Clean-Tech All Terrain Vehicles: Green Vehicles Articles: Eco20/20

Clean-Tech All Terrain Vehicles

If you're thinking of buying an ATV, don't be too quick to assume your high-performance wish-list will automatically exclude alternative-fuel options. Consumers no longer have to settle for a tame version of the off-road experience to reap the rewards of choosing electric-power. Even if sustainability of resources and environmental stewardship are not on your short list of crucial features, don't overlook the fact that an electric ATV is cheaper to operate and reduces noise pollution. Add the fact that several electric ATV's can now reach the same speeds and travel almost as far as the gas powered versions, and you'll find there's no good reason to step away, and a lot to be said for choosing an electric ATV.

Greening Off-Road Performance

* The idea of greening their product lines has excited some forward thinking ATV companies. Some have become so intrigued, they're not only bent on reducing the carbon footprints of their vehicles, they're adopting the core principles of reducing, recycling and reusing, and striving to lessen their consumption at every step of the manufacturing process. For example, the world headquarters of E-Z-GO, in Augusta Georgia, has been recognized as having world-class procedures for manufacturing and for environmental protection.

* Eco-friendly products are also turning up in the sphere of aftermarket 4x4 and off road vehicle maintenance and repair. Items such as reusable foam air filters with biodegradable air filter oil and eco-friendly tires are making an appearance.

* While some of the brightest minds in this field have set their primary focus on higher payloads, more speed, increased range, and garnering a new level of respect for electric ATVs; out at the fringes there are a few obscure green-tech ideas like individual electric engines for each wheel and solar paints trickling in.

The Rewards

* Where a gas vehicle of about the same power would cost 9 or 10 cents per mile to operate, an electric ATV would only costs 3 or 4 cents per mile if you plug it into ordinary household electricity. If you instead acquire some of the simplest, most basic, solar-charging equipment, an electric ATV becomes not only a tremendously greener option than a gas-powered version; it will also be more economical.

* Don't limit your imagination to recreation. In addition to the many tempting trail riding models, scooters have always been pollution free and perfect for zipping around the neighborhood, or around the campus; and today's high-quality direct drive electric motors make ATVs an excellent choice for a small utility vehicle. They have the power to tow a trailer full of wood, grade a drive or turn the soil of an urban farmer's organic garden.

Just don't let the utility applications stop you from getting out there and having some fun. Relaxation does as much good for the soul as green technology does for the planet.