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2007 Green Vehicle Buyer's Guide
by Martha Hindes
Who would have thought, a half-dozen years ago, that former U.S. Vice President Al Gore would be the darling of the 2007 Academy Awards presentations with Oscar in hand? That's the same Al Gore who has become the speaker to clamor for at college commencement exercises and who now commands "snap to" attention from valets and doormen at the hippest "in" places.
Past elections forgotten, Gore has been rising to the peak of popularity among the trendy, the tree huggers and some troubled, budget-conscious consumers since his award winning "An Inconvenient Truth" documentary about the perils of global warming splashed across movie screens last year. If auto companies hadn't taken public persuasion about wanting earth friendlier vehicles seriously before, they have now.
Actually, almost every auto maker has been involved in bringing out cars and trucks designed to ease the impact on the environment while stretching mileage at the same time. The rising cost of gasoline at American pumps, almost guaranteed to peak at summer vacation time, has been a big spur. Now there are hybrids with electrically boosted gasoline engines, and diesels designed for clean diesel fuel or even diesel fuel made from plants. Others, called flex-fuel, can run on gasoline or on ethanol made from corn. And with such innovations as hydrogen powered vehicles on the horizon, the number of choices is growing.
For some vehicles that can fill the need for speed while easing the environmental guilt factor, RTM offers the following guide.
Click here to view RTM's 2006 Green Buyer's Guide
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