http://www.whatgreencar.com/news.php Green Car News en-gb Mon, 15 Mar 2010 09:50:01 GMT Copyright 2007, WhatGreenCar? Ltd http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss 180 http://www.whatgreencar.com/i/logo_small.gif http://www.whatgreencar.com Average new car CO2 emissions fell by their biggest ever margin last year with the impact of recession and the Scrappage Incentive Scheme boosting the continued influence of technological advances made by vehicle manufacturers, according to the annual New Car CO2 Report released today by the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT). The average new car sold in the UK in 2009 emitted ... http://www.whatgreencar.com/news-item.php?New-car-CO2-cut-by-biggest-ever-margin Tue, 09 Mar 2010 16:01:54 GMT Toyota has become a new international auto partner of the Clean Energy Partnership, adding impetus to CEP's programme of advancing sustainable mobility through the development of hydrogen filling stations and a fuel supply network in Germany. CEP's activities are supported by the German Government, which is investing around €2 billion to support the development of hydrogen fuel cell and ... http://www.whatgreencar.com/news-item.php?Toyotas-hydrogen-cars-come-to-Europe Mon, 08 Mar 2010 13:27:27 GMT A new Car Buyer Survey is launched today to identify what information is most useful to consumers when buying a new car. The independent Car Buyer Survey is not a marketing survey. The findings will be used to inform UK Government and EU policy. To participate in the survey, you must: EITHER have purchased a new/nearly-new car (up to 2 years old) within the last 12 months, OR be a car owne... http://www.whatgreencar.com/news-item.php?Take-the-Car-Buyer-Survey-and-win-250 Fri, 05 Mar 2010 12:22:12 GMT To showcase its 'EcoDynamics' range of fuel-saving vehicles, Kia Motors is revealing an 'ultra-low' CO2 version of its popular cee'd at the Geneva Motor Show. The new model achieves a significant 11% reduction in emissions - down to just 98 g/km, compared with 110 g/km for the current lowest emission cee'd. The five-door hatchback is powered by Kia's new 'U2' family 1.6-litre dies... http://www.whatgreencar.com/news-item.php?New-EcoDynamics-Kia-ceed-diesel Tue, 02 Mar 2010 10:24:47 GMT Ahead of the official unveiling of the Auris HSD at the Geneva motor show this week, Toyota can announce its new, British-built model will deliver class-leading CO2 emissions of just 89g/km and official combined cycle fuel consumption of 74.3mpg. These figures reinforce the position of Auris HSD as a standard-bearer for Toyota's product strategy, being the first of its core models to be offer... http://www.whatgreencar.com/news-item.php?Auris-hybrid-sets-new-MPG-benchmark Mon, 01 Mar 2010 13:44:15 GMT As another batch of lower-carbon models are unveiled at this year's Geneva Motor Show, new figures from JATO Dynamics reveal how the growth of small, low-CO2 cars is driving down the average CO2 emissions across Europe. Volume-weighted average CO2 emissions across all models and segments fell by 7.9g/km last year, with over half of all cars sold in Europe now emitting less than 140g/km. This ... http://www.whatgreencar.com/news-item.php?New-car-CO2-emissions-fall-across-EU Mon, 01 Mar 2010 13:38:20 GMT General Motors has announced that its sale of Hummer to the Chinese Sichuan Tengzhong Heavy Industrial Machines Company has fallen through; GM will now begin an orderly wind down of Hummer operations. First developed for the US military, the Hummer has achieved a status as the mother of all petrol guzzlers. They emit three times more carbon dioxide than the average vehicle and achieve little ... http://www.whatgreencar.com/news-item.php?End-of-the-road-for-Hummer Fri, 26 Feb 2010 11:32:01 GMT Pioneering motorists will receive up to £5,000 to buy an ultra-low carbon car, and the roll-out of supporting infrastructure will begin in selected regions, the Government announced today. The Plug-in Car Grant will be distributed directly to the consumer at the point of purchase and will be available across the UK from January 2011, by which time a range of eligible vehicles is expecte... http://www.whatgreencar.com/news-item.php?pound5000-Plugin-Car-Grant-confirmed Thu, 25 Feb 2010 11:34:01 GMT The Honda 3R-C, a revolutionary one-person electric vehicle concept, will make its world debut in Geneva alongside the EV-N concept, to be displayed for the first time in Europe. Both the three-wheeled 3R-C and the EV-N urban concept draw on Honda's vast working knowledge of vehicles utilising electric motors. This revolutionary 3R-C, shows what a future minimal urban transport vehicle for on... http://www.whatgreencar.com/news-item.php?Honda-3RC-EV-debuts-at-Geneva Wed, 24 Feb 2010 15:18:48 GMT Dr Ben Lane of WhatGreenCar.com anticipates the next green car policy challenge for 2010... Imagine for a moment that the government had not introduced the car scrappage scheme last year. It hardly bears thinking about. Not only would there be little left of the UK automotive sector, thousands of manufacturing jobs would have been lost, and the UK economy would probably still be in recession. A... http://www.whatgreencar.com/news-item.php?Comment-Scrappage-Scheme-Sequel Tue, 23 Feb 2010 13:17:10 GMT 63,000 teams from all over the world participated in the Volvo's DRIVe Around the World game making it the most installed branded application and seventeenth most installed application on Facebook in 2009. Volvo's DRIVe Around The World game challenged users to virtually drive a Volvo C30 DRIVe to a Facebook friend who lives as close to 828 miles away as possible; that's how far a C30 DRIVe c... http://www.whatgreencar.com/news-item.php?Volvo-DRIVe-game-is-Facebook-favourite Fri, 19 Feb 2010 15:02:45 GMT The new 80 mpg Polo BlueMotion adopts an all-new highly advanced 1.2-litre TDI three-cylinder common rail diesel engine. Combined with longer gearing through the five-speed manual gearbox, regenerative braking and an automatic Start/Stop system, this helps the new Polo BlueMotion emit just 91 g/km of CO2 while returning an impressive 80.7 mpg on the combined cycle, and grants the new Polo Bl... http://www.whatgreencar.com/news-item.php?VW-launches-new-80mpg-Polo-Bluemotion Thu, 18 Feb 2010 14:52:11 GMT Russell Bray tests his Prius' brakes for WhatGreenCar.com... Lurid headlines advising Toyota drivers to stay at home showed the excitable nature and exaggeration the Press seems to go in for these days. But having just spent a very normal week driving the latest generation Toyota Prius, I am somewhat surprised to report no-one asked me if I had experienced any brake problems with the car. ... http://www.whatgreencar.com/news-item.php?Comment-Brakes-on-for-Prius Tue, 16 Feb 2010 13:43:40 GMT Six months after revealing the LF-Ch concept, Lexus will show for the first time its new CT 200h at the Geneva motor show next month. This is the first and only premium compact full hybrid model; a new gateway model to progressive luxury and to Lexus. Created for motorists who want to lower their emissions, the CT 200h will be the first full hybrid vehicle in the premium compact segment. It w... http://www.whatgreencar.com/news-item.php?Lexus-CT-200h-debut-at-Geneva-show Sun, 14 Feb 2010 14:40:45 GMT Looks good, especially in white, and performs well too though, like all cars it proved impossible to match the official laboratory test cycle figures in real life. General road noise/engine refinement could be better at times and the ride is firm on the low rolling resistance tyres. From £11,895. Review by Russell Bray for WhatGreenCar.com PERFORMANCE Despite a high... http://www.whatgreencar.com/news-item.php?Peugeot-207-Economique-review Fri, 12 Feb 2010 16:23:44 GMT The Hertz Corporation, the world's largest general use car rental brand, today announced it has entered a joint commitment with Nissan to bring zero-emission mobility to car rental in the US and Europe by early 2011. Under the terms of their Memorandum of Understanding, Hertz will develop a program for the roll-out of Nissan LEAF at select rental sites in those two major markets. As the worl... http://www.whatgreencar.com/news-item.php?Hertz-and-Nissan-enter-EV-partnership Fri, 12 Feb 2010 14:12:20 GMT Lots of style for the money. This sharp handling, two-door coupe looks nearly as striking as the original 1970's model penned by Italian design master Giorgetto Guigiaro, yet is practical - though watch out for the sweep of those long doors. With diesel power there's strong performance and economy. Interior oddment space and rear vision are both poor but the boot is a decent size though smalle... http://www.whatgreencar.com/news-item.php?VW-Scirocco-20-TDI-review Wed, 10 Feb 2010 14:58:29 GMT Researchers from Imperial College, London and Volvo Car Corporation are developing a prototype material which can store and discharge electrical energy (act as a battery) and which is also strong and lightweight enough to be used for car parts. Ultimately, they expect that this material could be used in hybrid petrol/electric vehicles to make them lighter, more compact and more energy efficie... http://www.whatgreencar.com/news-item.php?Bodywork-battery-to-power-future-cars Wed, 10 Feb 2010 14:07:35 GMT For the second time, the Car Scrappage Scheme has been extended, and will now continue until the end of March (or as long as funds allow). This will allow manufacturers and dealers more time to prepare for and operate the exit phase of the Scheme. By 24th January, 330,722 new vehicle orders had been taken under the Scrappage Scheme since it was announced in the Budget in April 2009. After lis... http://www.whatgreencar.com/news-item.php?Scrappage-scheme-extended-again Sat, 06 Feb 2010 13:29:40 GMT Toyota’s reputation took another hit after it admitted there have been around 180 complaints about problems with the braking system in the latest version of the Prius hybrid. Following the global recall of over 8m models to repair defective accelerator pedals, the Japanese government has now asked Toyota to follow-up 77 complaints of braking problems in the new Prius models sold in Japan. ... http://www.whatgreencar.com/news-item.php?Prius-brake-fault-hits-Toyota-brand Thu, 04 Feb 2010 14:16:27 GMT Toyota today confirmed a fix for the accelerator pedals of the eight Toyota models planned for recall in Europe. Toyota's engineers have developed a solution that involves reinforcing the pedal assembly to eliminate the potential risk of excess friction that could, in rare instances, cause the pedal to stick. The first shipments of parts required for this fix will begin arriving in Europe next wee... http://www.whatgreencar.com/news-item.php?Toyota-confirms-fix-for-8model-recall Tue, 02 Feb 2010 14:28:08 GMT Volvo Car UK has launched 119g/km DRIVe versions of its S80 executive saloon and V70 premium estate, the fourth and fifth body style it's launched delivering CO2 emissions below 120 g/km. Volvo estimates the new engine reduces annual carbon emissions by 150kg over the S80 and V70 DRIVe's previous low of 129g/km. Volvo believes the two new cars offer the best environmental performance in their... http://www.whatgreencar.com/news-item.php?Volvo-S80--V70-DRIVe-now-sub120gkm Mon, 01 Feb 2010 14:03:21 GMT Car buyers searching on manufacturer websites will struggle to find out how much CO2 their prospective new car will produce and how much it will cost them to run, says a report published today by the Energy Saving Trust, Friends of the Earth Europe and We Are Futureproof. In an online trial conducted by Ecolane, only half of the attempts to find the official CO2 value for a particular UK car ... http://www.whatgreencar.com/news-item.php?Car-makers-fail-consumers-on-CO2-data Wed, 27 Jan 2010 11:28:34 GMT As Governments and motorists keep up the interest levels in an electric-car future Kia Motors Corporation has revealed the first preview rendering of its latest concept car – called Ray – which will make its global debut at the 2010 Chicago Auto Show next month. Styled by the team at Kia Design Centre America, the Kia Ray project was undertaken to demonstrate how Kia’s evolving design ... http://www.whatgreencar.com/news-item.php?Kia-Ray-plugin-hybrid-at-Chicago-show Tue, 26 Jan 2010 23:04:48 GMT With CO2 emissions of just 109g/km and combined fuel consumption of 67.3mpg, the new Astra ecoFLEX brings even greater efficiency to Vauxhall’s recently launched compact hatch range, which has already seen a 13.3% average improvement over the previous model. A raft of mechanical and aero improvements have resulted in the latest Astra ecoFLEX achieving a 12.1% improvement in emissions over t... http://www.whatgreencar.com/news-item.php?New-Astra-ecoFLEX-achieves-673mpg Mon, 25 Jan 2010 22:55:32 GMT This week at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit, Toyota announced its plans to launch eight new hybrid models in the U.S. over the next few years as part of its strategy to sell a million hybrids per year globally, a majority of those in North America. The new models will not include next generation versions of current hybrids; instead, they will be all new dedicated hybri... http://www.whatgreencar.com/news-item.php?Toyota-to-launch-eight-new-hybrids Mon, 18 Jan 2010 22:28:15 GMT Figures released by SMMT show that new car registrations through the scrappage scheme now total 284,479, and account for over 20% of all new car registrations in December 2009. The scrappage scheme has continued to helped lift overall new car registrations over the past eight months. Commenting on the data, SMMT chief executive Paul Everitt said, "The Scrappage Incentive Scheme [SIS] has help... http://www.whatgreencar.com/news-item.php?Scrappage-scheme-passes-280000-mark Fri, 15 Jan 2010 17:05:31 GMT The next-generation Ford Focus makes its worldwide debut this week at the North American International Auto Show (NAIAS) in Detroit, providing customers with more affordable technologies and features than ever in this segment, as well as improved fuel economy and lower emissions. Both the four-door saloon and five-door hatchback body styles of the next-generation Focus are previewed prior to ... http://www.whatgreencar.com/news-item.php?Nextgeneration-Ford-Focus-debut Fri, 15 Jan 2010 14:00:48 GMT As part of the regular 'Top 10' series, WhatGreenCar looks ahead to the greenest and most innovative cars due for launch in 2010. In a world overturned by the 'credit crunch' and threatened by ‘climate change’, one in which economic and environmental concerns require equal attention, there cannot have been a better time to buy a fuel-efficient, low emission car. The good news is t... http://www.whatgreencar.com/news-item.php?Top-10-green-cars-to-watch-in-2010 Tue, 12 Jan 2010 09:54:01 GMT With the introduction of the first petrol-engined model to feature BlueMotion technologies, the Volkswagen Eos has joined in with the tradition and has made a New Year’s resolution that it will drink less from January. This new addition to the Eos range offers customers a new entry-level 1.4-litre TSI engine that, fitted with a six-speed manual gearbox, produces 122 PS and 147 lbs ft of t... http://www.whatgreencar.com/news-item.php?VW-Eos-joins-BlueMotion-range Mon, 11 Jan 2010 13:10:10 GMT The growing number of new models offered by car manufacturers is causing consumer confusion, according to research by Glass's Guide. Many visitors to Glass's valuation website have indicated that the choice on offer is too vast. In response to a survey, 29% said they found the number of new models available to be "overwhelming", with 26% saying they were "confused" by the choice of products.... http://www.whatgreencar.com/news-item.php?Car-buyers-confused-by-too-much-choice Fri, 08 Jan 2010 13:47:53 GMT Graceful and a lot of car for your money. We're used to two-seater coupes from the German triumvirate but Peugeot, often with the assistance of Ferrari's chums, Italian styling house Pininfarina, has a longer history of stylish, economical coupes. With four good size seats the 407 Coupe is practical too. Overall it’s better suited to the easy rider rather than the hard charger and so more approp... http://www.whatgreencar.com/news-item.php?Peugeot-407-Coupe-Sport-review Thu, 07 Jan 2010 21:08:06 GMT The handsome Leon Ecomotive proves going green needn’t be painful and you don’t have to drive a car looking like a toad either. I achieved 57mpg with no attempt at economy driving. Cabin is much classier than before, equipment levels are good and coupled with good reliability will help the car achieve good used car prices when the time comes to sell. A theoretically even more economical 1.6 li... http://www.whatgreencar.com/news-item.php?Seat-Leon-Ecomotive-review Wed, 06 Jan 2010 21:29:09 GMT Bags of showroom appeal with distinctive looks, good interior space and a much more up-market cabin than the outgoing model. Prices high by Citroen standards as you move further up the range and you need to check your insurance because it will be pricey if you break that big windscreen. Dynamically, the 'softer' C3 is a very different flavour to Ford's sporty and agile Fiesta and even Volksw... http://www.whatgreencar.com/news-item.php?Citroen-C3-HDi-16V-review Tue, 05 Jan 2010 13:57:04 GMT A new, ultra-efficient version of the Audi A3 1.6 TDI is available to order from this week, extending the compact hatchback’s lead by paring back CO2 output even further to just 99g/km and boosting combined economy to up to 74.3mpg. The key elements responsible for the efficiency gains in the new 1.6 TDI include a modified final drive ratio for the standard five-speed manual transmission, ... http://www.whatgreencar.com/news-item.php?New-Audi-A3-TDI-only-99gCO2km Mon, 04 Jan 2010 21:12:42 GMT Vauxhall bosses aren't exaggerating, or even showing off, when they say they believe their extended range electric car, the five-door, four-seater Ampera, could remove the car from the environmental debate for many motorists. While the series-hybrid Ampera won’t be available until 2012 (pictured left), Russell Bray test-drives a Chevrolet Cruze 'mule' (pictured below) on which all the mai... http://www.whatgreencar.com/news-item.php?Vauxhall-Ampera-preview Tue, 22 Dec 2009 12:31:37 GMT At Copenhagen's Climate Summit for Mayors, London Mayor Boris Johnson joined leaders of thirteen of the world's largest cities to work together over the next year to make their cities more electric vehicle-friendly. In collaboration with four leading vehicle manufacturers and the Clinton Climate Initiative (CCI), these cities will focus on four key areas to become electric vehicle ready. Lon... http://www.whatgreencar.com/news-item.php?London-to-be-plugin-ready-in-2010 Tue, 22 Dec 2009 11:32:59 GMT Every Londoner will be no more than one mile from an electric car charge point by 2015, the Mayor Boris Johnson announced this week at the Copenhagen climate summit. The Mayor revealed detailed plans to deliver a comprehensive network of electric charge points in the capital, supporting the mainstream use of zero carbon-emission electric vehicles. Johnson was addressing city leaders fro... http://www.whatgreencar.com/news-item.php?Mayor-announces-EV-charging-network Fri, 18 Dec 2009 12:06:22 GMT Toyota Motor Corporation in Japan has today confirmed the introduction of the Prius Plug-in Hybrid, a plug-in version of the third-generation Prius petrol-electric hybrid vehicle. The Prius Plug-in Hybrid Vehicle (PHV) offers greater range on electric power only, significantly reducing fuel consumption and emissions. The PHV uses lithium-ion batteries, a first for Toyota, which can be charg... http://www.whatgreencar.com/news-item.php?Toyota-confirms-launch-of-Plugin-Prius Wed, 16 Dec 2009 10:44:37 GMT Today at MINI's Oxford plant, forty electric MINI E cars were handed over to their test drivers, who are all members of the public. This marks the start of two consecutive six-month field trial periods which will evaluate the psychological, social and technical aspects of living with an electric car. The findings will be used both to inform the BMW Group engineering teams, as they create zer... http://www.whatgreencar.com/news-item.php?MINI-E-publictrial-switched-on Mon, 14 Dec 2009 16:40:12 GMT 20 mph traffic speed zones reduce casualties by 41.9% with the greatest reduction in child casualties, according to new research published in the British Medical Journal. Road traffic injuries are a leading cause of death and disability worldwide and are projected to make an increasingly important contribution to public health burdens over the coming decades, especially in low- and middle-inc... http://www.whatgreencar.com/news-item.php?20-mph-zones-cut-road-casualties-by-42 Sun, 13 Dec 2009 21:59:35 GMT Despite the current economic climate, it's time for some self-congratulation. With recent figures showing that average new car CO2 emissions fell by 5.5% in the first nine months of 2009, the current rate of reduction is now almost five times faster than it was only two years ago. It seems that the penny has finally dropped, and we are finally getting to grips with carbon emissions. More th... http://www.whatgreencar.com/news-item.php?Comment-Riding-the-green-wave Fri, 11 Dec 2009 10:11:47 GMT The Electric Car Corporation (ECC) and THINK have supplied 75 electric cars to be available for delegates at the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen this week. The conference is being hailed as an opportunity for world leaders such as Barack Obama, Gordon Brown, Nicolas Sarkozy and Angela Merkel to agree emission targets post Kyoto. The conference will also showcase techno... http://www.whatgreencar.com/news-item.php?Electric-drive-at-COP15-summit Thu, 10 Dec 2009 23:16:11 GMT Slick looking but surprisingly practical and easy to live with convertible, though as usual boot access is awkward. Quite expensive to buy but after that running costs look good with strong residuals and good fuel economy. A sharper drive than the previous A3 models can encourage a more 'press on' driving style with more wear to tyres and brakes but use of high gears means minimal fuel penal... http://www.whatgreencar.com/news-item.php?Audi-A3-Cabriolet-16-TDI-review Wed, 09 Dec 2009 16:00:33 GMT WhatGreenCar summarises the key measures of the Pre-Budget Report 2009 which impact on the private motorist, company car users and business fleets. VAT to return to 17.5% As expected, VAT will return to 17.5% as from 01 January 2010. This will impact on buyers of new (and some used) cars from the start of next year. The imminent rise is one of the reasons behind the increase in c... http://www.whatgreencar.com/news-item.php?PreBudget-Report-09-motoring-summary Wed, 09 Dec 2009 12:35:57 GMT The scrappage scheme accounted for 21.6% of all new car registrations in November, in line with rates recorded in previous months. The scrappage scheme has helped lift overall new car registrations in each of the past five months. Over the May to November period total new car registrations increased by 5.7%. Excluding all scrappage volumes the market was down 15.9%. Commenting on the d... http://www.whatgreencar.com/news-item.php?Scrappage-scheme-passes-250000-mark Tue, 08 Dec 2009 12:04:11 GMT The new 2010 Ford Focus ECOnetic takes a successful formula to the next level by combining new technology with clever details delivering the most fuel-efficient Focus to date. Dedicated Ford Fiesta, Focus, Mondeo and Transit ECOnetic models have already established themselves as smart choices for customers prioritising low carbon motoring and high levels of fuel efficiency. Now, the next ge... http://www.whatgreencar.com/news-item.php?Focus-ECOnetic-now-with-StartStop Wed, 02 Dec 2009 15:33:06 GMT WhatGreenCar has awarded its prestigious Car of the Year Award USA to the 2010 Toyota Prius. The 2010 Prius was chosen from a short-list of 10 green car finalists and the judging was independently conducted by WhatGreenCar and headed by Dr Ben Lane, WhatGreenCar's Managing Editor (pictured with the winning Prius). To be eligible for the Award, models had to be commercially available in the U.... http://www.whatgreencar.com/news-item.php?WGC-Car-of-the-Year-USA-is-2010-Prius Mon, 30 Nov 2009 11:52:31 GMT The UK's streets and car parks could see thousands more charging points for electric and plug-in hybrid cars thanks to £30 million of Government funding. Transport Secretary Andrew Adonis has invited cities and businesses to join together to bid for the money which will help fund the installation of charging points on streets, car parks and in commercial, retail and leisure facilities. ... http://www.whatgreencar.com/news-item.php?30m-for-EV-charging-points Mon, 23 Nov 2009 15:39:10 GMT Dutch drivers will be first in Europe to start paying according to the kilometres they drive rather than for owning a car, if a legislative proposal submitted to the lower house of the country's parliament goes through. The kilometre charge would replace road tax and purchase tax in 2012. The idea is to cut CO2 emissions while halving traffic jams in what is one of Europe's most congested roa... http://www.whatgreencar.com/news-item.php?Dutch-plan-payasyoudrive Fri, 20 Nov 2009 12:51:03 GMT The North American International Auto Show (NAIAS) has announced the debut of Electric Avenue, a 37,000 square foot feature on the main floor of the 2010 show. The new showcase will feature nearly 20 new electric vehicles and spotlight technology of both traditional automakers and innovative entrepreneurs. The new exhibit has already secured sponsorship by The Dow Chemical Company, which w... http://www.whatgreencar.com/news-item.php?NAIAS-2010-will-debut-electric-avenue Tue, 17 Nov 2009 09:37:40 GMT The idea that a wholesale switch to electric cars would automatically reduce CO2 emissions and dependence on oil is challenged by a major new report conducted by the European Federation for Transport & Environment on behalf of the UK's Environmental Transport Association (ETA). The report found that whilst there were significant potential environmental benefits to be had from a switch to elec... http://www.whatgreencar.com/news-item.php?EVs-could-speed-climate-change Fri, 13 Nov 2009 09:57:36 GMT Road trains that link vehicles together using wireless sensors could soon be on European roads. A European Union-financed research project called SARTRE is looking at inexpensive ways of getting vehicles to travel in a 'platoon' on Europe's motorways. Each road train could include up to eight separate vehicles – cars, buses and trucks will be mixed in each one. The idea is to make plat... http://www.whatgreencar.com/news-item.php?Road-trains-get-ready-to-roll Wed, 11 Nov 2009 11:42:55 GMT Peugeot's revolutionary electric vehicle of the future – the BB1 – will be visiting Covent Garden on 7th and 8th November. The BB1 is a glimpse of what could be urban mobility in the future. A cross between a car and a scooter, it is powered by two electric motors mounted in the rear wheels and has enough power from its lithium-ion battery packs to travel up to 75 miles between... http://www.whatgreencar.com/news-item.php?Peugeot-BB1EV-comes-to-London Fri, 06 Nov 2009 16:38:51 GMT General Motors is to retain ownership of Vauxhall/Opel with the giant manufacturer's directors promising to "initiate a restructuring of its European operations in earnest". The surprise U-turn was announced following a six-hour board meeting in Detroit. In a statement the board said that it had decided to walk away from a deal with the Canadian company Magna International, which had resulted... http://www.whatgreencar.com/news-item.php?General-Motors-to-retain-VauxhallOpel Thu, 05 Nov 2009 08:50:09 GMT The most economical Vauxhall model ever will be available to order from January 2010 when the new Corsa ecoFLEX hits the UK market, boasting CO2 emissions of just 98g/km and a miserly combined fuel consumption of 76.3mpg. Even in 5-door trim, the Corsa ecoFLEX achieves 99g/km and, like the 3-door, is equipped with a Diesel Particulate Filter (DPF) as standard, which dramatically reduces the m... http://www.whatgreencar.com/news-item.php?Corsa-flexes-ecocred-with-98gkm-model Wed, 04 Nov 2009 16:50:56 GMT A colour-coded Used Car Fuel Economy Label was today launched by Minister for Transport Sadiq Khan. The label provides consumers with clear 'at a glance' information on the running costs, fuel consumption and environmental performance of used cars available from participating dealers. The used car label is a voluntary initiative for dealers, developed by the Low Carbon Vehicle Partnership (L... http://www.whatgreencar.com/news-item.php?Used-car-fuel-economy-label-launched Mon, 02 Nov 2009 16:26:23 GMT The new Toyota Prius has clinched its latest major award, voted Japan Car of the Year by a panel of distinguished motoring journalists and industry experts at the Tokyo motor show. The accolade is a formal acknowledgement of the advances Toyota has made with the third generation Prius, which delivers more power yet even better fuel efficiency and lower emissions from its full hybrid powertra... http://www.whatgreencar.com/news-item.php?Prius-voted-Japan-Car-of-the-Year- Thu, 29 Oct 2009 10:30:50 GMT New UK car manufacturer Axon Automotive has previewed its plug-in hybrid electric vehicle at the Milton Keynes Science Festival. The vehicle combines full electric mode for local travel and uses a petrol or bioethanol powered engine for long distance or motorway travel. Axon Automotive uses revolutionary manufacturing techniques to make carbon fibre technology, which has been associated with... http://www.whatgreencar.com/news-item.php?Axon-unveils-UK-plugin-hybrid Wed, 28 Oct 2009 10:43:10 GMT Volkswagen have launched the latest Golf BlueMotion, the most efficient production Golf ever, which achieves 74.3 mpg combined and emit a class-leading 99 g/km. The new Golf BlueMotion uses as its basis the standard Golf’s 1.6-litre TDI common rail engine with 105 PS and maximum torque of 184 lbs ft (250 Nm) developed at 1,500 rpm. This engine endows the new model with a zero to 62 mph tim... http://www.whatgreencar.com/news-item.php?VW-launches-74mpg-StartStop-Golf Tue, 27 Oct 2009 14:57:09 GMT The Mitsubishi iMiEV city car was announced as the winner of the Japanese Car of the Year 'Most Advanced Technology' award at the 41st Tokyo International Motor Show 2009. The iMiEV has a top speed of 81 mph, a range of 100 miles and can be trickle charged from flat to full in 6 hours, costing less than £1.00/$1.60 for a full charge. In addition, the iMiEV can be fast-charged from flat ... http://www.whatgreencar.com/news-item.php?iMiEV-wins-award-at-Japanese-show Fri, 23 Oct 2009 23:23:55 GMT From October 22 the new terms of the Government's scrappage scheme come into force providing an extra boost to the car industry and consumers. In September it was announced that an extra £100 million was proposed for the Government's scrappage scheme bringing the total budget to £400 million and covering up to 400,000 vehicles in total. Having listened to industry, changes have been ma... http://www.whatgreencar.com/news-item.php?Extended-scrappage-scheme-goes-live- Thu, 22 Oct 2009 15:59:22 GMT New industry figures released this week show that average new car CO2 emissions have fallen by 5.5% in the first nine months of 2009. The average for the year to date is 150.6 g/km, which is 8.8 g/km (5.5%) lower than this time last year. If maintained, the current record rate of improvement would enable the car industry to meet the EU target of 130 g/km of CO2 by 2012. In fact, one manufactu... http://www.whatgreencar.com/news-item.php?New-car-CO2-down-by-5-5 Thu, 15 Oct 2009 15:04:09 GMT The world's leading provider of electric vehicle (EV) recharging solutions, Elektromotive, has been selected as one of the UK companies trialling the smart electric drive. By testing the car in 'real-life' situations, Elektromotive will provide invaluable data to Mercedes-Benz, the manufacturer of smart, which will help shape the development of this iconic car. Elektromotive has taken delive... http://www.whatgreencar.com/news-item.php?New-ElektromotiveSmart-EV-trial Tue, 13 Oct 2009 10:50:37 GMT The first annual report to Parliament by the Committee on Climate Change, published today, concludes that a step change is required in the pace of UK emissions reduction to meet carbon targets already set by Government. The Committee said the Government is unlikely to be able to meet the target to cut greenhouse gas emissions by at least 34% by 2020 unless there is a radical step change in po... http://www.whatgreencar.com/news-item.php?1-7-million-electric-cars-in-UK-by-2020 Mon, 12 Oct 2009 12:03:22 GMT Infiniti has confirmed its first production Hybrid vehicle will form part of the recently announced M range of luxury performance sedans. With its introduction, the Infiniti M35 Hybrid will realise the high performance/ low emissions promise of the Essence concept car. The M35 Hybrid is the brand's first Hybrid in its 20-year existence, as well as the cleanest and most economical car in its ... http://www.whatgreencar.com/news-item.php?Infiniti-confirms-M35-production-hybrid Thu, 08 Oct 2009 12:38:26 GMT A break in the clouds to reveal blue skies over Coventry, the city of the 'Sky Blues', proved a good omen for 37 'green' drivers taking part in the 2009 ALD Automotive/Total ECO 10 MPG Marathon this week – with the winning vehicle achieving almost 100 miles per gallon. The eclectic mix of vehicles and drivers that included a police patrol vehicle, a 17-year-old boy yet to pass his test ... http://www.whatgreencar.com/news-item.php?MPG-Marathon-winner-achieves-96mpg Tue, 06 Oct 2009 13:26:57 GMT The latest version of Honda's sporty hybrid concept will be revealed at October's Tokyo Motor Show. The CR-Z Concept 2009 is the most recent prototype of a compact, agile coupe using Honda's IMA technology. When the production version goes on sale in some regions next summer in 2010, it will be the world’s first sports hybrid car, and the first ever petrol-electric vehicle to employ a 6-sp... http://www.whatgreencar.com/news-item.php?Honda-CRZ-concept-at-Tokyo-show Fri, 02 Oct 2009 17:00:03 GMT The Government is to pump a further £100 million into the vehicle scrappage scheme to build on the success of the initiative in boosting new model demand. The announcement was made by Business Secretary Lord Mandelson in his speech at the Labour Party conference in Brighton and follows numerous calls from across the motor industry for its extension. So far 227,750 orders have been place... http://www.whatgreencar.com/news-item.php?UK-car-scrappage-scheme-extended Tue, 29 Sep 2009 08:47:15 GMT Fiat has announced that its average CO2 emissions figure on cars sold in Europe during the first half of 2009 has dropped to 129.1 g/km. The new figure – corroborated by automotive advisory leader JATO – means that Fiat is the only mainstream car brand to achieve the European average goal, of 130 g/km by 2015, five years early. Of the top 10 brands, Fiat is ahead of Toyota (... http://www.whatgreencar.com/news-item.php?Fiat-sets-new-co2-emissions-record Fri, 25 Sep 2009 15:09:37 GMT Ford Motor Company has teamed up with 'The Jay Leno Show' to provide an all-new battery electric version of the Ford Focus ST five-door for celebrities to drive in the programme's regular 'Green Car Challenge' segment. The Jay Leno Show is promoting cleaner vehicles through the 'Green Car Challenge' – in the Challenge, Leno invites celebrities to drive a new Ford Focus Electric. The we... http://www.whatgreencar.com/news-item.php?Jay-Lenos-Green-Car-Challenge Wed, 23 Sep 2009 09:59:33 GMT Television presenter and Camden resident Gail Porter will open Camden Council's special Green Motor Show where residents and businesses can discover a whole range of eco-friendly vehicles. Camden Council's Green Motor Exposition (GME) is at Triton Square Plaza from 10am to 4pm on Thursday 24 September. The event is backed by Transport for London (TfL). Visitors to the Green Motor Expo wi... http://www.whatgreencar.com/news-item.php?Gail-Porter-to-launch-Green-Motor-Expo Tue, 22 Sep 2009 14:06:28 GMT Environmental car data released by WhatGreenCar today shows that the latest 2010 range of new cars available in the U.S. is 6.6% greener than the 2009 Model Year (MY) range. The WhatGreenCar Ratings also demonstrate that the shift to green is gaining pace – to date, this year's 6.6% reduction is more than three times last year's improvement of 2.1%. Comparing MY2009 cars with the ... http://www.whatgreencar.com/news-item.php?New-cars-in-US-6-greener-than-MY09 Tue, 22 Sep 2009 11:19:15 GMT Pioneering drivers wanting to be part of the MINI E UK research project have less than 10 days to apply to lease one of twenty prototype cars destined for British roads – the the online application form closes at midnight on 30 September 2009. Each MINI E will be available to lease for six months from December this year. A second round of applications will then be invited in 2010, all... http://www.whatgreencar.com/news-item.php?Last-chance-to-testdrive-a-MINI-E Tue, 22 Sep 2009 10:21:56 GMT The new Volvo C30 1.6D DRIVe with Start/Stop will soon be exempt from the annual VED road tax. Emitting only 99 g/km of carbon dioxide (CO2), the new C30 1.6D DRIVe with Start/Stop falls below the 100 g/km carbon dioxide threshold and into VED Band A. The latest version of the Volvo C30 DRIVe is also capable of up to 74.3 mpg on the combined cycle and can cover up to 857 miles on a single ta... http://www.whatgreencar.com/news-item.php?Volvo-C30-now-with-StartStop Fri, 18 Sep 2009 16:53:14 GMT With the Frankfurt Motor Show opening its doors today, there no doubt that electric traction is the car technology of the moment – as can be seen by the incredible variety of concept and close-to-production cars on display. As environmental issues and the price of oil increasingly play on the minds of consumers and manufacturers, the auto industry is starting to get serious about low em... http://www.whatgreencar.com/news-item.php?Frankfurt-Show-goes-live-and-electric Thu, 17 Sep 2009 12:40:46 GMT As the Frankfurt Motor Show opens its doors to the world, the average new car being sold in Europe today is now greener than ever, according to a special report released today by the world's leading provider of automotive data and intelligence, JATO Dynamics. JATO has found an average 6.2 g/km reduction in the CO2 output of new cars sold by the top 25 brands in the first half of 2009, with ... http://www.whatgreencar.com/news-item.php?European-new-cars-greener-than-ever Wed, 16 Sep 2009 14:33:21 GMT Worldwide sales of Toyota hybrid vehicles have topped the two million mark, with more than 200,000 of these hybrids sales in Europe. Since the launch of the world’s first mass-produced hybrid, the Prius, in Japan in 1997, more than 2.01 million hybrid vehicles have been sold worldwide. Toyota currently sells 13 hybrid vehicle models in 50 countries and regions around the world, includi... http://www.whatgreencar.com/news-item.php?ToyotaLexus-hybrid-sales-top-2-million Mon, 14 Sep 2009 10:37:53 GMT The rise of mobile phones have left the streets of Madrid, and many other European countries littered with increasingly redundant telephone booths. But the underused installations in Spain are now set to play a key role in government plans for an electric car revolution by making them part of a network of electric charging stations for vehicles. Some 30 telephone boxes have been earmarked to ... http://www.whatgreencar.com/news-item.php?Phone-booths-to-charge-EV-revolution Thu, 10 Sep 2009 10:29:08 GMT Production versions of three new highly-efficient additions to the BlueMotion range have been unveiled ahead of the Frankfurt Motor Show. The new Polo, Golf and Passat BlueMotion models emit just 87g/km, 99g/km and 114g/km of CO2 respectively while every variant is also capable of travelling a minimum of 840 miles on a single tank of fuel. Each model bears the results of aerodynamic cha... http://www.whatgreencar.com/news-item.php?VW-unveils-new-BlueMotion-range Wed, 09 Sep 2009 16:18:34 GMT Hybrid and electric vehicles are set take centre stage at this month's International Motor Show (IAA) in Frankfurt. Making a world debut in the 'Blue Drive Zone' is the Hyundai ix-Metro, a new crossover hybrid with CO2 emissions of just 80g/km. The ix-Metro is powered by an inline three-cylinder petrol engine displacing just one-litre. Direct injection, dual CVVT and turbo-charging are all co... http://www.whatgreencar.com/news-item.php?Hybrids-storm-Frankfurt-Motor-Show Tue, 08 Sep 2009 10:27:06 GMT Following its success in the UK, WhatGreenCar is aiming to 'green' the attitudes of US motorists with the launch of its new US website: www.whatgreencar.com/us. This new site allows US car buyers to rate the environmental performance of all new cars available in the United States, and provides expert, independent analysis on the overall impact of different green car technologies. The la... http://www.whatgreencar.com/news-item.php?WhatGreenCar-launches-in-US Thu, 03 Sep 2009 12:09:47 GMT Petrol prices have risen above the average 105p-a-litre mark for the first time in 10 months. The current UK average of 105.2p a litre was the highest point since mid-October 2008. Soaring wholesale oil costs and increasing fuel duty are again starting to cause pain at the pumps for 14 million drivers of cars taking unleaded petrol. Motorists have experienced escalating fuel costs since petro... http://www.whatgreencar.com/news-item.php?Petrol-price-hits-10month-high Mon, 31 Aug 2009 21:31:17 GMT BMW is to offer the most fuel efficient and greenest 3 Series ever with the introduction of the new BMW 320d EfficientDynamics Saloon. The latest model to be offered by the marque sets a new benchmark in the premium segment by recording impressive CO2 emissions of 109g/km and a combined consumption figure of 68.9mpg. As the first sub 110g/km premium segment car, the BMW 320d EfficientDynamics... http://www.whatgreencar.com/news-item.php?BMW-to-launch-sub110gkm-3Series Wed, 26 Aug 2009 13:59:54 GMT Following the success of the Insignia ecoFLEX hatch and saloon, the Insignia Sports Tourer now takes the green-hued limelight with an ecoFLEX version providing company and private buyers with significant reductions in running costs, without sacrificing performance or practicality. With a combined CO2 figure of just 139g/km, the ecoFLEX Sports Tourer drops four BIK tax bands to 18 per cent for... http://www.whatgreencar.com/news-item.php?12-more-mpg-for-Insignia-Tourer Tue, 25 Aug 2009 14:19:22 GMT BMW are officially unveiling the X6 ActiveHybrid at the Frankfurt Motor Show next month. The vehicle retains the model's 400bhp, twin-turbocharged 4.4l V8 engine, but gains two electric motors. The dual-motor hybrid powertrain, developed in partnership with General Motors and DaimlerChrysler, allows one of the X6's electric motors to deliver 91bhp (68kW) and the other 86bhp (64kW). The... http://www.whatgreencar.com/news-item.php?BMW-unveils-X6-hybrid Fri, 21 Aug 2009 11:55:24 GMT JATO Dynamics has released its monthly European new car market analysis for July 2009, showing the Volkswagen Golf remains untouchable as Europe's best-selling car, despite strong sales performances in a resurgent small-car segment. Golf's fifth consecutive month at the top of the charts is yet another where it outperformed its own previous year sales, being up 16% year-to-date (YtD) and 27%... http://www.whatgreencar.com/news-item.php?Small-cars-lead-EU-sales-recovery Thu, 20 Aug 2009 12:35:06 GMT Battery operated, driver-less cars will soon be carrying passengers at Heathrow Airport. The Personal Rapid Transport system, consisting of 21 electric shuttles on a two-and-a-half mile pathway, is expected to ferry more than 500,000 passengers a year to and from the business car parks of Terminal 5. The bubble shaped vehicle named the ULTra looks like a capsule and its doors fold back like b... http://www.whatgreencar.com/news-item.php?ULTra-car-of-the-future Tue, 18 Aug 2009 10:42:32 GMT GM's much anticipated Chevrolet Volt is expected to achieve a fuel economy of at least 230 miles per (US) gallon, based on a new fuel economy test for plug-in electric vehicles being developed by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The Volt extended-range electric vehicle, which is scheduled to start production in late 2010, is expected to travel up to 40 miles on electricity from a si... http://www.whatgreencar.com/news-item.php?GM-Volt-expected-to-achieve-230mpg Wed, 12 Aug 2009 09:59:46 GMT Now at the half way mark, figures released this week show that the UK’s Car Scrappage Scheme has been a success up and down the country, with orders reaching 154,927. The data also shows that new cars bought under the scheme are significantly 'greener' than the cars scrapped. The regional breakdowns show that the scheme has proved popular with car buyers across the UK with take-up highest i... http://www.whatgreencar.com/news-item.php?Scrappage-scheme-greener-than-expected Tue, 11 Aug 2009 09:26:36 GMT Hyundai has charted new waters by making the Top 10 of the UK sales chart The Korean company's i10 citycar has been a massive hit with British buyers, with 3084 finding homes last month, making the i10 the 9th most popular car in July. The i10 has proved to be perfectly in tune with buyers wanting an exceptionally well equipped, safe and reliable small car at an amazingly low price. It's the ... http://www.whatgreencar.com/news-item.php?Hyundai-i10-in-UK-Top-10 Tue, 11 Aug 2009 09:12:42 GMT The new Toyota Prius, recently named WhatGreenCar Car of the Year 2009, and which went on sale on 1st August, has already seen tremendous popularity with over 2,000 advance orders taken. With its full hybrid powertrain, the new Prius is one of the most technically advanced cars on the market. Toyota's extensive use of sophisticated technology is central not only to Prius's environmental perf... http://www.whatgreencar.com/news-item.php?High-demand-for-new-Toyota-Prius Mon, 10 Aug 2009 14:10:15 GMT The US Scrappage scheme has proven so successful that the $1bn (£600m) allocated has nearly run out in less than a week. The programme, officially known as the Car Allowance Rebate System, is aimed at reviving stagnant car sales has received an emergency $2bn to cope with the demand for new cars. Car dealers have sold about 250,000 vehicles to customers wanting to turn their gas-guzzling ol... http://www.whatgreencar.com/news-item.php?US-scrappage-scheme-huge-success Tue, 04 Aug 2009 11:36:16 GMT Nissan today unveiled the Nissan LEAF, the world's first zero-emission C-segment (small family) car. Designed specifically for a lithium-ion battery-powered chassis, Nissan LEAF is a medium-size hatchback that comfortably seats five adults and has a range of more than 160km (100 miles) to satisfy consumer requirements. Nissan LEAF is powered by laminated compact lithium-ion batteries, which g... http://www.whatgreencar.com/news-item.php?Nissan-unveils-LEAF-electric-car Sun, 02 Aug 2009 11:10:14 GMT Saudi Arabia is currently the world's leading oil producer and exporter, but that doesn't mean the country is being left behind in the shift towards emission-free motoring. On the contrary, one of the Kingdom's leading universities has just signed one of the world's biggest-ever electric vehicle (EV) infrastructure deals, commissioning Brighton-based Elektromotive to install 150 Elektrobay chargin... http://www.whatgreencar.com/news-item.php?Elektromotive-to-work-with-Saudi-Arabia-university Thu, 30 Jul 2009 11:34:46 GMT Kia will bring a raft of green vehicles to Europe as part of the Hyundai-Kia Automotive Group's commitment to develop environmental technology. Announcing nearly £2 billion of investment in green growth the group has said it is aiming to become one of the world's top four manufacturers of low emission vehicles by 2012 – the date it has stated for the introduction of fuel cell elec... http://www.whatgreencar.com/news-item.php?Kia-to-bring-green-cars-to-Europe Tue, 28 Jul 2009 09:14:47 GMT Honda's new Accord has been named as the UK's most reliable car in this year's Which? car survey, it was announced today. The car achieved a reliability score of 99%, one of the highest scores ever achieved; closely followed by the new Honda Jazz in second place with a score of 98%. Honda cars hold four of the top ten places in the recent survey. As well as the new Jazz reaching second place,... http://www.whatgreencar.com/news-item.php?Accord-named-UKs-most-reliable-car Mon, 27 Jul 2009 16:23:47 GMT The Government must improve the way in which it justifies motoring taxes to rebuild public trust, says the Transport Select Committee in its latest report Taxes and charges on road users (HC 103). Launching the report, Committee Chairman Louise Ellman MP said, "The Government handled a phased set of increases to Vehicle Excise Duty so badly they tarnished the image of environmental taxes... http://www.whatgreencar.com/news-item.php?Committee-calls-for-fairer-road-taxes Fri, 24 Jul 2009 09:45:17 GMT The Korean company Hyundai has become the king of UK scrappage, taking more than 17,000 orders since the scheme started - that's almost 300 orders per day. By far the most popular car under the scheme is the i10, taking one in 12 of all orders placed in the UK using scrappage. Extra supplies of the car have been secured from the factory and the company's import centre in Tilbury, Essex, i... http://www.whatgreencar.com/news-item.php?Hyundai-leads-UK-scrappage-scheme Wed, 22 Jul 2009 09:53:08 GMT Europe's top selling small hatchback, the Peugeot 207, is now even greener with the introduction of the new 207 Economique and Economique+ which emit only 99g/km of CO2. First shown at the 2009 Geneva Motor Show, the new Peugeot 207 Economique reflects the company's commitment to low emission cars and uses the latest technology to reduce CO2 emissions to just 99g/km (down from 117g/km). Despi... http://www.whatgreencar.com/news-item.php?Peugeots-207-goes-greener Tue, 21 Jul 2009 09:12:16 GMT With almost two weeks to go till the new Toyota Prius goes on sale, Toyota sales Director Richard Balshaw (pictured, left) was presented with its first award, the WhatGreenCar Car of the Year 2009, by Dan Fallon, WhatGreenCar's Commercial Director. On sale from 1 August 2009, the new Toyota Prius was chosen from a short-list of 10 green car finalists which were test-driven at Imperial College... http://www.whatgreencar.com/news-item.php?Toyota-Prius-receives-WGC-Award Mon, 20 Jul 2009 18:06:04 GMT Working in partnership with the UK and Portuguese governments, Nissan today announced their plans to build two plants for the production of its advanced lithium-ion batteries in Europe. As part of the Renault-Nissan Alliance, this marks the first significant step towards producing batteries for its Zero Emission Mobility Program in Europe. After finalizing details and concluding discussions w... http://www.whatgreencar.com/news-item.php?Nissan-to-build-battery-plant-in-UK Mon, 20 Jul 2009 14:45:06 GMT Toyota Motor Europe today announced plans to manufacture a full hybrid version of its C-segment hatchback, Auris, at its UK-based facility in Burnaston, Derbyshire. Production of Toyota's first European-built full hybrid will kick-off at Toyota Motor Manufacturing UK (TMUK) in mid-2010. Engines will be produced at TMUK's facility in Deeside, North Wales. The announcement, which coincid... http://www.whatgreencar.com/news-item.php?Toyota-to-launch-hybrid-Auris Fri, 17 Jul 2009 09:45:28 GMT The versatile Fiat Qubo mini-MPV is the latest in Fiat's range to benefit from eco:Drive, the in-car system that can save fuel and reduce emissions. eco:Drive, which allows drivers to download a record of their driving style from car to computer with a USB memory stick, and learn how to reduce their impact on the environment, is already available on other Fiat cars, including 500, 500C, Grand... http://www.whatgreencar.com/news-item.php?Qubo-to-get-ecoDrive-technology Wed, 15 Jul 2009 16:34:25 GMT Honda's new CEO, Takanobu Ito has announced plans to begin sales of the CR-Z sports hybrid model in Japan in February 2010. The start date for UK sales of the new hybrid coupe will be released towards the end of 2009. By combining this new model with the current Insight and Civic Hybrid, Honda will further enhance its line-up of compact hybrid models, powered by Honda's compact, lightweight,... http://www.whatgreencar.com/news-item.php?Honda-to-launch-CRZ-hybrid Tue, 14 Jul 2009 09:20:51 GMT After declaring banckrupcy last month, General Motors has been given a second chance and is now back in business. This "marks a new beginning for General Motors, one that will allow every employee... to get back to the business of designing, building and selling great cars and trucks and serving the needs of our customers," said Fritz Henderson, president and CEO. He continue... http://www.whatgreencar.com/news-item.php?General-Motors-back-in-business Mon, 13 Jul 2009 09:46:49 GMT Nancy Gioia, the Director of Ford's hybrid vehicle program, said the company expects electric vehicles to account for between 10-25% of its car and light truck output by 2020, according to a report by Reuters Ford sold almost 2m vehicles in North America alone last year. It is therefore reasonable to assume that Gioia's forecast could translate into between 200,000 and 500,000 units of electr... http://www.whatgreencar.com/news-item.php?Ford-gets-ambitious-about-EVs Thu, 09 Jul 2009 09:32:36 GMT The latest 407 Coupé features new levels of performance - with two new engines that are both more powerful and that have lower CO2 outputs, while ensuring that it remains as an attractive long-distance grand tourer. While the lines of the 407 Coupé remain largely untouched, new features ensure it retains its distinctive appeal. Benefiting from the arrival of these new engines, the ele... http://www.whatgreencar.com/news-item.php?Peugeots-new-407-Coup-is-greener Thu, 09 Jul 2009 09:18:43 GMT An environmentally friendly car club scheme was launched in central London today. It is being jointly run by Westminster City Council and Zipcar, the world's largest car club operator. The car club will include a fleet of 20 hybrid vehicles. It also will offer members access to the country's first all-electric car club vehicle, a Citroën c1. Motorists will also have the chance to drive a plu... http://www.whatgreencar.com/news-item.php?Zipcar-to-include-hybrid-fleet Tue, 07 Jul 2009 11:31:13 GMT The much anticipated vehicle scrappage scheme, which started on 18 May, is proving hugely popular and is working well, according to figures released today by the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT). The number of new cars sold in the UK last month totalled 176,264 - a 15.7% drop on June 2008. But the month-on-month fall was the smallest since July 2008. In June, almost 10% ... http://www.whatgreencar.com/news-item.php?Scrappage-scheme-working-well Tue, 07 Jul 2009 09:48:58 GMT The Environment Agency has chosen to include Peugeot as one of its suppliers of low-CO2 cars for its UK fleet. Employees will be able to select from a choice of Peugeot 207 and 308 models, including the latest SR derivative, which have been selected because of their specification and class-leading low-CO2 engines. The Peugeot models will selected from 120 and sub 130g/CO2 bandings. For the m... http://www.whatgreencar.com/news-item.php?Env-Agency-give-Peugeot-the-all-green- Fri, 03 Jul 2009 09:25:54 GMT Renault is to make its Renault Kangoo be bop Z.E. prototype electric vehicle (EV) available to businesses for test-drives. The technology seen on this car is very similar to that which will feature on the brand's upcoming production vehicles currently under development. The Renault Kangoo be bop Z.E. prototype is powered by a 44kW (60hp) electric motor and is equipped with a 15kWh battery. Wi... http://www.whatgreencar.com/news-item.php?Renault-to-offer-Kangoo-EV-test-drives Wed, 01 Jul 2009 09:39:39 GMT According to a new survey released by Good Business, 61% of consumers demand greater environmental commitment from car companies and are sending a clear message to car manufacturers that they need to do more to tackle climate change. The independent survey of over 1,000 adults in the UK revealed that not only do 73% think the industry is not doing enough to address its social and environment... http://www.whatgreencar.com/news-item.php?Car-buyers-demand-greener-auto-industry Tue, 30 Jun 2009 09:11:01 GMT The title of WhatGreenCar Car of the Year 2009 has been awarded to the 'next generation' Toyota Prius, due to be launched in the UK on 1st August 2009. The new Toyota Prius was chosen from a short-list of 10 green car finalists which were test-driven at Imperial College, London, by six of the UK's leading green transport and environmental experts. The judging was completely independent and sh... http://www.whatgreencar.com/news-item.php?New-Prius-is-WGC-Car-of-the-Year-2009 Mon, 29 Jun 2009 06:18:24 GMT Eight new low carbon vehicle projects are set to benefit from a share of £25 million of Government funding to run 'real life' trials, Science Minister Lord Drayson and Transport Secretary Lord Adonis announced this week. The project will be the biggest of its kind and accelerate the availability of innovative low carbon cars to consumers. The successful bids, which bring together car ma... http://www.whatgreencar.com/news-item.php?Govt-to-fund-pound25m-green-car-trials Wed, 24 Jun 2009 14:19:15 GMT Following successful trials in the UK, the iconic, zero-emission, smart fortwo electric drive is ready for small series production. Reaction from customers taking part in the UK trial, including the Metropolitan Police, universities, local councils, architects and energy companies, has proved so encouraging that smart’s parent company, Daimler AG, can confirm that the smart electric drive w... http://www.whatgreencar.com/news-item.php?Electric-smart-to-go-live-in-2010 Mon, 22 Jun 2009 14:30:36 GMT From next week, Streetcar car club is giving the general public the chance to drive one of Europe's first plug-in electric hybrid cars. In a joint initiative with Camden Council and Transport for London (TfL), the Amberjac conversion Prius (one of only 25 such cars in the world) will be added to Streetcar’s fleet of 1,200 pay-as you-go vehicles. It will be operated from Camden’s Bloomsbur... http://www.whatgreencar.com/news-item.php?Streetcar-offer-drivers-plugin-hybrid Thu, 18 Jun 2009 15:22:06 GMT Forget the arguments about which hybrid was first to market, the best-seller by far is the Toyota Prius and, in its latest iteration, Iain Robertson still believes that it is the best of the bunch. Upward spiralling fuel costs (in case you had not noticed) and the economic crash have focused motorists’ attention on green issues like never before. Even the car scrappage scheme, of which quit... http://www.whatgreencar.com/news-item.php?Toyota-Prius-Mk3-review Wed, 17 Jun 2009 12:05:17 GMT Ford is boosting its Mondeo ECOnetic range with the introduction of a new, 2.0-litre, 115PS model, the lowest CO2 Mondeo yet. The arrival of the new Mondeo ECOnetic continues a series of low CO2 model launches which includes the award winning Focus ECOnetic and the current 125PS Mondeo ECOnetic, both introduced in 2008, and the Fiesta ECOnetic launched last January. A Ka ECOnetic has been a... http://www.whatgreencar.com/news-item.php?Ford-launch-greenest-Mondeo-yet- Wed, 17 Jun 2009 09:56:51 GMT WhatGreenCar today releases the short-list for the Car of the Year Award 2009, the most thorough environmental analysis of new cars in the UK. Now in its second year, WhatGreenCar uses its unique rating system to rank the greenest new cars to come to market this year, honouring the most eco friendly of all with the Green Car of the Year Award. The latest models are rated for environmental imp... http://www.whatgreencar.com/news-item.php?WGC-Car-of-the-Year-2009-shortlist Sun, 14 Jun 2009 21:47:43 GMT After months of anticipation, the all-new Prius arrived in the UK this week and is already on the road and on public display. The third generation of Toyota's world-conquering hybrid has wasted no time in demonstrating its environmental credentials by taking part in the Revolve Eco-Rally, a showcase for low emissions and fuel-efficient cars that travelled from Brighton to London’s City Hall... http://www.whatgreencar.com/news-item.php?New-Toyota-Prius-arrives-in-UK Wed, 10 Jun 2009 22:03:06 GMT Van buyers will find it easier to cut emissions and save money due to a new van CO2 data base launched by the new Transport Secretary Andrew Adonis. The online database, the biggest of its kind for vans in Europe, has been compiled by the Vehicle Certification Agency (VCA), Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT), and Department for Transport (DfT). It allows users to search for ne... http://www.whatgreencar.com/news-item.php?White-van-man-goes-green Tue, 09 Jun 2009 11:47:04 GMT The Lexus RX and Toyota's hybrid car, the Prius, are the first and second ranking models in the J.D. Power and Associates/What Car? 2009 UK Vehicle Ownership Satisfaction Study released today. The Lexus RX earns a score of 853 on a 1,000-point scale, with owners reporting particularly high satisfaction with the model’s quality/reliability and appeal as well as servicing at the dealership. ... http://www.whatgreencar.com/news-item.php?Lexus-RX-and-Toyota-Prius-top-survey Fri, 05 Jun 2009 11:06:44 GMT A Volvo plug-in hybrid car that can be fuelled either with conventional diesel or electricity from a standard wall socket is likely to become a reality by 2012, according to recent plans announced by the Volvo Car Corporation and Swedish energy company Vattenfall. Following a successful joint project to test and develop plug-in technology in 2007, the Volvo-Vattenfall partnership is advancin... http://www.whatgreencar.com/news-item.php?Volvo-to-develop-plugin-diesel-hybrids Wed, 03 Jun 2009 11:39:22 GMT After 101 years in business, America's biggest carmaker, General Motors, today finally admitted defeat in its battle to survive the global crisis and declared itself bankrupt. With Chrysler, two of the top three American motor manufacturers are now under court protection. With debts of over $81bn (£50bn), and following receipt of $19bn of emergency aid from the US treasury, the company filed... http://www.whatgreencar.com/news-item.php?General-Motors-declares-bankruptcy- Mon, 01 Jun 2009 22:23:12 GMT One of Europe's most popular small cars has been through no less than five transformations since its introduction in 1975, yet, states Iain Robertson, none of them has been as ground-shaking as the latest iteration. The Volkswagen Polo is one of those cars with which an entire generation of people has grown up alongside. From the outset, it was a defining product. Never as obviously 'inexpens... http://www.whatgreencar.com/news-item.php?Volkswagen-Polo-MkV-review Sun, 31 May 2009 22:00:27 GMT Figures released today show that the Government's scrappage scheme has proved popular with consumers as manufacturers reported brisk sales, with more than 35,000 orders since the announcement of the £2000 scrappage subsidy. This equates to one scrappage scheme order out of every five new car orders in this period. Gordon Brown welcomed three new car buyers that had benefited from the s... http://www.whatgreencar.com/news-item.php?Car-scrappage-scheme-proves-popular Fri, 29 May 2009 15:23:15 GMT Organisers of the London Motorexpo have unveiled details of this summer's Canary Wharf event – which takes place from Monday 8th to Sunday 14th June 2009 and is completely free for the public to attend. In the face of the economic downturn and within the worst automotive market for over fifty years, the free to visit London Motorexpo has continued to develop following the success of its... http://www.whatgreencar.com/news-item.php?London-Motorexpo-opens-8th-June Thu, 28 May 2009 11:13:34 GMT With a hybrid development featuring in almost every model of its line-up, Lexus, the luxury arm of Toyota, enables even posh car buyers to go some way to satisfying thier environmental conscience, which Iain Robertson suggests is just dandy! By building the RX 450h in the World's first dedicated hybrid-only plant, Toyota is living up to its promise to produce some of the cleanest and greenest... http://www.whatgreencar.com/news-item.php?Lexus-RX-450h-review Thu, 28 May 2009 10:02:29 GMT Euro NCAP, the organisation that assesses the safety of new cars, today releases the results for six new cars, five of which receive Euro NCAP's maximum five star award. Euro NCAP's latest top scorers with five star results are the Audi Q5, Honda Jazz, Hyundai i20, Kia Soul and Peugeot 3008. Of these, all but the Q5 are super-minis or small cars. Many car buyers may be pleasantly surpr... http://www.whatgreencar.com/news-item.php?New-smaller-cars-widen-safety-choice Wed, 27 May 2009 15:07:18 GMT According to the consumer experts Which?, the car scrappage scheme launched this week will certainly benefit small car buyers, and the government – but buyers of larger, more expensive models may do better to buy second-hand. Car buyers most likely to benefit from the £2,000 incentive are those who are buying a small car – such as a city car or supermini – as the schem... http://www.whatgreencar.com/news-item.php?Scrap-a-banger-for-a-smallcar-bargain Fri, 22 May 2009 12:45:16 GMT President Obama has set in motion a groundbreaking US policy aimed at both increasing fuel economy and reducing greenhouse gas pollution for all new cars and trucks sold in the United States. The new standards, covering model years 2012-2016, will require an average fuel economy standard of 35.5 mpg (US gallon) by 2016 (equivalent to 42.6 mpg in the UK), and significantly surpasses the CAFE ... http://www.whatgreencar.com/news-item.php?Obama-sets-new-fuel-economy-standards Tue, 19 May 2009 20:36:07 GMT With a combined CO2 rating of just 105g/km, the latest Vauxhall Corsa ecoFLEX shaves a remarkable 14g/km off the outgoing model's emissions figure, and now achieves 85.6mpg on the Government's extra urban fuel cycle – an improvement of over 13%. Now officially Vauxhall's most economical production vehicle in its 106-year history, the 3-door only Corsa ecoFLEX will pave the way for even ... http://www.whatgreencar.com/news-item.php?Vauxhall-launches-85mpg-Corsa Tue, 19 May 2009 14:49:11 GMT As announced in the 2009 Budget, the UK 'bangers for cash' or 'car scrappage' scheme starts today 18th May. The aim of the 'vehicle discount' scheme (to give it its official name) is to give a boost to the car industry during the current downturn, by providing £2,000 to those buying a new vehicle to replace a vehicle more than ten years old. The government is setting aside &pound... http://www.whatgreencar.com/news-item.php?Car-scrappage-scheme-starts-today Mon, 18 May 2009 08:39:01 GMT Toyota will lease over 150 units of its next generation Plug-in Hybrid Vehicle (PHV) to selected fleet customers across Europe as part of a three-year programme. Alongside France, Toyota is in discussion with three European countries, including the UK, Germany and the Netherlands. The new PHV comes equipped with a powerful lithium-ion battery, extending the vehicle’s range in electric vehi... http://www.whatgreencar.com/news-item.php?Toyota-to-lease-150-plugin-hybrids Fri, 15 May 2009 15:57:08 GMT From September, the Vorsprung durch Technik brand will start to implement a series of measures to increase the average fuel economy across its model range by 20% by 2012.* These include the use of new technologies which include an engine start-stop system, the use of regenerative braking and an efficiency program built into the onboard computer. The start-stop system reduces consumption by sh... http://www.whatgreencar.com/news-item.php?Audi-to-improve-fuel-economy-by-20 Fri, 15 May 2009 09:26:13 GMT While 4WD and turbocharged engines seem to have been on Subaru's main course menu for some years a need to attend to better MPG figures has led to the introduction of the collaborative, compact Justy, states Iain Robertson. Apart from the twee twin exhaust tail-pipes (a Subaru signature), today's Subaru Justy, introduced last summer, is a broadly familiar model. In fact, it has even greater r... http://www.whatgreencar.com/news-item.php?Subaru-Justy-10R-review Thu, 14 May 2009 08:54:10 GMT BMW has a fight on its hands as it seeks a record-breaking fifth consecutive International Engine of the Year title. The German manufacturer, which has scooped more trophies for engine excellence than any other company in the Awards' 11-year history, faces tough competition from over 60 new entrants in 2009. Expected to fare well this year are the latest hybrid engines as used by Toyota's new... http://www.whatgreencar.com/news-item.php?Hybrids-battle-for-Engine-of-the-Year Wed, 13 May 2009 16:00:52 GMT A consortium including Ricardo, Jaguar-Land Rover, E.ON and Amberjac Projects, has announced the results of new simulation studies, which suggest that a substantial medium-term rise in the number of electric vehicles (EVs) and plug-in hybrid vehicles would have a much lower impact on the UK national power grid than has previously been estimated. The research study has been carried out by the ... http://www.whatgreencar.com/news-item.php?UK-grid-capacity-sufficient-for-EVs Tue, 12 May 2009 13:51:17 GMT Here’s a thing, the new 4x4 sector is currently dying on its wheels, although car buyers still want spacious cars offering a good view out, factors that Iain Robertson suggests could be combined in just one thoughtful vehicle. If you had said to me a few years ago that I would recommend a van-based car to somebody, I would have laughed. Yet, I am going to ask you to consider one vehi... http://www.whatgreencar.com/news-item.php?Peugeot-Partner-Tepee-review Tue, 12 May 2009 11:40:51 GMT Transport for London (TfL) has announced a six month trial of Intelligent Speed Adaptation (ISA) technology, which aims to reduce road casualties and help cut congestion on London's roads. By communicating with TfL's digital speed limit map of London, the intelligent technology enables drivers to select an option where acceleration is stopped automatically at the speed limit specific to any road w... http://www.whatgreencar.com/news-item.php?TfL-to-trial-speedlimiting-technology Tue, 12 May 2009 11:37:55 GMT As announced in the 2009 Budget, the UK will follow in the footsteps of a number of European countries and introduce a ‘vehicle discount’ or ‘car scrappage’ scheme on 18th May . The aim of the scheme is to give a boost to the car industry during the current downturn, by providing £2,000 to those buying a new vehicle to replace a vehicle more than ten years old. The gover... http://www.whatgreencar.com/news-item.php?The-car-scrappage-scheme-how-it-works Mon, 11 May 2009 10:21:03 GMT US President, Barack Obama, took on powerful industry interests in the US this week as he announced his plans for a future of more sustainable biofuel production. Obama's administration made clear that it did not see corn-based ethanol as a long-term solution to climate change and suggested that where opportunities existed to increase production, they should be occupied by new, cleane... http://www.whatgreencar.com/news-item.php?Obama-gets-tough-on-cornbased-biofuels Thu, 07 May 2009 16:02:31 GMT As we mentioned in our Top 10 green wheel to watch in 2009 feature back in January, this summer will see the launch of the next generation Prius. The new, third-generation Prius further refines Toyota’s market-leading power-train, the Hybrid Synergy Drive – winner of the Green Engine of the Year title for the last five years in a row. In the new Prius, a new four-cylin... http://www.whatgreencar.com/news-item.php?Toyota-gears-up-for-launch-of-new-Prius Mon, 04 May 2009 22:04:14 GMT From 1st May 2009, UK car tax bands will switch from an A-G CO2-banded system (officially known as 'graduated Vehicle Excise Duty' or 'VED') to a new A-M system, one with a larger number of narrower CO2 bands. Unchanged is the rationale being that higher taxation costs will discourage ownership of heavily polluting vehicles, and low or no taxation will encourage uptake of less polluting mode... http://www.whatgreencar.com/news-item.php?New-CO2-car-tax-rates-start-today Fri, 01 May 2009 09:28:41 GMT The Electric Car Corporation Plc (ECC) announces the launch of the UK's first 4-seater, 'all electric' production car, which is available to buy today. The launch coincides with the Government's announcement to support and subsidise electric car use and their commitment to make the UK 'a world leader' in producing and exporting electric cars. This is further su... http://www.whatgreencar.com/news-item.php?ECC-launches-the-all-electric-Citroen-C1-evie Thu, 30 Apr 2009 13:46:23 GMT Super-frugal, stylish and 'green', the new Fiesta Van ECOnetic goes on sale in Britain later this year. The new model offers the same Fiesta style with lowered suspension, low rolling resistance tyres and a specially calibrated Duratorq 1.6-litre TDCi for ultra-low emissions of 98g/km CO2. Made at Ford's wind-powered engine plant at Dagenham, Essex, the 90PS 1.6-litre Duratorq TDCi engine co... http://www.whatgreencar.com/news-item.php?Ford-reveals-Britains-greenest-small-van Tue, 28 Apr 2009 10:03:28 GMT After months of lobbying from the struggling UK motor industry, Alistair Darling today announced that the UK will follow in the footsteps of a number of European countries and introduce a car scrappage scheme. The aim of the scheme is to give a boost to the car industry during the current downturn, by providing a grant of £2,000 to those buying a new vehicle to replace a vehicle more than te... http://www.whatgreencar.com/news-item.php?Darling-announces-car-scrappage-scheme Wed, 22 Apr 2009 15:09:18 GMT Chancellor of the Exchequer Alistair Darling delivered his second Budget against a background of the worst economic crisis for 60 years. Below we outline the key measures impacting on the private motorist, fleets and the motor industry. Car and van scrappage scheme launched Owners of cars and vans 10 years old, or older, are to be offered a £2,000 incentive towards the cost of a ... http://www.whatgreencar.com/news-item.php?Budget-2009-key Wed, 22 Apr 2009 08:46:30 GMT CO2 emissions for new cars are continuing to fall at the record rates first seen in 2008 as reported by WhatGreenCar in March. According to industry figures just published, average new car CO2 fell by 4.5% in the first quarter of this year as compared to the first quarter of 2008. In detail, the average tailpipe CO2 emissions for new cars in the first quarter of 2009 was 153.9 g/km, which is... http://www.whatgreencar.com/news-item.php?New-car-CO2-continues-to-fall-at-record-rate Tue, 21 Apr 2009 15:23:14 GMT On behalf of the London Borough of Camden, Ecolane is recruiting volunteers to take part in a series of focus groups about Transport and the Environment. To be eligible, you should either be resident in or close to the London Borough of Camden OR work/run a business in Camden. The focus groups last for around two hours in length. Sandwiches and refreshments are provided, and all partic... http://www.whatgreencar.com/news-item.php?Signup-for-Camden-Transport-Survey Fri, 17 Apr 2009 15:08:05 GMT Following previous announcements by the Prime Minister and Geoff Hoon, the Transport Secretary, today the government unveils £250m worth of incentives and investment in electric cars and recharging infrastructure. As part of this strategy, car buyers will be offered £2,000-£5,000 to purchase new cars that run entirely, or for the vast majority of their time, on electricity. ... http://www.whatgreencar.com/news-item.php?Govt-to-offer-5k-incentive-to-buy-electric-cars Thu, 16 Apr 2009 10:10:26 GMT With a notable gap in its UK line-up, Nissan has finally introduced a sub-Micra model that delights Iain Robertson, although he wonders if one trick has been missed. Although there has been enough news coverage of late around the car scene to appreciate that 'small is preferable' in today's economic environment, Nissan has been extraordinarily slow to introduce us in the UK to its tiddlers &#... http://www.whatgreencar.com/news-item.php?Nissan-Pixo-review Wed, 15 Apr 2009 22:17:42 GMT As reported in The Independent in an interview with the Prime Minister, the Chancellor, Alistair Darling, is to announce significant financial support for green cars in next week's Budget, with particular emphasis on electric vehicles (EVs). Mr Brown indicated that the Government is about to launch new grants for electric and fuel-efficient cars. Although few details of the scheme are known,... http://www.whatgreencar.com/news-item.php?Budget-to-include-grants-for-lowcarbon-cars Wed, 15 Apr 2009 08:30:00 GMT The Mayor of London, Boris Johnson, has challenged the Government to 'put its money where its mouth is' and back his ambitious plans to make London the electric car capital of Europe, helping to create jobs, cut carbon emissions and improve air quality. The Mayor outlined a series of initiatives to achieve at least 100,000 electric vehicles on the capital's streets as soon as possible, equating... http://www.whatgreencar.com/news-item.php?Mayor-to-make-London-EV-Capital-of-Europe Tue, 14 Apr 2009 16:12:47 GMT Struggling US car giant, General Motors, has unveiled a prototype two-seat electric scooter, which it has developed in combination with forward-thinking personal mobility specialists, Segway. The prototype scooter - the outcome of Project P.U.M.A (Personal Urban Mobility and Accessibility) - is intended to ease traffic congestion in urban areas and reduce pollution from road transport. ... http://www.whatgreencar.com/news-item.php?GM-and-Segway-collaborate-on-escooter Fri, 10 Apr 2009 15:19:17 GMT Having created a name with Picasso, Citroen is now filling a niche with a C3 version, with which Iain Robertson can find NO areas of disagreement, and declares it as one of the best compact MPVs / family cars he has driven in many years. Excitement has been sorely missing from the motorcar business for some time. Oh, sure, you can become excited, enthralled even, with the latest Italian super... http://www.whatgreencar.com/news-item.php?Citroen-C3-Picasso-review Wed, 08 Apr 2009 11:36:13 GMT According to the European Automobile Manufacturers' Association (ACEA), a total of eleven EU countries now have fleet renewal programmes in place to soften the impact of the recession and promote greener cars. The growing list of EU countries with scrappage schemes includes: Austria, Cyprus, France, Germany, Italy, Luxembourg, Portugal, Romania and Spain. These latest incentive schemes ... http://www.whatgreencar.com/news-item.php?11-EU-countries-offer-car-scrappage-incentives Wed, 08 Apr 2009 10:40:17 GMT The UK-based organisation 'We are Futureproof' is campaigning for the introduction of colour-coded labels on car advertisements, similar to those used in showrooms and on white goods. The group commissioned a poll from YouGov to see which format consumers found easier to understand. The results, released this week, show that more than half of people correctly identified the efficiency of a fi... http://www.whatgreencar.com/news-item.php?Poll-shows-colourcoded-scale-needed-for-car-ads Tue, 07 Apr 2009 11:08:28 GMT The new and much anticipated addition to the UK’s hybrid car market, the Honda Insight, will go on sale in dealerships across the UK from this Saturday (4th April). The Insight, which is small family hybrid (C-segment), offers a combined fuel economy of 64.2mpg and CO2 emissions of 101g/km, and is priced from £15,490. The much hyped hybrid has already seen high levels of demand since its ... http://www.whatgreencar.com/news-item.php?Honda-launches-Insight-family-hybrid-in-UK Wed, 01 Apr 2009 16:27:40 GMT Electric car manufacturer Tesla Motors has unveiled its newest, cheapest vehicle, a four-door saloon that can carry five adults and can travel up to 300 miles per charge of its batteries. The Model S will cost $49,900, after a tax credit of $7,500, courtesy of Barack Obama's programme of support for electric vehicles. It is intended that production of the new model will begin in South... http://www.whatgreencar.com/news-item.php?Tesla-unveils-new-5seater-electric-car Tue, 31 Mar 2009 16:40:07 GMT According to the latest figures released by the AAA (Association Auxilaire de l'Automobile), the official supplier of car data to the European Commission, Peugeot cars are the top sellers in the sub-120gCO2/km (120g/km or less) and sub-130gCO2/km categories, both in the UK and across Europe. In the UK throughout 2008, the best-selling low CO2 vehicle in the sub-110g/km sector was the Peugeo... http://www.whatgreencar.com/news-item.php?Peugeot-leading-UK-sales-of-lowCO2-cars Mon, 30 Mar 2009 10:20:56 GMT Indian car manufacturer Tata, has announced its much anticipated Nano citycar will go on sale in West Bengal state at a cost of only 100,000 rupees (roughly £1,350) and will be exported to Europe and other richer nations within two years. Executives at the company estimate that, with India's improving road network and a rising middle class, sales could eventually reach a million Nanos a year... http://www.whatgreencar.com/news-item.php?Tata-launches-the-Nano-the-worlds-cheapest-car Wed, 25 Mar 2009 14:00:16 GMT Following the recent turmoil in Formula 1 arising from the high costs of running competitive motor racing teams, and doubts in sponsors' minds over the commercial value of their involvement, the viability of motor racing is being critically questioned. With this in mind the Warwick Innovative Manufacturing Research Centre (WIMRC), part of Warwick University, are seeking to prove to the motor indus... http://www.whatgreencar.com/news-item.php?WorldFirst-Formula-3-car-goes-greener Fri, 20 Mar 2009 17:04:55 GMT Supermodel Jodie Kidd became the first person in the UK to take a Fiat 'eco' test drive in a new initiative designed to highlight the benefits of environmentally-friendly motoring. The greener test-drive, which will help people drive in a more environmentally friendly way, will be piloted through 10 Fiat dealerships in the Greater London area from this week. Under the initiative, every custo... http://www.whatgreencar.com/news-item.php?Jodie-Kidd-launches-Fiats-green-testdrive Tue, 17 Mar 2009 16:15:59 GMT CO2 emissions from new cars fell by their biggest ever margin in 2008 with the average model now emitting just 158.0 g/km – 4.2% less than the 2007 figure and 16.8% down on the 189.8 g/km base level in 1997. The figures, revealed in the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders' (SMMT) annual New Car CO2 Report, showed that while the number of cars on the road and the distance travell... http://www.whatgreencar.com/news-item.php?New-car-CO2-falls-at-fastest-rate-on-record Mon, 16 Mar 2009 14:37:29 GMT Following the continuing loss of jobs in the UK automotive sector, there have been fervent calls from the industry for a car scrappage incentive scheme to boost consumer demand. WhatGreenCar considers the evidence and finds in favour of a scheme which stimulates demand for low emission vehicles. Earlier this month, Paul Everitt, chief executive of the Society for Motor Manufacturers and Trade... http://www.whatgreencar.com/news-item.php?WGCs-recommended-car-scrappage-scheme Wed, 11 Mar 2009 14:06:01 GMT SEAT has, this week, unveiled the Leon Ecomotive Concept at the Geneva motorshow. The Swiss debut for the car provides an interesting development in high fuel-economy family cars, and underlines SEAT's increasing focus on low emission motoring. Boasting a raft of new technologies, as well as an all-new 1.6-litre TDI diesel engine which features state-of-the-art 'common rail' engine technology... http://www.whatgreencar.com/news-item.php?Leon-Ecomotive-Concept-unveiled-in-Geneva Tue, 10 Mar 2009 15:14:43 GMT WhatGreenCar has learnt that the new system of VED bands and car tax rates will not be introduced as planned on 1 April 2009 (as set out in the pre-budget report), but will now be introduced on 1 May 2009. While the reasoning is that the delay is due to the rescheduling of the 2009 Budget on 22 April, there was an initial suspicion at WhatGreenCar that the planned reforms may be further amen... http://www.whatgreencar.com/news-item.php?New-CO2-car-tax-rates-delayed-until-1st-May Mon, 09 Mar 2009 09:20:20 GMT BMW is already a global award-winner for its stance on low emissions and its `Efficient Dynamics&#96 power-train technology; According to Iain Robertson, going `green` with this premium brand is a thoroughly painless, though moderately pricey, affair. In days not so long past, buying in to premium car ownership usually came with an unfortunate `gas-guzzling` tag, but as we... http://www.whatgreencar.com/news-item.php?BMW-118d-ES-review Thu, 05 Mar 2009 11:52:32 GMT The fifth generation Volkswagen Polo has been unveiled at the Geneva Motor Show, 34 years after the original went on sale in the UK. Weighing 7.5 per cent less than the model it replaces – despite being marginally wider and longer – it's stronger, promises greater refinement and efficiency, and features new packaging to make it the most versatile iteration yet. The new supermini h... http://www.whatgreencar.com/news-item.php?Next-generation-VW-Polo-unveiled-at-Geneva Tue, 03 Mar 2009 15:58:26 GMT The Renault-Nissan Alliance and UK companies Elektromotive and greentomatocars, have announced they are collaborating in the Partnership for Zero-Emission-Mobility, with the aim of accelerating the uptake of electric vehicles (EVs) and installation of charging networks in London and other UK cities. A Memorandum of Understanding has been signed by all parties ahead of an imminent and dramatic... http://www.whatgreencar.com/news-item.php?Global-EV-alliance-set-to-arrive-in-UK Tue, 03 Mar 2009 09:48:11 GMT Don't panic! Iain Robertson knows that the Note is not a new model, having `enjoyed` that pleasure three years ago, however, its comprehensive mid-life revisions have turned it into a significantly better machine. It was, in fact, back in early-2006 that Nissan first revealed its response to the Renault Modus, both models emerging from the Micra platform, as a result of the strategic ... http://www.whatgreencar.com/news-item.php?Nissan-Note-review Wed, 25 Feb 2009 14:57:51 GMT While much has been made recently of Barack Obama's greening of the US auto-industry and his bailout plans for Detroit's struggling auto-makers, the Chinese government has been quietly moving development of its low-carbon transport sector on apace; the most recent initiative – announced on Chinese state radio last week – being a substantial programme of rebates rewarding those who inve... http://www.whatgreencar.com/news-item.php?China-launches-electric-vehicle-rebate-scheme Wed, 25 Feb 2009 12:09:15 GMT Zipcar, in partnership with San Francisco's Mayor, Gavin Newsom, has announced the launch of a pilot program for plug-in hybrid vehicles in the city's Bay Area. The company made the announcement at a press conference where they showcased a converted Toyota Prius plug-in hybrid at a special charging station across the street from San Francisco's City Hall. Zipcar is supporting Newsom's drive t... http://www.whatgreencar.com/news-item.php?Zipcar-add-plugin-Prius-hybrids-to-US-fleet Tue, 24 Feb 2009 10:33:15 GMT When he first saw the new Honda Insight, Iain Robertson was almost speechless with delight, and only slightly disconcerted that the second generation Insight appears to share some strong styling cues with the next generation Toyota Prius. Honda's first generation Insight, which carried some design aspects from the CRX sports coupe of the early-1990s, was a lightweight two-seat fastback coupe,... http://www.whatgreencar.com/news-item.php?Honda-Insight-review Fri, 20 Feb 2009 10:05:38 GMT The Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) renewed its call for a car scrappage incentive scheme to boost the new vehicle market at a European seminar held in Brussels this week. Initiated by the European Commission, member state representatives discussed how scrappage schemes are designed to work in each country and how these schemes could be harmonised across the EU to maximise benefi... http://www.whatgreencar.com/news-item.php?SMMT-renews-call-for-car-scrappage-scheme Wed, 18 Feb 2009 10:13:06 GMT BMW has announced 850 redundancies at its Mini car plant in Cowley, Oxfordshire, prompting protests from unions over a perceived lack of sensitivity towards the rights of agency workers. The decision, which has branded as "opportunistic" by the unions is, however, indicative of a car market in freefall, and will provide more than a little concern to an industry whose hopes are resting he... http://www.whatgreencar.com/news-item.php?Credit-crunch-hits-the-mini-as-BMW-axes-850-jobs Tue, 17 Feb 2009 16:59:47 GMT Without doubt one of the most stylish and eminently desirable new cars to emerge in recent times has been the Fiat 500, which Iain Robertson says is not just a retro-designed city car but is a genuine fashion statement. The fortunes of Fiat have fluctuated like the proverbial yo-yo. At one time it was the carmaker with the highest percentage of local demand in Europe, to suffering untold pain... http://www.whatgreencar.com/news-item.php?Fiat-500-StartStop-review Fri, 13 Feb 2009 12:55:55 GMT Although Ford Motor Company could never be accused of avoiding issues, its approach to eco-friendly transport is, according to Iain Robertson, considerably more conventional than its rivals'. When assessing the new car scene to ascertain which manufacturer has made the greatest contribution to reducing exhaust pollution and upping mpg, one carmaker rises to the surface every time. Of course, ... http://www.whatgreencar.com/news-item.php?Ford-Fiesta-ECOnetic-review Wed, 11 Feb 2009 16:09:38 GMT With the UK government's reform of Vehicle Excise Duty (road tax) now less than two months away, and growing concerns about both the credit crunch and the environment, we thought now a good time to review the imminent changes to the system of car taxation. The scheduled reform to the UK’s road tax system for cars was set out by Alistair Darling as part of his budget report in April of last ... http://www.whatgreencar.com/news-item.php?Countdown-to-Aprils-new-13band-road-tax Mon, 09 Feb 2009 08:36:04 GMT It has been a while since Ford Motor Company practiced a little bit of Latin in naming its models but, says Iain Robertson, a little bit of Ford is now deeply entrenched with Latin roots, as the all-new Ka hits the road in eco-style. Of course, Ford, as befits a major player, has been in the vanguard of new model innovations for many years. Yet, the previous generation Ka demonstrated that, w... http://www.whatgreencar.com/news-item.php?Ford-Ka-review Fri, 06 Feb 2009 13:22:04 GMT Hertz, the world's largest general use car rental company, has launched Connect by Hertz, a new international car share service with local parking in London, Paris and New York City. During 2009, the service will be extended to further cities and other countries, particularly across Europe. Building on this new service, Hertz intends to become the world leader of car sharing by 2011. Members ... http://www.whatgreencar.com/news-item.php?Hertz-launches-Connect-car-share-service Thu, 05 Feb 2009 15:23:11 GMT The Mayor of London, Boris Johnson, today announced his intention to suspend the third phase of London's Low Emission Zone due to the added pressure it would place on small businesses. The extension to the scheme, which was scheduled to start in October 2010, would have affected an estimated 90,000 vehicles, including vans and minibuses, and could, according to the Greater London Authority (GLA), ... http://www.whatgreencar.com/news-item.php?Johnson-to-halt-extension-of-Low-Emission-Zone Tue, 03 Feb 2009 11:02:51 GMT There is no questioning iQ's status as one of the most fuel-efficient cars on the market, but a new hypermiling challenge has seen the tiny Toyota perform comfortably beyond its official fuel economy figures. Piloted by two of the team from the iQ blog, a standard iQ2 with a 1.0-litre VVT-i petrol engine, broke through 500 miles on a single tank of fuel. What makes the achievement all the mor... http://www.whatgreencar.com/news-item.php?Hypermiling-iQ-18cities-2days-1tank-of-fuel Mon, 02 Feb 2009 10:51:47 GMT The Ford Fiesta ECOnetic has arrived in dealership showrooms with a growing order bank in place for what is the greenest supermini currently available in the UK, according to WhatGreenCar environmental ratings. The all-new Ford Fiesta – December's top-selling car – is the latest to benefit from the ECOnetic package of extra fuel efficiency refinements already available on Focus a... http://www.whatgreencar.com/news-item.php?New-Fiesta-ECOnetic-now-UKs-greenest-supermini Wed, 28 Jan 2009 13:16:21 GMT Lord Mandelson yesterday made £2.3bn of loan guarantees available to the UK car industry. The support package includes a scheme to unlock £1.3bn of loans from the European Investment Bank for car manufacturers and major suppliers. Following his statement, Lord Mandelson also revealed that the government is considering a scrappage scheme that would encourage motorists to dispose of older and... http://www.whatgreencar.com/news-item.php?Mandelson-offers-23bn-to-save-UK-car-industry Wed, 28 Jan 2009 11:36:18 GMT Quintessentially quaint and curiously cubic, the all-new Fiat Qubo may get your goat with its strange name but Iain Robertson believes that its low-pollution, high-MPG and funky family aims will win it innumerable van-derived fans. Converting vans to people-movers is a tried and tested preoccupation of the motor industry, which started long before the dawn of the MPV sector. Yet, I have often... http://www.whatgreencar.com/news-item.php?Fiat-Qubo-review Mon, 26 Jan 2009 11:10:43 GMT Introduced at a time, when the motor industry is under intense pressure, you have to wonder about BMW's resolve with an H2-powered innovation. Iain Robertson provides a unique insight. Liquid hydrogen is not a mass-market fuel. While the world motor industry is keen to drop us into compact, eco-friendly modes of transport, the hydrogen fuel cell remains a distant dream. Without a refuelling i... http://www.whatgreencar.com/news-item.php?BMW-Hydrogen7-review Fri, 23 Jan 2009 15:27:44 GMT Faced with demoralising fuel costs, councils slapping on city idling fines and high car costs, South Korean carmaker, Kia Motors, may well have the answer in the form of the new Eco-Kias - Iain Robertson took them for a spin. Korean carmakers are not merely playing `catch-up` with their European rivals but are set to snatch technological leads away from them in the very near future, w... http://www.whatgreencar.com/news-item.php?Kia-ceed-review Fri, 23 Jan 2009 14:10:27 GMT With every carmaker in an understandable rush to place more economical models in the marketplace, Iain Robertson says that the latest newcomer to Fiat’s line-up – the `Eco` Bravo - should help to chivvy its sales. Fiat's engineers have effectively taken the `120` versions of this car, lost a few BHP but gained a few pounds-feet of torque, added a new set of low rolling res... http://www.whatgreencar.com/news-item.php?Fiat-Bravo-Eco-review Fri, 23 Jan 2009 11:55:59 GMT Determining whether a car name is important or not has some relevance to Iain Robertson, who believes that rather than a nondescript `i`, the most compact and cleanest of Mitsubishi models should be called `incisive`. To be frank, I have always had a sneaky appreciation of the Mitsubishi `i`. It is small. It is cute-looking. It is undeniably compact. However, above all... http://www.whatgreencar.com/news-item.php?Mitsubishi-iMIEV-electric-review Fri, 23 Jan 2009 10:01:24 GMT The Renewable Fuels Agency has released provisional data on biofuels supplied to UK forecourts, showing that many companies are failing to achieve the sustainability standards required of them under the Renewable Transport Fuel Obligation (RTFO). The data, which shows performance during the first 6 months of the obligation, suggests that it is unlikely that a number of fuel suppliers will meet the... http://www.whatgreencar.com/news-item.php?UK-biofuel-suppliers-failing-sustainability-standards Thu, 22 Jan 2009 11:50:08 GMT For everywhere we look, there is work to be done... We will build the roads and bridges, the electric grids and digital lines that feed our commerce and bind us together... We will harness the sun and the winds and the soil to fuel our cars and run our factories... All this we can do. All this we will do. President Barack Obama – Inauguration Speech 20th January 2009 http://www.whatgreencar.com/news-item.php?US-President-Obama-hints-at-green-future Wed, 21 Jan 2009 15:30:27 GMT From February 2009, safety organisation Euro NCAP will award a new star rating based on a car’s combined performance in protecting adults, children and pedestrians in an accident. Previously, vehicles have been awarded points and stars separately for the three areas, but the system is being changed in the hope that manufacturers will try to improve pedestrian safety as they aim for the high... http://www.whatgreencar.com/news-item.php?Euro-NCAP-to-launch-new-safety-star-ratings Tue, 20 Jan 2009 10:36:50 GMT The 2009 North American International Auto Show in Detroit is proving to be an altogether different spectacle from previous years, as car manufacturers compete not for the fastest or the fanciest new model, but for the most technologically progressive and environmentally considerate. This year, electric vehicles (EV) and hybrid technologies are taking centre stage in the battle for the heart... http://www.whatgreencar.com/news-item.php?Detroit-Auto-Show-2009-goes-electric Thu, 15 Jan 2009 15:57:41 GMT Get ready with the rubber boots, says Iain Robertson, because Hyundai's opening gambit for 2009 is a shockingly-good line-up of Corsa/Fiesta rivals that may make you reconsider your temporarily-shelved new car plans. Nobody asked, "Well, what do you think?", upon returning the latest Hyundai i20 to the launch venue, held at Bletchley Park, Milton Keynes, the home to the 'Enigma' machine that ... http://www.whatgreencar.com/news-item.php?Hyundai-i20-review Tue, 13 Jan 2009 15:21:51 GMT The Detroit motor show saw the official unveiling of the all-new, third-generation Toyota Prius, world's best selling hybrid car. With more than one million global sales since the original model was launched in 1997, the new Prius takes the benefits of hybrid to a new level, promising even better fuel economy and performance and reduced lifecycle emissions. The new Prius remains a full parall... http://www.whatgreencar.com/news-item.php?New-Prius-showcased-at-Detroit-Motor-Show Tue, 13 Jan 2009 10:31:53 GMT Should there be any doubt that the automotive sector is being hit hard by the recession, the latest industry figures show that the new car market fell for the eighth successive month in December, and the registrations in the final quarter of the year were down a massive 27%. Registrations ended 2008 at 2.13 million cars, down 11% on 2007, the lowest since 1996. This figure was 272 thousand of... http://www.whatgreencar.com/news-item.php?New-car-CO2-emissions-fall-by-record-4 Fri, 09 Jan 2009 11:03:07 GMT If you are someone who equates eco-friendly transport with tiny motorcars, clockwork engines, disproportionately high prices and severe compromises, then, says Iain Robertson, look again at the Mercedes-Benz C180K BlueEfficiency. While Mercedes-Benz's fortunes have been bouncing from pillar-to-post in recent years, from its snaffling-up of Chrysler Corp, to its unproductive partnership with M... http://www.whatgreencar.com/news-item.php?MercedezBenz-C180K-BlueEfficiency-review Thu, 08 Jan 2009 14:50:28 GMT As part of the regular 'Top 10 green wheels' series, WhatGreenCar looks ahead to the greenest cars due for launch in the UK during 2009. With the 'credit crunch' coming hard on the tails of the sharp increases in fuel prices in the first half of 2008, there cannot have been a better time to buy a fuel-efficient, low emission car. As government, company car and London Congestion Charge incent... http://www.whatgreencar.com/news-item.php?Top-10-green-wheels-to-watch-in-2009 Tue, 06 Jan 2009 10:00:54 GMT Doubts have emerged about the future of the London Congestion Charge, as the city's Mayor, Boris Johnson, indicated that he might consider holding a referendum on the central-London Congestion Charge zone. Speaking at his regular Mayor's question time, Johnson was asked if, after the recent `no vote` on the Manchester charging scheme, he would consider giving Londoners "the same oppor... http://www.whatgreencar.com/news-item.php?Boris-questions-future-of-London-CCharge Mon, 22 Dec 2008 22:17:21 GMT Nobody prescribed that eco-driving had to be a painful experience as Ford-owned Swedish carmaker Volvo is prepared to demonstrate in its outstanding new diesel estate car – Iain Robertson investigates. Although many consumers will feel that car buying incentives are as welcome as a nasty rash at the moment, with the turn of the year upon us and the lure of a new car for the New Year, Volvo ... http://www.whatgreencar.com/news-item.php?Volvo-V50-16D-DRIVe-review Fri, 19 Dec 2008 15:21:00 GMT The average CO2 emissions from new European cars must be cut to 130g/km by 2015, the equivalent of achieving 58mpg with a diesel engine and 52mpg in a petrol car. The new car CO2 legislation, which was passed by the European Parliament this week, is more manufacturer friendly than the 2012 cuts that were originally proposed, but sets a more challenging long-term target of 95g/km by 2020, which was... http://www.whatgreencar.com/news-item.php?EU-to-impose-new-car-CO2-legislation Thu, 18 Dec 2008 14:36:07 GMT In London last night, WhatGreenCar's director Dr Ben Lane was among an invited audience at the UK preview of the new Honda Insight family hybrid. The production version of the new Insight was presented for the first time ahead of its unveiling at the Detroit Motor Show in January next year. The new Insight 5-door family hatchback incorporates Honda's existing and unique Integrated Motor Assi... http://www.whatgreencar.com/news-item.php?First-UK-preview-the-new-Honda-Insight Thu, 18 Dec 2008 12:23:06 GMT Mercedes-Benz is presenting its near-series Concept BlueZERO range of ultra-low emission cars at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit. Based on a single modular design, the concept includes three different drive configurations with either a battery-electric, hybrid or fuel cell power-train. The three BlueZERO variants are based on the unique sandwich-floor architecture which ... http://www.whatgreencar.com/news-item.php?MercedesBenz-presents-Concept-BlueZERO Tue, 16 Dec 2008 11:51:53 GMT After a marathon set of negotiations on Capitol Hill last night, the proposed bailout of US automakers has collapsed. While earlier this week it looked as if agreement would be reached, the bailout was rejected by 52 votes to 35 last night (falling short of the required 60), as it failed to pass through the Senate. The proposed agreement, which would have entitled two of Detroit's largest mot... http://www.whatgreencar.com/news-item.php?Update-US-automaker-bailout-collapses Fri, 12 Dec 2008 11:26:10 GMT The White House is moving ever closer to agreeing a deal which would see struggling Detroit based automakers, GM and Chrysler, receive a $15 billion financial bailout. Discussions are based on a rescue package proposed by the Democrats, a key provision of which is the creation of a presidentially appointed `car czar` to oversee the restructuring of the car giants. The manufacturer... http://www.whatgreencar.com/news-item.php?US-automakers-on-brink-of-15-billion-bailout Wed, 10 Dec 2008 15:04:39 GMT Buyers are hardly falling over themselves in the rush to buy a smart car, which must make you wonder why Toyota wants a share of that city car sector, although Iain Robertson feels confident that 'intelligence' will win. While I may like the Mercedes-Benz smart, for its chic cuteness and sheer agility as an urban runabout, its handling remains suspect and its two-only seating is cramped and i... http://www.whatgreencar.com/news-item.php?Toyota-iQ-review Tue, 09 Dec 2008 15:20:20 GMT Bosch stop-start technology is being fitted to more and more passenger cars. From the early part of next year, Fiat will follow in the footsteps of BMW and MINI and fit a stop-start system to the Fiat 500. Bosch, which has been manufacturing stop-start technology since 2007, supplies the specially adapted starter, the engine management system, and the battery sensor, and has already delivered more... http://www.whatgreencar.com/news-item.php?More-models-to-use-stopstart-technology Tue, 09 Dec 2008 14:16:28 GMT As the first product of 'Projekt i' for BMW, a remarkable electric Mini not only introduces a clearly defined market sector but provides real-time responses to shape the Mini’s future and Iain Robertson drove the $1million car exclusively. Unveiling an innovative new car at the Los Angeles Motor Show is hardly a great way to make motoring headlines in the UK. Yet, when that new car is as re... http://www.whatgreencar.com/news-item.php?MINI-E-electric-review Mon, 08 Dec 2008 14:27:24 GMT In a detailed report released this week, the Committee on Climate Change (CCC) has urged the Government to target emissions from road-based transport and commit to reducing UK emissions of greenhouse gases by at least 34% by 2020 (relative to 1990 levels). The cornerstone of the report is the development of clean energy infrastructure, which will provide the foundations for significant carbon... http://www.whatgreencar.com/news-item.php?Road-transport-central-to-climate-change-report Wed, 03 Dec 2008 10:04:31 GMT Following Boris Johnson's decision to cancel the planned CO2-based Congestion Charge, which had been due to start last October, the London Mayor has today announced his intention to scrap the Western Extension of the Congestion Charging zone in response to public consultation. Over two thirds of Londoners and businesses responding to the consultation on the future of the zone have said they... http://www.whatgreencar.com/news-item.php?CCharge-Boris-to-scrap-Western-Extension Thu, 27 Nov 2008 22:19:38 GMT The Chancellor, Alistair Darling, announced his eagerly awaited Pre-Budget Report this afternoon. In a packed House, he outlined changes in rates of Vehicle Excise Duty (road tax), a cut in Value Added Tax (VAT), and, somewhat surprisingly, an increase in duty on fuel. The Report confirms the introduction of the new car tax bands in April 2009. However, it also announces that there will be no... http://www.whatgreencar.com/news-item.php?Prebudget-report-2008-impact-on-motorists Mon, 24 Nov 2008 17:52:01 GMT With credit well and truly 'crunched', and a repeat of last summer's soaring fuel prices highly likely, there cannot be a better time to buy a low-cost, fuel-efficient car. As switching to a car with high fuel economy also reduces emissions, fuel efficient cars are therefore, by definition, 'green cars' - which is why they also benefit from road tax, company car and London Congestion Charge incent... http://www.whatgreencar.com/news-item.php?Top-10-green-cars-to-beat-the-credit-crunch Wed, 19 Nov 2008 20:16:14 GMT The Insignia, the all-new family car from Vauxhall/Opel, has been voted 2009 Car of the Year (COTY) – by the narrowest possible margin. The Insignia polled an impressive 321 votes to beat this year’s other favoured contender, the Ford Fiesta, by a solitary point. The Volkwsagen Golf, on 223 points, was third. "This is the closest COTY competition for years" comments Ray Hutton, president ... http://www.whatgreencar.com/news-item.php?Vauxhall-Insignia-voted-Car-of-the-Year-2009 Mon, 17 Nov 2008 20:09:30 GMT During a 2007 trip to Detroit, Michigan, home of the motor vehicle, the current US President-elect managed to silence an audience of representatives from some of America's largest auto-makers, with the words: "Today there are two kinds of car companies: those that mass-produce fuel-efficient cars; and those that will." At the time the US motor industry was relatively unimpressed by ... http://www.whatgreencar.com/news-item.php?Obama-set-to-green-US-auto-industry Thu, 13 Nov 2008 11:14:20 GMT Universal Motoring History has turned its comprehensive film archive into a free online motoring history resource for all serious car enthusiasts. The archive consists of more than 500 classic films from around the world from the 1890s onwards and can now be enjoyed for free at www.auto-history.tv. The complete collection covers everything from the start of mass production to world land speed... http://www.whatgreencar.com/news-item.php?Watch-classic-motoring-archive-films-for-free Wed, 12 Nov 2008 13:53:18 GMT The planned reform of the UK’s road tax system as set out by Alistair Darling in the 2008 budget aims to extend the current system of emissions-based taxation introduced in 2001 by strengthening the link between road tax and CO2 emissions. However, it now appears likely that next week’s pre-budget report will announce that the most controversial change, the retrospective emissions-based tax, w... http://www.whatgreencar.com/news-item.php?Retrospective-road-tax-likely-to-be-postponed Tue, 11 Nov 2008 11:06:15 GMT The new car market fell for a sixth successive month in October, according to data released today by the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT). The decline, which mirrored falls seen in 1991, was the steepest recorded so far in 2008, with new car registrations down 23% on October last year, and 8.8% over the year to date. SMMT said the fall was in line with their expectations for a dif... http://www.whatgreencar.com/news-item.php?Mini-segment-holds-firm-amidst-industry-decline Thu, 06 Nov 2008 11:18:18 GMT Following a meeting of EU Commissioners, motor industry executives, ministers and MEPs, the European Commission has announced its support for an EU wide program to scrap older vehicles and promote uptake of more fuel-efficient models. The scheme, if implemented, would follow similar efforts in Mexico City where taxi drivers are being offered incentives to scrap their aging VW Beetles. Gu... http://www.whatgreencar.com/news-item.php?EC-backs-scheme-to-scrap-older-vehicles Mon, 03 Nov 2008 16:34:29 GMT A new Arup and Cenex report jointly commissioned by two government departments concludes that there is significant scope for electric vehicles to play a role in tackling road based transport emissions in the period up to 2030. The study, which was conducted on behalf of the Department for Business Enterprise and Regulatory Reform (BERR) and the Department for Transport (DfT), confirms that ov... http://www.whatgreencar.com/news-item.php?New-roadmap-to-electric-vehicle-future Mon, 03 Nov 2008 14:33:45 GMT The government has announced plans to accelerate the development of the low carbon vehicle market by committing £100m of public money to incentivise the automotive industry and consumer demand. Speaking yesterday at a meeting of international experts in Whitehall, the Transport Secretary, Geoff Hoon, set out the government's initial steps which include: a £10m scheme to encourage manufactur... http://www.whatgreencar.com/news-item.php?100-million-incentive-for-ultra-green-cars Tue, 28 Oct 2008 12:03:09 GMT With the UK government’s controversial reform of Vehicle Excise Duty (road tax) now less than six months away, a pre-budget report due from the Chancellor within weeks, and growing concerns about both the cost of living and the environment, we thought now a good time to take an in-depth look at the road tax story so far… The scheduled reforms to the UK’s road tax system were set out b... http://www.whatgreencar.com/news-item.php?Countdown-to-new-CO2-13band-road-tax Wed, 22 Oct 2008 17:03:03 GMT ACEA, the association representing many of the Europe's largest car manufacturers, has outlined plans to bid for a €40billion (£32bn) support package from the EU to help cover the costs of meeting 2012 CO2 emission targets. Car manufacturers represented by the group are demanding an injection of capital in order to help them green their car fleets; a move which stems in part from the Euro... http://www.whatgreencar.com/news-item.php?EU-car-industry-wants-40bn-to-go-green Tue, 14 Oct 2008 15:17:34 GMT It seems that no company, however established, is going to get through the global market turmoil unscathed. Both General Motors and Ford, America's largest car manufacturers are now fighting for survival after a loss in market confidence in their ability to cope with the credit crunch and falling vehicle sales. Yesterday, GM's shares lost 31% of their value closing at $4.76, their lowest leve... http://www.whatgreencar.com/news-item.php?GM-and-Ford-fight-to-survive-market-meltdown Fri, 10 Oct 2008 12:07:51 GMT Figures just released show the worst monthly decline in UK sales of new cars for nearly 20 years. The market fell 88,995 units in September 2008 compared to September 2007, a drop in over 21%. The year-to-date sales volume is now down by 7.5%. Car across the board have seen sharp fall in sales: super-minis (such as the Corsa) and small family cars (eg Golf) down 23%, large family cars (eg Mo... http://www.whatgreencar.com/news-item.php?Credit-crunch-hits-UK-car-market-hard Mon, 06 Oct 2008 14:30:33 GMT A new survey reveals that environmental considerations are driving more motorists to seek green alternatives when considering a new car. Three in four buyers will look for a vehicle with low carbon dioxide emissions when making their next purchase, a survey for the Newspaper Marketing Agency (NMA) found. Two in three of the 2,665 people polled would change their choice of car to reduce their ... http://www.whatgreencar.com/news-item.php?Motorists-seek-more-green-cars Tue, 30 Sep 2008 10:02:47 GMT Mercedes-Benz has announced that the eagerly awaited Smart fortwo cdi will have its UK launch in February of next year. Smart's owner, Mercedes, claims that the new 799cc engine diesel version of the iconic fortwo has the lowest carbon footprint of any current production car worldwide producing only 88 gCO2/km, around half of the carbon emissions of average UK car. The cdi’s fuel con... http://www.whatgreencar.com/news-item.php?UK-launch-for-86mpg-Smart-fortwo-cdi Tue, 23 Sep 2008 14:26:02 GMT Toyota and EDF Energy have teamed up to road trial the first Plug-in Hybrid Vehicle (PHV) introduced by a car manufacturer to the UK. Trials started this week and will continue for more than one year. Toyota’s right-hand drive PHV will make its on-the-road debut as part of EDF Energy’s company fleet and will be tested by employees under every-day driving conditions. Although Amberjac alr... http://www.whatgreencar.com/news-item.php?Toyota-and-EDF-Energy-trial-Plugin-Prius-in-UK Fri, 12 Sep 2008 21:49:03 GMT From this week, learner drivers taking their tests will be assessed not only on their ability to handle a car and drive in a safe manner, but also on their `eco-driving` skills. As well as the emergency stop and the three-point turn, would-be motorists will be scrutinised on their capacity to handle a car in a way that limits fuel consumption and reduces the environmental impact of the veh... http://www.whatgreencar.com/news-item.php?DSA-launches-new-green-driving-test Thu, 11 Sep 2008 10:55:04 GMT Volkswagen has today unveiled the new Golf BlueMotion concept vehicle, a car capable of achieving a combined 74.3 mpg while emitting just 99 g/km of CO2. This matches the economy of the Polo BlueMotion, itself among the most efficient vehicles currently on sale. The BlueMotion label was first attributed to the Polo in 2006 and represents the most efficient model in each of Volkswagen’s pas... http://www.whatgreencar.com/news-item.php?VW-Golf-BlueMotion-sets-new-benchmarks Mon, 08 Sep 2008 13:45:22 GMT A group of British eco-enthusiasts have just completed their journey from London to Athens powered solely by contributions of waste vegetable oil. The `Grease to Greece` car rally took 11 days, covered over 2,500 miles, and relied solely on the generosity of restaurant owners for fuel. In what has been termed the `greenest and grubbiest` car rally ever, the team made their way... http://www.whatgreencar.com/news-item.php?London-to-Athens-on-Grease Thu, 04 Sep 2008 11:54:37 GMT Scientists at Ohio State University have created a cheaper, more flexible way to produce hydrogen from biofuel. Led by Umit Ozkan, a professor of chemical and biomolecular engineering, the team has developed a new catalyst which can be used in the production of hydrogen from bioethanol. Ozkan, who presented the team's research last Wednesday at the American Chemical Society, claims the new ca... http://www.whatgreencar.com/news-item.php?New-catalyst-enhances-feasibility-of-hydrogen-fuel Tue, 02 Sep 2008 09:30:50 GMT A new report from the European Federation for Transport and Environment (T&E) shows that car manufacturers are currently falling (on average) 17% short of the 2012 emission levels set by the European Commission. The current target, which was amended last year after pressure from car manufacturers, requires that CO2 emissions of cars sold in Europe are no more than 130g/km, taken as an average... http://www.whatgreencar.com/news-item.php?Carmakers-unlikely-to-hit-2012-EU-CO2-target Tue, 26 Aug 2008 15:03:31 GMT General Motor’s Chevrolet Volt plug-in hybrid is on track to hit the European market in 2011. Although an official date has not been set, a spokesperson from the Detroit carmaker announced a US release at the end of 2010 and a European launch the following year. The Volt will be able to be refuelled using petrol or bioethanol, or recharged by plugging in to a normal electric socket. The fle... http://www.whatgreencar.com/news-item.php?Volt-plugin-hybrid-set-for-Europe-in-2011 Fri, 22 Aug 2008 22:47:56 GMT The Renewable Fuels Agency (RFA) has released its first report on the supply of UK biofuels under the Renewable Transport Fuels Obligation (RTFO). The report finds that for the first month of the obligation, suppliers had on average 2.14% biofuels in their road fuel (petrol and diesel) mix, against a target of 2.5%. The data which comes from monthly reports submitted by fuel suppliers to the ... http://www.whatgreencar.com/news-item.php?Average-biofuel-content-of-UK-road-fuels-reaches-2 Thu, 14 Aug 2008 13:19:12 GMT July's figures from the Society of Motor Vehicle Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) show that alternative fuelled vehicles are bucking the sliding trend in car sales and are up almost 20% on last month. While total new car registrations were down 13% in July, the demand for alternative fuelled vehicles increased by 19.4% to 1,479 units. Diesel registrations fell for the first time since Februar... http://www.whatgreencar.com/news-item.php?Green-cars-buck-slump-in-UK-car-sales Fri, 08 Aug 2008 12:14:46 GMT A detailed survey commissioned by the Low Carbon Vehicle partnership of car buyers’ attitudes finds that a ‘threshold’ has now been breached with buyers now expressing much greater concern about vehicle running costs. The research by Dr Jillian Anable (Aberdeen University) and Dr Ben Lane (Ecolane Limited), which involved in-depth discussions with motorists who have just purchased a car... http://www.whatgreencar.com/news-item.php?Survey-shows-car-buyers-over-fuel-cost-threshold Wed, 30 Jul 2008 13:08:47 GMT This year's British International Motor Show, which opens to the public today at London's ExCel arena, is hosting the largest gathering of cars and car makers in the UK. The Show includes a dedicated area showcasing the future of green driving, including new technologies and the unveiling of the latest green cars. The `Greener Driving Pavilion` is run in association with the government's ACT ... http://www.whatgreencar.com/news-item.php?British-International-Motor-Show-2008 Wed, 23 Jul 2008 09:00:00 GMT With oil prices continuing to soar, there can be little surprise at today’s announcement from the Chancellor, Alistair Darling, that the planned 2p per litre rise in fuel duty due in October will be delayed until April next year. Planned increases in the duty on road fuel gases, bio-fuel duty rates and rebated oils rates will also be postponed. The Government had originally planned to incre... http://www.whatgreencar.com/news-item.php?Car-fuel-taxes-frozen-until-April-2009 Wed, 16 Jul 2008 22:09:21 GMT The Mayor of London, Boris Johnson, has now officially scrapped plans for CO2 emissions-based Congestion Charging in Central London. The decision overturns Ken Livingstone's planned change to the Congestion Charge, due to come into effect on 27th October this year. This change would have increased charges for cars with the highest CO2 emissions (>225 g/km) from zero to £25, and would have given a... http://www.whatgreencar.com/news-item.php?Boris-scraps-planned-CO2-Congestion-Charge Thu, 10 Jul 2008 09:23:24 GMT A motion proposed for an amendment to the Finance Bill aimed at removing the government's `retrospective` changes to road taxation has been defeated in parliament by 303 votes to 240. The amendment, which was tabled by the Conservatives, sought to remove controversial proposals from the Bill, which abolished the exemption from higher road-tax rates for cars that emit more than 225 gCO2/km register... http://www.whatgreencar.com/news-item.php?MPs-vote-to-proceed-with-new-CO2-road-tax Wed, 09 Jul 2008 14:55:39 GMT An article just published in Science explains why thinking about fuel economy in miles per gallon (or ‘mpg’) leads motorists to underestimate the environmental benefits of switching to a fuel efficient car. In ‘The MPG Illusion’, researchers Richard Larrick and Jack Soll of Duke University (US) describe a series of thought experiments they conducted, the original intention of which w... http://www.whatgreencar.com/news-item.php?How-to-save-fuel-Think-gallons-per-mile Mon, 23 Jun 2008 22:41:25 GMT For full details see Press Release in PDF format. WhatGreenCar? has awarded its first Green Car of the Year Award 2008 to the Ford Focus 1.6 TDCi ECOnetic. The Focus has CO2 emissions of only 115g/km (65.6mpg on a combined test) and, with a diesel particulate filter fitted as standard on the 110PS engine, a WGC? rating of only 33; the lowest in its class and lower even than the bench-mark Pri... http://www.whatgreencar.com/news-item.php?Ford-Focus-ECOnetic-Green-Car-of-the-Year-08 Tue, 17 Jun 2008 19:38:49 GMT Sales of small cars have bucked the general trend in May and have seen encouraging levels of growth, according to the latest Society of Motor Manufacturers and Trader’s report. In the face of dwindling average sales across the UK motor industry (new car registrations were down on average 3.5% last month), manufactures of smaller cars such as Smart, Kia and Hyundai have experienced a streng... http://www.whatgreencar.com/news-item.php?Minisector-sales-rocket-as-fuel-prices-soar Thu, 12 Jun 2008 13:02:40 GMT Toyota have announced that worldwide sales of the Prius, the world's first mass-produced hybrid car, have passed 1 million – approximately 1,028,000 units were sold as of the end of April this year. Currently, the Prius is on available in more than 40 countries, with the largest number of sales being in Japan and North America. The Prius, originally launched in Japan in 1997, began selling... http://www.whatgreencar.com/news-item.php?Global-Toyota-Prius-sales-pass-1-million-mark Sat, 07 Jun 2008 22:06:41 GMT Following the recent rise in oil prices and the fuel protests by hauliers, Labour MPs are putting pressure on Gordon Brown to reverse the ‘green’ road tax reforms planned for April 2009. The backbenchers claim that the reforms will, in some cases, lead to a "£200 increase" in Vehicle Excise Duty (road tax) on cars already purchased. Although the new tax system will reward drivers of new green... http://www.whatgreencar.com/news-item.php?Labour-rebels-threaten-green-road-tax-reform Wed, 28 May 2008 09:08:18 GMT The oil price reached a new high today of $135 a barrel, more than doubling in price in the last 12 months. Recent rises in the cost of crude have resulted in a peaking of petrol and diesel prices across the globe. According to the AA, the UK average petrol price is now £1.14 p/litre, and £1.26 p/litre for diesel – up from around 96 p/litre this time last year. In the past month alone, diesel ... http://www.whatgreencar.com/news-item.php?135-oil-price-drives-sales-of-green-cars Thu, 22 May 2008 21:15:29 GMT Plans to increase the Congestion Charge for the most polluting vehicles in London and provide discounts for low-emission vehicles look set to be scrapped as Boris Johnson takes up his position as the new mayor of London. As stated in Johnson's manifesto, the new Mayor will "reform the congestion charge" and abandon Ken Livingstone’s proposals for a £25 charge on the most polluting vehicles... http://www.whatgreencar.com/news-item.php?Boris-set-to-scrap-CO2-Congestion-Charge Mon, 19 May 2008 13:56:46 GMT The first of a new network of hydrogen gas fuelling stations has been opened at the University of Birmingham. Built by Air Products, the station will form the focus of research projects to ascertain the viability of hydrogen fuel cell vehicles. Over the coming months, engineers will be comparing five hydrogen powered cars with the University’s own fleet of petrol, diesel and battery electr... http://www.whatgreencar.com/news-item.php?New-hydrogen-stations-for-trial-fuel-cell-fleet Tue, 22 Apr 2008 09:20:37 GMT The UK’s Renewable Transport Fuel Obligation (RTFO) comes in to force today. The obligation aims to ensure that biofuels comprise 2.5% of petrol and diesel sold in the UK, in a move which can be seen as the government’s first step towards meeting the European Biofuels Directive’s target of 10% by 2020. The Renewable Fuel Agency (RFA), an independent regulator, has been set up to be resp... http://www.whatgreencar.com/news-item.php?UK-introduces-transport-biofuels-obligation Tue, 15 Apr 2008 10:53:15 GMT The TH!NK City electric was officially launched in Europe at the 78th International Motor Show in Geneva. The new TH!NK is the latest much improved version of the Norwegian-built electric car originally designed by Pivco and bought by Ford in 1999. Now back under Norwegian ownership at Think Global, the car has been totally re-engineered producing a car with an improved design, longer range and a ... http://www.whatgreencar.com/news-item.php?New-THINK-City-electric-to-launch-in-UK Mon, 31 Mar 2008 10:21:56 GMT From today, 13th March 2008, Vehicle Excise Duty (road tax) increases by £5 for VED bands C to F (121-225 gCO2/km), and by £100 for band G cars (>225 gCO2/km). This signals the Government’s increasing resolve to punish the owners of the cars with the highest carbon emissions by widening the charges between CO2-based VED bands. Owners of ‘alternative fuel cars’ will also continue to benefit... http://www.whatgreencar.com/news-item.php?Budget-2008-signals-new-first-year-CO2-road-tax Thu, 13 Mar 2008 09:41:08 GMT WhatGreenCar? has launched a new web search tool that lists all models that will be exempt from paying the London Congestion Charge from 27th October 2008, the date when the new CO2-based Congestion Charge scheme is due to be introduced. A list of all cars exempt from paying the new Congestion Charge can be viewed at: www.whatgreencar.com/search/congestion-charge-exempt/ Under the new em... http://www.whatgreencar.com/news-item.php?Find-Congestion-Charge-exempt-cars-with-WGC Thu, 06 Mar 2008 13:03:21 GMT Despite high-profile government advertising campaigns and a road tax now based on emissions, 65% of British drivers ‘don’t have a clue’ how much CO2 is being produced by the car they drive according to a survey conducted on behalf of the Environmental Transport Association. In the survey, only 5% of British drivers are able to say precisely how much CO2 is produced by their car, and only 11%... http://www.whatgreencar.com/news-item.php?Drivers-clueless-about-their-cars-CO2-emissions Thu, 28 Feb 2008 22:08:26 GMT In these days of high oil prices, environmental awareness and increased charges for drivers of 'gas guzzlers', new research has found that green credentials are becoming increasingly important for car buyers. The latest research from Global Reviews reveals that 15% of car buyers say that 'fuel efficiency' is the most important buying factor. 21% consider 'price' to be the number one priority, 17%... http://www.whatgreencar.com/news-item.php?Survey-reveals-increase-in-number-of-green-drivers Tue, 26 Feb 2008 16:34:46 GMT The Mayor of London, Ken Livingstone, confirmed today that a new CO2-based London Congestion Charge would be introduced later this year. From 27th October 2008, cars with the highest CO2 emissions will pay £25, and those with the lowest emissions will receive a 100% discount – effectively making them exempt from the Charge. The new scheme is a key part of the Mayor's Climate Change Action Plan,... http://www.whatgreencar.com/news-item.php?Green-light-for-Londons-CO2-Congestion-Charge- Tue, 12 Feb 2008 23:21:58 GMT The London Low Emission Zone (LEZ), which aims to reduce harmful emissions from the most polluting diesel heavy-duty vehicles, goes live today. All diesel-engine lorries weighing more than 12 tonnes (Gross Vehicle Weight) entering the Zone are now required to meet strict emissions standards or pay a daily charge. Lighter lorries (3.5-12.0 tonnes GVW) buses and coaches (over 5 tonnes GVW) will have... http://www.whatgreencar.com/news-item.php?Londons-Low-Emission-Zone-for-lorries-goes-live Mon, 04 Feb 2008 10:49:15 GMT In a damning report published yesterday, the House of Commons Environmental Audit Committee concluded that although "biofuels can reduce greenhouse gas emissions from road transport... most first generation biofuels have a detrimental impact on the environment overall." Taking evidence from over 20 experts and 35 organisations, the enquiry found most transport biofuels not to be an effective use o... http://www.whatgreencar.com/news-item.php?MPs-and-EU-headtohead-over-transport-biofuels Tue, 22 Jan 2008 16:13:52 GMT WhatGreenCar? have just launched a new API that gives other websites access to the unique WhatGreenCar? database. The API provides a powerful search tool that enables users to search for the greenest new cars in the UK. Including the WhatGreenCar? API on a site is free and easy and takes just two steps. Once a web manager has registered their basic contact and website details, the code can be... http://www.whatgreencar.com/news-item.php?Get-the-WhatGreenCar-API-search-tool-now Tue, 08 Jan 2008 14:53:20 GMT As part of the regular ‘Top 10 green wheels’ series, WhatGreenCar? looks ahead to the greenest cars due for launch in 2008. With petrol and diesel prices continuing to rise beyond £1 per litre, and increasing acceptance of the imminent threats posed by climate change, there cannot have been a better time to buy a fuel-efficient, low emission car. As government, company car and London Co... http://www.whatgreencar.com/news-item.php?Top-10-green-wheels-to-watch-in-2008 Sun, 30 Dec 2007 22:51:15 GMT As we first reported February, the European Commission has now proposed legislation that sets a mandatory target of 120g/km by 2012 for all new car emissions within the EU (current average is about 160g/km). Cars (on average) would be permitted to emit 130g/km (tailpipe CO2) with 10g/km of this target being achieved through other measures including fuel-efficient tyres, improved air conditioning ... http://www.whatgreencar.com/news-item.php?EC-proposes-mandatory-car-CO2-limits Thu, 20 Dec 2007 11:00:39 GMT WhatGreenCar? are pleased to be supporting a major new survey of drivers of electric cars in London. Frost & Sullivan, a major consulting company with extensive experience in consumer research for the automotive industry, is investigating perceptions of ‘green vehicles’ amongst the general public, together with attitudes towards the environment and expectations regarding future green vehicles.... http://www.whatgreencar.com/news-item.php?Electric-vehicle-survey-launched-in-London Mon, 10 Dec 2007 16:24:22 GMT GoinGreen, the UK electric car market leader, announces the arrival of the G-Wiz i, the most advanced variant of this iconic EV. GoinGreen launched the emission-free G-Wiz dc drive in London in May 2004 and in June 2006 introduced the G-Wiz ac drive. Now comes the G-Wiz i, which benefits from improvements in safety, comfort and performance, while remaining one of the greenest vehicles currently av... http://www.whatgreencar.com/news-item.php?GoinGreen-launches-the-new-GWiz-i Thu, 06 Dec 2007 11:22:59 GMT The 2008 Car of the Year award has been won by the new Fiat 500. The jury of 58 specialist journalists from 22 European countries awarded the Fiat 385 votes, ahead of the Mazda 2 (325 votes), the Ford Mondeo (202) and thirty other new models. This is only the second time that a city-car/super-mini has won the most prestigious car industry award (the first was the Fiat Panda in 2004) and is pe... http://www.whatgreencar.com/news-item.php?Fiat-500-citycar-wins-Car-of-the-Year-2008 Fri, 30 Nov 2007 10:29:23 GMT At this year’s Michelin Bibendum Challenge held in Shanghai, China, the Renault Logan eco² set a new low carbon emissions record of 71g/km for the event, covering the 172 km course on only 4.69 litres of diesel; equivalent to an average fuel consumption of 104 miles-per-gallon (mpg) or 2.72 litres/100km. Over the standard combined cycle tests for the vehicle, the Renault Logan also achieve... http://www.whatgreencar.com/news-item.php?Renault-Logan-sets-71gCO2km-record Wed, 21 Nov 2007 15:09:15 GMT According to The AA, the average price of UK petrol breached the £1 per litre mark at the start of November 2007 with average diesel prices already over 104p. This follows the inexorable rise in the price of a barrel of crude which is approaching $100 per barrel and predicted by many to reach the $100 mark this week. But of what consequence for green cars? Well, the evidence shows that highe... http://www.whatgreencar.com/news-item.php?Petrol-breaks-1-per-litre-barrier Mon, 12 Nov 2007 16:10:16 GMT Cleaner, greener van fleets could be a reality on our roads, thanks to a new Department for Transport fund outlined by Transport Minister Jim Fitzpatrick this week. The programme, which will be worth an initial £20million, will procure lower carbon vehicle models for use in public sector fleets - thereby using the public sector's purchasing power to kick-start the market for lower carbon va... http://www.whatgreencar.com/news-item.php?20-million-fund-for-low-carbon-vans Fri, 09 Nov 2007 10:59:28 GMT GoinGreen, the company that supplies the battery electric G-Wiz, has called for a rethink of plans to give a 100% Congestion Charge discount to all band B vehicles from next year. At the moment, only band A vehicles (cars with CO2 emissions http://www.whatgreencar.com/news-item.php?Call-to-rethink-CO2-Congestion-Charge Mon, 29 Oct 2007 10:46:34 GMT Given the imminent failure of car manufacturers to reach the agreed voluntary CO2 emissions target of 140g/km by 2008, the European Commission is constructing legislation that will set a mandatory target for tailpipe carbon emissions by for all new car emissions within the EU. The initial target set was to have been 130g/km (tailpipe CO2) by 2012 with 10g/km of this target being achieved thr... http://www.whatgreencar.com/news-item.php?EU-to-delay-2012-new-car-CO2-target Fri, 26 Oct 2007 16:19:42 GMT A quiet green revolution is about to happen in the world of small panel vans. Fiat and PSA Peugeot-Citroen have announced the phase-in of three new commercial vehicles, each with a model with CO2 emissions of 119 g/km. Marketed as the Fiat Fiorino, the Citroen Nemo and the Peugeot Bipper the new vehicles will be gradually introduced as from the end of 2007. These will replace the current Peug... http://www.whatgreencar.com/news-item.php?Fiat-and-PSA-announce-sub120gCO2km-vans Thu, 11 Oct 2007 11:24:26 GMT Following the ‘Top 10 green wheels’ list of eco-friendly new cars published in July, WhatGreenCar? seeks out some of the most polluting new cars in the show-room. While the aim of WhatGreenCar? is to provide ratings for all new cars and promote the greenest models, we often get asked to identify the greatest environmental offenders. Although the usual suspects do appear in the ‘most wan... http://www.whatgreencar.com/news-item.php?Top-10-gas-guzzlers-autumn-2007 Thu, 04 Oct 2007 14:09:54 GMT Renault has launched the new Twingo city-car. Fourteen years after its original launch on the continent, UK drivers can get their hands on a right-hand-drive Twingo for the first time. Renault has already sold more than 2.4 million Twingos worldwide since its launch in 1993, and travellers to France and beyond will already be familiar with the original's quirky styling. Now looking a little ... http://www.whatgreencar.com/news-item.php?Le-eco2-Twingo-est-arrive Wed, 26 Sep 2007 16:12:25 GMT Peugeot is showcasing its forthcoming 308 Hybrid HDi at this year’s Frankfurt Motor Show. Peugeot claim the vehicle is “the environmentally friendly car for the next generation” and plan to launch it in 2010. If the reported vehicle CO2 emissions of just 90g/km and fuel economy of 83mpg are true, then the new 308 could potentially be the most fuel-efficient car in its class and surpass... http://www.whatgreencar.com/news-item.php?Peugeot-showcases-308-Diesel-Hybrid-HDi Wed, 19 Sep 2007 13:57:32 GMT Volvo is unveiling an innovative plug-in hybrid at the Frankfurt Motor Show. The ReCharge Concept is a specially designed Volvo C30 with individual electric wheel motors and batteries that can be charged via a regular electrical outlet. When fully charged the Volvo ReCharge Concept can be driven approximately 62 miles on battery power alone before the car's four-cylinder 1.6 Flexifuel engine is ne... http://www.whatgreencar.com/news-item.php?Volvo-Plugin-Hybrid-Flexifuel-Unveiled Thu, 13 Sep 2007 16:21:09 GMT The Mayor of London, Ken Livingstone, has proposed new CO2 emissions-based charging bands for London’s congestion charge. Under the new scheme, cars with the highest CO2 emissions will pay three times more than they do now, and those with the lowest emissions will receive a 100% discount. If Livingstone’s plans are accepted following consultation, cars with CO2 emissions greater than 225 ... http://www.whatgreencar.com/news-item.php?All-change-for-London-Congestion-Charge Fri, 24 Aug 2007 14:36:33 GMT This month sees the latest addition to the MINI family – the new low emission MINI Cooper D 108bhp 1.6litre diesel. The revised model is now capable of an impressive 72.4mpg with CO2 emissions of only 104g/km, making it one of the cleanest UK super-minis. The Cooper D’s high fuel economy is achieved in part by the use of Intelligent Alternator Control (IAC), a regenerative braking system... http://www.whatgreencar.com/news-item.php?BMW-launch-72mpg-MINI-Cooper-D Fri, 10 Aug 2007 12:05:50 GMT Whether you are after a cute city runabout, a familiar family car or an exclusive executive auto, it is possible to get yourself some greener wheels, says Ben Lane, director of WhatGreenCar? Driving a car isn't the greenest activity in the world, but there are ways to minimise the impact your journey has on the planet and choosing the most environmentally friendly car you can is a very good s... http://www.whatgreencar.com/news-item.php?Top-10-green-wheels-summer-2007 Thu, 09 Aug 2007 14:46:13 GMT Toyota is to launch a plug-in hybrid version of the Prius - named the Toyota Plug-in HV, the auto maker is currently testing eight prototypes of the plug-in hybrid in Japan. Toyota plan to use the same nickel metal hydride battery as in the conventional Prius giving the Plug-in HV a range of 8 miles in electric only mode. The company is also working with Nissan and Mitsubishi to develop next-... http://www.whatgreencar.com/news-item.php?Toyota-Prius-to-Plugin Fri, 03 Aug 2007 15:40:04 GMT The Polo BlueMotion is now available for ordering ahead of its arrival in the UK in October. Promising outstanding fuel efficiency and carbon dioxide emissions of just 99 g/km, the new model will be priced from £11,995 for the BlueMotion 1 while the BlueMotion 2 with higher levels of equipment starts at £12,845. As the BlueMotion 1 benefits from a combined fuel consumption figure of 74.3... http://www.whatgreencar.com/news-item.php?Taxfree-VW-Polo-to-arrive-in-October Mon, 23 Jul 2007 14:08:45 GMT Consumers are still not making the most of the green car labelling scheme, according to a survey carried out by the Low Carbon Vehicle Partnership. Although the label was launched over two years ago, the research found that 44% of car buyers remain unaware of the scheme designed to boast certain car’s green credentials. The colour-coded car label, based on the well known energy-efficiency l... http://www.whatgreencar.com/news-item.php?Consumers-unaware-of-car-label Mon, 23 Jul 2007 11:16:07 GMT Owners of ‘gas guzzlers’ will soon to feel extra strain on their wallet if they reside in Islington, North London. Plans to charge residents with high-polluting cars significantly more to park in the Borough have just received the backing of the local electorate. In a ballot of all those on the electoral roll, 56% of Islington’s residents support the plans that will charge an annual fee... http://www.whatgreencar.com/news-item.php?Islington-green-parking-scheme Thu, 19 Jul 2007 11:13:33 GMT After much anticipation, Mitsubishi have at last launched the award winning 'i' car in the UK. There has been much speculation about the efficiency of the i's 57bhp, 660cc, three-cylinder turbo engine and the practical advantages of its rear-mid-engine configuration. Not only does the i trump the passenger space provided in many existing city cars, it also boasts a remarkable 54.6 mpg with CO2 emi... http://www.whatgreencar.com/news-item.php?Introducing-the-new-Mitsubishii Tue, 17 Jul 2007 16:21:01 GMT The international home furnishings retailer IKEA are to trade in their fleet of existing company cars for greener hybrid alternatives. The Swedish company will start with the purchase of 50 Honda Civic hybrids, with 20 more during 2008. The low-emission model will profit from congestion charge exemption and minimal road tax charges, thus proving eco-cars to be beneficial for business and for IKEA'... http://www.whatgreencar.com/news-item.php?IKEA-Fleet-Goes-Green Wed, 27 Jun 2007 11:36:42 GMT Figures just published by the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) show that UK motorists are increasingly opting for environmentally friendly cars. During 2006, green car sales doubled with a remarkable 6,538 hybrid vehicles purchased in comparison to 3,117 in 2005. This increase places green cars as the fastest growing sector of the automotive market. This inevitably begs the ... http://www.whatgreencar.com/news-item.php?Record-UK-sales-for-green-cars Tue, 19 Jun 2007 15:51:49 GMT Honda announced this month that they will be ceasing the production of the Accord hybrid, currently on sale in the US. The decision to end production follows the model’s poor sales, which have continued to fall over the last three years, with just under 6,000 being sold in the USA during 2006. In contrast, Toyota sold almost 107,000 of the highly sought-after Prius hybrid to North American custo... http://www.whatgreencar.com/news-item.php?Honda-withdraws-US-Accord-hybrid- Wed, 13 Jun 2007 11:51:22 GMT This year marks the 10th anniversary of the Toyota Prius. Almost a decade has passed since the debut of the first commercially produced hybrid car – a milestone in the history of greener motoring. Since the production of the first Prius in 1997, almost 750,000 units have now been sold worldwide making the Prius is the world’s most successful hybrid car to date. Back in 1994, the first Pri... http://www.whatgreencar.com/news-item.php?Toyota-Prius-is-10 Wed, 13 Jun 2007 11:36:24 GMT As many in the car industry had expected, Toyota is aiming to hybridise all of its model range, an objective now confirmed this week by Masatami Takimoto, executive vice president. What has made this possible is the success of its pioneering hybrid, the Prius, which this month will have topped 1 million cumulative sales worldwide. Toyota has maintained its position as the leading manufactuirer ... http://www.whatgreencar.com/news-item.php?Toyota-to-go-100-hybrid Fri, 11 May 2007 16:09:04 GMT May sees the launch of the World?s first high performance, zero-emission electric motorcycle in London. While its not the first commercial electric two-wheeler, the Vectrix is the first electric bike to combine its green credentials with the performance of a 400cc motorbike. The bike has a top speed of 62 mph and a typical range of 68 miles. Using WhatGreenCar? methodology, the Vectrix scores 3... http://www.whatgreencar.com/news-item.php?Vectrix-eMotorbike-Launched-in-London Fri, 13 Apr 2007 16:07:16 GMT PSA Peugeot-Citroen are to launch a diesel-hybrid Peugeot 308 to replace the 307. Peugeot?s first diesel-hybrod is to be launched in late 2007. Automotive News Europe report that the hybrid 308 will have a fuel economy of 3.4 litres/100km and will have CO2 emissions of only 90g/km. This will represent a significant stage in the development of the low carbon car and will beat the 100gCO2/km barr... http://www.whatgreencar.com/news-item.php?Peugeot-to-launch-308-dieselhybrid Fri, 13 Apr 2007 16:00:14 GMT The first ever Sexy Green Car Show opened its doors today at the Eden Project. The Eden Project might seem a strange setting for a car show but having been to the exhibition the synergy between Cornwall?s legendary greenhouses and the ingenious green cars is clear for all to see. The location, logistics and experience are setting a very high standard for the eco-car shows of the future. Alth... http://www.whatgreencar.com/news-item.php?Green-cars-party-at-Eden-Launch-Report Fri, 30 Mar 2007 16:03:39 GMT As WhatGreenCar? have advocated for some time now, with the climate in trouble and oil expensive, cars need to get greener ? and fast! The Eden Project in Cornwall has also recognized the importance of greener motoring and from March 30th to April 15th 2007 will be packed with sexy green cars. The first Sexy Green Car Show aims to demonstrate the increasing variety of cleanest cars now availabl... http://www.whatgreencar.com/news-item.php?Sexy-Green-Cars-come-to-Eden Thu, 29 Mar 2007 16:02:48 GMT The Chancellor, Gordon Brown, has included ?green? measures in this year?s budget in an effort to remind the public of his green credentials, tackling climate change by reducing carbon emissions. Consequently the most fuel-efficient cars will remain at zero tax, while those in band B will enjoy a cut in road tax from ?50 to ?35. Gas-guzzling vehicles, like 4״s an some uneconomical large cars/p... http://www.whatgreencar.com/news-item.php?More-orange-needed-in-Browns-green-budget Thu, 22 Mar 2007 16:00:41 GMT Given the likely failure of car manufacturers to reach the agreed voluntary CO2 emissions target of 140g/km by 2008, the European Commission has proposed legislation that sets a mandatory target of 120g/km by 2012 for all new car emissions within the EU. Easing the pressure slightly on the car industry, cars (on average) would be permitted to emit 130g/km (tailpipe CO2) with 10g/km of this targ... http://www.whatgreencar.com/news-item.php?EU-prepares-for-mandatory-car-CO2-limits Wed, 14 Feb 2007 15:59:23 GMT Average CO2 emissions for new cars sold in the UK fell to a record low of 167.2g/km in 2006, a reduction of 1.3% on 2005 figures, according to data released by SMMT this week. The reduction continues the trend for CO2 emissions for new cars, which have fallen by 11.9% since 1997. One surprise of the 2005/06 figures is that the private car sector showed a larger reduction (2.1%), as compared to fle... http://www.whatgreencar.com/news-item.php?Record-low-for-new-car-CO2-emissions Fri, 26 Jan 2007 15:57:14 GMT Following a wide-ranging consultation with local residents and businesses, Richmond upon Thames Council is pursuing its radical proposals to charge on a sliding scale for residents? parking permits based on vehicle CO2 emissions - see previous post. The consultation has now revealed almost half (49%) of residents support the proposals while 39% were opposed. A further 12% were undecided. Sign... http://www.whatgreencar.com/news-item.php?Richmond-to-pursue-CO2-parking-charge-plan Tue, 16 Jan 2007 14:59:51 GMT As part of its ?eGreen Programme 2010?? initiative, Nissan is to launch its first hybrid car, the Altima Hybrid, in the US during 2007. Although originally sceptical about the consumer demand for hybrids, the company has been forced to join the as yet select hybrid ?eclub?f of hybrid manufacturers (led by Toyota and Honda). This change of heart is due both to ever stricter regulations in the US an... http://www.whatgreencar.com/news-item.php?Nissan-to-join-hybrid-constructor-eclub Fri, 12 Jan 2007 14:59:05 GMT This year?s PBR has announced immediate increases in fuel excise duties for petrol and diesel of 1.25p per litre. Biodiesel and bioethanol fuels are also affected (although the 20 ppl tax advantage remains). The tax on natural gas used as a road fuel will increases by the petrol equivalent of 1.25p per litre, and for liquefied petroleum gas (LPG), the increases is 2.25p (marginally reducing the pr... http://www.whatgreencar.com/news-item.php?Prebudget-report-signals-fuel-tax-rise Wed, 13 Dec 2006 14:58:13 GMT The London Hydrogen Partnership (LHP), has announced its intention to purchase at least 60 new hydrogen vehicles. These vehicles will be deployed as part of London?s public sector fleet and will focus on operations in Central London. The LHP, established in 1992 by Mayor of London, Ken Livingstone, aims to promote the use of hydrogen as the sustainable fuel of the future. The LHP will be consid... http://www.whatgreencar.com/news-item.php?Hydrogen-cars-coming-to-London Sat, 25 Nov 2006 14:55:40 GMT In an effort to reduce the impact of car emissions on climate change, Richmond upon Thames borough council in the south-east have proposed plans to link car emission ratings with the cost of parking permits. Cars with the lowest vehicle emissions, such as battery electrics, will pay nothing, while those at the higher end of the scale may have to pay up to three times the amount they currently pay ... http://www.whatgreencar.com/news-item.php?Cheaper-parking-for-greener-cars Sat, 25 Nov 2006 14:53:37 GMT Somerset police have taken delivery of their first high-performance bioethanol flex-fuel vehicles (FFVs), which will form part of the UK?s first bioethanol police car fleet. The fuel can be made from UK-grown crops such as wheat or sugar beet, which absorb carbon prior to harvest for bioethanol production. By factoring in this CO2 absorption, the fuel reduces overall carbon emissions by around 70%... http://www.whatgreencar.com/news-item.php?Somersets-blues--twos-go-green Thu, 23 Nov 2006 13:49:17 GMT Citroen is now running its UK Head Office based diesel cars on a 30% biodiesel blend (B30) sourced from Total. This effectively reduces life cycle carbon emissions by around 15% and implies that all relatively new Citro뮠diesel cars are able to run safely on B30 without any technical modification (most other car manufactuers? warranties are only valid up to B5). This helps clarify the often confu... http://www.whatgreencar.com/news-item.php?Citroen-runs-own-diesel-fleet-on-30-biodiesel Thu, 23 Nov 2006 13:48:31 GMT London Mayor Ken Livingstone has announced plans to increase the Congestion Charge for the most polluting vehicles from 2009. Cars in road tax Band G (with carbon emissions >225 gCO2/km) will pay ?25 per day, while cars in Bands A and B (Bands C, D and E will be unaffected and continue to pay the standard Charge (currently ?8/day). Owners of Band G cars living within the Charging Zone will also lo... http://www.whatgreencar.com/news-item.php?Congestion-Charge-to-treble-for-gas-guzzlers Wed, 15 Nov 2006 14:57:09 GMT