It's all happening in Australia

As the title suggests, it's all happening in Australia at the moment.

As if the excitement of our own dear Queen visiting wasn't enough, nor the Rugby World Cup final in neighbouring New Zealand, Adelaide is host to a green 'eco-car' test drive event this weekend.

Electric and hybrid cars from Audi, BMW, Honda, Mitsubishi, Nissan, Renault and Toyota will be available for test drives around a set 3.5km course around the city.

The event links up with the World Solar Challenge, which arrives in Adelaide this weekend. Organisers are keen to demonstrate how technology from the Solar Challenge vehicles is finding its way into production cars.

It estimates that within the next ten years, 10% of Australian vehicles will be either electric or hybrid.

(source news.com.au)

photo credit: magnus d

How to de-centivise green vehicle ownership - Californian style

Frankly I'm amazed.

Drivers of hybrid cars in California will have just lose their HOV status.

HOV stands for High-Occupancy Vehicle and is a series of special lanes on major routes which allow car sharing drivers to whizz past the stationary traffic.

Previously, Hy-brid vehicles had also been allowed to use the HOV lanes - even with a single occupant.

Now due to the popularity of vehicles like the Toyota Prius, the lanes are becoming too congested, so their use will now be restricted to passenger sharing vehicles and all electric vehicles like the Tesla Roadster as well as some natural gas powered vehicles.

It's a move that isn't going to endear itself to the 85,000 hybrid owners (source Inhabitat.com) but might well evoke a similar spending spree on all electric vehicles - who can say?

Reminds me of the Government's drive to get us all driving diesel cars in the early '90's. The minute we'd bought one, the cost of diesel suddenly shot up to match and even exceed petrol prices.

They've never come down since. (grump!).

photo credit: computerguy

Electric and Hybrid cars - small sales still make big difference

Whilst reading GreenBeat the other day, I came across an article related to electric cars and hybrid vehicles and how a report in another American publication had, in the author's eyes, missed several points.

What struck me reading the article is that amongst the industry news of who's producing what models and when they'll be available to buy etc, compared against the production hurdles of bringing a new vehicle to market (on average 5 years), was a lot of detail about current buying habits, that could address many of the concerns surrounding alternatively fuelled cars.

As the commentator points out, the issue of range and the necessity of being able to 'just go' rather than waiting for a vehicle to charge e.g a midnight dash to the hospital, which puts many people off buying hybrid or electric vehicles is really mute.

He goes on to explain that when you look at the general car habits of families, they very often have two (or more cars) and whilst it would make perfect sense to make one of those an electric vehicle, logistics alone would probably still make the other vehicle purchase a traditional fuel burning one.

He argues that families will plan their outings with regards to what vehicle they use with the same consideration as they do now - number of seats, terrain, distance etc.

And when you look at the sheer numbers of vehicles presently on the roads, then even a 1% shift to hybrid or electric powered cars makes a huge difference, and one that will only increase.

Producers are currently talking about a 2% of global sales being hybrid/electric cars by 2020 - that's still 2 million vehicles and some analysts are predicting a 10% uptake / shift once the world loses the "baggage" of the hybrid "label".

It's certainly thought provoking stuff and filled me with enormous hope. You can read the full article here.

photo credit: treehugger

£5000 electric car subsidy for UK but number of grants is cut

Read with interest in the Telegraph Motoring News, was this headline that UK drivers are to get £5000 in subsidy when buying a new electric car (the deal is 25% off and new generation electric car or ultra low carbon hybrid up to a maximum of £5000).

That's the good news though with charging and range issues, plus the additional costs of such vehicles, I'd like to think motorists will clamour for the subsidy but somehow...

Anyway, the bad news is the new coalition Government (which placed a hold on the scheme first announced by Labour in 2009) has slashed the number of grants that will be available from a planned minimum of 46,000 to just 8,600.

The news will still disappoint car manufacturers - like Nissan who are about to launch the Nissan Leaf, which the Telegraph describes as the 'first major rival to the Toyota Prius'. The Nissan can run for 70 miles on a full charge at a cost of 3p per mile.

Read the full Telegraph Motoring article by clicking here.

photo credit: charles williams

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

The latest hybrid car (and yes, it's from Ferrari)

Someday - all hybrid cars will look like this....(no not covered in grass)...

Yes, the news the green transport brigade have been waiting for - a hybrid Ferrari.

Unveiled at the Geneva motor show - the 'laboratory car' is based on the 599 GTV Fioriano (or so I'm reliably informed), and features a V12 engine linked to an electric motor much like a Toyota Prius - only more powerful.

Click here for pictures and more news - I haven't 'borrowed' any pictures from the source as I didn't want to step on anybodies toes - suffice to say the show car is in green rather than red (which in my personal opinion is the only colour you should be able to have a Ferrari in).

photo credit: ollworx

Toyota Prius saves 7 million tonnes of CO2

Spotted over at Renewable Energy Focus -

"Toyota Motor Corporation has been awarded the 2010 Zayed Future Energy Prize for its third-generation Toyota Prius, the world’s first mass-produced hybrid vehicle."

"The Zayed Future Energy Prize jury cited Toyota Motor Corporation’s revolutionary technologies, which have set the global standard for fuel efficiency and innovation, as the key factor behind selecting Toyota as the 2010 winner. The original Prius was launched in 1997 and the judges estimated that in the last 13 years has saved around seven million tonnes of carbon dioxide from polluting the atmosphere, due to fuel efficient technology."

Since last year when I enjoyed a very impressive drive in a UK Toyota Prius, I've added it to my list of possible next cars. In fact, the drive prompted me to ask, on this very blog, "Will your next car be a hybrid design?"

"For drivers in and around London (and other cities that may follow London's example), the other major running cost to consider is the Congestion Charge. As most hybrids are in PowerShift Band 4, they receive a 100% discount on the London Congestion Charge (although owners of hybrids need to register with Transport for London and pay an annual £10 fee). With a £8 payable daily charge, this could provide a potential annual saving of up to £2000. The PowerShift Register lists vehicles that qualify for London Congestion Charge discounts." Read the full post by clicking here.

It's certainly food, or should that be 'fuel' for thought.

photo credit: Wellington Grey

Only 10% of vehicles will be powered by electricity by 2020

Will your next car be Electric?

As read in the Mercury News.com....

Carlos Ghosn, the head of the Nissan-Renault alliance has warned that the public's "adoption of electric vehicles will be a slow and gradual process, with traditional petrol powered cars continuing to dominate the market for many years".

"We're not going to take the market by storm" he warned - "Electricity is going to complement oil".

His remarks came during a discussion on Foreign Relations in New York. Read the full story including Nissans own electric car marketing plans by clicking here.

Do you think the public should be hungrier for electric vehicles? Have you considered a hybrid car as your next vehicle?

Will your next car be a Hybrid design?

It was recently my very great pleasure to accept a lift in a friends Toyota Prius - probably the most recognised Hybrid (Petrol/Battery duel fuel driven car) on the roads in Britain.

It certainly set my mind thinking when it comes to replacing my ageing Mazda - large, comfy, and great fuel economy. He's not exactly a slow driver either and the car seemed as quick as mine. So I thought I'd look into Hybrid cars a little more - what are the running costs, what savings can I expect to make, how much are they to service and how long are the batteries meant to last?

I found the answers here in the column below, at What Green Car website.

Have you been thinking about a Hybrid car for your next family transport? Perhaps the following will?

"Most running costs are less for hybrids than conventional vehicles. In particular, the higher capital costs are offset by lower fuel costs due to the high fuel economy of the vehicles themselves. As is the case with carbon emissions, hybrids typically use 15%-30% less fuel per mile, depending on driving conditions and whether a mild or strong hybrid design is used.

For drivers in and around London (and other cities that may follow London's example), the other major running cost to consider is the Congestion Charge. As most hybrids are in PowerShift Band 4, they receive a 100% discount on the London Congestion Charge (although owners of hybrids need to register with Transport for London and pay an annual £10 fee). With a £8 payable daily charge, this could provide a potential annual saving of up to £2000. The PowerShift Register lists vehicles that qualify for London Congestion Charge discounts.

Due to their novelty and use of state-of-the-art batteries, servicing, maintenance and repair costs remain somewhat unknown. Although there is good reason to think that these costs will remain similar to those for conventional cars, servicing may require going to a specialist centre. In order to reduce consumer uncertainty, many hybrid car manufacturers provide high-mileage warranties that cover the additional hybrid components (typically for 8-10 years or 100,000 miles)."

*prices and figures quoted are directly from the article as it appears on What Green Car. Please click here to read their full guide to Hybrid-Cars.

photo credit: kinghuang