Car Pollution vs. Motorcycle: Tracking the Truth
It seems a no-brainer that motorcycles pollute less than cars because we get more miles per gallon. Unfortunately, it’s not that simple. And tracking down the reality of the matter is not easy, either, as I have been finding.
I’m working on an article for RumBum.com, and a series of articles for Eaminer.com, on this topic and apparently the truth of the matter is no one really knows for sure which pollutes more. Or to put it a little differently, which has the greater ecological impact. (Note on January 10, 2018: Both of these publications are now extinct so I have deleted the links.)
Just to simplify the issue, two things are certain. Because motorcycles consume less fuel covering a specific distance than cars, motorcycles emit fewer of the pollutants that bear a one-to-one relationship to the amount of fuel used. At the same time, because most motorcycles do not have catalytic converters, the fuel is burned less completely and bikes therefore emit more of those pollutants. I read in one place that a motorcycle emits more of these pollutants in one mile than a Hummer emits in 100 miles. Wow. Even if that’s a huge exaggeration it’s still something to think about.
But there are other factors that have to be considered as well. Motorcycles use fewer resources to build (they’re smaller), they burn less fuel regardless of pollution levels, they do less damage to the roadway, and on and on. I know I’m not capable of balancing all these factors out to determine which vehicles are the greenest. And apparently no one else is, or at least no one who is capable of doing so has done so yet.
I checked with the American Motorcyclist Association to see if they had any authoritative information and they referred me to the Motorcycle Industry Council (MIC). It turned out the MIC didn’t have any definitive info either. Cam Arnold, their VP for communication, told me that “Obviously it’s a big issue, and there are a million variables. When you start digging into it it’s a huge issue.”
So anyway, this blog is where I often give the back story on the pieces I write for other venues. Usually I do that after the fact, but this time I’ll telling the back story ahead of the rest. I don’t know where this will all lead but I’ll let you know once it’s done.
Biker Quote for Today
Sometimes it takes a whole tankful of fuel before you can think straight.
Tags: motorcycle emissions
January 19th, 2011 at 1:39 am
I think motorcycle spreads less pollution than cars.And I like Your site and i saw first comparing site .
April 21st, 2011 at 5:26 am
according to me Motorcycle is batter then car, less pollution by motorcycle then car.