There has been a lot about the benefits of car sharing recently and in fact there are two schemes already operating in the UK in Bristol and Leeds, with other due to start a car sharing scheme in Birmingham, West Yorkshire and Hertfordshire. This means that a whole lane is needed to remain empty in order to encourage drivers to use it, but it also means that in places where there is serious congestion and minimal take up of the car sharing scheme that these lanes are going to either stay empty or be used by drivers, causing chaos.

The motoring organisation the AA, have said that these schemes will not work because they are wasting the capacity of the UK’s roads. The AA’s Edmund King said: ‘In theory, car-sharing lanes make sense, but in practice they are used and abused, so they waste road capacity and are a nightmare to enforce.’

With new cameras becoming available too, it will be difficult for a driver to use the car share lane, as these cameras are supposed to be able to confirm if there is more than one real person in the car, so there are bound to be a surge in more fines for drivers who accidentally use the wrong lane when visit a different place.

Source [What Car]

Tips for the Drivers Who Love Their Cars and Care For the Planet Too

We no longer find the world as cool as we used to find it in our childhood!

The earth is older and warmer—several places in the world do not experience snow fall in winter as before, the summers in many places have become too hot to bear. Rains don’t drench the lands the same way they used to do decades ago.

The earth is fighting a fierce battle of survival against the modern monster called “Global Warming”

The Green House Effect and its off spring global warming together are the byproducts of indiscriminate expansion of human civilization; more speed, higher performance, bigger production—-a need for more has made man much too dependent on machines.

Among all the machines, the motor car has been touted as the biggest contributor to the creation of pollution.

But we can’t do away completely with the cars. Returning to the ages of bicycles may make for the killer plot of a romantic novel, but it is definitely not practical.

So what do we do?

We have to think up ways to drive our cars in a way that make the least damage to our environment.

Act in a socially responsible manner

You don’t have to start your car engine every time you need to rush to the supermarket just a block away! It wastes a lot of fuel and adds more green house gases to the environment. Instead ride on your bicycle or just walk. The Japanese can teach the world a lesson in this respect—you will encounter more cyclists on a Tokyo road than any other parts of the world.

Another thing to learn from the Japanese in this respect is their well developed public transportation system based on the under ground railway network. Cutting down on private car usage and using public transport wherever you can is a great way to prevent further damage to your environment.

Be a responsible driver

Being a little bit careful while you drive can save a lot of precious fuel and prevent a new set of pollutants entering the air

• Good planning makes you a truly green driver—choose your route to avoid congested roads. Consider covering as many as tasks possible in a single trip. Also try to share the car with your family members as well as your friends wherever possible.
• Don’t rev up your car like crazy—you are not competing in a car race! Slow down to reduce fuel consumption. But drive on higher gears, as soon as traffic conditions allow.
• Be caring about such parts of your car as accelerator, brake or clutch. Don’t be harsh on them—they will offer you better fuel efficiency.
• Also try to drive light and switch off the engine whenever you are waiting for more than five minutes.
• Also make sure that your tyres are inflated to the correct pressure for the vehicle.

Cut down on luxury

Treat air conditioning as a luxury and not a necessity. Use it sparingly whenever it is absolutely essential to use it. Also make sure that onboard electrical devices don’t eat up the fuel unnecessary.

Consider the cars based on environment friendly technology

Driving a hybrid car or electric car is the best way to go green. In London, electric cars are exempt from road tax & congestion charging. Over all insurance premiums may also be lower for the hybrid cars.

You can also use bio fuel or LPG in place of petrol and diesel to lower the impact of green house gas emissions.

You love your car—but you feel sorry about your environment too. There is no need to suffer from a guilt complex just because you love driving. Keep the above mentioned tips in mind while driving and be a green driver.

When H. Piper conceived the hybrid car decades ago, he thought of a vehicle running on the combined power of a gasoline engine and an electric motor. Today’s hybrid cars are made on the same principle of dual power sources. So what is the basic point of difference between the hybrid cars belonging to two ages?

The point of difference lies in their purposes.

Piper’s intention was to create a car that could achieve a speed of 0 to 25 miles per hour within only seconds. While it’s not a big deal today, in those days it was viewed as great achievement.

Today’s hybrid cars are manufactured with an eye for energy conservation; they are politically correct to own and stylish to drive.

So no wonder today, the hybrid car market has stretched far beyond one or two choices (read Toyota Prius) ; tax incentives, feature packed models and most importantly, unbelievable fuel efficiency have made the hybrid cars the choice of the new generation consumers, who happen to be more environment-conscious than their older generation counterparts.

Hollywood stars are famous for their love affair with hybrid cars. Even the Oscar award functions are used as the platform for promoting hybrid philosophy by encouraging the stars to appear in their hybrid vehicles than the traditional limousines.

So what makes the difference? Does it make any difference at all?

To begin with hybrid cars are more fuel efficient than the ordinary cars. Some of the Japanese hybrid models can give you a straight 68 miles per gallon saving on the motorway. By cutting on fuel consumption, they significantly contribute to a greener environment. On the personal front, hybrid cars are guaranteed to play easy on your pocket in the long run.

Hybrid cars—why are they greener?

Hybrid cars help to preserve the fast diminishing fossil fuel resources of the world. They help in keeping the pollution level low by producing less than half of the carbon dioxide and half of the carbon monoxide, less nitrogen oxide, less hydrocarbons, and less particulate matters produced by their non-hybrid counterpart. The fact that hybrids produce considerably less undesired by-products makes a hybrid the most environmentally friendly choice.

What is the main reason behind more and more people’s preferring a hybrid vehicle over a traditional car? It is not just the monetary consideration of energy efficiency ; people are today more concerned about the factors such as global warming and air pollution and that influences their choice in favor of a hybrid vehicle which is undoubtedly greener due to lower fuel consumption, use of battery and lot lower production of harmful byproducts.

Thus the rich Hollywood stars are not alone in their selection; the world is slowly but steadily moving toward the hybrid version of vehicles. From being fashionable & politically correct, the green hybrid cars are no doubt emerging as the choice of the future.

Many people are unsure of what is meant by a hybrid vehicle, as they are not well publicised. However, it is relatively simple concept, where an ordinary internal combustion engine is combined with an alternative source of energy such as batteries or electricity. This alternative takes over from the engine during times when the engine is least efficient, such as long slow drives.

These hybrids are therefore twice as efficient and half as polluting. There are other benefits too – such as lower tax, exemption from congestion charges and cheaper insurance.

Hybrids are an ideal ‘in-between’ vehicle for the environmentally conscious person who is unable, or reluctant to opt for an electric vehicle.

They are just hybrid versions of cars that are already on the market, such as the Honda Civic, Prius, Accord and Insight. There are also SUV versions such as the Ford Escape, Toyota Highlander and Lexus RX400h.

You can also convert your own vehicle into a hybrid, as long as it is under 6 years old. This can be costly, so unless you are sure the vehicle is in super condition, and that the conversion will work, then it may be best to opt for purchasing a new hybrid.

There are various government schemes currently running, that are designed to assist you in converting your vehicle, or purchasing a new one.

Autogas+ is a Scottish initiative (which is about to close). It offers motorists and businesses £800 towards the cost of buying a new LPG/Petrol hybrid vehicle, or converting you own to a hybrid.

Powershift – This is a register used Nationally, where you can check which vehicles, makes, models and manufacturers are registered as being officially low-emission. Vehicles on this register get a 100% discount from the London Congestion charges. This is very good news, as vehicles travelling into London are charged around £8 per day!
Check out the Powershift site at www.est.org.uk

• The G-Wiz is 100% emission free. It has only a quarter of the energy consumption of a similar-size petrol car.
• It is the only 4-seater to get an ‘A’ eco-label
• Prices start at £7,599 to buy new.
• Costs around £1.64 per day to run.
• It is exempt from tax and many congestion charges, as well as being in the lowest insurance group.
• Ideal for commuting or as a city runabout
• It is a 2-door hatchback with space for 2 adults and 2 children
• A top speed of 40mph
• A range of up to 40 miles for average batteries, and more advanced batteries will give you a range of up to 100 miles.
• Only 2.6 metres long, so can fit into spaces the average car cannot.
• Charging can be done at home or at work. It takes two and a half hours to charge it to 80%, and six hours to charge it 100%.
• Very easy to maintain – no clutch, engine, oil filters, gears, radiator etc!

You can convert your own vehicle to electric, as long as it is under 4 years old. Check out www.avt.com, the conversion specialists, for costs and information. This will save you money, as well as protecting the environment, as it cost around 1p per mile of electricity used, compared to 10p per mile for petrol.

Sulphur-free petrol
This will become compulsory be 2008.

Biodiesel (Globaldiesel)
This is a blend of 95% ultralow suphur diesel and 5% rapeseed oil. It can reduce CO2 emissions by 5% and can be used in non-converted engines.

BioEthanol
This is obtained by distillation of wheat, sugar, or biomass. It produces less air pollutants than fossil fuels and is renewable. It can be used in non-modified engines in a blended form, or straight in modified engines. It will, however, take longer to become widely available.

Fuel Cells
Vehicles that are powered by fuel cells are currently available, and are powered by hydrogen. It reacts with oxygen to create an electric current to power the engine. There is a concern, however, that because the hydrogen needs to be extracted, it uses a lot of energy, and if fossil fuels are used, this crease pollutants.

Car Sharing: Many companies run schemes which encourage staff to have designated drivers, preventing pollution and congestion. Ask your company, or check on the internet for schemes running in your area.

Buy only small cars with small engines – This will save on fuel emissions, but also use less fuel, are easier to park, cheaper to insure and cheaper to tax. Driving a 4×4 can actually decrease fuel economy by as much as 50%! Since 2001 in the UK car tax has been based on carbon monoxide emission, so the less emission, the cheaper your tax. You can check the Vehicle Emissions Database for makes and models and their respective emissions.

Walk or cycle to work – it may seem like a hassle, but it only takes 2 weeks to form a new habit – and once this initial period is over it will be much easier to get ‘on your bike’!

This sounds like a contradiction, given that motor vehicles contribute significantly to pollution in the UK, and around the World. However, you can choose options that will help to reduce the overall emissions your vehicle produces.

1. Drive at a controlled and steady pace, changing up into the next highest gear as soon as it is possible. Sudden acceleration and braking uses more fuel, and the more fuel you use, the greater the emissions will be. The best speed for fuel economy is between 50-60mph.
2. Hills – Going up you should remain in the highest gear possible, keeping the speed constant. Coming down, it is best to keep in the same gear as going up. This uses the engine for braking rather than the brakes, so using less fuel. It is best not to coast down as you will only end up using the brakes more.
3. In traffic jams, switch off your engine. Don’t sit there revving, and even idling uses fuel.
4. Take off roof racks/boxes whenever they are not being used. They significantly reduce your vehicles fuel economy. When in use, put smaller items at the front in order to reduce the wind resistance.
5. Use the cool air vents – air conditioning and opening windows will render your vehicle less economical by increasing fuel consumption by 8-10%!