Sport Utility Vehicles (SUV's) have gained
tremendous popularity in recent years. Their safety features, rugged appearance, and sheer
size make them an attractive choice for men and women alike. SUV's are tough enough to tow
all of your toys, safe enough to seat your entire family, and are generally more appealing
to the eye than a mini-van.
There are a couple of major tradeoffs in owning an SUV. Their enormous physical size and
gross tonnage often lead to gas mileage that will empty out your pocket book. In addition,
a smog loophole allows SUV's and light trucks to emit 47% more pollutants than cars. The
Union of Concerned Scientists, or UCS, estimates that this loophole creates 1.8 million
tons of smog-forming pollutants and 237 million tons of global warming gases each year.
Fortunately, new technologies may soon be giving SUV's better gas mileage and lower smog
emissions. The UCS has drafted complete plans for what they call the 'UCS Exemplar,' an
environmentally friendly SUV. The Exemplar is a modified Ford Explorer that would get 50%
better gas mileage and emit 75% less air pollution than a based price Ford Explorer.
Plans indicate that the Exemplar would weigh about 600 pounds less than the Ford Explorer.
The UCS makes it clear in their report that the decrease in weight would not affect the
safety of the vehicle. In fact, the UCS report maintains all interior and exterior
dimensions of the Explorer, and safety equipment is not modified in any way.
Low resistance tires, improved aerodynamics, and a variable valve engine are among the few
changes that would be made in the Exemplar. The result is a full-size SUV that gets 27.5
miles to the gallon, and emits less smog-forming pollutants than most cars. The UCS claims
that the price tag of the vehicle would go up by about $700. This additional cost would be
recovered in less than two years, due to the Exemplar's increased fuel economy. In the
long run, the Exemplar would cost less to own.
It's much easier to draw a vehicle on paper than it is to create a drivable version.
Gloria Bergquist, spokesman for the Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers, says that
"The challenge is to take the vehicle from the blackboard to the black top." She
further claims that "Consumers have already voted on fuel economy increases, with
fewer than 2 percent of new car buyers choosing vehicles averaging 40 mpg or more."
The 'UCS Exemplar' report has seemingly come at the perfect moment, as air pollution has
been a recent hot topic in Congress. Soon, you could be cruising in a brand new, totally
safe, environmentally friendly, fuel-efficient Sport Utility Vehicle!
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A Friendlier S.U.V. by Robert Viers