Latest news on green cars
East of England could receive charging point boost
Much of the early implementation of charging points in the UK may have revolved around London, but now the East of England appears to be on the verge of receiving a substantial investment of its own. The area, including Bedford, Cambridge, Ipswich, Norwich, Peterborough, Luton, Hertfordshire and South Essex, has been shortlisted for a £5.6million [...]
GM to increase Chevrolet Volt production
With strong public interest in the Chevrolet Volt, General Motors (GM) has decided to ramp up production of the range extended electric vehicle. The company is expected to increase production capacity by 50 per cent – from 30,000 units to 45,000 units – in 2012. The news broke as part of US President Barack Obama’s [...]
Waste chip fat could fuel hydrogen production
So far only the odd eccentric has taken to using old chip fat as fuel. A messy process of filtering and the need to go begging to chip shops probably stop many people from pursuing this route to alternatively fuelling their cars. But now, researchers at the University of Leeds may have found a way [...]
Vauxhall offers free fuel efficiency check
Visitors to Vauxhall’s ecoFLEX Experience website (www.ecoflex-experience.com) have the opportunity to download a voucher entitling them to a free ecoFLEX Fuel Efficiency Check at the carmaker’s participating MasterFit retailers. Those wishing to take advantage of the offer just need to log on, print the voucher and present it to their nearest participating MasterFit retailer. The [...]
Electric Leaf order books open in Europe
Nissan has confirmed that order books for its electric Leaf model will open to UK customers on September 1, ahead of the first deliveries set for March next year. The Japanese carmaker confirmed the date as the order books for the all-electric car open for customers in Portugal and Ireland. The move means that Portuguese, [...]
Road test: Volkswagen Passat Estate Bluemotion 1.6 TDI
The Passat Estate is the unsung hero of the Volkswagen model range. A workhorse with unexceptional looks, its lack of glamour means its tailor-made for families who want something solid with an air of
Ford makes electric vehicle predictions
Just how much of an impact will electric vehicles have on the fleet of one of the world’s leading car manufacturers? Ford believes it has the answer. According to the company’s director of global electrification Nancy Gioia, speaking at Plug-in 2010 in San Jose, California, Ford expects hybrids, plug-in hybrids and battery electric vehicles to [...]
Senate Bill boost natural gas vehicles and plug-in cars
The Clean Energy Jobs 5 and Oil Company Accountability Act of 2010 has given a significant boost to both natural gas and plug-in vehicles. There will be up to $3.8billion in rebates for buyers of natural gas powered vehicles; while $400million will support the deployment of plug-in vehicles in targeted communities. The addition of the [...]
Numerous electric vehicle charging announcements
As the large scale introduction of electric vehicles edges ever closer, this week’s Plug-in 2010 conference and exhibition in San Jose, California, saw several infrastructure companies appear prominently and make announcements. Let’s take a look at each of the major players and update you on their progress: - Aerovironment: Already selected by Nissan North America [...]
Alternative fuel car sales double in 2010
Registrations of alternatively fuelled cars in the UK doubled in the first six months of 2010 compared with the first half of 2009, the latest figures from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) show. The figures also reveal that CO2 emissions from new cars continue to decline as average CO2 rating of new [...]
Top 5 green cars by category
Looking for green cars? Which are the greenest saloons, hatchbacks, coupes, cabriolets, estates, people carriers and 4x4's?
Company Car Tax in 2010/11
Including details of the 2010 vehicle excise duty reform. Make sure that you will be paying the right company car tax in 2010/11?
Electric cars
Electric cars were once expected to be the ultimate travelling option of the 21st Century only to be maligned when initial efforts such as the Ford Think failed to earn a sizeable share of the UK market. However, with further technological advancements, electric cars are once again emerging as a viable alternative to the fuel guzzling and polluting vehicles that most of us drive today.
Some of the best electric cars which may be available to you soon include:
For more information see our Electric Cars guide.
Hybrid cars
The number of hybrid cars available in the UK is on the increase although they are still not as readily available as it is hoped they will be in the long term. Here is a list of some of the hybrid cars currently available in the UK, click on the links to find out more:
There are also several hybrid cars available in other markets:
To find out more about how hybrid cars work and to find out about exciting new hybrid concepts and forthcoming models, read out Hybrid Cars guide.
The top 10 green cars
Our list of the top ten green cars will put you on the right road to reducing your emissions while still driving in style and comfort.
Top 10 green cars
The most economical green cars
One of the major benefits of owning and running green cars is the increased fuel economy that they are able to offer. Green cars such as the Volkswagen Polo BlueMotion and Seat Ibiza Ecomotive are now able to return more than 70 miles to the gallon and have the added bonus of very low CO2 emissions. We look at the green cars that offer the most miles per gallon and have broken down the results into the following categories: saloons, hatchbacks, estates, coupes, cabrios, people carriers and 4x4s.
The most economical green cars
