Tuesday 28 April 2009



Would you Adam and ev'ie? Here's a 4 seater all electric car you can buy today

The Citroen C1 'ev'ie' electric car is today launched by the Electric Car Corporation (ECC). As the UK's first 4 seater all electric production car, the ev'ie is being marketed by the ECC as providing the driver with the comfort,performance and standard safety features expected of a petrol engined car. It is clearly a car for city motoring,having a range of 60-70 miles from one 6-7 hour charge delivered via a 13 amp socket at a cost of around 90p. The top speed is handy at around 60 mph.

The launch of Citroen ev'ie is timely with the Government's recently announced policies giving encouragement and financial incentives for all cars 'electric'. The roll-out of a network of 25,000 'juice points in the city, essential for the uptake and viability of the ev has been confirmed by the London's Mayor,Boris Johnson.

The ECC assembles the ev'ie in the UK from donor cars, and 50% of the value of each car comes from the UK assembly which provides employment and technology benefits.

The ambition of Government is to make the UK 'a world leader' in producing and selling electric cars. Being available to buy today directly from the ECC,the C1 ev'ie is expected to show it is leading other electric cars for functionality,performance and style. At £16,850 the price is perhaps not cheap, but affordable taking into account its low running costs.

Tuesday 21 April 2009



Insignia ecoFLEX owners will be better off

The ecoFLEX’s reduced combined CO2 figure means that business drivers will pay just 18 per cent Benefit in Kind tax – the second lowest band for a diesel car – down from 21 per cent for the already competitive 2.0 CDTi models. The lower CO2 also mean that all Insignia ecoFLEX owners will be better off by £25 per year due to its lower VED band.

And with all drivers keeping a keen eye on the fuel gauge these days, the Insignia ecoFLEX rewards with an official combined figure of 54.7mpg - a 10 per cent improvement on the 2.0 CDTi model - which puts it among the best in class. It also means that the Insignia ecoFLEX now has a potential range of over 842 miles.

Thursday 16 April 2009



Low carbon car future shines brighter

The Government today continues to reinforce its pledge to support the development of a national network of charging points for electric vehicles. This is seen as critical to the credibility of electric cars being a mass-produced reality in the near future on UK roads.

The commercial production of electric is becoming a reality, and now the feasibility of providing such a network of charging points seems justified with the recent announcement that Elektromotive will have completed the installation of its 100th Elektrobay charging station in London by the end of next month.

There are already 80 Elektrobays in operation in the Capital, with another 40 installed in various locations across the UK. Round-the-clock usage has led to increased demand for electric vehicle charging stations, resulting in additional roadside Elektrobays being introduced across London. Elektromotive has significantly and consistently added to its network since the first unit was installed in Westminster in 2006. The company is currently in advanced talks with cities in the North East and Midlands to expand its infrastructure even further.

Calvey Taylor-Haw, Managing Director for Elektromotive says, “Access to charging stations across the UK will be crucial to the successful shift towards zero-emissions motoring. The Elektrobay is a proven and practical solution to building a network of charging stations, not just in the UK, but around the World. Our aim is to have Elektrobays on every street and in all car parks around the UK, so we are delighted to hear the Prime Minister’s commitment to establishing charging points throughout the country.”

For more information click here for the Elektromotive website

Sunday 12 April 2009




Top green car manufacturer status


Toyota has retained its position as greenest vehicle manufacturer according to a study conducted by Business Car magazine.

A recent Auto Trader survey also put Toyota top of the environmental table in a survey of almost 2,000 UK motorists.

The car maker says it is on target to achieve its goal of whole-fleet CO2 emissions of 140g/km this year. The introduction of Toyota Optimal Drive, a range of powertrain design and engineering features that increase output, while significantly improving emissions performance and fuel efficiency, gives almost every Toyota model a green edge over its rivals.

Toyota has achieved its leading green status thanks to industry leading hybrid applications – most famously the Prius – and also environmentally considerate manufacturing and recycling.

Wednesday 8 April 2009



When it comes to low emission cars Honda has the Insight

Honda is marketing the new Insight as the ‘affordable’ family hybrid. Whether Honda likes it or not, the Insight will always be compared to the Prius; a new Prius will be here soon, and Toyota’s focus is on even lower emissions than last time, rather than price. So which is the best approach? Check it out here at the Green Car Guide

Friday 3 April 2009

Scrap to the Future: Lower CO2 emissions and car manufacturing could depend on it

This is a petition I am happy to support and bring to your attention in these difficult economic times. The Scrappage initiative
flagged below could help achieve two key objectives: Firstly, it could speed up the process of removing the older and more inefficient gas guzzling cars from our roads. And,secondly, it could also safeguard our vital car manufacturing capabilities, by reducing the lay-off periods and redundancies at car plants, and retaining the skills required for a vibrant modern and, yes, greener motor industry.

So I give you below the unabridged press release :

An open letter to the Government

From: The editors of Britain’s major motoring magazines

Help Britain’s new car buyers – NOW!


Today, in an unprecedented move, the editors and publishers of Britain’s biggest car magazines and websites have joined forces to urge the Government to support demands to stimulate new car sales in the UK.

Haymarket Media Group (publishers of Autocar, What Car?, Evecars.com and PistonHeads) and Dennis Publishing Ltd (publishers of Auto Express, evo and iMotor) are calling on the Government to urgently implement a Scrappage Incentive Scheme, similar to those already successfully employed in European countries, including France and Germany.

Under the proposed scheme, the Government will pay owners of cars over nine years old £2000 towards the cost of buying a new car if they agree to scrap their old vehicle.

Dennis Publishing Ltd and Haymarket Media Group believe the scheme, proposed by the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders and supported by the vast majority of the leading motor manufacturers, will deliver real and major help in the current recession to the consumer, as well as to ‘UK plc’ and its workforce.

It is a fact that older cars are more polluting, more expensive to maintain and less safe than newer, cleaner, more reliable vehicles. Under the Scrappage Incentive Scheme, owners of older cars will be given a huge incentive and opportunity to change to a safer, cleaner, more economical, hi-tech vehicle.

Scrappage Incentive Schemes are already in place in many countries in Europe and have seen consumer confidence begin to return to the car buying market. In Germany in February, a Scrappage Incentive Scheme delivered an increase in new car sales of 21 per cent. Sales figures have been equally impressive in France.

Haymarket Media Group and Dennis Publishing urge every reader to join our campaign for a better deal for the car buyer.

Register your support for the introduction of a Scrappage Incentive Scheme in the UK at: http://petitions.number10.gov.uk/scrappagescheme

Signed: Chas Hallett Autocar, Steve Fowler What Car?, Chris Rosamond PistonHeads, Alex Jenner-Fust Evecars.com ,David Johns Auto Express, Harry Metcalfe evo, Mat Watson iMotor .

...and now supported by Mike Ryan, low emission cars