For the past two years I’ve been driving a 1996 Jeep Grand Cherokee V8. It was bought used from a friend of my father’s, whom had purchased it brand new in 1996. The SUV is a limited edition that includes black leather seats, heated front seats, a CD player hooked up to an Infiniti Sound System with amplifier, and a sunroof. For $3,000 at the time, I couldn’t complain.
Since then, rising gas prices have taken a toll on my wallet. Downloaded data from the Energy Information Administration (EIA), shows me that since I purchased the used SUV in 2005, gas prices have gone up nearly 28%, from $2.31 per gallon to $2.93 (see graph below).
This led me to do some more research into just how economical my SUV was. Next, I came across fueleconomy.gov and found a great online tool that allows individuals to view Fuel Economy statistics based on the make and model of their car. After plugging in the parameters for my SUV, the statistics (see below) revealed I needed to switch into something that gets far better gas mileage.
EPA miles/gallon —> 12 city, 17 highway
Cost to drive 25 miles—> $5.54
Annual Fuel Cost*—> $3,323
*Based on 10% highway, 90% city driving, 15000 annual miles and a fuel price of $ 2.88 per gallon.
With a commute that consists of 30 city miles each way, it’s costing me upwards of $15 to drive to and from work each day!!!
In the coming week, I’ll be comparing my SUV to some of today’s affordable hybrid automobiles in hopes of finding one that best suits my needs.
“Biofuelcan be broadly defined as solid, liquid, or gas fuel consisting of, or derived from biomass. Biomass is material derived from recently living organisms. It includes plants, animals and their by-products. For example, manure, garden waste and crop residues are all sources of biomass. It is a renewable energy source based on the carbon cycle, unlike other natural resources such as petroleum, coal, and nuclear fuels. Agricultural products specifically grown for biofuel production include corn and soybeans, primarily in the United States; rapeseed, wheat and sugar beet primarily in Europe; sugar cane in Brazil; palm oil in South-East Asia; and jatropha in India. Biodegradable outputs from industry, agriculture, forestry and households can be used for biofuel production, either using anaerobic digestion to produce biogas, or using second generation biofuel processes; examples include straw, timber, manure, rice husks, sewage, and food waste. The use of biomass fuels can therefore contribute to waste management as well as fuel security and climate change.”
