Back to the Future
Last time,before Christmas, I was waxing lyrical about the Tesla Roadster a futuristic and, for most of us, quite unattainable environmentally-friendly supercar.
Well, almost as unattainable is the BMW Hydrogen 7.Apparently,while it almost performs like a normal 7 series car ,there are vastly more differences than similarities under the hood. It is not a regular car for today.The technology works ,but hydrogen to fuel it is not readily available.In the long term,the solution may lie elswhere for the future low emission car which will be in everyday use by the people.
Returning to reality and affordablity,we can look to the many other developments going on to reduce CO2 emissions ,and improve fuel efficiency.Of immediate benefit seems to be to work at the options for using new materials making for lighter car construction, and the advances in biofuel technology.In 2007, we should continue to see more and better environmentally-friendly cars available to buy.
Sunday 31 December 2006
Thursday 21 December 2006
Is This The Ultimate Green Dream car?
A few weeks ago the Tesla Roadster was featured at the Green Car Guide
Of course nothing is the 'ultimate'.Something else always comes along to takes its place.
But the Tesla is worthy of a look. Green and sexy as I've said before may seem to many to be contradictory terms to say of any car. This electric car is mighty cool.
In the meantime,I shall also be looking at the many other emerging environmentally-friendly cars which are also impressive, currently available in the UK, and much better suited to my pocket!
A few weeks ago the Tesla Roadster was featured at the Green Car Guide
Of course nothing is the 'ultimate'.Something else always comes along to takes its place.
But the Tesla is worthy of a look. Green and sexy as I've said before may seem to many to be contradictory terms to say of any car. This electric car is mighty cool.
- It has a top speed of over 130 mph with 0-60 in 4 seconds
- Has a range of 250 miles on a single charge of its lithium ion battery pack
- Works with only two forward gears and no clutch
- Can be modified to run on solar power!
- Only needs its first service at 100,000 miles, for breaks and tyres
In the meantime,I shall also be looking at the many other emerging environmentally-friendly cars which are also impressive, currently available in the UK, and much better suited to my pocket!
Friday 8 December 2006
That Time of Year Again,Green Cars and Jeremy Clarkson
Today I was reminded it was nearly that time again.Christmas.My young nephew is being unusually attentive and well behaved.What to buy him for Christmas.One of those Christmas DVDs,perhaps, where they shoot-up defenceless and perfectly good motor cars merely because they are designed to be environmentally-friendly.Or, maybe ,I'll just buy him a realistic-looking toy machine gun so he can stretch his imagination to destroying his own cars.Well,I have decided ,in the boy's best interests, not to buy either of the above gift ideas.
But,I digress.What I can't understand is why the terms 'green' and 'sexy'are always
looked by many commentators on matters motoring to be contradictory.The latest green cars are fun,stylish and good for the planet.To expand on what I am driving at, allow
me to ask Paul Clarke founder of the Green-Car-Guide to help me out here.
Today I was reminded it was nearly that time again.Christmas.My young nephew is being unusually attentive and well behaved.What to buy him for Christmas.One of those Christmas DVDs,perhaps, where they shoot-up defenceless and perfectly good motor cars merely because they are designed to be environmentally-friendly.Or, maybe ,I'll just buy him a realistic-looking toy machine gun so he can stretch his imagination to destroying his own cars.Well,I have decided ,in the boy's best interests, not to buy either of the above gift ideas.
But,I digress.What I can't understand is why the terms 'green' and 'sexy'are always
looked by many commentators on matters motoring to be contradictory.The latest green cars are fun,stylish and good for the planet.To expand on what I am driving at, allow
me to ask Paul Clarke founder of the Green-Car-Guide to help me out here.
Wednesday 6 December 2006
More green motoring taxes in the next Budget
Gordon Brown’s pre-Budget report says that fuel duty is going up 1.25p per litre from midnight. Although the increase is only in line with inflation, he isn’t formally re-linking petrol prices to inflation, and the fuel duty escalator will not be restored. The last duty increase was three years ago.
Good news for Saab, Ford and others - tax discounts for biofuels will be extended. The report says that there will be “A package of measures to encourage the biofuels market and innovative types of biofuels.”
Also air passenger duty will increase from £5 to £10 for most flights (from February 2007), and stamp duty on some “carbon neutral” new homes could be scrapped.
Green-Car-Guide says :"Watch out for more similar announcements following the government’s Stern review, which set out the case for using taxation to encourage people to behave in a more environmentally-friendly way."
Gordon Brown’s pre-Budget report says that fuel duty is going up 1.25p per litre from midnight. Although the increase is only in line with inflation, he isn’t formally re-linking petrol prices to inflation, and the fuel duty escalator will not be restored. The last duty increase was three years ago.
Good news for Saab, Ford and others - tax discounts for biofuels will be extended. The report says that there will be “A package of measures to encourage the biofuels market and innovative types of biofuels.”
Also air passenger duty will increase from £5 to £10 for most flights (from February 2007), and stamp duty on some “carbon neutral” new homes could be scrapped.
Green-Car-Guide says :"Watch out for more similar announcements following the government’s Stern review, which set out the case for using taxation to encourage people to behave in a more environmentally-friendly way."
Monday 4 December 2006
The lowest MoT emissions reading ever recorded –
and it was from a rally car!
Early last October,the MoT testing station had to check their equipment when a rally car turned up and their emissions testing equipment couldn’t register any emissions at all. But this was no ordinary rally car – this was the Oaktec Honda Insight. This is a petrol-electric hybrid vehicle, and to make it even more green, it now runs on E85, ie. 85% bioethanol and 15% petrol. By significantly over-revving the car, the testing centre finally managed to record a result for the emissions, but they said it was the lowest emissions reading they had ever recorded.
The official emissions of the Insight are 85g/km CO2 – the lowest of any production car in the UK (since the model was discontinued in the UK no other conventional car has yet come close to these sub-100g/km emission levels). However running on E85 should mean that the emissions drop by around a further 20%.
And just to prove that green cars don’t have to be slow, the Insight won its Formula 1000 class in the rallies it competed in during this season.
The car was available to the UK’s motoring journalists to try out for themselves at the Millbrook Proving Ground this week. The team’s two cars were on display, one of which was available to be driven, and Paul Andrews, the man behind the project and the driver of the rally car, treated journalists to a high speed demonstration of the capabilities in the other car around Millbrook’s high speed circuit.
An interesting difference between the two cars was that the main rally car has a CVT gearbox, whereas the car that is closer to production car form has the standard manual gearbox. This manual gearbox was designed for maximum fuel economy in the production car, however because of this the gear ratios are spread far apart and the entire Millbrook route was driven in just first and second gear – exactly the experience Paul had on rallies. Therefore the manual gearbox was substituted for the CVT in the rally car which provided much better results – in fact it was 20 seconds faster over a 3.5 mile stage, which in rallying terms, is a lifetime!
Oaktec, in conjunction with Warwick Manufacturing Group (WMG), have also been doing significant research work on the hybrid system, and are optimising the way in which the electric motor stores and delivers power, and linking this in with the car’s engine management system. In practical terms this means that more charge is extracted from braking, and more assist is provided when accelerating. Developments of this system in America have resulted in Insights delivering over 100mpg. At the end of the morning session at Millbrook, the Oaktec Insight’s onboard fuel economy readout was registering over 62mpg, despite having been on high speed test all morning.
In partnership with Energy Efficient Motorsport (EEMS), the Oaktec Honda Insight rally car is pioneering a greener future for motorsport. Formula 1 cars will be going down the hybrid route in 2009 – which will be a further showcase proving that cars can be green and sexy at the same time.
For more information about Energy Efficient Motorsport (EEMS), visit the EEMS w website or green-car-guide
and it was from a rally car!
Early last October,the MoT testing station had to check their equipment when a rally car turned up and their emissions testing equipment couldn’t register any emissions at all. But this was no ordinary rally car – this was the Oaktec Honda Insight. This is a petrol-electric hybrid vehicle, and to make it even more green, it now runs on E85, ie. 85% bioethanol and 15% petrol. By significantly over-revving the car, the testing centre finally managed to record a result for the emissions, but they said it was the lowest emissions reading they had ever recorded.
The official emissions of the Insight are 85g/km CO2 – the lowest of any production car in the UK (since the model was discontinued in the UK no other conventional car has yet come close to these sub-100g/km emission levels). However running on E85 should mean that the emissions drop by around a further 20%.
And just to prove that green cars don’t have to be slow, the Insight won its Formula 1000 class in the rallies it competed in during this season.
The car was available to the UK’s motoring journalists to try out for themselves at the Millbrook Proving Ground this week. The team’s two cars were on display, one of which was available to be driven, and Paul Andrews, the man behind the project and the driver of the rally car, treated journalists to a high speed demonstration of the capabilities in the other car around Millbrook’s high speed circuit.
An interesting difference between the two cars was that the main rally car has a CVT gearbox, whereas the car that is closer to production car form has the standard manual gearbox. This manual gearbox was designed for maximum fuel economy in the production car, however because of this the gear ratios are spread far apart and the entire Millbrook route was driven in just first and second gear – exactly the experience Paul had on rallies. Therefore the manual gearbox was substituted for the CVT in the rally car which provided much better results – in fact it was 20 seconds faster over a 3.5 mile stage, which in rallying terms, is a lifetime!
Oaktec, in conjunction with Warwick Manufacturing Group (WMG), have also been doing significant research work on the hybrid system, and are optimising the way in which the electric motor stores and delivers power, and linking this in with the car’s engine management system. In practical terms this means that more charge is extracted from braking, and more assist is provided when accelerating. Developments of this system in America have resulted in Insights delivering over 100mpg. At the end of the morning session at Millbrook, the Oaktec Insight’s onboard fuel economy readout was registering over 62mpg, despite having been on high speed test all morning.
In partnership with Energy Efficient Motorsport (EEMS), the Oaktec Honda Insight rally car is pioneering a greener future for motorsport. Formula 1 cars will be going down the hybrid route in 2009 – which will be a further showcase proving that cars can be green and sexy at the same time.
For more information about Energy Efficient Motorsport (EEMS), visit the EEMS w website or green-car-guide
Sunday 3 December 2006
How to Save Money (and the Environment) by choosing the Best Environmentally-friendly Car for you
Want to save money on the increasing costs of fuel?
Green-car-Guide provides clear and independent information to car buyers about the most environmentally-friendly cars to buy.
View the greenest cars by category so you can find a car that will cost you least at the pumps and will have least environmental impact, but will be most suitable for you – and your budget.
With declining oil production, rising petrol prices, worsening worldwide energy shortages and increasing environmental pressures, the environmental performance of cars is at long last becoming more of a big issue for manufacturers and the public. Green-car-guide keeps you updated about the latest industry developments and the best opportunities to help you save money.
Green-Car-Guide is for anyone who wants to buy a car and wants to know which are the most environmentally-friendly choices; for people who like cars but who don’t like filling them with expensive fuel all the time, and for people who care about our environment but who don’t believe they should feel guilty for thinking that cars are a useful idea! This site is designed to inform you about cars that are green and fun.
Want to save money on the increasing costs of fuel?
Green-car-Guide provides clear and independent information to car buyers about the most environmentally-friendly cars to buy.
View the greenest cars by category so you can find a car that will cost you least at the pumps and will have least environmental impact, but will be most suitable for you – and your budget.
With declining oil production, rising petrol prices, worsening worldwide energy shortages and increasing environmental pressures, the environmental performance of cars is at long last becoming more of a big issue for manufacturers and the public. Green-car-guide keeps you updated about the latest industry developments and the best opportunities to help you save money.
Green-Car-Guide is for anyone who wants to buy a car and wants to know which are the most environmentally-friendly choices; for people who like cars but who don’t like filling them with expensive fuel all the time, and for people who care about our environment but who don’t believe they should feel guilty for thinking that cars are a useful idea! This site is designed to inform you about cars that are green and fun.
Friday 1 December 2006
Huge increase to London Congestion Charge
confirmed for high emission cars
It’s now official that there will be huge rises in the London Congestion Charge for high emission vehicles. Cars in band G (which emit more than 225g of CO2 per kilometre) will rise to £25 – but not until 2009.
And if you live in the zone and have a band G car, the current 90% residents’ discount will disappear.
Cars in bands A and B, which produce emissions less than 120g CO2 per kilometre, will be completely exempt – from 2008. Remember that currently the only new cars on sale in the UK in band A (less then 100g/CO2) are electric cars (the now discontinued Honda Insight emits just 85g/km – perhaps this will now become a green collectors’ piece...).
Most cars, in band C, D and E will be unaffected and will continue to pay the £8 per day rate, which rose from the previous level of £5 in July.
If you have
However! The system is only likely to result in higher charges for higher emission band G cars registered after 23 March 2006. So more older high emission vehicles may therefore be seen on the streets...
Although the £25 band G charge is to start in 2009, mayor Ken Livingstone has asked Transport for London (TfL) to examine the possibilities of it being introduced before then.
Green-Car-Guide Comment:
“This increase was predicted, and now here it is. As our Green-Car-Guide e-book shows, there are some larger cars with low emissions, but not many. The rewards are increasingly there for manufacturers who are prepared to develop cars that are practical, stylish, desirable AND with low emissions – whatever your opinion about it, Toyota’s Prius IS a success – let’s see other manufacturers offering more mainstream cars with high mpg technologies.”
If you have one,why not air your view here?
confirmed for high emission cars
It’s now official that there will be huge rises in the London Congestion Charge for high emission vehicles. Cars in band G (which emit more than 225g of CO2 per kilometre) will rise to £25 – but not until 2009.
And if you live in the zone and have a band G car, the current 90% residents’ discount will disappear.
Cars in bands A and B, which produce emissions less than 120g CO2 per kilometre, will be completely exempt – from 2008. Remember that currently the only new cars on sale in the UK in band A (less then 100g/CO2) are electric cars (the now discontinued Honda Insight emits just 85g/km – perhaps this will now become a green collectors’ piece...).
Most cars, in band C, D and E will be unaffected and will continue to pay the £8 per day rate, which rose from the previous level of £5 in July.
If you have
However! The system is only likely to result in higher charges for higher emission band G cars registered after 23 March 2006. So more older high emission vehicles may therefore be seen on the streets...
Although the £25 band G charge is to start in 2009, mayor Ken Livingstone has asked Transport for London (TfL) to examine the possibilities of it being introduced before then.
Green-Car-Guide Comment:
“This increase was predicted, and now here it is. As our Green-Car-Guide e-book shows, there are some larger cars with low emissions, but not many. The rewards are increasingly there for manufacturers who are prepared to develop cars that are practical, stylish, desirable AND with low emissions – whatever your opinion about it, Toyota’s Prius IS a success – let’s see other manufacturers offering more mainstream cars with high mpg technologies.”
If you have one,why not air your view here?
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