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Company drivers who choose electric cars are to be exempt from benefit in kind (BiK) tax for five years from April 2012. Electric cars currently attract a tax rate of 9 per cent. The exemption was announced the weel as part of the Pre-Budget report given by Alistair Darling.

The Chancellor is keen to increase the number of electric cars used by company drivers. At present, only 50 of the 1.1 million company cars in Britain are electric.Employers will also receive inducements to switch to electric vehicles. National Insurance contributions on company cars paid by employers will be reduced by £480 per car per year.

A motorist driving an electric car pays already pays no vehicle excise duty (road tax), no congestion charges and no fuel tax because no petrol is used.The tax rate exemption will coincide with the launch of the world’s first mass production car, the Nissan Leaf, as well as four models from Renault.

A spokesperson for the Environmental Transport Association (ETA) said: “Tax breaks are a useful means of promoting electric cars in their early days, but if the uptake is significant they will not be financially or environmentally sustainable.”

>>>Source; Environmental Transport Association (ETA)

>>>Earn £8 MoreEco cash back when you join ETA’s Ethical Breakdown Service. Join the drive for greener motoring.

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.

Green issues are high on the agenda for all countries as our reliance on cars contributes to damaging the natural environment. As we become more aware about the impact of transport on the environment, here is our chance to do something to prevent further damage to the planet.

The ETA Green Transport Week is a chance for you to make a difference – both by trying to ‘travel green’ yourself, and by putting pressure on your MP, your local council, or local employers.

It’s never been more important! We’re travelling more and more by car, putting out more pollution on guzzling more gas. New roads are churning up the countryside and cutting communities in half. In some parts of the country the bus is an endangered species. There are fears that we’ll soon see more Beeching-style closures of the railways. And as roads get busier, the greenest transport of all – walking and cycling – gets more difficult.

But it’s not all bad news. All over the country, groups are campaigning for traffic calming, more cycle paths, better buses, and a unified rail network, and against more and more roads.

A message from the Environmental Transport Association

“ETA Green Transport Week is a chance for you to make a difference. You can use Green Transport Week as a national banner to publicise what you are already campaigning on, or as a chance to really get something rolling and support the ETA.”

With MoreEco you can earn 850 points if you join ETs’s breakdown service or 450 points if you take out a Bike Insurance Policy.

Bike Week is the biggest nationwide cycling event in the UK.  A national celebration of cycling, Bike Week helps you get more out of life – by getting on your bike and exploring your local community.

New for 2009, Bike Week focuses on encouraging families to taking up cycling as a regular activity in their local community.  Bike Week is the time to “live local and get cycling.”

Bike Week is free to enter and open to everyone – you can either take part in an event or organise one yourself, you don’t have to be an experienced cyclist either, anyone can set up a Bike Week event.

One of Boris Johnson’s missions as Mayor of London is to get more people out of their cars and on to their bike. Howeve, last Friday, London Mayor, Boris Johnson, was it a near miss accident with a Lorry while out cycling in London. 

If you the above  watches CCTV footage of the mayor’s last outing on his own bicycle is likely to be put off for life. During the morning Johnson headed out in London with transport minister Lord Adonis and Kulveer Ranger, his director of transport, to look at potential sites for new cycle “super highways”. The routes are part of his plan for a “cycling revolution” in the capital. Round a corner peddled the mayor and the minister, enjoying the ride, until a large lorry overtook them.

In what is being described as the mayor’s “near-death experience”, the lorry’s back door then suddenly flew open, dragged a parked car into the street and smashed into another – just feet from Johnson, Adonis and Ranger.

A CCTV camera which caught the drama obscures the cyclists during the collision until 30 seconds later a figure that is unmistakably Johnson emerges, helmet in hand, scratching his head and lucky to be alive.

An aide to the mayor said: “It was pretty awful. They were shaken up and Boris was shocked. But it makes the case even more for his super highways.”

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.

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Source & Full article- The guardian

Tesla has always said that they wanted to bring the beauty, power, styling and environmental footprint of the Tesla Roadster to sub-100k sedan. They’ve been planning the Tesla Model-S for ages, and while we were supposed to have to wait for a few more hours to see the first pictures of this beauty, they’ve officially been leaked.

The Model S will (if Tesla is able to get it’s finances together and make them) be an all-electric vehicle with a more than 100-mile range. While Tesla’s Roadster is meant to be impractical (just like all two-seater sports cars) the Model-S reaches out to the luxury segment. The car will have to be comfortable, practical and beautiful to make it with luxury buyers. 

Source & images – EcoGeek