Saturday 27 February 2010

Electric,hybrid and hydrogen cars to attract Government's new 'plug-in grant' for motorists

From January 2011, a grant will be available at the point of purchase on cars delivered directly from dealership or manufacturer which meet the technical requirements of the Government scheme and for which approval of state aid from the European Commission is given. In short, the cost of eligible electric,plug-in hybrid and hydrogen cars will be reduced by 25% up to a maximum of £5,000. The grant will apply to both private and business consumers. The benefit will be given on purchase, there and then, with no requirement to make a claim.

Details of the cars eligible for the scheme will be published by the government in due course, and on manufacturers' websites. Eligibility will depend on an expert panel ruling that certain performance criteria have been met.

The scheme has largely been welcomed by the motor industry. For more details of the announcement: Department for Transport


Thursday 25 February 2010




Tesla in Town! Exciting new electric sports car in the UK! No carbon emissions.

In December of 2006, I reported on 'the ultimate green dream car.' That car was the Tesla Roadster, and I have carried at the top of this page an image of a Tesla Roadster, and a link to Tesla Motors. At that time of writing the concept of motoring in such style and speed in anything other than a high-powered, high-end priced, conventional engined motor car was still considered by most as an eccentric whim, an impossible dream. The widespread belief was that electric cars of this nature, produced commercially in volume were never likely to be made. In any case who would want them?

Well, many people, prospective owners of the Roadster, took a leap of faith and put deposits down for one and prepared to wait. The Roadster was initially produced for the US market which it hit in 2007. It is truly satisfying to see a true green car which was once a mere concept car, and risked being a project failure meeting expectations.

This month the first right-hand-drive Roadster was delivered for the highways of the UK.

Tesla claim the benefits from buying a Roadster are significant. That car costs about 1.5 pence per mile compared to 32 pence per mile for the conventional petrol-powered sports cars. Add to this the forthcoming tax savings to encourage the purchase of low emission cars- petrol engined sports cars carry a 'show-room' tax of £950- and the waiving of the London Congestion Charge for alternative fuel vehicles and the Roadster owner's costs are considerably reduced .

It takes less than 10 seconds to plug-in the Tesla each evening. As the electric car market grows the infrastructure will be put in place to make it easier for recharging when away from home. Oh, and the car maker says that the owner will never need to pay for oil changes.

Worth a look. But it will set you back the best part of £90,000. Innovation and Style still does not come cheap. The exciting thing is that the technology works and should help drive the developments being carried-out by carmakers to produce volume production cars to meet all our pockets. Technology research company, Pike Research, predicts a 17-fold market increase in electric cars on our roads in the next five years.





Thursday 18 February 2010



Citroen claims new Anti Retro movement with the DS3

The DS3 has been launched with a massive advertising campaign under the slogan -"Never Look Back." Said to be a new Anti retro movement, always looking forward not back. But the best of its time is never to be sniffed at, in my view. The best of today always tends to build on the best from yesterday. So it is with the DS3, I believe.

With a body shape resonant of an evolved early mini , the DS3 is a stylish usurper.
Its green credentials are certainly of today, though. Sporting bang up to date hi-tech kit,USB connections and Hi-Fi with Bluetooth , the 1.6 HDi version is rated at a mere 99g/km of CO2 emissions. On top of this you can choose from 38 combinations of body and roof colour- now that's not quite psychedelic, but colourful looking forward.

For more information on the Citroen DS3 you can go to www.citroen.co.uk


Monday 15 February 2010




The new VW Hybrid Touareg unveiled

This all-new Touareg is unveiled by VW as cleaner,sharper and lighter than its predecessor. 200g lighter and using 20 per cent less fuel it only manages 34 mpg on the combined cycle. But the real story is about new styling and other aspects of performance and features across four model versions of which the hybrid is but one.

Clean new styling which draws inspiration from the design direction established by the Golf Mk VI, the new Polo and the New Compact Coupé concept lends the new Touareg greater presence and a lower drag coefficient without sacrificing the functional requirements of short front and rear overhangs for off-roading.

Standard examples of the new Touareg will feature an eight-speed transmission as well as, on the majority of models, Start/Stop technology, touchscreen satellite navigation and leather upholstery. In addition, a choice of advanced new options can be specified including High Beam Assist that automatically dips the headlights when it senses oncoming traffic, Side Assist to warn of vehicles occupying blind spots, adaptive roll compensation air suspension and air conditioned, massaging seats.

At the heart of the new Touareg is a range of highly efficient petrol and diesel engines and, for the first time, a Hybrid

Production of the new Touareg for the UK market starts in June before first deliveries commence in August. Prices and specifications will be announced nearer this time.

More information on this at the Green Car Guide


Monday 8 February 2010


A new clean, fuel efficient and sparky new mini car: the Spark from Chevrolet

Available in the Spring, in the UK, is the new Chevrolet Spark which replaces the Matiz. This is a sporty and roomy new mini, with 5-door and 5-speed manual gears. Reports are that it is likely to have greater appeal for younger drivers than its predecessor. The choice of engines is a 1.0 litre or 1.2 litre petrol engine giving on the combined cycle 55.4 mph, and CO2 emissions at a creditable 119 g/km. This is one to watch and it may only set you back about £7k with the standard package. There is a versatile 170 litres of luggage space which , with rear seats folded down ,becomes 568 litres. The interior design provides excellent leg room for both driver and passengers.

Worth looking out for in the near future. To find a local retailer you can visit www.chevrolet.co.uk


Tuesday 2 February 2010


BMW's Vision for fuel efficient cars

It is a little while since we last looked at a concept low emission super car. Nothing could be more topical today than the work going on at BMW Efficient Dynamics for tomorrow. At BMW they are particularly excited about their concept sports car (as well as the electric ActivE pictured above).

BMW says,"The BMW Vision Efficient Dynamics is the most dynamic expression of the future, which marries the fuel efficiency of a hatchback with the power of a high-performance sports car. This concept car combines both diesel and electric engines to deliver 356 hp whilst only consuming 75.1 mpg at 99g/km CO2." To follow to an image of this car, and for more of this story of breathtaking performance and ground-breaking fuel efficiency, you should go to www.bmw.co.uk/vision

As I mentioned above, BMW also have the ActivE under development. This is a purely electrical concept car and a representation is given above. BMW is truly going for the fuel efficient and no or low emission cars.