Making a difference to the planet
will mean doing battle on all fronts
There is no easy solution to climate change. It will take a combination of new behaviours, advanced technology and changed attitudes, on a global scale, to build a greener future for the planet.
"It will take all of us, industry, government and consumers, working together, to make a difference on climate change," said Bill Osborne, president and CEO of the Ford Motor Company of Canada.
It's critical to take a look at the whole picture of climate change, especially considering that, according to Environment Canada, the cars and trucks consumers drive account for 12 per cent of Canada's total greenhouse gas emissions. And only 1 per cent of greenhouse gas emissions come from new vehicles. So, even if every Canadian parked their car and never drove again, there would still be 88 per cent of Canada's greenhouse gas emissions to contend with.
Still, there's a role for the auto industry to play. That's why Ford is aggressively pursuing five promising environmental technologies: hybrid electric vehicles, advanced clean diesel engines, E85 ethanol flex fuel vehicles, hydrogen combustion engine powertrains and hydrogen fuel cell vehicles.
"Ford has accepted the challenge and we are committed to delivering a wide variety of fuel-saving vehicle technologies. And variety is key because there is no single answer, no silver bullet technology," Mr. Osborne said.
Just last month, the world's first drivable fuel cell plug-in hybrid electric vehicle, the Ford Edge with HySeries Drive, cruised the streets of Vancouver, marking the first time this experimental vehicle has been in Canada. The Ford Edge with HySeries Drive combines an onboard hydrogen fuel cell generator with lithium-ion batteries to deliver fuel economy for the average commuter of about 3.0 litres/100 km with zero emissions. This plug-in hybrid drives the first 40 km each day on stored electricity alone, and then switches to the hydrogen fuel cell for another 320 km, and the only emission is water vapour.
There are, however, significant technical hurdles to overcome before a vehicle like the Edge with HySeries Drive can become an everyday reality.
Fuel cell vehicles are expensive. Each one costs millions of dollars, mainly due to the high price tag on lithium-ion batteries. Also, fuel cells have to become more durable and there have to be hydrogen filling stations accessible to consumers.
In the meantime, gasoline-electric hybrid vehicles, like the 2008 Ford Escape Hybrid, offer a green choice. The Escape Hybrid was the first-ever hybrid SUV and the 2008 model delivers fuel economy of 5.7 litres/100 km for city driving.
Today, the Canadian government and many provincial governments, offer significant rebates to drivers who choose hybrid vehicles. For example, someone purchasing an Escape Hybrid in Ontario should receive up to $2,000 from the federal government and another $2,000 from the provincial government.
"The recently announced federal rebate program for hybrids means that more Canadians can afford to make a 'green' choice," Mr. Osborne said. "It's an important step in the right direction."
But more needs to be done. For example, the government also offers rebates on vehicles that can run on fuel consisting of 85 per cent ethanol and 15 per cent gasoline - these are known as E85 vehicles. Unfortunately, there's virtually nowhere for Canadians to buy ethanol fuel. So, these E85 vehicles will actually be burning gasoline, earning none of the environmental benefits of ethanol fuel.
The federal government recognized this issue in its recent budget announcement with a promise to invest $2-billion in the production of renewable fuels in Canada. The remaining challenge is building a distribution network for these fuels.
A good place to start is the government's own fleets, particularly in large urban areas where vehicles tend to return to a central depot on a daily basis. Equipping these depots with E85 pumps would help pave the way for large commercial fleets to do the same, and encourage the move to convenient E85 retail outlets.
Clean fuels are essential to maximize the benefits of advanced technologies in today's vehicles. More can be done to improve the quality of the gas and diesel fuel available in Canada and it will likely take action by the federal government to ensure that the fuel supply reaches world-class standards. Cleaner fuels working with advanced vehicle technologies reduce harmful emissions, but one isn't fully effective without the other.
One of the best ways to reduce harmful emissions related to vehicle use is to get older cars and trucks off the road. There are about one million vehicles on Canadian roads today that are 20 years old, or older. Just one of these older vehicles produces as much smog-causing emissions as 37 new vehicles. The bottom line is that new cars and trucks are cleaner and more fuel-efficient.
That is why measures like the federal government's "Green Levy" will not help to reduce emissions. In fact, these feebates may mean Canadians have to delay their purchases of new, more fuel-efficient, and cleaner-running vehicles because it now costs them up to $4,000 more. Canadians are very responsible, practical vehicle buyers. They already purchase, proportionately, twice as many small vehicles compared with American drivers. Most Canadians who do buy pickup trucks and sport utility vehicles do so out of need. They include farmers, trades people and others who need to transport multiple passengers or require significant towing capacity.
Since all new vehicles, regardless of size, incorporate the latest improvements in fuel economy, safety and emissions control technology, consumers should be encouraged to choose any new vehicle that meets their needs and family size. Consumers should not be forced by regulation to defer their vehicle purchases or to buy older, less environmentally friendly second-hand vehicles.
"It's like putting someone on a diet by forcing them to buy a smaller refrigerator," Mr. Osborne said. "It's simply not going to work." Instead, Canada needs a comprehensive climate change strategy that takes a serious look at all the sources of emissions and works to address them in truly effective and economically sustainable ways. "Only by taking on the battle on all these fronts will it make a difference for the planet. Isolated actions that sound good in the short term will not be effective. It's more complicated than that," Mr. Osborne said. "We're ready to do our part, but we can't do it alone. Only by working together can we build a better world."
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