Research conducted by the European Commission has raised doubts over the EU reaching its proposed target of increasing the share of biofuels in transport fuels from 2% to 20%  by 2020.

The largest doubt is whether the potential deforestation caused by the production of biofuels could wipe out any benefits gained from vehicles running on the product.

This is not a new concept but one that many motorists are still not implementing. The carbon footprint of the UK could be cut by as much as 5 million tonnes by educating the motorist into taking better care of their tyres.

In financial terms, the setting of tyre pressures at the correct level would save £1 billion a year due to the combined effect of higher rolling resistance on fuel consumption and shorter tyre life.

Visit www.etyres.co.uk for more details

Firms and personal drivers could save themselves money this year by ensuring that their vehicles CO2 emissions fall under the 120 g/km mark. Any employee who choses a company car with CO2 emissions of 120 g/km or less will be eligible for the new benefit-in-kind tax rate of 10%. This could mean big savings for those choosing the lower emission cars.

Employers should also take note as they pay Class 1A National Insurance relative to the CO2 emissions of their fleet cars as the same principal applies sub 120 g/km cars and this could lead to savings of thousands of pounds across a large fleet.

The future is green.

The advantages of running a greener fleet

The amount of biofuels produced and consumed within the European Union is set to be given a formal target. The EU environment commissioner Stavros Dimas goes on to warn that any environmental and economic problems that may be caused by the production of biofuels must also be taken into account.

The pros and cons of biofuels

Nissan Motor Company Ltd has won the Agency for Natural Resources and Energy (ARNE)  award for its eco-driving service available on its CARWINGS navigation system.

The award recognises ideas that accelerate wider commercial application of new energy conservation technologies. The aim is to reach a more energy-efficient society.

Nissan’s CARWINGS service has improved road traffic congestion and driver behaviour and delivers significant improvements in fuel consumption.

JERUSALEM – Israel’s government on Monday endorsed the ambitious plan of a private entrepreneur to install the world’s first electric car network here by 2011, with half a million recharging stations to crisscross the tiny country.

Supporters hailed the undertaking as a bold step in the battle against global warming and energy dependency, but skeptics warned that much could still go wrong along the way.

In a signing ceremony with the Renault-Nissan Alliance – under the slogan “Transportation without fuel, making peace between transportation and the environment” – Israel’s leaders pledged to provide tax incentives to customers to make Israel’s cars fuel-free.

The project is a joint venture between Renault-Nissan, which will provide the electric vehicles, and the Silicon Valley-based startup Project Better Place, which will operate the recharging grid. The replacement and charging of the lithium-ion batteries is supposed to work like that of a cellphone battery.

“For the first time in history, all the conditions necessary for electric vehicles to be successfully mass-marketed will be brought together,” the companies said in a statement.

The initiative is the brainchild of Shai Agassi, 39, an Israeli-American entrepreneur and high-tech star, who raised $200 million to get the project off the ground.

“Our planet’s battery got charged over hundreds of millions of years, and yet we have consumed half the world’s oil in one century. In the process, we got addicted to oil, polluted our cities and altered our planet’s climate,” Agassi said. “Finally, we are running out of out most precious commodity of all – we are running out of time.”

Less than a year ago, Agassi quit as a top executive at the German software giant SAP AG to pursue his green dreams. Along with his partner Idan Ofer, he founded Project Better Place, aimed at helping reduce greenhouse emissions by building a network of charging stations for electric cars across Israel.

Agassi’s spokesman said his home country of Israel was the ideal laboratory to market his vision because of its high fuel prices (around $1.70 a litre), dense population centres and supportive government. In Israel, 90 per cent of car owners drive less than 72 kilometres per day and all major urban centres are less than 160 kilometres apart, making the use of battery operated cars more feasible than in countries with longer average commutes.

Green cars are also particularly attractive to Israel, which hopes to weaken the political clout of its oil-rich enemies.

“Today is a new age with new dangers and the greatest danger is that of oil,” President Shimon Peres said. “It is the greatest polluter of our age and oil is the greatest financier of terror.”

Other automakers have produced plug-in hybrid prototypes, which switch from pure electric to gas engine to a blended gas electric mode. But the Renault model is the first mass-produced model designed to be completely fuel-free.

“Zero emission, zero noise,” Renault-Nissan Chief Executive Carlos Ghosn said. “It will be the most environmentally friendly mass-produced car on the market.”

Ghosn said the cars, with a range of up to 160 kilometres per charge, would have a top speed of 110 kilometres per hour: the top speed limit in Israel. And Aggasi vowed that, in the long run, the electric car would be cheaper to operate than one based on fuel.

Israeli leaders said they hoped the country would prove to be a trailblazer in the field of alternative energy. “This initiative will revolutionize cars in Israel and throughout the world,” National Infrastructure Minister Binyamin Ben-Eliezer said.

Aaron Bragman, an auto analyst with Global Insight, said he was unfamiliar with this specific electric model but said there were plenty of pitfalls ahead before it could be up to par with the performance of fuel-based cars.

“The electrification of the car is definitely coming. Whether it will come that soon (by 2011) is another question,” he said. “It doesn’t sound impossible but a lot of things would have to go right for it to happen.”

The project has also been met with skepticism in Israel, where newspaper articles have derided it as dreamy and unrealistic.

“Apparently people are again willing to invest in a technological idea without having seen a detailed business and technology plan,” wrote Ora Cohen, a columnist for the Israeli Haaretz daily, in November. “Real problems remain to be solved before they start working on virtual ones.”

But Agassi enjoys the enthusiastic backing of the government.

“There was a time when people said you couldn’t stop smoking,” Peres said. “Using gas is like smoking.”

The price of fuel is constantly rising and it doesn’t look like stopping. With this in mind, motorists are looking for ways to cut their motoring spending and there are simple steps that every driver can take to help reduce their annual fuel bill. Gentle acceleration and lower cruising speed can improve your vehicles miles per gallon ratio and for a five minute increase on a hour-long journey you could save up to £200 a year.

Slow down and save money – MSN cars

BMW are considering the launch of an exclusive green brand that would sell eco-friendly vehicles. BMW are already taking steps to make greener cars and its Efficient Dynamics programme has introduced new technologies such as regenerative braking and engine stop/start. The overall aim of BMW’s green marque is to reduce the CO2 emissions across the entire range as the European Union look set to introduce fines on manufacturers that fail to meet their new CO2 reduction targets.

New research has shown that fleets are reducing their CO2 emissions faster than the private motorist. The BVRLA announced that British fleets have reduced their carbon footprint by 3 million tonnes over the past 3 years. This is believed to be due to fleets leasing greener cars and the reduced mileage of fleet drivers.

The SMMT claims that improvements in vehicle technology have seen savings of around one million tonnes per year across both fleet and private registrations.

2008 will be a fascinating year for the industry when we will see what measures consumers will take to prove their commitment to creating a greener environment.

The Fiat 500 looks likely to be a must have car of 2008 with the replacement for the Ford Fiesta, The Verve concept also set to make a big impact when it is released in the Autumn.