One in four business leaders have already making use of -or are considering introducing -alternative fuel vehicles to their business operations as oil prices remain stubbornly high.

According to a new report from Grant Thornton, 24 per cent of businesses globally are looking to alternative fuel vehicles, such as electric cars, hybrids, LPG and fuel cell cars- to help mitigate rising transport costs. The drive toward clean alternatives is being largely steered by mature markets, with 28 per cent of businesses in the G7 at least considering adopting such vehicles, compared to just 15 per cent in the BRIC economies.

The business advisory firm surveyed  12,000 businesses per year across 40 economies to compile its new International Business Report (IBR). As part of its research, the firm found that the price of oil prices was the leading cause driving business owners to consider alternative fuel vehicles;  mentioned by 69 per cent of survey respondents globally. A further 55 per cent of businesses cited tax relief and 62 per cent cost management as key motivators. Businesses are also increasingly aware of the environmental impact of their fleets with 58 per cent citing saving the planet as a driver towards the adoption of alternative-fuel vehicles.

Daniel Taylor, partner & head of automotive at Grant Thornton UK said: “With the United States and the EU pressing ahead with sanctions against Iran, the world’s fourth largest oil producer, it seems unlikely that prices at the pumps will ease significantly in the near future.

“Many dynamic businesses are therefore looking to determine whether switching their fleets to alternative fuels could offer cost savings, allowing them to free up resources which could be better employed in efforts to expand their operations. And of course, switching to ‘greener’ fuels also boosts their environmental credentials.”

Amongst those respondents who have not considered alternative fuel vehicles, cost (49%) emerges as the greatest constraint, closely followed by the difficulty of charging/ refuelling (48%) and a lack of choice (38%).

The IBR also reveals that reliability (88%) and safety (81%) remain the key considerations for business leaders when purchasing cars for their business, with price (77%) and fuel consumption (73%) not far behind. Meanwhile, just 47 per cent of businesses cited the type of fuel as a key consideration.

Toyota and Lexus have shifted 4,000,000 hybrid vehicles worldwide since sales of the very first Prius began at the end of 2000.

This latest sales milestone – achieved on April 30, 2012 – comes  just 14 months since surpassing the 3m mark in February 2011.

Before May, Europe had snapped up 423,000, with 94,000 of those going the UK buyers.

Toyota reckons the rise of its full hybrid vehicles has spared the earth around 26m tonnes of CO2 emissions when compared to what would have been emitted by petrol or diesel-powered vehicles of similar size and driving performance.

Hybrids currently account for 15% of Toyota’s global vehicle sales and with the Prius Plug-In, Prius+, and Yaris Hybrid on their way before the end of the year, hybrids’ dominance is set to increase.

At present, Toyota sells 19 full hybrid passenger vehicle models in 80 countries.

Tuesday 22 May, 2012. The Green Piece Column.

It has long being been accepted that most motorists will see a notable gap between their cars official MPG rating and what they really achieve. But with motorists now ever more squeezed by prices at the pumps it seems that there is a renewed disgruntlement with the erroneous official figures.

But just because most motorists won’t achieve close to the official figure, doesn’t mean they can’t. And while perhaps not a true reflection of a car’s economy, the official NEDC figures are a least a standardised test meaning that the results are a least a fair way to compare one model to another.

However motoring champion, Honest John set up a The Real Life Fuel Economy Register which, in just over a year, has collected the real fuel economy findings of over 25,000 motorists over (www.honestjohn.co.uk/realmpg) proving that drivers seem to want to know the truth about their cars. What’s more Honest John isn’t the only one taking an interest in this. What Car? also recently launched its True MPG online tool to (www.whatcar.com/truempg) which also helps motorists figure out what they can truly expect to get from their car, factoring in their driving style, mileage and the driving conditions they usually endure (from free-flowing to heavily congested).

As these motoring websites seek to help uncover the truth about fuel economy, we ask is the current system really so bad? And if it is so unsatisfactorily and wildly inaccurate, then what, if anything can the EU do about it?

Europe-wide

Official fuel economy figures are obtained through the New European Driving Cycle (NEDC) tests to produce the combined, urban and extra urban and the CO2 emissions figures. They are a legal requirement for cars sold in Europe.

One of the problems with the NEDC tests is that these laboratory tests are supposed to represent a typical drive in Europe. A typical drive in Europe! Just what exactly is that? From mountainous regions like the Alps to the blisteringly hot conditions of southern Spain to the freezing cold, Arctic conditions in northern parts of Norway and Sweden, there is nothing typical about a road in Europe. That’s even before you consider the different ways in which individual countries maintain and manage their roads and the traffic flow on them. There is huge variety in the amount each Government will spend on their roads and just how much traffic uses them.

So how exactly do you come up with a fair-standardised test? One way would be to produce a worst case scenario, assuming that an urban road is heavily congested, that the cold-start is much colder than the current test requires (20-30 Celsius), let’s say 10 Celsius, which is still very warm compared to average winter temperatures in some parts of Northern Europe.

What’s more NEDC tests were developed at a time when European cars were typically lighter and less powerful, meaning that the tests are now looking very dated.

The car makers are require by law to publish their official NEDC fuel economy ratings, so their intention is not necessarily to mislead the public, but obey the law.

However, it is true that carmakers optimise their cars to perform well in these fixed parameter tests, something that has been dubbed ‘cycle beating’. As the test primarily are designed to test the emissions of a car, and because tax is based on CO2 emissions, and because carmakers have to meet a fleet average of 130g/km CO2 by 2015 or face fines from the EU, manufacturers work hard to ensure that their cars fit under certain CO2 thresholds when tested in these fixed tests.

What the NEDC involves:

The tests are conducted in a laboratory at an ambient temperature of between 20-30 on a flat rolling road. A machine is used to simulate wind resistance and account for vehicle mass inertia. Any sort of energy-sapping auxilliary functions such as the radio, air con and lights remain switched off and windows are closed.

The urban test involves accelerating and slowing down several times, with speeds varying between 9mph and 31mph. The extra urban test is mostly conducted half the time at a steady speed, with some acceleration/decceleration and engine idling. It is conducted at an average speed of 39mph and a maximum of 75mph.

The official combined figure is the average calculated from the urban and extra-urban tests.

Change afoot

However there is hope on the horizon, earlier this year it emerged that the European Union and the United Nations are working on new proposals to draw a new Worldwide Light-duty vehicle Test Cycle (WLTC) which would set a standardised test which could be applied across across Europe and parts of Asia too. It will be a while before this could be implemented, the review of the proposals is not expected to be completed until 2014, and it will be years thereafter before it can be introduced.

Getting the real fuel economy story

We won’t patronise you with the usually guidance about how to boost your fuel economy if you want to get near the official figure, you likely know the basics (make sure tyres are inflated to the correct pressure, remove excess weight and unnecessary vehicle racks, avoid harsh braking and acceleration, look ahead and anticipate slowing traffic etc)-it is all common sense.

However using online tools such as those mentioned above should at least help you gauge the difference between the published figures and the real thing. Sadly, for now its seems that the fuel economy figures will remain where they are.

Let us know how your car performs compared to its official fuel economy figures by leaving a comment below.

Faye Sunderland.

Think you know a thing or two about electrochemistry? Fancy winning €50,000 to continue your research? Then you may just be interested in a new initiative launched by Volkswagen and BASF.

The two companies have combined to promote advanced research in electrochemistry – and are offering an annual Science Award for Electrochemistry that is meant to promote outstanding accomplishments in the area.

According to Volkswagen and BASF, electrochemical expertise is a key for future energy storage devices: and without growth in technologies it won’t be possible to supply the renewable energy needed for electric mobility. Energy storage devices currently do not have the service capacity needed to keep customers satisfied in terms of energy supply and mobility.

Volkswagen also believes that this research is vital as it advances its line-up of full hybrid and electric cars – including the release of a limited edition Volkswagen XL1 as a plug-in hybrid in 2013 (pictured).

There are a number of catches to qualify for the award. You must be working as an individual; be less than 40 years old; and the application needs an excellent Ph.D, thesis, habiltation or research contribution in chemistry, physics or engineering; a recommendation by a supervising professor or equivalent; and employees, of course, are not entitled to apply.

So if you’re interested, just head over to science-award.com with the necessary documents. The application period ends on August 3.

Mitsubishi is due to release a new global car called Mirage (pictured) – and is hopeful it will achieve 63.9mpg.

According to reports in Integrity Exports, Mitsubishi has described the Mirage as not being a kei car – but instead being a regular compact car as it comes with a one litre engine, as opposed to the 660CC motor that is found in a kei car.

Mitsubishi has employed a number of techniques to keep the vehicle’s weight down, including the use of high performance steel in the engine bay. It is expected that it will beat kei cars in terms of size, offering a far roomier interior – but that it will be a match for them in terms of fuel economy.

In addition, the vehicle is expected to be cheaper than most kei cars with a price tag under the one million yen mark in Japan (US$12,655). The company hopes to sell 30,000 a year in its home country.

In its first production of hybrid cars in Asia outside Japan, Honda is to begin production of its Fit Hybrid car in Thailand starting in the summer.

According to a report in Japanese business daily The Nikkei, knock-down production will take place at Ayutthaya Province with key components to be shipped across from Japan. It will also be released locally as the Honda Jazz Hybrid (pictured).

The report highlights that the Fit Hybrid is the most popular hybrid car in Japan – around 86,000 models were sold in 2011.

To date, all Fit Hybrid cars have been manufactured in Japan – however, Honda believes Thailand could be a key production site due to its close links with neighbouring nations.

It seems fleet owners are becoming increasingly conscious of their impact on the environment when behind the wheel – so much so that they are even willing to invest in retrofitting their vehicles. However, it appears the number of diesel retrofits has actually slowed down in the USA – with many fleet owners looking towards buying brand new vehicles instead.

According to the Manufacturers of Emission Controls Association (MECA), the number of verified diesel retrofit devices sold in the USA reached 20,177 in 2011 – comparing to 29,180 in 2009 and 24,640 in 2010.

Of these, 57 per cent were diesel particulate filters; with 23 per cent diesel oxidated catalysts; and four per cent flow-through filters.

The decline in sales is thought to be prompted by a decrease in federal funding for clean diesel projects – as well as more funding being spent on vehicle replacements.

It was expected that diesel particulate filter sales would have been much higher because of the requirements of the California Air Resources Board’s in-use truck and bus regulation. In addition, its in-use off-road diesel vehicle regulation was expected to drive demand – but amendments to this in late 2010 meant that fleets had more time to comply with the regulations.

Now, according to MECA, there is a need for more dedicated funding to help clean up the diesel engines in existing fleets – particularly older diesel engines in the off-road sector. It wants the EPA to consider promoting retrofit technology as part of its new five-year clean diesel strategy.

Councils in Scotland have started to turn on to the benefits an EV like the Nissan LEAF can provide.

Dundee City Council, Perth & Kinross Council, and Dumfries and Galloway Council have introduced a total of 10 LEAF models to their fleets thanks to public sector grants from Transport Scotland, covering the EVs’ initial cost.

“We are constantly looking at different methods to reduce our carbon footprint and electric vehicles are a key focus for us,” said Fraser Crichton, Plant and Vehicle Officer at Dundee City Council, which brought in four LEAFs.

“The Nissan LEAF was the only car available that fitted our needs of an upmarket vehicle with boot space and the range to be able to get to Glasgow. I have driven the LEAF myself and have found it to be fantastic.

“It is excellent to drive and my fellow colleagues and I have been very impressed by it.”

Bill Morton, Fleet Manager with Perth & Kinross Council, added that the decision to also acquire four Nissan LEAF has been crucial towards helping the authority meet its aims to reduce carbon emissions and improve air quality.

Dumfries and Galloway Council – which already had one LEAF and two charging points installed at its base – has added another two LEAFs and four more chargers while another 10 public charging points will be introduced across the city including one fast charger, capable of delivering an 80% charge in under half an hour.

NHS Tayside has also acquired two LEAFs through via the grants for its health professionals.

Skoda expects its new city car to hit sales of around 10,000 a year, providing a significant boost towards the car maker’s target of achieving UK sales of 80,000 a year by 2015 across its range.

Last year, the car maker sold 45,000 cars in the UK.

With increasing consumer interest in small and efficient cars, the new Citigo will help to broaden Skoda’s appeal, with the car maker hoping to emulate the success which Hyundai achieved with its i10.

"If Hyundai is selling 20,000 i10s, selling 8,000 Citigos should be a walk in the park," said product marketing manager Chris Horrell.

On sale from June 1, the new Citigo will debut Skoda’s new black-and-chrome winged Skoda logo, as part of a  brand makeover that will also be seen in showrooms over the next few years.

The new four seat model will also mark the arrival of new GreenTech models, fitted with start-stop technology, which helps lower fuel consumption by 9 per cent.

GreenTech models also get brake energy recuperation and low rolling resistance tyres. These combine to give the 60 PS version of the 1.0-litre Citigo CO2 emissions of 96g/km and the 75 PS version, 98g/km. For non-GreenTech models those figures are 103 and 105g/km.

Prices start from £7,630 for the S trim 60 PS three-door rising to £10,065 for the 75 PS Elegance with automatic transmission.

Source: Headlineauto.co.uk

Kia launches an all-new, second generation of its cee’d model in the UK next month. A key model for the Korean car maker in the UK, the cee’d  goes on sale from June 1 and will offer improved economy and lower emission ratings than its predecessor.

Designed, engineered and built in Europe, the new model is geared to especially to appeal to the European market, as the car which helped launch the brand over here. Now its second-generation is focused around delivering new levels of comfort and safety while remaining competitively priced compared to key rivals. Priced from £14,395, the new model is a little longer than its predecessor (increased 5cm to 4,310mm) and features a narrower and lower profile for a more sporty look.

Front passengers get improved head and legroom, while there is more shoulder room all round. There is also 40 litres more boot space, increased to a class best of 380 litres.

At the same time the aerodynamics have been improved so that the new cee’d cuts through the air more efficiently at speed, helping to boost economy. The co-efficient of drag (Cd) of the new cee’d is 0.30, helping the cee’d achieve an average fuel consumption reduction of 4 per cent across the range and offer CO2 as low as 97g/km CO2. Four engines will be available from launch; 1.4 and 1.6 litre diesels and similar capacity offered in two petrol options too.

All 1.6-litre manual versions of the cee’d will be equipped with ISG (Intelligent Stop & Go), Kia’s engine stop/start system- a major contributor to the efficiency improvements of the new range.

The 1.6-litre diesel with ISG has a combined cycle  fuel economy of more than 76mpg, with CO₂ emissions from 97g/km, depending on the wheel and tyre combination. It delivers 126bhp and 260Nm of torque.

The 1.4-litre petrol units develops 98bhp and 137Nm of torque and is capable of more than 47mpg, with CO₂ emissions from 139g/km. The diesel, with 89bhp and 220Nm, manages almost 69mpg, with CO₂ emissions down to 109g/km.

Five trim grades – named ‘1’, ‘2’, ‘3’ and ‘4’ and ‘4 Tech’ will be offered. As standard the cee’d will offer electrically adjustable heated door mirrors, tilt and telescopic steering wheel adjustment and a height-adjustable driver’s seat, air conditioning, steering wheel-mounted controls, front electric windows, remote central locking, a cooled glovebox, a flat-folding 60:40 split rear seat, an iPod-compatible audio system with radio and CD player, USB port and Bluetooth connectivity, ESP and VSM, HAC (Hill-start Assist Control), six airbags and speed-sensitive auto door locking.