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The argument goes that the amount of energy required to design a car, tool up a factory, build the car and then transport it should be added to any calculations of the “greenness” of one vehicle versus another. As if choosing wasn’t hard enough without having to add this into the equation. But if we don’t, we’ll all be driving Jeep Wranglers instead of Prius’s according to research by CNW Marketing Research who suggest that the development of new technologies, testing and then tooling up a factory to produce a new car can outweigh the improved performance. Hence an 18 year old design being greener than a cutting edge hybrid. However, perhaps when short listing, it might be worth considering domestically manufactured vehicles. The quality of British built vehicles has probably never been higher, thanks to the Japanese brands in particular. Not only that, but UK plants are currently building some of the nicest, and most innovative cars to drive available today.
So think British, think Japanese, think German, think Indian, but most of all – think domestic. |
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 The European Union drew up the End-of-Life Vehicles (ELVs) Directive in September 2000. This came into effect on the 3rd November 2003. It set recycling targets of 85% of all ELVs by January 2006 and 95% by January 2015. This EC Directive of End-of-Life vehicles aims to reduce or prevent the amount of waste produced from vehicles at the end of their useful life and increase the recovery and recycling of old vehicles. Some manufacturers are already at the 2015 figures for some of their cars. So when thinking about your next car, choose one that was designed to be scrapped. The good news is that if you have an old banger, gone are the days when you paid someone to take it off your hands. The rising costs of raw materials mean many scrap yards will take your car away for free and some will even pay you for the vehicle! |
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Stop start technology is common amongst the hybrid vehicles, but is now appearing in more and more mainstream vehicles. However, is this a feature worth looking out for on your next car or will it leave you stalled at the traffic lights?
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 Hybrid-Electric Vehicles (HEVs) combine the benefits of conventional engines and electric motors in order to deliver improved fuel economy and/or increased power. The simplest way of thinking about them is as a second engine for your vehicle, and just that it’s electric. When this engine is working on its own it is not burning fuel. When it’s working with the vehicle’s normal engine, it is providing extra power. This means the normal engine can afford to be a bit smaller than it might have been as there is extra power when needed e.g. overtaking.So how do you stop it running out of juice?
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 Road Fund Licence, Vehicle Excise Duty, tax disc, RFL, VED, road tax, car tax whatever else you call it, there is no escaping the fact that to drive your car legally you will have to buy it and from April 2009 it’s going to be even more expensive, so picking a low emission car could save you a lot of money.
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