Irish solar panel firm partners with Fiat

From the Emerald Isle comes news that SolarPrint - an energy technology company has just signed a deal with Fiat to develop solar panels for their cars.

The panels will be incorporated into the vehicle roofs, to generate alternative fuel sources.

According to Inside Ireland, The new "smart roof" will incorporate low cost photo voltaic (PV) - or solar - cells and lithium batteries that will in turn be used to power on board devices in cars.

The 3million euro project also involves other european companies.

Read more about the deal and how Fiat see the "smart roof" working in production models by clicking here.

photo credit: hugo90

England flags on cars affect mpg by 3 to 6 miles per gallon

If you feel obliged to show your support for our National team and adorn your car or van with those England flags - you'd better be prepared for more trips to the petrol station.

That was the message from a 'light-hearted' question on BBC Radio 2 last night when a listener wrote asking the question - "Do England flags affect the fuel economy of my car?".

An Expert was duly found to answer the question and his analysis was that each flag adds an extra 3 to 6 miles per gallon to your overall miles per gallon figure.

That's per flag! Most cars I've seen have been sporting at least 2 flags.

And it gets worse. The heavier or more loaded the vehicle is, the worse the fuel economy gets.

Now times that by all the flags you've seen driving around your neighbourhood and imagine that across the whole country and suddenly, the extra fuel use costs and pollution become almost Biblical in proportion.

Think I'll stick with a sticker - inside the back window.

If anyone has more figures to add - like the total cost to motorists and/or the environment during the World Cup etc, that would be great.

photo credit: will palmer

Petrol or Diesel? What should your next car run on?

Whilst sitting in the usual morning traffic snarl up (and I leave so early to try and avoid it), it occurred that when you're figuring out what car to buy next, do you really take into account the daily running costs on a per mile basis?

There are charges whether you do any driving or not - Road Tax, Insurance, Depreciation and some form of breakdown cover.

Then there's the running costs - fuel, servicing, consumables like tyres, brakes and exhausts - even the windscreen washer fluid.

The AA website has a very handy calculator based on 2009 prices with a stated fuel cost so you can adjust the figure for current fuel prices.

So based on a car costing £12,000 and an annual mileage of 15,000, the real cost per mile in their example was around £0.40p with only penny difference (if that) between petrol and diesel.

Here's a link to the AA's website running costs page.

It will be interesting to see a comparison figure for a hybrid car - something like the Toyota Prius - on a cost per mile basis.

What do you think? Higher or Lower?

Back to my original question - do you consider all the running costs when shopping for a new car?

photo credit: robmba