As Senate Bill and Consumers Demand Fuel Efficiency, Edmunds.com Considers "Womb-to-Tomb" Environmental Impact of Cars

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As Senate Bill and Consumers Demand Fuel Efficiency, Edmunds.com Considers "Womb-to-Tomb" Environmental Impact of Cars

SANTA MONICA, Calif. — May 9, 2007 — Reports indicate that gas prices hit an all-time high last weekend, and they are sure to continue to climb throughout the summer. Many consumers are demanding fuel-efficient vehicles in an effort to reduce personal household expenses. Yesterday, a Senate committee made strides in mandating higher Corporate Average Fuel Economy standards for automakers.

Fuel efficiency may be the most popular environmental consideration for drivers. However, a growing segment of the American population is considering broader ecological issues, thanks to Earth Day efforts, the release of movies such as "An Inconvenient Truth" and other awareness-building campaigns.

In a new article entitled Cars From Womb to Tomb: What's Really Green?, Edmunds.com, the premier online resource for automotive information, shares research on current "womb-to-tomb" environmental impact trends in the automotive industry.

"From a holistic perspective, hybrids are not necessarily more environmentally friendly than pick-up trucks," notes Edmunds.com Editor John DiPietro. "Consumers who are genuinely interested in minimizing their environmental impact should research the production process, maintenance needs, emissions and recyclability of vehicles, not just their fuel efficiency. For example, the Environmental Protection Agency's new SmartWay program makes it easy to learn which vehicles produce the lowest emissions."

DiPietro's article also suggests:

• Follow the manufacturer's recommended oil change intervals found in the owner's manual. Despite the claims of service garages around the country, oil used in modern cars typically needs to be changed every 7,500 miles, not every 3,000 miles. Changing the oil more often simply wastes good oil and increases needless consumption of new oil.
• Shop at the tire stores that support recycling efforts. Tires can be recycled for use in asphalt, playgrounds, athletic tracks and roofing material, but not all tire stores participate in recycling programs.
• Keep your car's engine tuned and ensure your tires are always at the proper pressure to minimize emissions and to maximize fuel-efficiency, vehicle and tire life, and safety.
• Buy products such as footwear, handbags and chairs made from recycled vehicle parts.

More on how to minimize your automotive environmental impact can be found in Edmunds.com's Fuel Economy Guide.

About Edmunds
Edmunds publishes four Web sites that empower, engage and educate automotive consumers, enthusiasts and insiders. Edmunds.com, the premier online resource for automotive consumer information, launched in 1995 as the first automotive information Web site. Its most popular feature, the Edmunds.com True Market Value^®, is relied upon by millions of people seeking current transaction prices for new and used vehicles. Edmunds.com was named "Best Car Research Site" by Forbes ASAP, has been selected by consumers as the "Most Useful Web Site" according to every J.D. Power and Associates New Autoshopper.com Study(SM), was ranked first in the Survey of Car-Shopping Web Sites by The Wall Street Journal and was rated "#1" in Keynote's study of third-party automotive Web sites. Inside Line launched in 2005 and is the most-read automotive enthusiast Web site. Edmunds is headquartered in Santa Monica, California, and maintains a satellite office in suburban Detroit.