Bedford Driving Lessons » Electric cars

Police unveil ‘electric panda’ car!

admin — Wed, 16 Nov 2011 23:31:24 +0000

It’s unlikely to strike fear into the hearts of criminals. And they’re sure to make a speedy getaway if the patrol car behind them suddenly needs recharging. But police in Scotland are going full-throttle towards eco-power and have unveiled an ‘electric panda’ that will become Scotland’s first fully-operational battery powered police car. Lothian and Borders Police have replaced a standard police patrol car at the Scottish Parliament with a Mitsubishi I-Miev as part of their efforts to reduce carbon emissions. And plans are underway to add more of the carbon neutral vehicles to more fleets in the near future. Chief Superintendent Derek Robertson, Head of Lothian and Borders Police Operations Division, said: ‘The acquisition of these electric vehicles signals our intent to continually look to the future and provide the highest quality of policing whilst at the same time take significant steps to reducing our carbon footprint.’ More

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Mapping the country’s charging points!

admin — Fri, 11 Nov 2011 23:46:04 +0000

The locations of charging points for plug-in vehicles are to be systematically mapped across the country to make it easier for motorists to go electric, Transport Minister Norman Baker and Business Minister Mark Prisk announced today. The National Chargepoint Registry, to be developed by POD Point – a UK-based chargepoint manufacturer – will be a publicly-accessible database of chargepoints across the UK. Alongside this, a new system – the Central Whitelist – will be created to make it easier for motorists to access each chargepoint without having to sign up to new schemes each time they charge in a different location. Norman Baker said: “We know there is public appetite out there for plug-in vehicles and as government we’re doing everything possible to make them a real option for both motorists and industry. “This Registry will get us away from the mind-set of; will I, won’t I get there? And I’m sure that public and private chargepoint owners alike will get behind the initiative because the more information we have up there the more motorists will be encouraged to make the switch to electric. “The Central Whitelist offers charging scheme operators a really straightforward way to share membership card details – it will enable their members to access chargepoints outside their ‘home’ charging scheme. This freedom to roam between charging schemes is a very important step forward for the plug-in vehicle market. “There is no doubt that low-carbon vehicles are here to stay, we will continue to work with industry to create a world-leading charging network that really reflects the needs of its users.” More

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Recycling problems for electric car batteries!

admin — Tue, 30 Aug 2011 22:06:57 +0000

HOBOKEN, BELGIUM — With fleets of electric cars starting to hit the roads, the next big mother lode for salvage companies is expected to be the expensive, newfangled batteries powering them. Yet even as automakers vaunt the ways these cars can benefit the environment, they are divided over how best to handle the refuse: recycle or re-purpose. That is worrying some companies involved in “urban mining” — a voguish term that refers to extracting valuable metals from all kinds of discarded electronics, from power tools to mobile phones. They have already begun spending money to build an infrastructure to handle the flood of partly depleted battery packs that are expected to enter the waste stream; Frost & Sullivan, a consulting firm, puts the number at about 500,000 a year by the early 2020s. “There is no green car without green recycling,” said Ghislain Van Damme, a manager at Umicore, a company based here in Hoboken that is one of the world’s largest recyclers of precious and specialty metals from electronic waste. More

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£19,000 for a new electric car battery!

admin — Mon, 01 Aug 2011 21:52:22 +0000

Electric car owners face a bill of up to £19,000 to replace the battery, a report has found. Figures obtained by The Times discovered that a new battery for the Nissan Leaf, the world’s top-selling electric car, costs more than double past estimates. The disclosure could mean that the switch from fossil fuels to electric motoring will be much slower than the Government has predicted, the paper said. However, the figures did show that owners of an electric car would save money as the cost of petrol rises. Only 680 electric cars have been bought so far this year despite 2011 being declared Britain’s “year of the electric car”. The Government has provided £43 million to give 8,600 buyers of electric cars a grant of £5,000 towards the purchase price. Nissan has admitted that owners of a Leaf, which costs £26,000 after the government grant, may need to replace the battery after a few years, depending on how it has been treated, The Times reported. The battery’s capacity can decrease significantly if the owner repeatedly uses a fast-charge point. More

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Electric car motorway charging network opens in the UK!

admin — Wed, 27 Jul 2011 20:25:42 +0000

Electric car drivers in the UK are being offered the chance to break free of the city and hit the open road. Green energy firm Ecotricity has launched the world’s first national motorway charging network for electric vehicles. It has installed free power points at 12 Welcome Break service stations, with 17 more promised later in the year. Until now, a lack of charging points between towns and cities has made longer journeys impractical. “There’s a bit of the chicken and egg situation going on,” said Ecotricity founder Dale Vince. “People are not buying electric cars because they’re not sure about charging, and people aren’t putting charging points up because [not many are] buying electric cars.” More

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Electric Beetle does 0-60 in 1.6 seconds!

admin — Tue, 07 Jun 2011 01:17:30 +0000

Two brothers are celebrating after setting a world speed record in an electric car – made from a Beetle and a milk float. Sam and Olly Young, who are sponsored by their local pub in Hungerford, Berkshire, set out to prove you can have zero emissions and the thrill of super-fast travel too. They built a ‘green’ mean machine out of a milk float and a 1965 Volkswagen Beetle, which they have named Black Current. Now it has set the world record for being the first electric-powered car to go a quarter of a mile in under ten seconds, managing 0-60mph in just 1.6 seconds. One of the complaints about electric cars is that, while they’re obviously good for the environment with their minimal carbon footprint, they’re not exactly the fastest thing on four wheels. More

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Electric sports car launched that can do 240kmh!

admin — Fri, 13 May 2011 20:23:42 +0000

This is the E-4 Coupé, an electric sports designed and built by Delta Motorsport, an engineering consultancy based at the Silverstone circuit in England – and the company, founded in 2005 by Simon Dowson and Nick Carpenter, is making some outrageous claims for the little two-seater’s performance. Thanks to their experience in motorsport and their focus on light weight and high-efficiency systems, Dowson says, they’ve been able to build an electric car with a range of 320km on a single charge, that can accelerate from 0-100 in less than five seconds and hit 240km/h. Dowson said: “We got involved in designing hybrid and electric cars because they share many of the engineering challenges associated with motorsport – lightweight parts, aerodynamic efficiency and innovative packaging solutions. “We’ve had to re-think road cars from scratch, looking at low-cost composite structures, system efficiencies and innovative seating.” The E-4 has a carbon composite chassis, designed by Delta and manufactured by KS Composites, that weighs only 85kg – about a third of a comparable steel structure that’ll pass EU crash tests. More

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DJ charges car from house solar panels!

admin — Wed, 27 Apr 2011 21:07:07 +0000

Having an electric car is one way of cutting back on fuel costs, but when that electricity is solar-generated then you have a real eco-friendly money saver. This dream has become a reality for Radio DJ Mark Goodier, who has become the first Briton to run a car powered entirely by the sun. The 49-year-old installed 12 solar panels on the roof of his house so he can generate enough power to fully charge his electric Nissan Leaf. It means the Smooth Radio host can complete his 20-mile daily commute without ever having to visit a garage, where petrol costs around 136p per litre. The Leaf takes about eight hours to charge, has a range of 100 miles and a top speed of 90 miles per hour. It is now effectively free to run. The panels on Mr Goodier’s house in Hampstead, north London, generate so much electricity he is able to power his car – and still has some left to sell to the National Grid. He said: ‘The days of sitting in queues at petrol stations and wincing as I pay the extortionate cost of fuel are over. ‘I’m now able to power my car entirely from the free rays of the sun. ‘Every time I plug-in on my driveway, I know it’s not costing me or the environment. More

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Electric cars ‘are as dirty as diesel’ says experts!

admin — Sat, 26 Feb 2011 22:49:17 +0000

Electric cars may portray themselves as ‘zero emissions’ but the overall pollution they generate can be almost as great as a frugal conventional diesel car, consumer watchdogs said today. Electric cars are a lot more expensive to buy – though they are generally cheaper to run as they plug in for their power from the domestic mains, say experts at Which? The amount of carbon dioxide – the so-called ‘greenhouse gas’ blamed by scientists for global warming – created to generate the electricity powering an electric car, can be just as great as that created by the internal combustion engine, they say. The main difference is that while a conventional car’s emissions come out of the vehicle’s exhaust pipe, those created by an electric car are generated at the power station which supplies the electricity. The findings come as the first ever electric car to pass the European crash test was announced – the Mitsubishi i-MiEVsuper-mini – getting four stars out of a maximum five. Experts at Which? compared the carbon dioxide created by charging electric cars with that emitted by the most efficient diesel models and concluded:’Sometimes there’s not a great deal of difference.’ More

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New hybrid car achieves 313 mph!

admin — Fri, 28 Jan 2011 22:01:39 +0000

VW’s diesel-electric hybrid two-seater that can do 313mpg to enter limited production in UK and Germany in 2013. Amid the clamour for electric propulsion, on Tuesday Volkswagen launched the latest fight back by the conventional combustion engine, its XL1 two-seater plug-in diesel/electric hybrid, capable of 313mpg. This remarkable car is the result of 12 years of research by the Volkswagen Group which started with the “One Litre Car”, a tandem two-seater driven by outgoing VW boss Dr Ferdinand Piëch in 2002 from VW’s HQ in Wolfsburg to the VW shareholders’ meeting in Hamburg at an average of 317·4mpg at an average 43·5mph. The latest version of the car, which has staggered side-by-side seating for two adults and is capable of a top speed of 99mph, 0-62mph in 11.9sec and more than 300mpg, is slated for limited production in 2013 in the UK and Germany. More and Video

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Students complete epic electric car journey!

admin — Thu, 18 Nov 2010 23:19:24 +0000

A project planned to prove a new electric car has stamina has been completed successfully by a group of London students. The journey from Alaska to Argentina was made over the course of five months, longer than the planned three, in the SRZero car, which has no pollution or carbon dioxide emissions. With two engines powered by lithium iron phosphate batteries, the car can reach 60mph in seven seconds, and has a top speed of 124mph. The project took two years of careful planning by The Racing Green Endurance Project team at London Imperial College, and Dr David Howey told Sky News Online: “There was a lot of scepticism, so we’re all very pleased that the cynics will now have to eat their words”. Despite the £750,000 price tag of the trip, the group saved a fortune on petrol, making the full distance with just a £3 charge along the way, according to the Metro. More

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Sinclair C5 to make a comeback!

admin — Fri, 05 Nov 2010 23:40:37 +0000

It was meant to herald the next generation of transport when it was unveiled in the 1980s – but instead became the decade’s biggest laughing stock. But now in the age of the electric car and battery-powered bicycle, it seems Sir Clive Sinclair’s ill-fated electric vehicles could have been years ahead of their time. Now, eager to cash in on the growing trend towards electronic travel, the famous electronics pioneer has unveiled the X-1: a 21st-century twist on his notorious C5 sit-down cycle. Launched in 1985, the C5 had a top speed of just 15 miles per hour. It was intended to transform the way people travelled — but became the subject of ridicule and a commercial disaster, losing about £6million. Undaunted, 69-year-old Sir Clive has now launched the X-1, similar to a battery-powered bicycle, with a battery that is used to power an electric motor when required. In the style of its predecessor, the X1 has a low seat for its user, who sits with his legs extended in front of him but partly enclosed in an egg-shaped acrylic bubble with a roll cage. But it is unclear how the vehicle, which goes on sale next summer, would be parked or stored. More

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UK’s first green supercar takes to the roads!

admin — Fri, 05 Nov 2010 23:12:18 +0000

Engineers unveil the ‘Beast of Stroud’, a prototype that aims to prove green cars can be beautiful, practical – and fast. On a good day, Britain’s first green supercar accelerates quicker than a Lamborghini Murciélago, is faster than a Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution, and knocks the technical socks off the much-hyped electric American wunder-car, the Tesla Roadster. From 0-100mph in 8.5 seconds? No sweat. 170mph on the flat? Quite possible. 150 miles on a single charge? Absolutely. This week, after two years’ development and a licence to wow, the 330 horsepower, £750,000 machine powered only by renewables and dubbed the “Beast of Stroud” was given one of its first public runs before being officially unveiled in London last night and taking part in a rally this weekend. More

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Wireless charging could be on the way!

admin — Fri, 29 Oct 2010 22:08:18 +0000

HaloIPT believes next generation of green cars could be charged wirelessly by parking over a transmitter pad or even using electrified roads. The next generation of electric cars could be charged wirelessly and even powered up as they drive over electrified roads, claims a company backed by engineering giant Arup. Employing the same technology used to charge electric toothbrushes, HaloIPT says its wireless charging system could drive the take-up of electric cars and overcome fears that drivers will forget to recharge them. This week the company demonstrated adapted electric cars in London that could recharge themselves simply by parking over a transmitter pad in the road. The Citroën electric cars were fitted with receiver pads on the underside of the car, allowing the cars to be powered up automatically and wirelessly. Drivers of existing electric cars, such as the G-Wiz, Mitsubishi i-MiEV and Nissan Leaf, have to connect a cable from a socket in the side of the car street-side parking meter-like stands to mains sockets in car parks and at home. Anthony Thompson, HaloIPT’s chief executive, told the Guardian that convenience and consumer fears over “charge anxiety” – drivers worrying about forgetting to recharge their electric car – would make wireless charging a success. “There are a number of issues that wireless charging solves with electric vehicles – people are inherently lazy and they don’t like having to take action. With our system, you can recharge without having to make a conscious decision,” he said. The technology works using inductive charging, and the pads in the road can be buried under asphalt, making them effectively invisible. While other companies are working on similar technology, HaloIPT claimed its system can charge with greater lateral movement – meaning parking accurately is not so important – and a greater gap between the pads than rivals. The company has already trialled wireless charging with buses in New Zealand and in Milan, but there are currently no wireless charging bays in the UK and none of the car manufacturers has adopted the technology. More

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Volvo developing car with electric battery body!

admin — Tue, 28 Sep 2010 20:05:28 +0000

It is one of the biggest problems facing the manufacturers of hybrid and electric cars: heavy batteries add weight and bulk to the vehicle’s design. But now Volvo is developing a car which deals with the problem using its whole body to act as a rechargeable battery. The futuristic car would be able to store braking energy while it was being driven and also store energy when it was plugged in overnight to recharge. The three-year project to develop the vehicle was launched earlier this year between Volvo, Imperial College in London and seven other European institutes. Imperial College is working on a composite blend of carbon fibres and polymer resin is that can store and charge more energy faster than conventional batteries. The material is extremely strong and pliant, which means it can be shaped for use in building the car’s body panels. Volvo claims that the car’s weight could be cut by as much as 15 percent if steel body panels were replaced with the new material. Scientists are developing the composite material so it can store more energy and on studying ways of producing the material. More

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Electric cars could lose their value massively!

admin — Wed, 02 Jun 2010 21:25:59 +0000

Glass’s one of the UK experts in calculating residual values for cars has warned that electric cars could face a residual black hole unless action is taken by the manufacturers to address customer concerns over battery life and performance. With several electric vehicles ready to hit the UK in the next few months the company is warning that residual values will be well below those of rival conventional powered vehicles. The warning comes on the back of a detailed analysis of the factors that will affect depreciation for electric cars. The company has been working closely with three of the manufacturers who will produce cars featuring in the first wave of EV launches. “After one year of ownership we would expect EV residual values to be above the segment average expressed in terms of pound values,” explains Andy Carroll, Managing Director at Glass’s. “But, if the battery is owned rather than leased, and lacks the appropriate extended warranty, the value of the typical EV will then fall dramatically until the vehicle is five years old, at which point the car will have a trade value little more than 10 per cent of the list price.” More

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Electric car drivers fear being stranded with flat battery!

admin — Sat, 08 May 2010 21:43:43 +0000

The era of carefree motoring may soon be over, according to a study which reveals that drivers of the new generation of electric cars are plagued by nagging fears of being left stranded by a flat battery. They narrow their horizons and rarely venture far from home, abandoning the old notion of the freedom of the open road. A six-month trial involving 264 drivers found that almost all experienced “range anxiety” and travelled only short distances. They were over cautious when planning journeys and allowed themselves a generous safety margin to avoid the need to recharge en route. They tended to avoid using their cars if the battery indicator showed that the charge level was less than 50 per cent. Even though electric cars such as the Mitsubishi i-MiEV are theoretically capable of travelling 100 miles between charges the drivers appeared not to trust the official figures. The maximum journey undertaken was only a quarter of the official range. The suitcase-sized batteries take at least six hours to recharge and Britain has only about 300 public charging points, most of which are in London. The Government-funded trial, involving drivers working for local authorities, private companies and universities in the North East of England, found that the maximum journey length undertaken was only a quarter of the car’s official range. More

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Electric cars ‘to get Star Wars sounds’!

admin — Wed, 05 May 2010 19:44:13 +0000

Electric cars may have to project artificial sounds, under EU plans to make their presence more obvious to pedestrians. Safety regulators are said to be considering introducing the legislation in a bid to prevent the potential danger the ‘quiet’ vehicles could pose to cyclists and pedestrians – particularly the visually-impaired. And it has been suggested that different models could even have their own signature sounds, in order to differentiate between them. According to the Environmental Transport Association (ETA), Nissan – which is set to build its electric Leaf model in Sunderland – is considering using a range of sounds, including background ‘white’ noise, electronic bleeps, or even “Star Wars” sounds. When driven at low speed, electric cars – and hybrids that are running only on electric power – emit far less noise than traditional cars with a petrol or diesel engine. However, according to Transport and Environment, while engine noise is the most important factor at speeds below 30kmh (18mph), tyre noise is the dominant sound at higher speeds. Research in 2008 from the University of California, Riverside, suggested that – using hearing alone – people could not detect an electric car travelling at 5mph until it was 11 ft away. This was more than three times closer than for a traditional vehicle with an internal combustion engine, and – even at such a low speed – afforded the subjects less than two seconds of reaction time. More

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New futuristic half-car half-scooter electric-powered vehicle!

admin — Mon, 05 Apr 2010 21:13:53 +0000

Car giant Nissan has designed a groundbreaking new vehicle for the future which is half-car and half-scooter. The electric-powered Land Glider has four wheels but is little more than half the width of a family car and is designed with busy city streets in mind. The agile two-seater, which has a glider-like cabin, leans into corners and has a top speed of 62mph. A computer in the Land Glider takes into account speed and steering angle before automatically calculating the amount of lean required to corner. The vehicle is also equipped with a special crash avoidance system which uses sensors mounted in the body to detect other vehicles. The system then directs the Land Glider, which is described as a ‘personal city commuter’, away from obstacles. Nissan likens the system to the way ‘fish swim in schools without colliding’. A spokesman said: ‘Targeted at city dwellers of all generations, the Land Glider is a serious motoring statement of the new era of mobility that Nissan intends to lead. More

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Sunderland set to produce the world’s first mass-market electric car!

admin — Thu, 18 Mar 2010 21:36:29 +0000

Nissan is set to build its new five-seat electric car in Sunderland, following a pledge of support from the Government. Production of the Golf-sized Leaf – billed by the Japanese carmaker as the world’s first zero-emission, mass-produced car – is set to create 550 engineering jobs in the city, where Nissan says it aims to produce up to 50,000 vehicles and 60,000 batteries a year. The move follows news last summer that Nissan would invest heavily in the North East to build rechargeable lithium-ion batteries, and forms part of a £420 million investment by Nissan in UK operations. The Government has designated the region as the UK’s first “low-carbon economic area”, specialising in ultra-low carbon vehicles. However, while the car, which has a claimed average range of 100 miles, is set to appear on UK roads in the first quarter of 2011, it will not be built in Sunderland until 2013. More

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Little Chef to test electric car charging points!

admin — Sun, 14 Mar 2010 20:52:37 +0000

Little Chef is bringing power to the motorist. The roadside chain, known for its Olympic breakfasts, will begin testing high-speed electric charging points at 10 branches within weeks, allowing cars such as the Tesla Roadster and Mini E to charge their batteries in as little as an hour. If successful, the trial could lead to a roll-out across all 173 branches. The company that developed the technology is planning a network of 1m charging points so that battery-powered cars can travel long distances without their drivers worrying about finding a place to “fill up”. More

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Ferrari unveil electric hybrid 599 sports car!

admin — Thu, 04 Mar 2010 16:39:15 +0000

For decades, Ferrari has made its name selling the sort of testosterone-packed cars that get petrolheads hot under the collar. But now the Italian car-maker is ditching its famous red livery – temporarily at least – as it experiments with going green. The company yesterday unveiled the Ferrari 599, a 200mph electric hybrid vehicle that aims to cut pollution and fuel consumption while retaining the brand’s breathtaking acceleration and performance. But it remains to be seen whether the 599′s ability to start silently and run on a zero-emission electric motor will put off car enthusiasts who delight in the explosive roar of an old-style Ferrari firing up. The prototype’s appearance at the opening day of the Geneva Motor Show in Switzerland stunned visitors. The hybrid vehicle – which uses the electric motor to back up a more traditional 6.0-litre V12 petrol engine – even sported a bright metallic green paint to reinforce its environmentally friendly credentials. The aim is to have the green technology as an option across Ferrari’s entire range of cars by 2015. More

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Government grants of upto £5,000 offered for electric cars!

admin — Thu, 25 Feb 2010 23:43:07 +0000

Pioneering motorists will receive up to £5,000 to buy an ultra-low carbon car, and the roll-out of supporting infrastructure will begin in selected regions, the Government announced today. The Plug-in Car Grant will be distributed directly to the consumer at the point of purchase and will be available across the UK from January 2011, by which time a range of eligible vehicles is expected to be available. Also included in the Government’s plans is the roll-out of a £30m fund for a network of electric vehicle hubs – called Plugged-In Places – which will see charging infrastructure appearing in car parks, major supermarkets, leisure and retail centres, as well as on the street. The first Plugged-In Places were today named today as London, Milton Keynes and the North East; and between them they will be installing over 11,000 vehicle recharging points during the next three years. The initiatives are part of a £450 million Government strategy to support the creation of a flourishing early market for ultra-low carbon vehicles. The programme will help to meet the UK’s commitment to reduce carbon emissions from transport; as well as creating new business opportunities for UK-based companies in the automotive and charging infrastructure sectors. Transport Secretary Andrew Adonis said: “Decarbonising transport isn’t an aspiration – it’s a reality. By this time next year, cutting edge motorists will be on the roads with these next generation cars they’ve purchased because of our help. “And thanks to the Plugged-In Places we will have in place infrastructure to support this growing early market. “Transport has a huge part to play in helping the UK meet its stringent emission reduction targets and today’s announcement is another step on the road to putting the UK at the global forefront of ultra-low carbon vehicle development, manufacture and use.” More

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San Francisco getting reading to be America’s green capital!

admin — Wed, 17 Feb 2010 20:55:18 +0000

All new buildings to be wired with chargers ahead of release of new vehicle models marketed to middle-class families. San Francisco has adopted building codes requiring all new homes and offices to be wired for electric car chargers, in an attempt to position itself as America’s green car capital. The move comes in advance of the release this year of the Nissan Leaf and Chevy Volt, which promise to deliver driving distances of 40 miles or more on a single battery charge and are being marketed to middle-class families. Local authorities are launching a lending scheme next month to encourage homeowners to install their own charging stations. “If you want to put an electric charging station in your home in anticipation of all these electric vehicles, you can do it through this green financing programme,” said San Francisco’s mayor, Gavin Newsom. Newsom bought his own electric car a decade ago, and car charging stations were installed outside city hall last year. The move further solidifies California’s reputation as America’s greenest state. Over the past 30 years it has led the country in putting limits on vehicle emissions, and imposing higher efficiency standards for homes and appliances such as flatscreen TVs. Few people are predicting widespread adoption of electric cars by Americans – at least in the immediate future. But the launch of the electric vehicles is also concentrating minds in other cities, such as Houston, San Diego and Portland, Oregon, which are expected to lead demand for the new technology. More

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Fuel cell vehicles ‘further away’ than claimed!

admin — Fri, 15 Jan 2010 22:41:30 +0000

The widespread use of zero-emission vehicles running on hydrogen fuel cells is further away than the car industry claims, a University of Oxford study has concluded. And the study’s authors say that, with the majority of cars likely to rely on the internal combustion engine until 2050, the best way to reduce emissions from personal transport would be through a “drastic downscaling” of vehicles’ size and weight. The study’s findings contrast with messages put forward by car makers. In September 2009, eight manufacturers including Toyota, Honda, Ford, GM and Renault/Nissan issued a joint letter of understanding, in which they stated: “[We] strongly anticipate that from 2015 onwards a quite significant number of fuel cell vehicles could be commercialised.” The signatories also called for a European network of hydrogen filling stations to be established by 2015, in preparation for such vehicles. However, research fellow Oliver Inderwildi, who leads the Future of Mobility project within Oxford University’s Smith School of Enterprise and the Environment, told The Times that car makers needed “to be more honest” about the choices. “Their argument is that people can continue to drive 4X4s because in a couple of years they will be able to switch to a fuel cell 4X4. “We think that won’t happen and that we must instead reduce fuel consumption by going for lighter and smaller cars,” he said. More

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UK’s largest electric trial begins!

admin — Mon, 14 Dec 2009 21:50:55 +0000

The UK’s largest electric car trial has begun in the West Midlands. The government’s Technology Strategy Board (TSB) has supplied £15 million to the project as part of its plans for electric cars to become commercially viable in the UK. The West Midlands’ trial taking place in Coventry and Birmingham is the largest of eight similar trials TSB is backing, with 110 electric cars being trialled in the area. Nationally, 340 cars will be tested. TSB ran its ‘Low Carbon Vehicle Demonstrator’ competition to find suitable areas to trial electric cars. Iain Gray, TSB’s chief executive, said: “We created the Low Carbon Vehicle Demonstrator competition to act as a catalyst for industry, the public sector and academia to collaborate to provide low emission vehicles and solutions to powering them. “The journey towards low carbon transport will not be easy, but the demonstrator programme is the biggest project of its kind to date and is a major step in the right direction.” The West Midlands’ trial brings together local organisations within the engineering, automotive manufacturing, academic, public and infrastructure sectors under the banner ‘Cabled’ (Coventry and Birmingham Low Emission Vehicle Demonstrators). More

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Electric cars to have no company-car tax for five years!

admin — Thu, 10 Dec 2009 23:30:52 +0000

Electric cars will be exempt from company car tax for five years from April and electric vans will be spared capital tax payments. More money will also be made available for the road testing of electric cars. The Government hopes that the scheme will help to overcome a shortage of electric car charging points. Because of the small numbers of electric vehicles on the road, experts believe that the measures anounnced yesterday will have a limited immediate impact. They see them as incentives designed to encourage greater green motoring in the years ahead. Before electric cars can make a real impact on travel in Britain, a proper charging grid or battery-lease network will have to be put in place. Existing electric cars do not offer a realistic alternative for long- distance or family travel. From April all electric vans will be spared a flat-rate £3,000 tax. However, the Department for Transport notes that there is no mass-market electric van available. There are a mere 50 electric company cars on the British road network. At present, they pay 9 per cent of standard company car tax. The average company car tax is £350 so the total cost to the Exchequer of implementing this measure will be £1,575. But Treasury officials hope that the announcement will act as an incentive to increase the number of electric cars. There are one million company cars on the road. Electric cars account for just 0.1 per cent of the 26 million cars in Britain. More

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Silent electric cars should carry cowbells!

admin — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 12:37:35 +0000

Electric cars should be fitted with a small Swiss cowbell to warn pedestrians they are approaching because of their quiet engines, it has been suggested. The call by Lord McColl, a Tory peer, follows fears that the cars’ engines – which are almost at low speeds – pose a safety risk. The peer, who is also a party health spokesman, raised the issue with Lord Adonis, the Transport Secretary, in the House of Lords earlier this month. He is also understood to be concerned about the lack of engine noise in hybrid petrol-electric cars, such as the Toyota Prius, which forms a substantial part of the government’s ministerial car fleet. “When I purchased one of these cars a few years ago, my wife, being very practical, said that the answer would be to put on the front of the car a small Swiss cowbell,” he said. “I was only speaking half in jest,” Lord McColl explained. “I have a Prius and people can’t always hear it and a little cow bell might do the trick. It doesn’t even have to be Swiss. It should be something which makes a gentle bing bong.” Lord Grenfell, a Labour peer, proposed an even more radical – if less practical – solution, suggesting that a man with a red flag walking in front of the car would be a “better solution” The use of a man with a red flag ceased to be compulsory in 1896, when the speed limit was raised from four to 20 mph. More

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£30m government funding for electric car charging points!

admin — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 15:08:32 +0000

The UK’s streets and car parks could see thousands more charging points for electric and plug-in hybrid cars thanks to £30 million of Government funding. Transport Secretary Andrew Adonis today invited cities and businesses to join together to bid for the money which will help fund the installation of charging points on streets, car parks and in commercial, retail and leisure facilities. This initiative – called Plugged-In Places – will support the development of between three and six electric car cities and regions across the UK which will act as trailblazers for electric car technology. The experiences of these locations will inform the future development of a national charging infrastructure. Overall, the Government is investing around £400m to encourage the development, manufacture and use of next generation ultra-low carbon vehicles. Delivered by the Office for Low Emission Vehicles this support is being targeted to create new jobs in a low carbon automotive sector and to cut carbon from UK road transport. More

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Now you can hear electric cars coming!

admin — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 23:29:06 +0000

HALOsonic technology makes electric vehicles sound more like spaceships or sports cars – which should make roads safer for people with visual impairments.Is this what a spaceship sounds like? I’d imagined something a bit more whooshy, a bit more Millennium Falcon. These stately tones are more “we come in peace” than “brace yourself for the jump into hyperspace”. Still, at 25mph up Camden Road, maybe that’s no bad thing. I’m sitting in a Toyota Prius, testing out the new HALOsonic External Sound Synthesis technology, which could both save lives and liven up the morning commute no end. As electric vehicles (EVs) become part of our lives – both Nissan and Mitsubishi will have models on sale here within the next year, and charging points are being installed by local authorities around the country – one safety issue is becoming urgent. Unlike, say, an electric milk float, EVs are astonishingly silent, with just the wheel rumble and an occasional electric whine to alert you to their approach. The Royal National Institute of Blind People has been raising awareness of the risk; legislation is likely to follow sometime soon. More

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New report says electric cars to increase CO2 emissions!

admin — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 22:34:07 +0000

Electric cars may not reduce carbon dioxide emissions – and could even increase them, a green lobby group warned yesterday. The Environmental Transport Association said generating electricity – by burning coal and oil – to charge the so-called ‘clean’ cars could cancel out the benefit of abandoning fossil fuel vehicles. Its report said hybrid cars such as the Toyota Prius could be the ‘greenest’ as they do not rely on mains power to charge batteries. It added that if electric cars become widely used, they would need a meter on the dashboard to charge motorists as they drive. The report represents a potential blow to Gordon Brown’s stated dream of making Britain ‘the electric car capital of Europe’. More

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New electric cars pose silent danger!

admin — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 23:05:59 +0000

The new breed of quiet battery-powered quiet cars raises safety concerns for pedestrians and cyclists. After decades of trying to reduce vehicle noise inside and out, the motor industry is now looking for ways to make near-silent electric vehicles conform to minimum noise levels. The potential problem of whisper-quiet engines is so serious that Lord Low of Dalston has tabled a Lords question asking the Government what assessment it has made of the danger the technology poses to pedestrians and cyclists. Similar concerns are being aired in the US Senate, and the Japanese government is reviewing the situation. Major safety concerns centre on an electric vehicle moving away from standstill – because it gives virtually no aural indication that it is about to – and when being driven in close proximity to pedestrians, particularly those blind or partially sighted. Children and cyclists might also be at risk. More

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Electric Mini runs for 1p per mile!

admin — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 20:58:32 +0000

An electric Mini that will run for as little as 1p a mile hit the streets yesterday – with batteries included. A trial fleet of pollution-free Mini Es was launched as the car-maker also announced a deal for public electricity charging points with Marks & Spencer. The plug-in Mini can manage up to 150 miles on an off-peak £1.50 battery charge, giving drivers an astonishing 1p-a-mile motoring. Twenty guinea-pig drivers in the South East will use the cars for six months on a £330-a-month leasing deal, with home chargers installed in their garages. Each must commit to doing at least 300 miles driving a month and have their motoring and charging habits monitored. Smart meters will also track charging and usage patterns to help power firms and Mini plan for the future. Twenty more will run on the car fleets of Oxford city and Oxfordshire county councils. Each car can fully charge in around four and a half hours for as little as £1.50 if juiced up overnight at off-peak rates, or £4 at peak time. On a full charge it has a range of around 100 miles, but that can increase to 150 in ideal conditions. Yet few are prepared for the blistering performance – like a supercharged but silent electric go-kart – that sees the electric Mini sprint from 0 to 62mph in just 8.5 seconds. There are only two pedals – the accelerator and the brake – and just one continuously variable gear. Only the slight whirr of the electric motor gives away the game that this is no ordinary Mini.More

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Electric cars at heart of new transport policy!

admin — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 23:05:15 +0000

The roads of the 2020′s could look and sound very different if the climate change committee’s vision of transport policy is realised. Electric cars will zip noiselessly along roads depleted of commuters by better planning and more effective public transport. Those who do still drive old-fashioned fossil-fuelled cars will use their right feet less. Needless braking and accelerating will have been eliminated by eco-driving lessons, and fleets of vehicles, stripped of excess weight, will glide along motorways at a legal and fuel-efficient 70 mph. Today’s report says: “Transport is currently responsible for a quarter of emissions in the UK and, if left unchecked, emissions will rise significantly by 2020. Dramatic improvements in the carbon efficiency of cars need to be combined with measures which will constrain growth in traffic volumes.” More

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Police use electric cars, but not in a chase!

admin — Sat, 10 Oct 2009 22:45:08 +0000

A police force is to become the first in the country to operate an electric patrol car. West Midlands Police will be taking to the streets of Birmingham in Mitsubishi all-electric MiEV city cars from December. The £30,000 car has a range of 100 miles from a full battery charge but a top speed of 81 mph meaning high-speed chases are out of the question. The new blues and twos can carry four adult passengers and equipment in comfort and best of all it will help to keep streets clean as it has zero emissions. The force is running a new CABLED (Coventry and Birmingham Low Emission Demonstrator) scheme to trial the car for a year. More

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Network of car charging points unveiled!

admin — Fri, 11 Sep 2009 22:56:12 +0000

The plans, drawn up by the Energy Technologies Institute would make it easier drivers to use their cars over extended distances. Already the Government has allocated £250 million to a scheme to promote carbon-friendly electric motoring. It is envisaged that as many as 50,000 electric and plug-in hybrid cars could be on Britain’s roads by the middle of the next decade. A trial is already under way in which 100 cars are being tested by members of the public. More

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