Thursday, 25 February 2010

M4 to become renewable super-highway?


I spotted this piece about plans to make the M4 motorway the first 'hydrogen highway', by providing for alternative energy fuel sources like hydrogen or electric for vehicles.

Developers are hoping to have work completed by 2015 to enable full support for green energy vehicles.

Sales of such alternative fuel vehicles will not really 'take off' until such time as drivers feel confident they'll be able to get fuel readily along the way. Whilst the M4 development is a major step forward, I can't help wondering how much it will cost drivers to 'fill up' at these points.

Given ordinary petrol fuel is usually dearer at motorway services, it will be interesting to see what they charge for hooking up to the nearest mains socket to recharge.

Call me cynical, but as current re-charge times are lengthy, they'll probably want to charge you for extended parking to!

photo credit: mark hillary

2 comments:

  1. I guess that eventually... when we're all riding around on bicycles - they'll be charging us per mile on those too!

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  2. Hi Sean - thanks for stopping by.

    Perhaps by 'then' it'll be safer riding a bicycle around the UK. I really feel for motorcyclists at the moment - some terrible pot-holed roads around Derbyshire at the moment.

    You've only got to drop your front wheel in one of those and you'll soon be parting company with your bike.

    Jonathan

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