were the most eco-friendly, the American auto giants Ford, GM and Chrysler were at the end of the list, contributing higher than the average smog-forming and global warming polluting emissions. It was Chrysler at the bottom of the list, with the dirtiest tailpipe emissions. Compared to the national average, Hyundai vehicles emit 13 percent less smog-forming and 15 percent less global warming pollution. The other manufacturer to have made a sizeable difference has been Honda, which has been consistently making improvements for greener vehicles.
The study however, also pointed out that all major automakers have worked upon reducing the average global warming emissions compared to their respective 1998 fleet average. A new average vehicle emits 20 percent new global warming pollution and nearly 87 percent less smog-forming tailpipe emissions. The improvements in technology, demand for strong fuel economy and stringent pollution standards have required automakers to rework on producing more efficient vehicles.
Other manufacturers too have been working rapidly to improve the efficiency and fuel economy average. Companies like Ford have been concentrating on small capacity turbocharged engines that do not compromise on performance, while also diverting attention towards hybrids. Moreover, the research and development for technologies will help all automakers to improve fuel economy and greenhouse gas emissions. The phase-in of future regulations including the Tier 3 standards will ensure these improvements continue.
Source – UCSUSA