Here’s the press release covering the Land Rover ‘Go Beyond’ bursary. If you love adventure, then I suggest you read on as you may just be able to fund the experience of a lifetime.

Calling all expedition enthusiasts! With only weeks to go before the Land Rover ‘Go Beyond’ Bursary 2012 application draws to a close, now is your chance to apply for funding and the loan of a Land Rover Defender 110 to do a journey of a lifetime.

For the fifth consecutive year, the Land Rover ‘Go Beyond’ Bursary, run by the Royal Geographical Society (with IBG) is one of Land Rover’s six Global Humanitarian & Conservation Partners.

The award is aimed at those who want to take a journey beyond their limits and boundaries, offering challenges for the team and using a Land Rover Defender 110 as an integral part of the expedition.

Mark Cameron, Global Brand Extension Director for Land Rover said; “It’s brilliant to see such a wide and exciting variety of expedition enthusiasts applying for the ‘Go Beyond’ Bursary 2012 this year.

And for the first time ever, we have also trebled the total amount of Land Rover funding to £30, 000, enabling the winning Bursary team to adventure further afield than ever before.”

Paul Rose, Vice President of Expeditions & Fieldwork, RGS-IBG added; “The Land Rover ‘Go Beyond’ Bursary offers recipients an amazing opportunity to take a journey to promote a wider understanding and enjoyment of people, places and environments.”

“With the use of a Land Rover Defender 110, you can really get off the beaten track and make the most of the vehicle’s capabilities in remote terrain and in demanding environments, helping to turn ideas for challenging and inspiring geographical journeys into a reality.”

The journey may connect the team with schools, local communities or projects but, whatever its aim, the team will be expected to inspire and engage others, both from the field and on return.

A bursary of £15,000 is available and in addition applicants can apply for a discretionary fund of up to £15,000 to support essential expedition-related costs. The application deadline is 3 February 2012 and interviews will take place in March 2012, in London. To apply, please visit; www.rgs.org/GoBeyond.

Additionally, the Royal Geographical Society (with IBG) will also be exhibiting at the Telegraph Adventure Travel Show; Expedition planning zone. The show will provide a collection of extraordinary travel experiences under one roof, at London Olympia on the 28 – 29 January 2012.

The Royal Geographical Society (with IBG) is one of six Global Humanitarian & Conservation Partners with Land Rover which forms part of an integrated approach to sustainability and sits within Land Rovers’ Our Planet.

Auto Express has highlighted that the Government’s own data has shown that buses outside of London are more polluting per passenger than the average car during the last decade. Not only is this is a shock but it’s a real disappointment.

If public transport providers cannot lower their emissions – per passenger – then they should be far more heavily taxed in the same way that the rest of us seem to suffer. Granted a full bus will probably be putting out less CO2 than every one of those people in a car, however I don’t see why we can’t see more hybrid buses that compensate for the times that buses are less full – which is, let’s face it, most of the time. Not good enough, public transport providers!

Here’s the latest from Blablacar regarding the true cost of running a motor in the current economic climate:

With 90% of Brits feeling that the overall cost of running a car has become increasingly difficult to manage, people are resorting to sometimes desperate measures to manage these costs according to new research from carpooling experts BlablaCar.

20% of women have regularly driven with the fuel light on because they feel they can’t afford to fill up, with 18-55s being the worst age offenders[i]. And this is set to continue with 87% of people concerned about the rising costs of petrol, including 9% who don’t even drive. Over 50% think car cost rises are a critical concern.

The AA recently identified that, compared to a year ago, “a typical 50-litre petrol refill now costs £9.61 more, adding £40.81 to the monthly petrol spend of a two-car family”.

And this car cost concern also means that we are driving less with 38% admitting to having reduced the number of long distance they have taken in the last year. Those from Scotland (42%) and Yorkshire (42%) have reduced the most across the country, with the older generation reducing their journeys the most against other age groups. With trains recently branded the ‘rich man’s toy’, many people are being forced to stay at home rather than make a trip.

Nicolas Brusson, Co-founder of BlablaCar, said:
“Car cost concern is certainly causing UK drivers to think twice about getting behind the wheel. Long distances in particular are clearly affected. An easy way to reduce the cost of the journey is to share it and carpooling is a very real option now in the UK.”

Interestingly, 11% have already started to share more of their journeys to reduce running costs. Carpooling can help drivers save a significant amount of money each month, reducing the impact that the increase in the price of petrol has on their budget. BlablaCar for example could save drivers as much as £60 on a single journey[iii] for a route such as London to Manchester , offsetting not only their entire petrol cost but also most of their vehicle running costs.

Nicolas Brusson, continued:
“Whatever the journey we would warn against deliberately driving with the fuel light on of course, safety must always come above costs saving for everyone.”

Ford has developed a brand new 1.0 litre three cylinder EcoBoost engine right here in the UK with engineers based at Dunton and Dagenham working on the project.

The powerplant features in the all-new Ford Focus and will produce 125PS while delivering a combined fuel economy of 56.5mpg and ultra-low petrol CO2 emissions performance of 114g/km – a level unmatched by Focus competitors. A 100PS version of the same engine will deliver outright best-in-class petrol CO2 emissions of 109g/km. This engine will also feature in the Ford C-MAX and Grand C-MAX, plus the new Ford B-MAX which enters production in mid 2012.

“The new 1.0-litre EcoBoost and our entire family of EcoBoost engines – represent technology breakthroughs that deliver power, fuel efficiency and low CO2 emissions through turbocharging and direct injection,” Alan Mulally, Ford President and CEO said. “These engines are delivering the fuel-efficient vehicles customers want and value.”

Although designed here, the engine won’t be built in the UK. Ford has invested £110 million to develop a special high-tech line at the Cologne Engine Plant to build the unit. The plant’s 870 employees will build up to 350,000 units a year.

There’s recently been some press coverage over issues around ownership of new vehicles fitted with a diesel particulate filter, or DPF. It stops the nasty black smoky stuff from pouring out of the exhaust of your diesel powered car. It seems that some owners of said diesels are feeling a little mis-sold, as they are finding that their car is malfunctioning due to the DPF not regenerating. What does this mean I hear you ask?

How the DPF works
A diesel particular filter is a trap that captures ‘soot’ from the exhaust process. This is so that engines have lower emissions in order to comply with the ‘Euro 5′ standard. A diesel vehicle fitted with one is therefore better for the environment, but, depending on how you drive, it may not be better for you.

Why does it go wrong?
The diesel particulate filter can ‘regenerate’, or clean itself, but this process will not initiate if the required temperature is not reached. When the DPF temperature remains too low, the DPF can become clogged up and then performance can tail off – leading to greater emissions and potentially a drop in performance. A total lack of regeneration can also ultimately lead to DPF failure (a new DPF can cost around £1,000). Any car fitted with a DPF can be affected, not just brand new vehicles.

How can I initiate regeneration of the DPF?
The simplest way to do this is to stay in lower gears for longer and use the full rev range of your car. Perhaps ten minutes of vigorous driving should be enough to complete the regeneration process, though as with most other things mechanical this is not an exact science. Be mindful that a good motorway run in sixth gear may not be enough to regenerate the DPF if the revs remain extremely low (this will apply if you have a very tall geared car). Another suggestion is to get to speeds above 40 miles per hour and keep your car there in the power band for some minutes of driving. As always, I recommend reading your vehicle manual thoroughly for further information.

Is a diesel engined car with a DPF for me?
This question can only be answered by you. If you drive a relatively low number of miles per week and they are over very short distances, you may well be better with a small economical petrol unit or a hybrid/electric. If you still choose the diesel, you’ll have to take it for good runs to clean the DPF, which you might find a pain if that’s the only reason you’re taking the car on the journey. Alternatively, if you do a mixed run of driving and regularly give the car a run, there’s no reason why a DPF fitted diesel vehicle shouldn’t be perfect for you.

The bottom line
When you’re buying the car, check thoroughly with the seller exactly what kind of engine it has, what running requirements there are and what sort of driving style/conditions it is made for. Don’t luck out and buy something not suitable for your purposes.

The world is changing.  Every day, our pace of life seems to be that bit much more.  We’re all separated from each other, travelling in our own little bubble.  By all accounts, we’re also churning out more CO2, which is bad for the environment.  We also pay so much for petrol and diesel that it has quite literally made my eyes water when I’ve visited the pumps recently. 

Social networks seemed to have great potential to solve problems, but do you really feel more connected?  Is the big society something that could exist or is it just a digital dream?  This is where a new concept called BlablaCar comes in and it could just make a real difference to your driving habits.

Concept

It’s actually a really simple idea, which is what makes the whole thing seem so attractive.  It is at the heart a travel site and a social network, www.blablacar.com, which aims to match drivers with an empty seat in their car to people who are looking to travel to a similar destination.  Ultimately, it’s car sharing for the modern age that BlablaCar is all about.

BlablaCar

The company has grown into Europe’s most active people-to-people car sharing community in just a few years, and has recently announced that its community has shared over 1 billion kilometres on the road!  That’s a huge number and demonstrates that people are more than willing to work with this new and fresh way to travel.

Savings

One of the reasons why BlablaCar has been so successful is the price of fuel (which I’m absolutely convinced will not be going down any time in the near future in the UK).  Suddenly, with another person sharing some of the cost to travel to the same location as you, you’ll lower the costs associated with travelling by car. 

As a passenger, travelling in someone else’s car will prove to be extremely cost effective compared to other forms of transport.  In this way, both parties win and no-one loses out.  The environment wins too; if both passenger and driver are travelling in the same vehicle there’ll be no extra CO2 associated with a second form of transport.  It’s a social way for the driver and passenger to save money and the environment.

My Experience Of Car Sharing

I sometimes car share as a means of getting to and from work.  I can honestly say that I’ve had some great fun in doing so.  It has helped me get a better understanding of my colleagues and given us some time to prepare for the day ahead.  If you’re into social networking (let’s face it, most of us are Twittering or Facebooking most of the day) and you drive regularly, then I’d certainly recommend taking a look at BlablaCar.  You never know, you might just make new friends or a new love!

Competition

If BlablaCar is something that you’re interested in and you’re taking a trip from the North West (including Manchester, Liverpool, Oxford or Birmingham) to London or vice-versa, post your trip on the site when you’ve driven it.  You’ll then have a chance of winning £500 in cash.  BlablaCar team members will act as genuine passengers on the site and hand the money to selected winning drivers who take part!  You can find more information on details on www.blablacar.com/london2NW.

Conclusion

Be part of the travel revolution and give BlablaCar a go.  You’ll save money, meet new people and reduce your CO2 footprint as well.  Whether you love to chat or just need a quick ride at a reasonable price, BlablaCar will match you up.  Take the plunge and try out this great new service.

Sponsored Post

Viral video by ebuzzing

You may have seen that there’s been a discussion on the news as to whether the national speed limit should be raised to 80 miles per hour for motorways. Most people I’ve spoken to have been in agreement with this idea as many already drive (somewhat) higher than the current 70 miles per hour limit. I like the idea of getting to where I should be that little bit quicker. To provide a different perspective, here’s comment from GEM Motoring Assist:

GEM’s CEO, David Williams commented “I simply cannot understand this. From a road safety perspective we believe it would be a disaster. There are very obvious road safety implications including drivers having less time to react at higher speeds. Given the road safety record is currently heading in the wrong direction, this alone is a good enough reason not to raise the limit. Then there’s the environmental aspect. An increase in speed will have a huge influence on our fuel consumption and emissions.”

“Even from a breakdown perspective there’s a massive impact. It’s terrifying enough to be broken down on a Motorway with cars going at 70 miles an hour next to you, imagine them all travelling almost 15% faster? We would have concerns not only for the broken down motorist and their passenger(s), but also the mechanics in attendance.”

David Williams continued: “To say an increase will improve the economy is frankly ridiculous – unless of course they are looking at the duty they will receive in revenue from the increased use of fuel? It seems this move is being made to deflect the real issues that cause delays in journeys such as road works and potholes. GEM feels this is where the government should start if they want to look at the area of transport as a means of improving the economy.”

So, what’s your take on the possibility of raising the speed limit? Is it a good idea or does it pose genuine safety risks? As always, we’re open for comments.

The Peugeot 3008 Hybrid4 is a special car – it’s the world’s first diesel full hybrid. It uses a combination of diesel and electric power, offering up four wheel drive, 200 bhp and emissions as low as 99 g/km of CO2. It is also now available for order!

Chas Hallett, Editor-in-Chief at What Car? commented on the award for the Peugeot 3008 HYbrid4: “The world’s first production diesel hybrid is the best hybrid the What Car? team has driven. The joint power sources work together seamlessly and emit only 99g/km of CO2. This means the car is exempt from both road tax and the London Congestion Charge. The SUV sector continues to be popular, and we can see a waiting list for the Peugeot growing very fast.”

Morgan Lecouper, Marketing Director commented: “Peugeot has long paved the way in diesel engine development and HYbrid4 is at the fore of automotive technology. Having the 3008 HYbrid4 being recognised in this way by What Car? is an honour and one we are extremely proud of.”

Having sold out of the 3008 HYbrid4 limited edition, the range offers two versions: a 99g/km CO2 at £26,995 and 104g/km CO2 at £28,495.

We’re always being told that the reason behind speed cameras is to slow people down in order to make a certain spot less dangerous. Of course, that’s assuming that speed has actually been a factor in the accidents that have taken place previously. To be fair, it’s not rocket science to assume this, given that if traffic were, say crawling at 20 mph, the risk of an accident would be reduced as a car will stop in time to prevent it taking place.

The Mail Online has a new article showing that the latest figures from the Department For Transport are in and that speed cameras have done little or nothing to to reduce the number of accidents taking place. Rather more worrying is the case discussed where a section of road had no reported accidents and after the erection of said devices five collisions took place!

Read the full article at The Mail Onlinee.

In a not-unsurprising move, Toyota has been named the World’s Greenest Brand. Toyota continues to forge ahead with new technologies to reduce the amount of pollutants that our vehicles produce – not just when on the move but when being built too. The Interbrand report says that Toyota is “a leading example of making the environment a core management priority, while also engaging in a meaningful way with audiences around the world”.

Well done to Toyota and may their endeavours continue long into the future.