Latest news on green cars
Hertz to push electric cars in London and Germany
One of the leading names in car rentals around the world is putting its weight behind two significant electric car projects in London (pictured) and Germany. First, here in the UK, Hertz has announced that it will help to promote the Source London electric vehicle charging network. It will give its customers free access to [...]
BMW targets electric car market in South Korea
Though traditionally the South Korean car market has been dominated by home-grown giants Hyundai and Kia, it seems BMW has set its sights on the area – with electric cars expected to play a key role. The German carmaker has seen its share of the passenger car market in the country jump from 18 per [...]
Electric car revolution boosts traction motors
There are many knock-on effects of the automotive market turning to electrification – and one of them is the boost it will offer to the traction motor industry (traction motor, pictured). According to a report by Frost & Sullivan, entitled Strategic Analysis of Electric Motor Technologies for Electric and Hybrid Vehicles in Europe, the European [...]
News in brief: Hybrid buses heading to Nevada after cash boost
Hybrid electric buses will soon be making their way to Reno, Nevada, after the US Federal Transit Administration (FTA) awarded $5.1million to Washoe County to purchase 10 hybrid buses and build a fuelling station. Funding for the 10 buses is hoped to boost a service on Virginia Street – one of the busiest corridors in [...]
New Audi A3 will slash emissions
Audi’s new A3 model will feature a powerful yet small 1.4 petrol engine, which thanks to its cylinder deactivation system, will offer CO2 emissions expected to be as low as 106g/km. That would make it one of the lowest emission petrol-only model in its class. What’s more, while this frugal petrol model is not expected [...]
Business drivers turned off EVs by range and availability of charging points
Range anxiety and a lack of charging points remain two of the biggest put-offs when trying to convert business drivers to electric motoring. Six in ten business drivers – surveyed by vehicle leasing company ALD Automotive – would not change their current vehicle for an electric vehicle. Nearly eight in ten of these naysayers pointed [...]
Stress and the city: commuting woes causing “urbanitis”
Traffic congestion is giving city dwellers “urbanitis” according to a new study by leading car club, Zipcar. Releasing its new City Index detailing the most common and prevalent stresses and strains among city dwellers, the car club firm defines “urbanitis” as the desire to challenge the status quo in urban environments. The study of over [...]
First Drive: Mazda CX-5
Coming to the party fashionably late, the Mazda CX-5 is the latest contender coming into the bustling compact crossover segment; and for Mazda the CX-5 is the first new model to benefit from its comprehensive SKYACTIV development work. It is impossible to overstate just how important this new model is to the Japanese company, the [...]
New fund opens for low emission projects
A new R&D programme has been opened with the aim of funding low emission and lightweight vehicle technology projects from small niche makers. The new Niche Vehicle R&D Programme run by Cenex, Technology Strategy Board (TSB) and the Office for Low Emission Vehicles (OLEV) was officially announced this week and will open for bids for [...]
Fuel Economy: theory v reality
BMW offers drivers a no-brainer choice with the new 6 Series Gran Coupe. The 640d diesel has almost as much power as the 640i petrol. It is as fast to 62mph. It reaches the same top speed. As a six-cylinder turbo, it offers similar sound effects and refinement as admirable as the petrol. Crucially, it [...]
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 2011/12
Including details of the 2011 vehicle excise duty reform. Make sure that you will be paying the right company car tax in 2011/12?
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.
