True or False: SUVs are Greener Than Scooters

No need to argue about this...

...just ride a bicycle! Able bodied adults should be able to peddle (in most towns in the world) wherever they need to go. If it ain't bicycle weather it certainly ain't scooter weather! You can't put on enough clothing to keep warm on a scooter in a cold winter climate but most folks can bicycle in sub-zeroºF temps. If you are lucky enough to live within ten miles of places you need to go it's pretty easy to do. With a folding bike you can hop on and off of buses and trains with ease. With a kid trailer or tag-along bike you can drop the kids at school or daycare. With bags or a cargo trailer you can haul massive amounts of stuff. If you lack safe routes work on that with the local governments (it may take a lifetime but someone has to start now). You'll lose weight, feel better and probably find that your commute changes from dread to being the most enjoyable times of your day!

Rick of IL @ Jun 25, 2009 11:27:49 AM

Cancel my subscription now

Maura Judkis needs more education and out of the house. I work in a motorcycle repair shop in Chicago. For every 2 stroke we see there are at at least 40 4 strokes. Talk about 1 bad apple spoiling the rest.........Maybe in journalism school.

Troy of IL @ Apr 21, 2009 16:34:27 PM

Blaberganda!

Oh please.

I suppose if you are gullible enough to believe that a vehicle that gets 60 mpg can pollute more than a Hummer, you deserve articles like this.

PLEEEEEASE base your articles of facts, not public internet whey.

Rom of NH @ Apr 14, 2009 12:36:07 PM

Do your job, research your facts

"The vast majority of scooters sold in America today have four-stroke engines, just like cars, and most of them meet strict European emissions regulations, since Europe is the largest scooter market"

Adam of TX @ Apr 13, 2009 16:13:43 PM

Life Cycle Analysis?

This article is spreading lies, which readers in turn will cite to support further ignorance in this country. We desperately need to be moving towards a sustainable future, not defacing good products that move us towards that goal.

On a per-gallon basis, some two-stroke engines do emit more carbon monoxide than their four-stroke counterpart. The Vespa, of course, is not one of those two-stroke models. Indeed there are hardly any of these old engines on the road anymore, and they could be equiped with catalytic converters quite easily anyway. Furthermore, we must remember that this should be done considering an analysis of who is traveling and how far they are going. For a single person, to commute even via a 2-stroke scooter would be less polluting than if they were to take a hummer all by themselves. Considering the fuel efficiency of scooters, the CO emitted about evens out, because these scooters are about 5 times more fuel efficient. Of course furthermore, if you were to conduct a life cycle analysis (LCA), looking at upstream oil and gas industry, material production for the two different vehicles, and the environmental impact of dumping the spent vehicles at the end of their usefulness, scooters again come out way ahead of hummers. Each gallon of gas burned also emits CO2, NOx, VOCs, and other pollutants besides CO. Mining our environment for those fossil fuels is posing a large challenge, indeed a threat to future generations to maintain. As we run out of this precious, finite resource, we must conserve it my using more fuel efficient vehicles, even if the cost were increased CO emissions (which, as explained, is NOT THE CASE).

Kevin Bailey of OR @ Apr 13, 2009 03:29:37 AM

pollution standards are based on a volume reading

Pullotants such as CO2 are measured based on volume of exhaust, so sure a scooter may have 5.7 times the amount of accepted pollution by volume of exhaust, but in all the amount of fuel used to propel scooters is far less than an SUV. Additionally most scooter drivers travel less distances than SUV drivers so again are using less fuel.

But really if we want to look at low emission standards let's look at the true culprits such as ocean liners, cruise ships and the like.

But thanks for providing a conversation starter.

james @ Apr 12, 2009 18:38:28 PM

check your facts

be a true reporter and check your facts before you publish your article

Julie of PA @ Apr 12, 2009 17:32:48 PM

completey wrong

A disclaimer should be put at the top of this entry: there are almost no two-stroke scooters left in circulation. This is close to disinformation, and should be corrected right away.

Juliette @ Apr 12, 2009 17:22:43 PM