Quote:
Originally Posted by Big time
Let's make a list of non fuel consumption or emissions related features that a really ecological car should / shouldn't have
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Must haves
* Recycled plastic bottle parts. To help reduce the millions of plastic bottles thrown away everywhere. Heard a Mercedes Benz (not sure which one) has window frames made of such bottle plastic.
Must NOT haves
* Leather seats. No need to kill innocent animals just to get their skin when a synthetic fabric will do as fine. Maybe even better as they are longer lasting?
* Wooden dash. No need to cut trees as a plastic will both last longer and absorb impacts better.
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You really haven't thought this through.
The ultimate ECO car would be built of natural materials where possible.
Wood lasts 100's of years in houses, medieval castles and so on, and can always be sanded back and refinished. Even when old houses are knocked down, the timber is reused/ remilled. Plastic goes 20 years and turns brittle and becomes landfill. Cutting down a tree is not a bad thing really, as (and this is if you think CO2 is somehow a poison) the CO2 is stored in the wood until it's burned or decomposed.
Synthetic fabric derived from oil? So ECO, not. I actually think natural hide is the most ECO friendly seat covering, providing the tanning chemicals can be 'controlled'. As long as it's cared for, it will outlast the car. Keep in mind that cows produce more 'green house gasses' than cars.
As has been said, the best car would be one that last a lifetime, or more.