Eco-friendly side of driving on display at car show

  • Published
  • By Debbie Aragon
  • AFCEE Public Affairs
LACKLAND AIR FORCE BASE, Texas --  With the price of gas appearing to be on a never-ending journey upward and environmental consciousness on the rise as well, Airmen at Bldg. 171 had the opportunity to see a variety of eco-friendly vehicle choices April 18 during a special Earth Day 2012 Green Week car show.

Green Week, organized by the Air Force Center for Engineering and the Environment and the Air Force Real Property Agency, began here April 12 with a kickoff ceremony and expo and continues through April 20.

The commemoration also includes community cleanups and several educational presentations for the nearly 3,000 Air Force military, civilian and contractor employees assigned to the building's 13 military units.

The car parade, the fifth event for the week, included a Bluetec Mercedes, a Smart car, Toyota's Prius and Highlander, Ford's Fusion and Escape, Nissan's Leaf and Juke, and a vegetable oil-powered full-sized truck owned by AFCEE's Leonard Hardy.

"I'm really fascinated with cars," said Fred Cruz, an AFCEE member who attended the car show, "and I've always enjoyed attending car shows and learning about the latest and greatest in cars and technology."

Environmentally friendly technology, Cruz said, has come a long way but hybrid cars are still in the high price range. Cars on display ranged in price from $14,500 for the Smart car to more than $60,000 for the Mercedes Bluetec vehicle.

"I feel as soon as the prices of hybrids come down, more people will make the leap to an eco-friendly vehicle."

"I like cars in general and am interested in the viability of alternative fuels, in particular, natural gas," said Philip Hunter, another AFCEE employee at the event.

In addition to getting a close-up look at the various vehicles, Hunter and the other event attendees also had the opportunity to talk with vehicle representatives about eco-friendly car performance, purchase costs, possible maintenance issues and trade-offs on things like interior space.

Of all the vehicles on display, the Nissan Leaf caught Cruz' eye.

"This car is 100 percent gas free and would make a great commuter car," he said. "But, it would be impossible to take a road trip in."

Hunter said he was most impressed with the Mercedes because of its proven technology and improvements in emissions.

Hunter, who currently drives a Toyota Avalon, said he would consider a more fuel efficient gas or natural gas vehicle when they are available.

Another AFCEE attendee, Marcia Tesch, said she was most impressed with Hardy's truck, "at 90 cents a gallon (for used vegetable oil)."

And, she added, "you don't have to plug it in or find a charger."