Looks like the folks at Tesco are embracing the biodiesel band wagon. It is good to see that they are actually planning to run high blends of biodiesel in their own vehicles. I have always felt that 5% blends were just a little more than a drop in the ocean. You can read an article (by the BBC) on Tesco’s plans here.

Last week, Yahoo! launched a “Green Car” page on the auto website.  All cars listed have been given a green rating to give an indicator of how eco-friendly each car is.  The Toyota Prius Hybrid model comes out on top with the highest green rating.  Other cars listed include ethanol cars, Biodiesel, and natural gas, along with information and advice on station locations, mileage calculators and incentives for running a green car.

Sounds great, however Yahoo! UK has not followed in the States footsteps and has yet to launch a green car page. Hopefully the US page will be a success and encourage Yahoo! UK to follow suit.

Jay Leno, US TV personality, along with General Motors Advanced Design Studio have designed a Biodiesel super car.  Labelled the “Eco-jet”, this one-off creation has a horse-power of 650 and a Honeywell LT-101 turbine engine with 400 lb-ft torque.

There are many conflicting opinions about whether or not Leno’s car should be granted the “Eco” label.  Treehugger and Green Car Congress have some rather strong opinions posted on their Blogs.  Although the car is fuelled by Biodiesel, the power and cost are not exactly eco-conscious.

The counter argument for the “Eco-jet” - Jay Leno’s money financed the design and production of the car, GM only lent out their design studio and in terms of a turbine car – the “Eco-jet” is more efficient than others before.

The BBC has reported today that climate Change is affecting the global economy. This is the first report issued on Climate Change by an economist, Sir Nicholas Stern, rather than Environmental Scientists.

Global warming and climate change have recently been highlighted by Al Gore in his movie ‘An Inconvenient Truth‘. This report supports the stance that climate change will affect us in our lifetime. Our Global Economy has the potential to crash by 20% unless action is taken now, and the rich western countries, UK included, need to take positive action to prevent sea levels rising, water shortages, wildlife extinction and millions of people becoming refugees in their own homes (BBC).

This is all very worrying; so what is the Government urging us to do to prevent these catastrophic outcomes from happening. Well, by 2010 the Government would like to see 5% of all vehicles running on biofuels. Currently only 0.5% of all vehicles are running on LPG in the UK. Targets to reduce European emissions by 30% by 2020 have also been set. You can easily calculate your cars emissions and compare your reductions if running on LPG. Further actions will focus on establishing trade links with Brazil, Papua New Guinea and Costa Rica to ensure sustainable forestry and working on clean coal technologies in partnership with China.

The following chart was taken from the Stern Review highlighting the part that transport is playing towards emissions. Transport accounts for 14% of our Global emissions.

Sir Nicholas Stern, the author of the report, stated that “We have the time and knowledge to act but only if we act internationally, strongly and urgently “. But that wasn’t the only statement that made an impact. Most notably Mr Blair admitted that “This disaster is not set to happen in some science fiction future many years ahead, but in our lifetime,” and he continued to say that “For every £1 invested now we can save £5, or possibly more, by acting now.
We can’t wait the five years it took to negotiate Kyoto - we simply don’t have the time. We accept we have to go further (than Kyoto).”

Perhaps if there is a financial gain involved, people might be more inclined to take action now rather than later. There must be an immediate growth down-scaling if we’re expecting to have growth in the future. We can no longer wait and see, we must act here and now.
Read a summary of the 700-page report here or contact Fuelture for more information on how to cut your emissions.

Seoul City, Korea is the next large city to crack down with congestion charging. Air pollution caused by car exhaust fumes is an issue for most cities in the world now and Korea have introduced an innovative driving scheme aiming to reduce the air pollution levels. Drivers will receive a 50% CC discount for taking part in the scheme known as “No Driving Day“. Motorists are expected to abandon their cars for one day each week and are rewarded with this CC discount. The scheme sounds great in theory, however as the No driving cars are only marked with a paper sticker; it is proving difficult to track whether or not motorists are sticking to the No Driving Day promise.

Alternative fuel vehicles, including Electric, hybrid, solar and fuel-cell cars are fully exempt from the CC in Korea. LPG and Diesel Oxidation Catalyst cars receive 50% discount regardless of whether they take part in the No Driving Day scheme.

More and more cities are introducing CC and other methods to encourage motorists to switch to greener driving habits. With London looking to expand the CC zone further, is it time for you to consider you motoring options?

Green car congress reported last week, since gas prices have dropped - less people are searching online for fuel-efficient cars and returned to their previous bad habits (i.e. Hummer searches have risen by nearly 15%).  It wasn’t long ago that the demand for gas-guzzling cars dropped dramatically.  Alternative fuel cars are cheaper to run, however surely the environmental impact is important to consumers too.  Gas prices have dropped, but the emissions these larger cars produce are still a lot more than cleaner fuelled cars.

The following chart was taken from Green Car Congess that shows the change in online car searches.

PML Flightink has worked with their partners at Synergy Innovations to transform a Mini Cooper with a regular gasoline engine into the “best electric drive system in the world”.  The Hybrid Mini, with top speeds of 150mph, and achieving 0-60 in 4.5 seconds, has been modified to achieve up to 80mpg.  The technology used in known as in-wheel electric drive systems, and is part of a 4 year product development programme.  Another case proving that converting to an alternative fuel does not result in performance loss.

Proud to have an alternative fuel car? Treehugger highlighted AutoblogGreen’s entry on Biodiesel stickers for your car. Running your car on an alternative fuel is becoming increasingly trendy with celebrities, individuals and organisations alike so why show people what your fuel of choice is. Check out the Biodiesel stickers or if you are an LPG fanatic (like Fuelture) why not email us and we will send you an LPG Sticker for your car.

Chicago is displaying a wide range of alternative fuel vehicles, ranging from London Taxi’s to Twike’s. The aim of the show is to view the vehicles, talk to the owners and learn about what is really involved in owning and driving an alternative fuel vehicle. Increasing awareness and educating people to make an informed decision about their chosen mode of transport is important in order to change mindsets towards greener transport.

Fuelture has an Information Guide to LPG; request a copy by emailing info@fuelture.com

The BBC report that alternative fuels have now graced the floors of the London Stockmarket. Alternative Fuel Companies are now listing on the Stock Market to generate funds for future developments. Fossil Fuels have always been our number one, however supply is depleting, prices are soring and climate change is happening.

There is a massive space arising in the market for alternative fuels, LPG and Biodiesel are two solutions to fossil fuel. There is a mass supply of LPG in the UK, it’s cheap and produces much less harmful emissions into our atmosphere. Biodiesel again is less harmful to our environment.

In regards to the benefits of alternative fuels, the availability and investiment into new developments, the BBC commented that:

“Motorists who feel a pang of guilt every time they fill their tanks with pollutant-laden fossil fuels may soon find that they no longer have an excuse for not switching to cleaner alternatives.”