How are Petrol Vehicle Affecting Our Environment

Heaps of people ask us at Grimmer Motors, “What’s the go with petrol vehicles and the environment? Are cars really that bad?” Well, let’s break it down in plain English, from a Hamilton mechanic’s view – someone who’s fixing cars on the daily and actually sees firsthand what’s coming out those tailpipes on Te Rapa Straight or all the stop-start stuff through town, like on Peachgrove Road or over in Flagstaff.

How much are petrol vehicles really mucking up the planet?

Honestly, a lot. That big NASA study reckons regular cars are one of the biggest contributors to climate change on the planet. Basically, every time you’re idling in Claudelands or crawling along Ulster Street traffic, your car’s chucking out heaps of greenhouse gases. Petrol and diesel engines let off stuff like CO2, nitrous oxides, and a bunch of nasties that hang around in the air. The kicker? Unlike big factories, our cars don’t spit out as much of the particle stuff that actually cools things down — so what we drive matters, especially with all the short trip driving you do across Hamilton and out to places like Cambridge or Morrinsville for weekend sport.

Loads of scientific folk, even the Scientific American, are saying that as more people buy cars in places like India, China and even little ol’ NZ, those emissions go up. Our roads are loaded with everything from Suzuki Swifts and Honda Fits to European wagons like Opel Astras or the odd Peugeot making a comeback in these parts. Stop-start traffic, those quick dairy runs, and all the speed bumps down the Borman Road subdivision – that’s exactly when cars are burning more fuel and chugging more stuff out. It’s heaps worse in winter too, with those cold morning starts and heaps more idling for defrosting, especially in Hillcrest or out Tamahere way.

Electric Vehicles: Are things looking up?

Actually, yeah. We’re seeing way more Nissan Leafs, Hyundai Konas and even the odd MG ZS EV in for WOF Hamilton checks and car service these days. Reason being, NZ’s pretty sweet on the renewable energy front – like 80% renewable power now. The auto industry’s shifting too, with heaps more electric and hybrid repair jobs popping up in the workshop. Globally, they reckon about a third of all new cars might be zero emissions or plug-in hybrids by 2030, which could end up being a trillion-dollar market. Even your mates with a plug-in Outlander or a Toyota Hybrid Aqua are doing a bit to keep Hamilton’s air cleaner, especially around the schools and kindys.

Why everyone’s feeling the heat to change

The United Nations reckons car makers need to get with the programme and go low or zero carbon — or risk getting left in the dust. All these tighter emissions rules, those flash new EVs, and even talk of more car sharing in places like Rototuna and Te Awamutu. At the end of the day, you don’t need to give up your wheels for good. But if you’re thinking of going electric, or even just want to see how your current car’s doing emissions-wise, we can help you out — heaps of the time we spot a dodgy O2 sensor or knackered air filter causing emissions issues during a regular service.