Fuel efficient and alternative fuel vehicles can save money and reduce emissions of harmful gasses such as carbon dioxide and carbon monoxide. When purchasing new vehicles for use in and around your facility, consider purchasing the most fuel efficient model that fits your team’s needs. Also consider purchasing smaller electric vehicles for use inside the stadium. Hybrid options are also available for many vehicle types. If your team has an automotive sponsor, discuss promotions and advertisements at your stadium that feature your sponsor’s fuel-efficient and alternative fuel vehicles.

You may also wish to consider alternative-fuel vehicles such as those that run on biodiesel or E85, a flexfuel blend of up to 85% ethanol and 15% gasoline. However, when considering an environmentally preferable vehicle, efficiency should always be the top priority.

Visit the EPA’s Green Vehicle Guide and Fueleconomy.gov for more information on environmentally preferable vehicles, and visit the Union of Concerned Scientists’ Hybrid Center for a list of state and federal hybrid incentives.

To locate fueling stations for alternative vehicles, visit the Department of Energy’s Alternative Fuels Data Center.

For more information about EPA’s programs to reduce diesel pollution, including tax and other incentives, visit the SmartWay Transport Partnership and the National Clean Diesel Campaign.

Higher fuel efficiency means that you use less gas for every mile your car travels. This leads directly to financial savings. A car with a fuel economy of 20 miles/gallon, driven for 10,000 miles, costs over $600 more per year to drive than a similar car with a fuel economy of 40 miles/gallon.

When purchasing new vehicles for use in and around your facility, buy the best fuel economy car in the class you are seeking, which in some cases might be a hybrid. In addition, smaller electric cars and carts may be an energy efficient option for in-stadium transportation needs. When buying or renting diesel trucks, buses, and equipment, specify that ultra-low fuel will be used, and that the vehicle or equipment will be equipped with the best soot-cutting filters available for the engine. Filters are now available for most post-1994 engines that can eliminate more than 90 percent of the soot pollution, when combined with ultra-low sulfur diesel fuel.

The transportation sector is one of the largest causes of global warming and smog, and causes the release of other harmful compounds into the air that can have serious health effects, especially on the respiratory system. Buying fuel efficient and alternative vehicles reduces the amount of gasoline used, which in turn reduces all of these negative impacts.

Done right, biofuels could lead to reductions in global warming pollution and at the same time save consumers money at the pump and spur new jobs and industries. On the other hand, it’s also possible to make biofuels in a way that increases global warming pollution and increases the price of basic agricultural products. Unfortunately, there are no labels for biofuels to inform customers about the origination or environmental impacts of any particular gallon of biofuels. So for now the bottom line is, if you have a vehicle that can run on either E85 or gasoline, choose E85 when you can. However, when it’s time to buy a new vehicle don’t sacrifice fuel efficiency for a vehicle that can run on E85.

Fuel Economy Savings Calculator
Department of Energy – Fuel Economy
EPA – Green Vehicle Guide