Car Insurance
Tomorrow’s choice of motoring
You can have any colour you like, as long as it’s green
A slight variation on Henry Ford’s immortal words but a very relevant comment on today’s motor industry and its priorities.
Reducing emissions from cars should be a main concern. Congestion and air pollution from transport have enormous associated costs. Compared to other EU countries, the UK is falling behind when it comes to reducing carbon emissions from cars – something needs to be done now. We can all help, whether you have just passed your driving test or are over 50.
Of course there are things you can do to make your current diesel or petrol car more environmentally friendly but did you know there’s a whole new generation of green cars, powered by eco-friendly and sustainable sources?
What’s more, they come with low running costs as well as low car insurance costs.
Electric cars
Basically, electric cars run from power stored in their batteries that fuels the motor and turns the wheels. There are no CO2 emissions produced what so ever – but you do need to recharge electric cars. Yet electric cars have come a long way. There’s already a whole range of city cars available, including the stylish, new Fiat 500. And they’ll soon be joined by the ever–popular Mini and even an electric version of the legendry Porsche 911.
Hybrid cars
As the name suggests, hybrid cars have an electric battery and a petrol/diesel combustion engine. You can easily drive 3km using its electric battery, and roughly 10 per cent of the total time the engine will not be running. You don’t need to plug a hybrid in to recharge because the battery is powered through a regenerative braking and the stop–start system. Toyota, Honda and Lexus already have several hybrid models on the market, with most other major manufacturers close on their tailgates.
Biofuel cars
Biofuel cars can be powered by a range of variants and all major car manufacturers are currently developing their own systems.
Ethanol
Also known as grain alcohol and is produced from plants, usually sugar cane. The fuel has a high octane rating which in turn means increased engine efficiency. Ethanol is widely used globally as a fuel and is increasing in popularity in Europe. A number of manufactures have developed flexi–fuel vehicles (FFVs) currently available only from Ford, Saab and shortly Volvo.
LPG Autogas
Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) is a natural hydrocarbon fuel made up of propane and butane. LPG produces far less carbon dioxide than petrol and fewer particulates and nitrogen oxides than diesel. It can be used within a modified internal combustion engine after conversion, which costs around £1,500-£2,000. A conversion includes the installation of a second fuel tank for the LPG which means the vehicle can switch between petrol or LPG.
Compressed Natural Gas
Compressed Natural Gas is a fossil fuel sourced from reserves deep under the Earth’s surface. It has lower CO2 emissions compared to petrol/diesel but is still a greenhouse gas.
Similarly to LPG it requires a conversion so that the car can be switched between gas and petrol. The gas is compressed in a cylinder rather than being stored as a liquid form.
BioDiesel
BioDiesel is produced from renewable energy sources such as rapeseed, sunflower or soybean oil. BioDiesel is green as it has the potential to be carbon-neutral. That is to say all the carbon dioxide emitted during use of the fuel when emitted from the vehicle is balanced by the absorption from the atmosphere during the fuel crop’s growth. In fact, in some cases BioDiesel in some instances can be a direct replacement for diesel.
So there you have an entire new wave of eco–friendly motoring. Perhaps the days of the petrol station are numbered?