Vehicles that pollute little or not at all are in the limelight right now. Hybrids like the Prius and electric cars like the Canadian Zenn are prized by newly eco-minded consumers. And that's perfectly commendable.
But did you know that there's another type of "green" vehicle? Neither hybrid nor electric, they are going completely unnoticed. The Subaru Legacy PZEV is one of them.
A green Legacy?
That's right. The Japanese manufacturer is offering this medium-sized car as a sedan or a wagon. But for the PZEV emblem found on the trunk of one and the tailgate of the other, they are completely identical to the other Legacys.
P what?
PZEV is an acronym for "Partial Zero Emission Vehicle." Dreamed up by the California Air Resources Board (CARB), the organization that regulates air pollution in that State, it describes vehicles that meet the "super-ultra-low-emission vehicle" (SULEV) standard.
Still with me?
These vehicles, equipped with an internal combustion engine, eliminate almost all the harmful gasses produced by the fuel system that significantly contribute to the formation of smog. The Subaru PZEV, for example, produces 90% less evaporative emissions than a new standard Legacy.
Let's put it this way: since a new car having driven between 320 and 480 kilometres will have produced less evaporative emissions than a gas-powered lawn mower does in one hour (according to Environment Canada), a Legacy PZEV should do even better.
The same, but not the same
And yet, the PZEV uses a 2.5-litre, 4-cylinder flat engine like the other Legacys, a multi-valve engine that produces just as much horsepower (170 hp) and torque.
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| Without being a hybrid, the 2009 Subaru Legacy PZEV pollutes less than a standard Legacy. |
But did you know that there's another type of "green" vehicle? Neither hybrid nor electric, they are going completely unnoticed. The Subaru Legacy PZEV is one of them.
A green Legacy?
That's right. The Japanese manufacturer is offering this medium-sized car as a sedan or a wagon. But for the PZEV emblem found on the trunk of one and the tailgate of the other, they are completely identical to the other Legacys.
P what?
PZEV is an acronym for "Partial Zero Emission Vehicle." Dreamed up by the California Air Resources Board (CARB), the organization that regulates air pollution in that State, it describes vehicles that meet the "super-ultra-low-emission vehicle" (SULEV) standard.
Still with me?
These vehicles, equipped with an internal combustion engine, eliminate almost all the harmful gasses produced by the fuel system that significantly contribute to the formation of smog. The Subaru PZEV, for example, produces 90% less evaporative emissions than a new standard Legacy.
Let's put it this way: since a new car having driven between 320 and 480 kilometres will have produced less evaporative emissions than a gas-powered lawn mower does in one hour (according to Environment Canada), a Legacy PZEV should do even better.
The same, but not the same
And yet, the PZEV uses a 2.5-litre, 4-cylinder flat engine like the other Legacys, a multi-valve engine that produces just as much horsepower (170 hp) and torque.
 |
| PZEV is an acronym for "Partial Zero Emission Vehicle". |