The Peugeot 308 is now a front-line police car, following the completion of the first equipped conversions by Peugeot’s Special Vehicle Operation (PSVO), based in Coventry.  The first 308 squad cars are expected to be out on patrol later this month.

Due to its low CO2 emissions, the 308 1.6-litre HDi 90 S is one of the ‘greenest’ diesel vehicles adopted by police forces in the UK with just 120g/km and fuel economy of 62.7mpg The 308 can comfortably seat five people yet reaches 62mph in just 12.8 seconds, making it a practical and efficient squad car.

Andy Bye, Manager of PSVO, said; “The 307 has been a success with UK Police fleets, and the improvements in the new 308 mean we have a very competitive proposition – a product that performs well at all levels.  Police forces are increasingly mindful of the operational cost of running a fleet, and their impact upon the environment.  The Peugeot 308 HDi 90 S combines low emissions and strong fuel economy, without compromising its role, with added practicality and performance.”

Faye Sunderland.

A British Steam car expected to break the longest-standing land speed record, will be unveiled to the media next month. It is now less than 50 days before the vehicle is shipped to Bonneville, USA in preparation for their World Record attempt to take place on the June, 11. 

The team behind the car, has its sights set on the steam record held by Fred Marriott. In 1906, Marriott recorded an average of 128mph over a measured mile in his Stanley Steamer. This is the longest standing land speed record recognised by the FIA.

Driver, Charles Burnett intends to claim the world record first at 150mph and then at a later date, achieve the 200mph mark. The team hope to bring another land speed record to Britain and prove the viability of steam as part of the future of automobile technology.

With growing public concern about environmental issues, engineers are looking at alternatives to the combustion engine. This project couples the wealth of knowledge gained from traditional steam engines with some of the most advanced modern technologies available. They aim to influence the next generation of engineers and designers to take an ecological approach and further develop steam as a clean energy solution.

www.steamcar.co.uk

Faye Sunderland

 Motorists with an environmental conscious have been warned to check that their car is really as ‘green’ as it seems after a new study revealed that some vehicles are polluting more heavily than they did five years ago.

The research, carried out by the International Automobile Federation (FIA) Foundation’s EcoTest, involved testing a range of 14 models in urban conditions for factors like carbon dioxide emissions, and other pollutants including hydrocarbons, carbon monoxide and nitrogen oxide. It found that many models which improved their environmental performance still fell well short of the minimum levels now possible and renowned green car manufacturers including Honda, Renault and Daihatsu were among the worst offenders.

The Renault Scenic for example, which has been touted as ‘the UK’s greenest car’ saw its ‘greenness’ rating fall by five points to 61 out of 100. The Daihatsu Cuore, sold in Britain as the Charade until 2006, slipped from 61 to 57.

Honda claims to be an environmental leader with green credentials seen in every product – yet the Accord Tourer’s score fell from 71 to 68.

However, Honda did have the consolation of the biggest improvement among the models tested – the Honda FR-V leapt from 47 points to 65; while the VW Touran enjoyed a 14 points increase up to 62.

Mazda meanwhile had a mixed bag in the test results – with both the best and worst performing cars. The Mazda6 secured the highest overall score at 80, while the Mazda2 was the worst performer with just 52.

According to David Ward, the foundation’s director-general, consumers must be careful to seek independent information about green cars.

He said: “The results of our survey are a warning to motorists that all is not what it seems when it comes to buying greener cars.

“The motor industry has a long way to go in order to achieve the lowest levels of CO2 emissions, pollutants and optimum fuel economy.”

Axon Automotive has taken the wraps off the its new prototype at the Sexy Green Car show at the Eden project in Cornwall. The vehicle design and build was funded by the DfT through the Energy Saving Trust’s Low Carbon R&D Programme.
The car has been tested for good aerodynamics and light weight materials to achieve affordable CO2 reductions.
The Axon is built with carbon fibre and the vehicle weighs below 500kg which is half the mass of a conventional small car. Axon On a whole the European car industry needs to target 120g/km of CO2 by 2012 while the Axon car has already achieved a raw 85g/km of CO2. Axon claims that with further work on the powertrain and catalyst design.
Transport Minister Rosie Winterton said: “New technologies have a key role to play in helping tackle climate change and it is vital we make engines as green as possible. I’m delighted that funding from the DfT’s Low Carbon R&D programme has been put to good uses in developing this prototype, one of the lowest carbon cars around. I hope lown emissions engines like this one soon become commonplace on our roads.”
Simon McBride

Italian maker Fiat has a host of cars that are good for the environment. JATO, world leader for consultancy has confirmed at the Sexy Green Car Show at the Eden project in Cornwall that Fiat has the lowest volume-weighted average CO2 emissions (137.3g/km) among all its major competitors.
The new Fiat 500 continues this theme as its range of engines are all Euro 5 compliant. One of its most popular power plants is the 75bhp 1.3 Multijet, it comes with a diesel particulate filter (DPF) as standard. Just like all Fiat’s engines this unit comes with a new generation turbocharger, which according to the maker combines exceptional performance with low fuel consumption.
Fiat has many other cars that are also green – such as the Panda, Grande Punto, and Bravo models – all of these are available in versions which cost only £35 a year in road tax, and if you live in London these eco-friendly versions will be exempt from the congestion charge zone.
Simon McBride

 Gone are the days of cumbersome green cars that can barely travel faster than the milk cart. Now, many alternative fuel vehicles are fun, funky and fast as this top ten list demonstrates – showing the fastest vehicles for various fuel types.

1. E85 Viper – Proof that petrol has nothing on E85 (85 per cent ethanol, 15 per cent petrol) this is a modified version of the Dodge Viper that has 1200horsepower and smashed the standing mile-speed record. It has a top speed of 220.7mph.
2. British Steam Car Challenge Inspiration – With looks not dissimilar to the Batmobile, the Inspiration is an instant head turner built by the team that created the first land vehicle to break the sound barrier. Powered by liquid propane it has a top speed of 215mph.
3. Ford Fusion Hydrogen 999 – A hydrogen fuel cell vehicle that may offer a glimpse into the future of this incredible technology with a top speed of 207.3mph.
4. Audi R10 TDI – Audi replaced its all-conquering R8 prototype with the biodiesel fuelled R10 powered by a 650horsepower, 5.5litre, twin-turbo charged direct injection engine that secured victory in the 2007 Le Mans 24Hr Race. It has a top speed of 204.5mph.
5. Toyota Landspeed Prius – The most famous green car in the world takes its hybrid synergy drive system to a new level with a top speed of 130.8mph.
6. Tesla Roadster – The fastest plug-in electric, the Tesla Roadster races to 60mph in just four seconds. It’s so popular that it already has a waiting list of 10months – its top speed is estimated at 130mph.
7. Nuon Solar Team “Nuna4″ – A single-seat racer that uses solar power and can achieve 80mph by using no more electric than a vacuum cleaner.
8. Volvo Aria – This engineless vehicle has fibreglass bodywork and is capable of more than 50mph using gravity as its power source.
9. FM-4 Humancar – Human-powered cars have come a long way since the Flintstones as the Humancar demonstrates using a rowing action to achieve speeds of 30mph – or 50mph downhill.
10. Venturi Eclectic – Wind and solar power combine on the Venturi Eclectic which was inspired by NASA’s Lunar Rover and has top speeds of 31mph.

Research undertaken by the Environmental Transport Association (ETA) reveals eighty-four per cent of British drivers are unprepared for the radical changes to road tax rates which will see a million people pay more than double over two years.

Motorists are also warned that they should expect record petrol prices for up to 8 years as the cost of running a car continues rise. 

The graduated rates of vehicle excise duty in 2009 will be based on a car’s emissions, but the research reveals that only 16 per cent of people know the current tax band into which their vehicle falls.

Andrew Davis, director at the ETA, said: “The new system aims to encourage drivers to choose the least polluting car, but millions of drivers will get a shock as tax bills land on doorsteps next April – the spiralling cost of motoring means people need to check now how much they will pay.”

Faye Sunderland

Over the past couple of years a number of manufacturers have fallen foul of the law by advertising and promoting an image of their vehicles as “green”. Advertising Standards Agency (ASA) has issued guidelines to the manufacturers. Lexus, Toyota and Volkswagen have in the past, all had complaints upheld by ASA; that they advertised unsubstantiated or misleading environmental claims. ASA’s advise to the manufacturers:

• Get your facts right.  Don’t exaggerate the environmental benefits of your product: advertising claims should be backed up with documentary evidence.

• This is an area where scientific knowledge is developing all the time. Don’t present claims as being universally accepted if the science is inconclusive.

• Don’t use pseudo-science, or terms that will not be generally understood by the readers of your advertisement.

Faye Sunderland.

The Unfair Commercial Practices Directive is being introduced later this month, and Experian®, the global information services company, today urged used car dealers to ensure that they take the necessary steps to prepare for its arrival.

The new directive aims to tie together and raise the standard of all trading laws in all EU Member States.  If a company fails to provide information that a consumer would need to make an informed decision, under the directive this is classed as a breach and could lead to a fine and possibly up to two years in prison.  The Directive will oblige businesses not to mislead consumers through acts or omissions; or subject them to aggressive commercial practices such as high pressure selling techniques.

In terms of the used car market, Experian predicts that the new directive is likely to put even more pressure on dealers to ensure precautions, such as vehicle provenance checks, are undertaken. Dealers must ensure that they fulfil the promises made by the manufacturers, otherwise both the dealer and the manufacturer could be held liable.

Kirk Fletcher, Managing Director of Experian’s Automotive division, said: “The scope of the new directive is still unclear and open to interpretation, so the full impact on the automotive industry is yet to unfold.  However, we strongly recommend that dealers need to make sure that customers are provided, in a clear and transparent fashion, with all the information about a vehicle’s status.  Given that our own research has shown that consumers are willing to pay more for peace of mind, it simply underlines the importance of ensuring critical information is provided at the outset so customers can make an informed decision.

“This is especially vital at a time when there is increased media attention on protecting consumers from rogue dealers.  Already this year we have seen an increase in the number of stories hitting the press about dealers getting fined for selling clocked cars.  Furthermore, during last year the biggest source of consumer complaints was the used car sector.”

Faye Sunderland

Liberty Electric Cars has confirmed that its electric powered Range Rover will be ready for production by the end of this year. The 4×4 is powered by an electric storage system and powerful electric motors. Liberty claims that the car’s running costs are 80% lower than its petrol driven equivalent and it is more than four times more efficient.

The Liberty Electric Range Rover drives clearly and silently and if you live in London, you won’t be charged for entering the Congestion Charge Zone as the 4×4 produces zero emissions. The vehicle can be plugged into any domestic electrical supply according to the maker and will run for 200 miles on a single charge.

The Liberty Electric Range Rover will cost between £95,000 and £125,000 and the maker has confirmed that a production plant will be opened in the UK.

Simon McBride