Auto Express has covered the comments made by Philip Hammond regarding the increasing fuel prices. His educated (cough) suggestion was “People should look to new technologies. Electric cars are very cheap to run and allow motorists to drive guilt free.”

Now, as everyone who is a regular reader of this blog will know, I’m not against any form of new technology. In fact, as a consumer, the more options you have the better life is. However, when it comes to buying a car, I could opt for a second hand diesel, say a VW Golf 1.9 TDI which I could buy at a very reasonable price of £6,000. Or I could do as the (former) transport secretary suggests and pay £30,000 for a new Nissan Leaf. I use this as the example as it won ‘Car of the Year 2011′ in the World Car Awards.

Now, even with the government ‘incentive’ of £5,000 off, I’ll still be paying £25,000 for a car that will be base spec, has an extremely limited range that’s significantly reduced by anything approaching enjoyable driving and a technology that’s flawed in that the precious batteries (made from hard to mine precious metals) have to be replaced at significant cost!

Perhaps the biggest reason Mr Hammond’s statement annoys me in the extreme is that it’s almost suggesting that everyone can afford to make the move, they are just choosing not to due to plain pig-headedness. Not everyone is on MP money. I know very few people that can afford to go out and sink £25,000 into a car that isn’t really suitable for every type of journey they will require it for.

Mr Hammond also stated ““The increase in fuel prices is a function of global oil prices, it’s not driven by policy.” I’ve written about this before and it’s palpable nonsense. It’s also extremely trite for a former transport secretary to say, when WE ALL KNOW that around 60%+ of the markup of the fuel you buy is tax and duty. It is not controlled by prices.

This is a good example of ministers having their heads in the clouds on their well above average salaries whilst the rest of us are galled by what they come up with.

Read the rest of the article at Auto Express.

The final episode of the latest series of Top Gear has played out – as per Jeremy Clarkson’s reference in order to allow us all to watch ‘The X Factor’ drivel without interruption. If you saw it, I’d like to just put out there the question of what you made of the electric vehicle feature. For me, it really highlighted where we are with the technology.

Put simply, it’s a really nice idea but the issues around battery life and vehicle range are just too great to ignore. Aside from the fact that various precious (and hard to achieve) metals are used in the construction of these batteries, they’ll frequently only complete 100 miles on a charge. Couple that to long charge times and a battery that has a maximum life span of 10 years (realistically probably half that) and a replacement cost of £7,000 in today’s money and they simply don’t make a lot of sense.

As the lads on the show suggested, a VW Golf Bluemotion makes rather more sense.

Not everything from Nissan is ran on petrol or diesel – and not everything is built purely for the road! This is the Nissan LEAF Nismo RC, the racing version of the award winning electric car from the Japanese giant.

“There’s a perception among some people that electric vehicles fall on the dull side of the automotive enthusiasm scale ? which is certainly not the case with either the production Nissan LEAF or this electrifying Nissan LEAF NISMO RC,” said Carlos Tavares, chairman, Nissan America. “Nissan LEAF owners are fully embracing this new world of zero emission technology. We believe the same potential exists in the motorsports world as well, with Nissan proud to be first on the starting grid.”

This is the Peugeot EX1 electric car and it recently set a new track record at Germany’s Nürburgring-Nordschleife circuit.

Stéphane Caillet, driver and tuner-technician from the Company’s Research & Development Centre, was at the wheel of the EX1 Concept Car, which covered the circuit’s 20.832 kilometres (12.944 miles), convincingly beating the electric speed record for a lap.

The Nürburgring has a reputation as being one of the toughest tests anywhere in the world for a motor vehicle, due to the huge amounts of turns, straights, braking areas and varying degrees of camber throughout the large circuit.

The EX1 beat an electric speed record by putting in a lap time of 9 minutes, 1.338 seconds (9:01.338) at an average speed of 138.324 km/h (85.951 mph), despite weather conditions which were far from favourable.

The previous electric speed record on this circuit was the time of 9:51.45 seconds clocked in 2010.

The record achieved by EX1 was formally recognised by WIGE Performance, the official time-keeping body for the Nordschleife.

As headline sponsor of this year’s Brighton Festival Fringe, Citroën is offering visitors the opportunity to book a test drive in the Citroën C-ZERO – the brand’s new 100% electric city car – during the festival period. The Citroën C-ZERO has been designed to facilitate environmentally considerate day-to-day journeys, with a rapid charge to make urban mobility easier.

Festival-goers will be able to enjoy a test drive in the stylish Citroën C-ZERO every Saturday and Sunday throughout the duration of Brighton Festival Fringe.

Visitors will also be able to test drive the Citroën C1, DS3 and C3 Picasso, supplied by Tates Citroën in Portslade, every weekend throughout the Brighton Festival Fringe – drivers will need both parts of their driving licence. Tates Citroën, Portslade will have a display of vehicles at the East Street Bastion seafront.

The Brighton Festival Fringe is the third largest open access arts festival in the world, which runs from 7-30 May. A total of 180,000 visitors are expected to attend over 600 events and tickets are on sale now.

For more information visit www.brightonfestivalfringe.org.uk. Drivers can register in advance for a test drive by sending an email request with their preferred date to pia.decker@citroen.com.

This is Survolt – Citroën’s latest concept car. This one not only looks a little bit special but is an all electric race car. Blimey, anyone would think that this electrickery lark is the way of the future! Well, if it is, we’ll all miss throaty V8 engines, but we will be glad that cars look as damn good as this one. The Survolt will be part of the Top Gear Live show, at Earls Court.

Propelled by two electric motors with a combined power of 300bhp, Survolt is capable of exceptional performance with a top speed of 260kph (162mph) and a 0-100kph (0-62mph) time of under five seconds. The concept’s twin 140kg lithium-ion batteries each boast a 31kw capacity, which allows Survolt to cover 200km (124 miles).

MPH The Prestige & Performance Motor Show powered by Shell V-Power featuring Top Gear Live will take place at Earls Court, London from November 4-7th and the NEC in Birmingham between November 11-14th

If you’re interested in Citroen cars, you can arrange a test drive or request a brochure here.

The future, according to Renault, is the electric car.  The French firm are pinning their hopes on an electric vehicle along with a host of new models that will drag them out of the economic quagmire by 2011.  Senior official Stephen Norman has made clear that whilst other projects may be on hold, the electric car is going ahead as an absolute priority for the company.

Renault are determined to move forward and become the leading manufacturer of a mainstream volt-powered vehicle by 2011.  Naturally, the best way in which to do this is to have a vehicle that’s at an affordable price point – though leasing a battery for such a car may well cost extra.

Mr Norman interestingly stated that by 2030 electric cars will be as common as today’s petrol models.  Renault are currently in talks with Governments across Europe to ensure that infrastructure will be in place to charge their future car.

Aixam Mega, which is Europe’s largest supplier of ultra-light electric vehicles, (www.mega-vehicles.com) is preparing to boost production for the UK, European and North American markets, following a raft of initiatives by government and private sector groups designed to encourage adoption of electric vehicles to help combat climate change.

These initiatives include last week’s announcement in London by the new Zero Emission Vehicle Foundation of a campaign to put 20,000 electric vehicles on the city’s roads by 2012, and the UK government’s recent commitment to investing £100m in technology and infrastructure to make electric and low-carbon vehicles a practical choice for more people.

Since 1983 Aixam Mega has invested vast resources into the development of ultra-light vehicles (also known as heavy quadricycles), and it has a 40 per cent share of total European sales for this category of vehicle. It has also invested heavily in the development of electric vehicle technology, including the Mega City, designed specifically for the UK market.

The company has two large research and manufacturing facilities in France, 300 employees and produces 15,000 ultra-light vehicles per year. It has a wholly-owned UK distribution centre, for both the Mega City and the Mega Multitrucks (www.mega-electric.co.uk) range of commercial vehicles. Together these two brands have a 70 per cent share of the UK market for ultra-light electrics.

Aixam Mega’s UK general manager Lawrence Holland said that, while sales of electric vehicles have slowed during the recent economic downturn, they have been growing steadily over the years, and have bucked the trends affecting the wider automotive sector.

The company believes sales are set to take off in the light of national and international climate change programmes, and ongoing product development and vehicle production are being geared up to meet demand.

Lawrence Holland said: “Aixam Mega is fully committed to the development of electric vehicles, and believes that the future for ultra-light models is bright.

“The challenge that governments face now is to get electric vehicles onto the roads in numbers so that ambitious European and UK targets can be met. Mainstream car makers are a long way from having electrics ready for the market in volume.

“Aixam Mega, however, has well-proven technology available now, for private motorists and for the commercial sector, and we already have more than 1500 of our vehicles on the road.

“Aixam Mega’s products are niche vehicles designed for short-range, urban trips and frequent stop-start tasks, which represent a high proportion of trips in and around city centre locations. We are well-positioned to make our contribution to this step-change in thinking about vehicles and urban transport, right now, several years ahead of most other manufacturers.”

Mega vehicles can be fully charged from any standard electric power outlet in five to eight hours.

The Mega City has a range of around 40 miles on a full charge, depending on driving style and road conditions, and a top speed of 40 miles per hour, while Multitrucks have a range of around 60 miles and a top speed of 30mph. Both cost around 1.5p per mile to charge.

The retail price for Mega City two-seat models is £11,254, and £11,744 for four-seat versions. Mega Multitrucks are priced from £10,035 depending on battery pack and body configuration.

Are you looking for something that will thrill your motorsport senses but won’t kill the environment, unlike the usual vehicle sports?  In that case, the ‘Formula Zero’ championship might be up your street.  The contest pitted teams from five countries against each other, in what was the first ever zero-emissions go kart race.

Each team had a vehicle that produced electricity from hydrogen in the form of a commercial fuel cell.  A Dutch team won the endurance event, whilst the Spanish picked up the fastest lap.  Founded by Dutch motorsport enthusiasts Godert van Hardenbroek and Eelco Rietveld, Formula Zero is already recognised by the Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile, the world’s motorsport governing body.

The championship consisted of several events, with teams from the UK, US, the Netherlands, Spain, and Belgium competing for the top honour: zeroth place.  The events included a sprint race, won by a Spanish team called EuplatecH2 with a lap time of 36 seconds. In the endurance event, the Greenchoice Forze team from Delft University took the zeroth place on the podium.

How do I think that this will develop?  Well, fairly simple really.  Whilst it’s a good idea, until the teams in such events as F1, F2 and Formula 3 can’t actually afford to run their vehicles for whatever reason, we’re unlikely to see a huge adaptation to this sort of technology.  Granted, ultimately we’ll all be running on some sort of alternative fuel.  Is it tomorrow though?  I don’t think so.

Formula Zero stands out as a niche, a novelty.  The last thing that people consider when watching Formula One and well-wishing Lewis Hamilton is that his car is only managing 5mpg.  It’s just not a consideration.  If it doesn’t bother the man on the street, this story is unlikely to get him pumped.  It does however highlight how times are changing.  I’m of the firm belief that the time is right.  Alternative fuels are now starting to look viable and a move into motorsport (just like Seat’s diesel in the BTCC did) could provide a sea change.

If any manufacturer can repeat the success that Audi have shown in the Le Mans 24hr with their derv-powered vehicle, then the world will no doubt sit up and take notice.  Until then, it might well be the case that such events are combined to karts, which may or may not have to frequently refuel to finish the race.  I hope their charge lasts long enough!

There is a little known small car company which will soon be looking to compete with the mighty US Tesla, which has for some time been the super electric car that everyone is talking about. This is about to change with the introduction of the Lightning GT from the Lightning Car Company (LCC) this car which is in the development stages is set to put the Great back into British made sports cars. Like the days when there were so many sports car companies around.

Lightning GT – Standard Features

Anti lock braking system

Traction control

Regenerative braking

Electronic door entry

Programmable external engine sound generator

Central door locking

Alarm and immobilizer

Electric windows

Acoustic information and entertainment system

Part leather/alcantara sports seats

Forged alloy wheels

Tinted windows

Home based charging system (EVCS) with integral safety features

Hella focused beam halogen headlamps

LED taillights, front, rear and side-mounted lights

Colours

Available in Electric Lightning Blue, black and silver as standard (as shown)

Options & accessories

Air conditioning

Tyre pressure and temperature monitoring system

Satellite navigation system

Non standard colour / metallic paint

Full leather trim

Mobile charging system

Car cover

Drive Motor:

Hi-Pa Drive™ technology – four 120kw power Permanent Magnet brushless motors

Full traction control and regenerative braking on all four wheels independently

Battery:

State of the art NanoSafe™ battery packs. 36kw power

Chassis Type:

Multi-tubular spaceframe backbone chassis

Bodywork Type:

Two-door

Material: Lightweight carbon fibre/Kevlar composite technology

Suspension:

Fully independent suspension

Front and rear double wishbones, coils-over shock

Steering:

Rack and pinion

Electrically power-assisted with driver select mode

Adjustable for both rake and reach

Braking:

Regenerative braking on all four wheels

Independent mechanical handbrake system locking rear wheel motors

Wheels & Tyres:

Front & rear – 20″/20’’ x 7.5J wheels lightweight cast aluminium alloy (Lightweight magnesium/carbon fibre as option)

COOPERTIRES Cooper Zeon 2XS 245/40R20

Dimensions:

Length: 175″ / 4445 mm

Width excl. mirrors: 76.3″ / 1940 mm

Height: 47.2″ / 1200 mm

Wheelbase: 102″ / 2590 mm

Front track: 65.7″ / 1669 mm

Rear track: 65.7″ / 1669 mm

Ground clearance: 5.51″ / 140 mm

Boot space: large boot TBC

Turning circle: 28 ft

Anticipated weight dist. (F/R-full): 48/52

Unfortunately there is no mention of the price, although people interested can put down a fifteen thousand pound deposit to reserve one.

Source [Auto Blog]