Green Giants
28 March 2006 Buying an environmentally-friendly car no longer means passers-by will stop you in the street, thinking you're Buck Rogers. And they won't think you live in a house made entirely of hemp. In the first of three features, Stuart Milne says alternative-fuel cars are here to stay. Come back next Tuesday for more on green fuels. What are your options? Forgetting petrol and diesel, you've three main options at the moment: bio-ethanol, hybrid and electric; and your choice between the three largely depends on how and where you drive? "My car hacks up and down the motorway" No argument here - you need a bio-ethanol car. They are 20 per cent more efficient than petrol engines on the motorway (but 20 per cent less around town), and the fuel is currently two pence per litre cheaper. It's not all positive though, as - at the moment - there are only a few bio-ethanol retailers, around East Anglia and Somerset. "I mainly drive around town, but go on the occasional long run" For shopping, commuting and the odd visit to Aunt Gladys in Margate, a hybrid fits the bill. They charge themselves when you're on the move - think of a dynamo on your bicycle - so you don't have to plug them in at night, and if the juice should run out, you can rely on the trusty petrol powerplant. "I never drive out of the town" For the few of us that never venture far from town, an electric vehicle (EV) is the car of choice. They're generally tiny to squeeze through gaps and light enough to have enough power to get you from A to B without hassle. They're not perfect though. They have a short range, so motorway runs are out of the question. EVs are slow too. When the technology improves, so will the feasibility. Click for more information: |
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