Sustainability Innovations by the Automobile Industry

Hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs) were the pioneers in the eco-car market and now account for the vast majority of the eco-car industry. They use an electric propulsion system in addition to a traditional internal combustion engine, and they often include energy-saving and storage technology like regenerative braking to enhance fuel-efficiency without losing performance.

Next in line, electric vehicles are touted to be the bright face of the eco-car population. EVs have no tailpipe emissions and reduce noise pollution since they lack an internal combustion engine. Other advantages of not having an internal combustion engine include a higher power-to-weight ratio, which allows EVs to accelerate faster than conventional vehicles. 

In addition to HEVs and EVs, there are a variety of eco-friendly cars that employ traditional internal combustion engines and are equipped to use more environmentally friendly fuels than gasoline. In this sense, the first-ever eco-car came out in 1936: The Mercedes-Benz 260 D. 

Even traditional gasoline-powered vehicles can be made more efficient using high compression engines or using forced induction technology that can more than double the power output of an engine. 

With all of the tech breakthroughs accessible to automakers, the options available for such sustainable advancements are now extensive, exciting, and worth a drive. 

Fuel Efficiency: The two most popular eco-friendly vehicle alternatives on the market are hybrids and flex-fuel vehicles. Hybrid vehicles consume relatively little fuel since they store energy in a battery by employing an electric motor when driving slowly with frequent braking and require less petroleum. When traveling at a higher speed, these vehicles restart their engines and utilize the energy from the wheels to charge their batteries. These advantages of green automobiles make them less reliant on gasoline, resulting in a lower contribution to air pollution and, as a result, a reduction in global warming.

Emissions: In 2019, more than 25 million light-duty cars were registered in Canada. EVs now account for a modest percentage of the market, accounting for 168,000 automobiles. This situation will need to alter rapidly. Hence, Canada is aiming for seven megatonnes of emissions reductions from light-duty vehicles by 2030, out of the 12-megatonne objective. Canada's electricity mix is so clean that it's one of the greatest places in the world to drive an EV. In Canada, using electricity to power an EV can cut greenhouse gas emissions by 60-90 percent per car. Even when all emissions from energy supply and vehicle production are considered, studies show that EVs and plug-in hybrids emit far lower total emissions than gas-powered automobiles, particularly in Canada.

Manufacturing: The Canadian government committed more than $300 million to fund the construction of a coast-to-coast network of fast chargers for electric vehicles, natural gas, and hydrogen refueling stations, as well as the research, demonstration, and development of next-generation charging technologies and enabling codes and standards. These improvements will enable Canadians to charge their zero-emission vehicles (ZEVs) securely and reliably where they live, work, and play.

To build a cleaner, more prosperous economy that combats climate change while also creating good jobs, the Government of Canada is taking steps to reduce pollution in all sectors of the economy, including transportation, which accounts for one-quarter of our greenhouse gas emissions. 

Against this background, Seamus O’Regan Jr., Minister of Natural Resources described how important it is to take a step further by accelerating the zero-emission vehicle targets to 2035. He said, "Achieving this target will require all Canadians, and businesses big and small, to embrace the change and go electric. That is why we will continue to invest in measures that put Canadians in the driver’s seat to a net-zero future."