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The Government has played down claims it is not doing enough to help introduce electric cars in the UK.

In a visit to the region this week Ivan Hodac, secretary-general of the European Automobile Manufacturers’ Association, said money spent on support for the North East’s electric car infrastructure was not supported across the rest of the UK.

His outspoken attack on “piecemeal” Government support has upset ministers who have spent millions of pounds on electric vehicle support.

Nissan’s Sunderland plant, which employs more than 3,000 workers, is currently bidding against its factory in Portugal to build the manufacturer’s LEAF electric car – a contract which it hopes could create thousands of North East jobs. But Mr Hodac said Portuguese efforts to introduce electric car charging points were moving much faster than UK plans.

The Government claims to have found £30m for charging points for electric and plug-in hybrid cars.

“Cities and businesses are joining together to bid for this money which will help fund the installation of charging points on streets, car parks and in commercial, retail and leisure facilities,” the Government spokeswoman said.
She added: “Overall, we’re investing more than £400m to encourage the development, manufacture and use of next generation ultra-low carbon vehicles. This support is being targeted to create jobs in a low-carbon automotive sector and to cut carbon from UK road transport.”

Mr Hodac is a representative in Brussels of the 15 European car makers.

View the full article at nebusiness.co.uk

The average fuel efficiency of the US vehicle fleet has risen by just 3 miles per gallon since the days of the Ford Model T, and has barely shifted at all since 1991.

Those are the conclusions reached by Michael Sivak and Omer Tsimhoni at the University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute in Ann Arbor. They analysed the fuel efficiency of the entire US vehicle fleet of cars, motorcycles, trucks and buses from 1923 to 2006.

They found that from 1923 to 1935 fuel efficiency hovered around 14 mpg (5.95 km/l), but then fell gradually to a nadir of only 11.9 mpg (5.08 km/l) in 1973. By 1991, however, the efficiency of the total fleet had risen by 42 per cent on 1973 levels to 16.9 mpg (7.18 km/l), a compound annual rate of 2 per cent.

Full Article at New Scientist

The manufacturer of a hydrogen car unveiled in London yesterday Tuesday will make its designs available online so the cars can be built and improved locally. The Riversimple car can go 80km/hr (50mph) and travels 322km (200mi) per re-fuelling, with an efficiency equivalent to 300 miles to the gallon.

A new type of fuel cell developed by Horizon Fuel Cell Technologies has resulted in the two-seater zero emissions hydrogen-electric city car with an expected fuel consumption equivalent to 360 miles per US gallon, six times better than today’s best available hybrid electric vehicles.

The small city concept car, developed by Riversimple, has four electric motors and a 6kW fuel cell which maximizes energy efficiency by utilising lightweight composite materials, eliminating heavy mechanical components and by networking fuel cells with ultra capacitors and a 60 percent efficient regenerative braking system. As a result, 240 miles (390 km) can be traveled on one small tank of hydrogen weighing only 2.2 lbs.

Next year, Riversimple aims to release 10 prototypes in a UK city which has yet to be confirmed.

The design of the car will be published on the web so that versions can be developed to suit local requirements in urban areas. The cars will be leased to users rather than sold, with owners paying for a maintenance, support and fuel package. The makers claim the all-up cost of the car could be as little as £200 ($315) a month.

Riversimple has partnered with gas supply company BOC to install hydrogen stations for the cars in the city where the prototypes are launched.

On Monday 8th June, the second Eco-Rally headed it started, driving from Brighton’s seafront to the waterfront at London’s City Hall. The finish was timed to coincide with the conclusion of the LowCVP conference, and before the start of the WhatCar? Green Awards ceremony.

All kinds of alternative technologies participated in this rally: from mild hybrids to EVs, diesels to hydrogen.

The eco-rally started from Madeira Drive in Brighton and there was a pit-stop at Sainsbury’s supermarket flagship eco store in Greenwich before arriving at City Hall in London. There, the crew was met by London’s mayor, Boris Johnson.

Drivers included the following;

• Lord Bassam of Brighton (Chief Whip)
• Zac Goldsmith
• Oliver Heath
• Carl Honore
• Sean Hughes
• Jenny Jones AM (Green Party)
• Robert Llewellyn
• Penney Poyzer
• Tracey Smith
• Lucy Siegle
• John Surtees
• Iwan Tukalo (ex international rugby player)
• Quentin Willson
• Paul Zenon

Forty eco vehicles are on display at City Hall, half of which took part in this year’s Eco-Rally. 90% are from the world’s major car brands and many of the cars and/or components are designed and built in Britain. The remainder are British innovation firms.

Pictures from Revolve

Check the photos on flickr by James Mcdonald

Revolve Eco Rally promo video

Expert Dr Chris Brace reveals ten essential tips to increase your fuel economy – and reduce your bills.

Being a better driver doesn’t just revolve around foot-to-the-floor performance, lightning reactions and death-defying cornering speeds. Smoothness, anticipation, and a little bit of plain old-fashioned courtesy can get you a long way – especially when it comes to improving your car’s fuel economy. Journalists from motoring magazine V-ZINE spent a day with Dr Chris Brace, senior lecturer in Automotive Engineering at Bath University’s Powertrain and Vehicle Research Centre to brush up on economy driving. By the end of it, they’d recorded a 50 percent improvement in the economy of their Alfa Romeo Brera 2.4 JTDM.

Now it’s your turn to share Dr Brace’s ten-point driving plan.

1. Treat your car to some TLC - ’You should have your car regularly serviced and carry out maintenance checks of your own. Fresh oil will better lubricate the engine, while the correct tyre pressures ensure optimum rolling resistance for your rubber.’

2. Lighten up - ’You may carry your life around with you in the boot of your car, but you’d be better off leaving it at home. The heavier the car, the harder the engine has to work, so a 15 percent weight increase will see economy fall by the same amount.’

3. Starting and idling - ’People are tempted to leave their car to warm at idle before a journey, but it’s better for the engine and economy if you warm it up on the move. And when you come to a halt again, switching the engine off at the traffic lights saves you wasting fuel. Around a litre an hour is burned at idle.’

4. Smooth mover - ’When you’re driving, smoothness with the controls is key to making your fuel go further. Acceleration should be measured and progressive and you should aim to stay within the engine’s peak torque band – typically 1,500 to 2,500rpm in a diesel and 2,000 to 3,000rpm in a petrol-powered car. Another tip is to avoid coasting in neutral. It’s a common misconception that this saves fuel, but actually modern engines don’t consume fuel when coasting in gear.’

5. Slippery customer - ’Think about how long designers and aerodynamicists spend trying to make a car’s body cut smoothly through the air. By opening your window or sunroof, or piling bikes and boxes onto the roof, you’re ruining all that hard work. And it can heavily impact on the car’s economy.’

6. No drain = no pain - ’As a rule, anything that puts a drain on the battery will put a drain on your economy – for example, air conditioning or lights ablaze. But worse still is a battery in poor condition with relatively little charge. If the alternator is busy working away trying to charge the battery, it places a drain on the engine which hits the economy.’

7. Timing is everything - ’Driving in heavy stop-start traffic is going to hurt. So if you’re a commuter and can possibly avoid the rush hours, you’ll really notice the improvement in fuel consumption. Needless to say though, that’s easier said than done!’

8. Open your eyes  -’Looking ahead and anticipating obstacles is key to cutting your fuel bills. Find the path of least resistance and keep plenty of space around you. That way, you can dictate your own pace and always react calmly and in a measured fashion to changes ahead. Roundabouts and traffic light junctions are prime examples of where you should be aiming to maintain momentum. And when driving across country, try and maintain a steady, composed pace which eliminates the need for constant braking and acceleration.’

9. No need for speed - ’The speed limits are there for everyone’s safety, but those who flaunt them are not only endangering theirs and others’ lives, they are consuming more fuel. Stick to the limits.’

10. The fuel rule - ’Cheap, non-branded fuel may perform poorly, so try and search out a mainstream supermarket or fuel company before filling up. High performance ‘super-type’ petrol and diesel fuels such as Shell V-Power can burn more efficiently and improve your engine’s economy, but shop around for the lowest price first or you won’t feel the benefit!’

This article originally appeared in issue four of V-ZINE, the motoring magazine that is distributed exclusively to the members of the Shell V-Power Club, Shell’s premium loyalty scheme dedicated to Shell V-Power customers.   

US President Barack Obama has announced tough targets for new fuel-efficient vehicles in order to cut pollution and lower dependence on oil imports. Describing the move as “historic”, Mr Obama said the country’s first-ever national standards would reduce vehicle emissions by about a third by 2016.

The plan aims to replace overlapping rules on emissions and efficiency set by federal agencies and states. US carmakers and environmental groups have expressed support for the move.

The proposal include;

1. 5% yearly rises in fuel efficiency from 2012 through 2016
2. Cuts oil consumption by estimated 1.8bn barrels
3. 34% reduction in emissions by 2016
4. Cuts equal taking 177m cars off the road
5. Price of cars may rise by $1,300
6. Cars average of 39 miles per US gallon
7. 30 miles per gallon for light lorries.

Consumers are to be offered incentives of up to £5,000 to purchase an electric car under government plans to be unveiled today that will also see the creation of electric car cities across the UK and the launch of large-scale experiments with ultra-green vehicles.

The proposals are part of a £250m strategy, seen by the Guardian, spelling out a revolution in Britain’s road transport network based on ultra-low carbon vehicles. It will be launched today by Geoff Hoon, the transport secretary, and Lord Mandelson, the business secretary, with the aim of kickstarting the market for cleaner road vehicles and slashing the UK’s CO2 emisisons.

The cash incentive for consumers would be available to offset the higher upfront costs of electric cars, in particular the price of the batteries in modern vehicles. How the money would be distributed is yet to be decided but Hoon said it would be available only to people buying cars that ran entirely, or for the vast majority of their time, on electricity. The scheme, which would be enforced by setting a ceiling for the amount of CO2 a car emits, will become operational in 2011.

Audio

Source & Full article- The guardian

A team of students at the Cambridge University Eco Racing (CUER) have developed a new solar call, entitled the “Bethany”, which can cruise at 60 mph, using the same amount of energy as a conventional hairdryer. Weighing just 170kg, the car generates energy using an array of high-efficiency silicon cells which together creates the car’s solar skin.

Apart from generating energy from the sun, the car has been incorporated with regenerative braking systems, which recharge the car’s batteries when brakes are applied. “Bethany” has been designed using the latest computer simulation software, which gives the £200,000, the ability to run at 50 times less power than a normal petrol-fuelled vehicle.

In June, the car will be competing in the World Solar Challenge race from Darwin to Adelaide, a distance of over 3,000km.

Cambridge University Eco Racing (CUER) designs, builds and races solar-powered cars. Their racing cars showcase cutting-edge sustainable engineering and demonstrate the incredible potential of electric vehicle technologies. By designing a car to run on solar power alone, they are forced to make a step change in vehicle efficiency, resulting in new technologies for a low-carbon future.

Source; CUER & Ecofriend

On the morning of March 26th, on the dry Lake Ivanpah, The Ecotricity Greenbird driven by British engineer, Richard Jenkins smashed the world land speed record for wind powered vehicles.

The Greenbird clocked 126.1 mph (202.9 km/h), eclipsing the old, American held, record of 116 mph, set by Bob Schumacher in the Iron Duck in March 1999 at the same location.

This is the video.

It would be greener and cheaper for many motorists to keep their car for as long as it is reliable rather than trade it for a new car, according the Environmental Transport Association (ETA).

Manufacturers make great virtue of the environmental credentials of their vehicles, but by the time the average new car leaves the showroom and before its key has been turned in the ignition, its design, manufacture and marketing may have accounted for 6 tonnes of CO2 emissions.

A spokesperson for the ETA said: “Swapping a thirsty and polluting older car for a lighter, more fuel-efficient model can make environmental sense if you are doing a high mileage, but if you do relatively few miles it makes sense to keep your car for as long as it is reliable. The greater your annual mileage, the greater the potential environmental saving from changing to a more fuel-efficient model.”

Extend the life of your car
Changing a car frequently has a financial as well as environmental cost; drivers who buy a car new and then trade it in at three years incur a cost of as much as 50% in depreciation. A good car warranty from a reputable company can make your driving greener by extending the useful life of your car.

The hidden environmental costs of driving
Although progress continues to be made by car manufacturers in terms of the amount of energy and water they use and the amount of their waste that goes to landfill, these factors continue to have a significant impact on the ‘lifetime’ environmental impact of cars.

According to industry figures some 80–90% of a vehicle’s lifetime energy consumption takes place during its ‘in-use’ phase, but this is contradicted by the research, ‘Life-cycle energy consumption and carbon dioxide emissions of world cars’, which comes to the conclusion that:

“The tank-to-wheel fuel consumption is only part of the story. Petroleum and fuel transport and production consume energy, as well as car manufacturing and scrapping and the maintenance and infrastructure. The total energy consumption of car use is on average 54.7% higher than the tank-to-wheel energy consumption alone.”

The lifetime driving distance of an average European car is 194 787 km. If the average car emits 160g of CO2 per km, this gives an in-use total of 31 tonnes of CO2. According to the research quoted above, this gives a figure for manufacturing, scrapping, maintenance and infrastructure of approximately 17 tonnes.

The figure of 6 tonnes before the average car leaves the showroom mentioned at the top of the page represents a conservative estimate based on the figures above.

Source - ETA