London’s cab drivers are renowned for their worldly wise views on everything from politics to sports – but now their hot topic is the environment with their famous black cabs about to turn green.

Don’t worry, it’s not a coat of paint for the iconic vehicles – instead Coventry-based manufacturer Manganese Bronze is working on an electric version of the TX4 cab. It is hoped that a plug-in version of the taxi will be released by the middle of 2009.

With one charge of a lithium-ion battery the cabs will be able to run for 100 miles. On average the typical cab driver travels between 120 and 150 miles a day so two charges will be enough to power the cabs for a full day’s work.

There are a number of benefits too. Not only will the new green cabs drastically reduce emissions in the London area, but they will save money for the cab companies. At current electricity prices the green taxi will cost around 4p a mile to run. By contrast, a weekly spend on diesel for a cab is between £70 and £80 – averaging between 8.5p and 9.3p a mile.

Of course there is a downside as the vehicles will be expensive at first due to the electric engine. Currently a black cab costs between £30,000 and £43,000 depending on its specification – Manganese Bronze has yet to state how much it expects the green cabs to cost.

If the venture receives the backing of taxi drivers and proves successful, then it is expected that a similar scheme could be carried over to China where Manganese has a joint venture with Shanghai LTI.

So what do you think of the green cab scheme? Is it too expensive? Or are the rewards worth the outlay? Let us know.

There is a scheme currently being run in the London borough of Richmond upon Thames in which parents of non-green cars are being charged to park in bays outside schools. The scheme links the price of school parking permits to their engine’s CO2 emissions. The parking permit will remain to be free for parents driving green cars (what the CO2 emission limit will be at this moment in time is unclear but it is expected to be around the 150g/km/160g/km mark).

If this trial proves successful the scheme will be rolled out across the UK. Campaign groups and motoring organisations have not welcomed the plans; Sheila Ranger of the RAC Foundation said “This is yet another stealth tax that is hitting the family budget. For many parents, it is necessary to have a large car as they have three children who need car seats.”

A spokesman for the local council defended the scheme by saying “The Government is trying to reduce school-run car use and we support it. We want to drive down carbon-dioxide emissions and become the most sustainable county in the country.”

 One day on from the annual Earth Day celebrations, an event used to promote awareness of environmental issues, it’s interesting to evaluate the progress made in the green car sector in 2008.

After years of playing catch up when it comes to green issues, Americans have now placed a clearer focus on smaller more fuel-efficient cars prompted partly by rising gas prices – set to hit $4 a gallon later this year.

Tesla motors, a California based manufacturer has begun production of the Tesla Roadster – a high-performance electric car that will run from 0-60 in less than four seconds. It is currently being produced at a Lotus plant in England.

General Motors is also hoping to have an impact with its Chevy Volt electric, which it believes will be the world’s first mass-produced electric car and is tipped for success in the US market – with around 100,000 Volts expected to be sold by 2012.

There has also been extensive progress in the development of hydrogen fuel cell concepts. BMW has unveiled a 7-series fuel-cell, GM plans to bring a fleet of fuel-cells to China and both Mercedes and Honda have made sizeable investments in the technology.

Elsewhere, cleaner diesel engines have emerged. The BMW 118d scooped the world green car of the year award at the New York Auto Show and even bested the Toyota Prius in a mileage challenge conducted by The Times.

Volkswagen, already making waves in the green car industry with its BlueMotion vehicles, has unveiled a diesel-electric version of the VW Golf. This hybrid car is expected to return incredible fuel efficiency in the region of 83mpg.

Finally, there has even been progress in the use of ethanol as an alternative fuel too with GM to add four more vehicles to its stock of cars that can run on E85.

Car manufacturers can give themselves a pat on the back after the Department of Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform released figures showing that they have reached the benchmarks set in the End of Life Vehicles Directive. The Directive stated that 85% of a scrap car must be capable of recovery by 2006; this will rise to 95% by 2015.

“The news confirms car makers’ drive to deliver in all areas of sustainability,” commented SMMT chief executive Paul Everitt. “Build-to-recycle is now an integral part of the design process. Alongside better performance at manufacturing sites and lower emissions from cars in-use, today’s news shows that sustainability continues to be top of the industry agenda.”

Italian giant Fiat Automobiles has recorded the lowest average CO2 emissions value for vehicles sold in 2007, according to a recent analysis by JATO Dynamics, a world leader for consultancy and research in the automotive field.
The JATO analysis placed the Fiat brand (137.3 g/km) ahead of Peugeot (141.9 g/km), Citroen (142.2 g/km), Renault (146.4 g/km), Toyota (148.8 g/km), Ford (149.1 g/km), Opel/Vauxhall (152.9 g/km), Volkswagen (161.7 g/km), BMW (176.7g/km) and Mercedes-Benz (188.4 g/km).
“The results of this important analysis reward Fiat’s ongoing commitment to finding innovative solutions to reduce levels of polluting emissions and CO2,” explains Lorenzo Sistino, managing director of Fiat Automobiles.”
Sistino continued: “Our aim is still to achieve the lowest average adjusted level of CO2 emissions for Fiat cars by 2012. Fiat intends to achieve this result by introducing an action plan on engines and transmissions, in addition to the use of Eco Drive, an innovative application developed with Microsoft that is able – via the USB Port of the versatile Blue&Me system – to analyse motorists’ driving styles, helping them to optimise behaviour in terms of fuel consumption and hence emissions.”
Fiat continues to stay ahead of the other car-makers – For example, two years ahead of legislation, the Fiat 500 and the Fiat Bravo have already been introduced with Euro 5-ready power units (petrol and diesel). The maker believes by the end of 2009, most engines in its entire range will be Euro 5-ready.
Simon McBride

 All good things come to those who wait – and for environmental enthusiasts, the pause for illustrious car maker Mercedes to join the green car race is nearly over.

Whereas other manufacturers have leapt to the forefront of green car designs with their hybrid and fuel efficient diesel engines, Mercedes has hung back preferring to bide its time and take an overview of consumer demand. The result is a very strong and very green line-up ready to hit the market in the next three-five years.

The production line will adopt the already famous Diesotto engines, which use regular petrol but with the economy of diesel, and will also feature hybrids, even more economical engines and perhaps most notably a number of fuel cell models. Whereas the Diesotto engines will take at least three years to implement, the super efficient Bluetec diesels could be in production in the Mercedes S-Class within two years.

Arguably the most intriguing element of Mercedes’ approach is the focus on fuel cell technology with the company targeting at least one B-Class compact using a fuel cell by the end of the decade.

With such a highly respected and acclaimed manufacturer taking such a thorough and well-prepared approach to green car marketing there are clearly big steps being taken in the green motoring sector.

Thursday the 17^th of April saw the opening of Great Britain’s first hydrogen fuel station at Birmingham University. The fuel station will form part of a trial featuring five fuel cell vehicles. The installation of the station will be performed by Air Products and Chemicals Inc.  – http://www.airproducts.co.uk/. Air Products and Chemicals Inc. serves customers in industrial, energy, technology and healthcare markets worldwide with a unique portfolio of atmospheric gases, process and specialty gases, performance materials, and equipment and services.

There are also plans for three hydrogen filing stations to be installed in the city of London; Transport for London is planning to add 70 hydrogen-powered vehicles to their fleet in 2009.

The UK Government’s aim is to have 12 hydrogen filling stations in place and operational by 2010. With fuel cells being viewed as the future of green motoring, these moves will also take a step towards relieving dependence on burning fossil fuels.

With tax incentives, reduced insurance costs and fewer trips to the petrol station, drivers have plenty of incentives to go green. However, now there is yet more motivation to add to the list – faster journey times.

A hard shoulder on the M62 along the notorious eastbound route between junction 25 and Leeds has been opened for drivers with two or more people in their car and has been dubbed a ‘car sharing lane’. It is the first of its kind in the country and links the southbound M606 from Bradford to the eastbound M62.

It is estimated that the lane can shave around 40minutes off the typical commute time – but there has been little take-up so far.

According to research, around 85 per cent of vehicles on the road during the M62 rush hour are carrying just one occupant, which is having a negative impact on the environment and heaping more pressure on our already jam-packed roads.

In Calderdale a car-share initiative has been established with office workers who live in similar areas sharing a lift to work. However, there have only been 727 people join the scheme so far – and yet there are around 29,000 vehicles driving into Halifax every day.

A car-share car park has been set up in Cow Green with half-priced parking for car sharers. Despite a low take-up it is estimated that the scheme has saved 242,682 miles, £24,268, 74 tons of CO² and 24,735 trees.
Clearly there are massive advantages both environmentally and financially for being willing to share a car. It is expected that similar schemes will be adopted across the country if there is suitable demand.

So would you be willing to share a car to help the environment? Or is your car privacy too important? Let us know your thoughts.

If you commute from out of town, why not break up your journey and jump onto one of these for the city streets instead of using the car.

It’s called the Vectrix Maxi-Scooter and its eco-friendly. It has a range of up to 68 miles and a top speed of 62mph and is powered by an electric battery and all you need to have is a licence that enables you to ride 125cc bikes.

You can charge it from any 13 amp electric socket and a full charge takes you just three hours while running costs should be no more than 1p per mile.

The Vectrix is practical too – there’s storage for a full size helmet and a glove box for little nik-naks while you’ll be able to charge mobiles and PDA’s from the integrated 12v outlet and it is priced from £6,995. Log on to www.nicecarcompany.co.uk for more.

Simon McBride

 Black cabs may be iconic in the United Kingdom, but in the city of Worcester they’re old news – because green cabs are all the rage.

Cab firm Go-Go Eco has become the city’s first operator to use twin-engine hybrid vehicles, casting conventional cabs aside in favour of these environmentally friendly alternatives.

The Toyota Prius vehicles adopted by the cab firm emit no fumes when travelling at low speeds and so are perfect for inner-city driving. Instead they run on a rechargeable electric motor when waiting in traffic only to switch to a normal petrol engine for higher speeds.

In terms of driving experience, the cabbies and the passengers should notice no difference but with far lower fuel consumption and less emissions both the environment and the company’s finances should benefit.

Despite the obvious advantages, company owner Jon Higgins faced a battle when bringing these green cars into the city. Regulation in Worcester states that all private hire vehicles must have a minimum engine capacity of 1600cc – yet the Toyota Prius fell short with a 1500cc engine.

However, the Council was quick to change its regulation in order to encourage the use of hybrid cars in the area.

“I welcome this,” commented Deputy Mayor Lucy Hodgson. “I think it’s really good for the city and it’s something we should be shouting about from the rooftops.”

There were fears that with the cabs being so quiet there could be an increase in accidents. However, Mr Higgins insisted this would not be a problem as they can still be heard. Instead it will just be a boost for residential areas to enjoy quieter streets at night.

What do you think of this scheme in Worcester? Would you like to see cab firms go green in your area? Leave a comment and let us know your thoughts.