April 14, 2011
Low Carbon Buses Coming to an Area Near You
Green growth and environmentally friendly vehicles are becoming more and more the norm as we continue to make our way through the 21st century, and they are now moving on to public transport.
Transport Minister Norman Baker announced the new Government’s Green Bus Fund, a scheme through which bus operators and local authorities bid for a grant to help them purchase new low carbon buses. The plan is that by March 2012, we will have low carbon buses operating in all regions in England.
The Government are looking to part-fund 542 new low carbon buses with funding of over £46m in grants to 20 bus operators and 6 local authorities. The low carbon hybrid-electric buses are already operating in London, Oxford, Leeds, Manchester and Reading with electric buses operating in Durham.
Norman Baker said: “My vision is for a transport system that cuts carbon and creates growth. Low carbon buses emit around 30 per cent fewer greenhouse gas emissions than standard diesel buses and use around a third less fuel – that is why it was so important to kick-start the market.”
Look out for the new low carbon buses in your local area.
April 10, 2011
Will Electricity Suppliers Struggle with the Increased Power Demands?
According to a new report from Pike Research, it appears that due to the increased power demand from electric vehicles, utility companies around the world may not be able to keep up.
Electricity companies will need a host of new infrastructure requirements to support them through the increase in demand, although many are currently unprepared due to lack of standards.
It is predicted that electric vehicles will be bought in clusters around the trends in that neighbourhood, and therefore if multiple electric vehicles are plugged in on after the other, simultaneously, the power being drawn could exceed its capacity and in effect cause equipment failures.
At present, many different utility industries in America including automotive and home networking are teaming up with institutions such as the National Institute of Standards and Technology to try and figure out how to solve this inevitable dilemma.
So in conclusion, if further investment and intelligence is not built into the charging process then we could be seeing system failures throughout the day, especially targeting peak charging times such as the end of the working day.
£400,000,000 Electric Car Scheme Launch.
With the price of petrol set to rise and recent savings in petrol costs being cancelled from the current budget, the British government has gone to new levels in order to attract British consumers to buy electric cars.
They are investing £400m into the scheme which is set to take place over the next 18 months, installing around 11,000 new charging points in car parks, streets and big supermarkets; all on top of what has already been installed.
The Department of Energy and Climate Change conducted a study on the costs of electric and petrol run cars, and came up with the conclusion that even though an electric car is much cheaper to run, the initial cost is far too expensive for your average car buyer.
The study goes on to say that petrol cars can be at least £10,000 cheaper than an electric car, but assuming the driver covers 10,000 miles a year, over a four year period, an electric car is without a doubt cheaper to run.
In a recent survey by Deloitte, a business advisory firm, 55% of the drivers questioned said they would probably buy a hybrid or an electric car if the price of petrol went above £6.50 a gallon. So if the price of petrol continues to rise the way it is doing at the moment, drivers could be forced to invest in a more energy efficient vehicle.
April 7, 2011
London Mayor brings back scrappage scheme for vans
As is currently stands; Greater London is a Low Emission Zone; meaning that heavy diesel vehicles that tend to cause a lot of pollution in the atmosphere must meet a minimum emissions standard to drive around in London.
If however the vehicles do not meet the criteria, it can still travel through London but with the requirement of a daily charge. There are also other ways of making sure it does, for example, fitting an approved exhaust pipe or simply upgrading their vehicle.
The Low Emissions Zone (LEZ) was reinforced in 2008 in an attempt to clean up the air quality and make London a less polluted place to live for not only us but the generations to come. It currently applies to buses and coaches over 5 tonnes and lorries over 3.5 tonnes.
From 3rd January 2012, not only will tighter restrictions will be reinforced on the buses and lorries, but as well as this the London Emissions Zone will also affect minibuses, larger vans, motor caravan and other specialist vehicles. Cars and motorcycles are not set to be affected, but only time will tell. Furthermore, it has been proposed that in 2015 the current standards will tighten again to include oxides of nitrogen for buses, lorries and coaches.
You can pay the daily charge anywhere between 64 working days prior to travelling and midnight on the day of travelling and you can make your payment by phone, post or online. If you fail to pay within this time bracket, you could be faced with a penalty charge of up to £1000, or £500 if paid within 14 days of receiving it.
Fortunately the Mayor Boris Johnson has launched a van scrappage scheme securing discounts for drivers that will be affected by the changes in 2012, such as new vans and minibuses. So if you drive an existing van, it may be in your interest to invest in an upgrade or a new cleaner van model sooner rather than later.
If you are interested in purchasing a new van under the van scrappage scheme Auto eBid will be able to obtain you the best offers in the UK in addition to the van scrappage scheme discounts organised through TFL.
Under the TFL scheme discounts have been organised for a limited number of manufacturers including Citroen, Ford, Mercedes, Peugeot and VW however if you are looking to purchase a new van from any other manufacturer simply visit http://www.autoebid.com/buy-new-vans.asp
March 31, 2011
Electric cars: 1 in 6 by 2030 – Why don’t you get yours today?
In order for the UK to meet its target for the reduction of CO2 emissions, it had been estimated that we will need more than 6,000,000 green cars driving on our roads by 2030.
This comes from a report from the WWF (The World Wildlife Fund) stating that if the UK is truly to decrease its dependency on oil, we would need at least 6.4 million electric cars by 2030 meaning approximately 1.7 million by 2020.
By 2050, the EU’s carbon reduction target is 80%. This means that if we stand any chance of succeeding, the electric car needs to intricate itself into the world at a much faster pace.
“Road transport accounts for 40 per cent of petroleum products consumed in the UK so a switch from conventional cars powered by petrol or diesel to electric vehicles would have a much needed impact on reducing fuel demand,” says David Norman, WWF.
March 28, 2011
Citroen’s C-ZERO comes to London.
Boris Johnson, the city’s mayor, is introduced to the C-ZERO in an attempt to make London the electric car capital of the world. He believes that the C-ZERO will have a great success in London.
With a maximum range of 93 miles, Linda Jackson, the managing director of Citroen UK, believes that this new car is ideal for the city to demonstrate the benefits of electrical power. It has already been proved to have the capability of cutting through London’s traffic.
Research shows that the average daily journey for the C-ZERO in urban areas is 23 miles, and because the car is at rest for the majority of the day it gives plenty of time for recharging.
This spring, Source London is set to introduce a city wide electric vehicle charging network and increase the current 250 charge points to 1,300 by 2013.
“By offering zero emissions while running, owners incur zero company car tax, zero Vehicle Excise Duty and zero London Congestion Charge. We are delighted to see the Citroën C-ZERO take its place at the start of an exciting new era for London,” says Ms Jackson.
March 4, 2011
The New Volkswagen XL1 – Soon to be the most fuel efficient car in the world.
Unveiled at the 2011 Qatar Motor Show, VW’s breath-taking XL1 two seater diesel electric hybrid, is an amazing super car where miles per gallon matter more than miles per hour.
The XL1 will be the most fuel efficient car in the world, capable of a mind-blowing 313mpg, and it comes with fantastic advantages to yourself and the environment: it saves the planet, saves you loads of money on petrol and is an amazingly sleek car to look at and drive.
The XL1 is the perfect showcase of VW’s ability to develop world-beating technology and engineering solutions for the cars of the very near future. VW say the XL1 will be on the road in two years costing between £30,000 and £40,000.
VW will produce a limited series of the 800cc diesel/electric XL1 in 2013. But you will be driving affordable mainstream versions of VW’s Polo, Golf and the new Up city car that uses the same engine technology in three years.
In normal operation, the car stays in electric drive until full throttle is used, speeds exceed 62mph or the battery charge is down to 20 per cent. In e-mode, the car remains on battery power until 10 per cent of its charge remains (about 22 miles), whereupon the motor starts to charge it and power the vehicle. The recharge time is just over an hour using a 240V British household supply (half an hour with a 360V supply). The 2.2-gallon fuel tank gives a range of about 340 miles.
Volkswagen XL1 Facts
Two-seat, plug-in hybrid, with two-cyl 800cc turbo diesel and 132lb, 5 kWh lithium-ion battery; seven-speed transmission, rear-wheel drive.
Price/on sale: As of yet, Volkswagen don’t know what price they are going to charge for the XL1 in 2013, it depends how exclusive they intend to make it and whether they retain all the expensive technology, it is estimated to be somewhere between £30,000 and £40,000.
Power/torque: engine 47bhp/88.5lb ft, motor 27bhp/74lb ft
Top speed: electronically limited to 99mph
Acceleration: 0-62mph in 11.9 sec
Fuel economy: 313mpg EU Combined
CO2 emissions: 24g/km
March 2, 2011
Nissan Leaf delayed on UK launch date
Most customers who began ordering their new Nissan Leaf nearly a year ago will be all smiles today, but some have been informed that they will have to wait a little longer to get behind the wheel of their new electronic car.
A number of the electronic hatchbacks, which are shipped directly from Japan, have suffered delays. Some of the cars have hazard warning bleeper that must be removed before they can be driven in this country.
A spokeswoman said: “An intermittent beeping noise is fitted as standard to commercial vehicles such as buses and lorries, but UK law states that the sound must be capable of being disabled between 11.00pm and 6.00am. The audible system on the Leaf did not allow for that to be done, so the beeping sound is being removed entirely before the cars can be driven on roads in this country.”
This excuse will not impress a number of the 500 customers who expected delivery of their new car today.
The Leaf, which is the first mainstream electronic car in the UK, has been the darling of automotive critics, unanimously winning Auto Express’s award for new innovation, 8 months before release.
However, potential Leaf owners will suffer more bad news, as the electronic hatchback will jump in price by £2,000 from the 1st March – Nissan are pointing their finger at a rise in raw material costs.
A Nissan spokesperson was keen to stress that existing pre-orders would not be affected by the increase in price.
Nissan still expect the car, which is subsidised by a £5,000 government grant in the UK, to sell 250,000 units worldwide by 2013 including 50,000 this year, even in the face of increasingly stiff competition from other manufacturers, mainly the new Chevrolet Volt.
They will hope the Leaf’s purely electronic engine will triumph over the hybrid offering of the Volt, which travels shorter distances on its electronic engine; though it also has a petrol engine for backup. Both companies have invested heavily in the new technologies and will wish for smoother marketing campaigns.
Some say the stakes are so immense, that this battle will decide the future of the electronic car in a Betamax versus VHS fashion.
Though it seems the battle for the champion of the electric car has begun, amidst a wave of controversy and false starts.
November 16, 2010
New Electric Nissan Leaf out to order now
The new Nissan Leaf has won its first award eight months ahead of sales. The Leaf won the Special Award at the 2010 Auto Express New Car Awards.
Given in recognition of the best new innovation in the motor industry, the Auto Express judges chose the new Nissan Leaf in a unanimous decision. The car will be the first mainstream all-electric family vehicle on sale in the UK when goes on sale next March.
Auto Express said: “Having tried the Leaf we know that it’s rather good. The best news of all though, is that Nissan plans to build the groundbreaking model right here in Britain.”
The new Nissan Leaf is a compact, zero-emission five-passenger family car equipped with features such as air conditioning, satellite navigation, a parking camera, a quick charge socket and innovative smart-phone connectivity.
Customers in the UK can place their order for a Leaf from 1 September at www.nissan.co.uk/leaf with deliveries starting from 1 March 2011. Across Europe, 12,000 customers have signed up to receive regular updates about Leaf’s introduction and in the US and Japan, over 23,000 orders have been placed since order books opened in April.
Paul Willcox, managing director , Nissan Motor (GB), said: “We are delighted to receive what we hope will be the first of many awards for the Leaf. Nissan is leading the industry by being the first manufacturer to introduce an affordable zero emission car and we believe that drivers and passengers alike will be as impressed as the Auto Express team are with Leaf.
“The Nissan Leaf will appeal on many levels; it’s a completely electric car with all of the financial and environmental benefits that will bring, but it is also a practical family size car and fun to drive. That’s a powerful combination.”
June 18, 2010
Turn your old scrap car into cash for your favorite charity
With only half of the two million cars taken off the road every year ending up in Authorised Treatment Facilities, a new service Giveacar.co.uk hopes to encourage more to contribute to good causes.
Giveacar is a not for profit organisation set-up in January 2010 that collects your car within 7 days of receiving your call and either sells it at auction or scraps it and all proceeds go to a registered charity of your choice from the list provided.
Apparently the service has already raised £40,000 for charity’s including the Children’s Royal Hospital of Neuro-Disability and Cancer Trust.
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