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Switch to a car with lower emissions |
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Conventional cars burn oil-based fuels and contribute directly to climate change. However, there are now alternatives available with signficantly reduced emissions.
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Switch to a hybrid car
Hybrid cars run off a combination of petrol and electricity from a rechargeable battery. By using electricity in place of petrol that would otherwise be burned, hybrids can significantly reduce carbon dioxide emissions and lessen impact on climate change.
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Hybrid cars are not yet made by many manufacturers, but after the success of the Toyota Prius and others you can expect a good range of new hybrids to appear over the next few years. Keep checking this site - we'll let you know as soon as any exciting new models are announced.
Currently the key manufacturers of hybrid vehicles are Toyota, Honda and Lexus. Ford also have plans to release a hybrid model in the UK soon. Check out the links below to see the latest hybrid models available.
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Toyota Prius
The original hybrid car and winner of the European Car of the Year award in 2005. The 1.5 litre model emits only 104g of carbon dioxide per km.
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Honda Civic Hybrid 2006
Good-looking new hybrid petrol-electric addition to the Civic family with the potential to be a big seller. Emits only 109g of carbon dioxide per km. Now available in the UK.
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Lexus GS450h
Branded as the "world's first high-performance hybrid saloon" this larger hybrid is aimed at the high-end market and emits 186g of carbon dioxide per km.
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Lexus RX400h
Branded as the "world's first high-performance hybrid SUV" this is just about as climate friendly as an SUV can get. It emits 192g of carbon dioxide per km.
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More information on hybrid cars can be found on the Great Hybrid Cars website, although note that this is tailored for the US market.
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Switch to a car running on biofuel
Bioethanol is produced from sustainable agricultural crops such as sugar cane. When mixed in high volumes with low volumes of petrol a potent low-emission fuel called bioethanol E85 is created.
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Bioethanol can reduce vehicle emissions by as much as 50% and has much lower impact on climate change as it involves recycling carbon dioxide already present in the atmosphere rather than adding to carbon dioxide levels.
Fact: if bioethanol cars replaced just 5% of petrol use in the UK this would have the equivalent impact in terms of reducing climate of taking 1 million cars off the road
The only manufacturers with bioethanol cars available in the UK are Saab and Ford and both run on BioEthanol E85.
Saab BioPower - combines green credentials with sporty performance. 2-litre turbo prices begin around £22,000.
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Ford Focus FFV - the Flexi Fuel Vehicle (FFV) model of the Focus is available from around £14,000 for a 1.8 litre model.
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Use an electric car for short journeys
Electric cars are powered by batteries which can be charged simply by plugging into the mains.
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Charging only costs around 1p per mile and driving an electric car has significantly lower emissions than fuel-based cars, even with the electricity use taken into account.
There are not many electric cars currently available in the UK, but a number of manufacturers have electric car concepts in development and new models may be appearing soon.
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GoinGreen G-Wizz
This is touted as the "world's best selling" electric car and consumes just one quarter the energy of a similar sized petrol car and is the only 4-seater car to have an "A" eco label.
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Peugeot 106 Electric
This forthcoming model has a range of 40-45 miles on a single battery charge and can be easily charged from a domestic mains supply. The maximum speed and acceleration are fine for city use.
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Other electric vehicle concepts include the following:
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EV-UK
This website provide useful general news and information relating to electric-powered vehicles.
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Switch to Compressed Natural Gas (CNG)
Of all current fuels, compressed natural gas (CNG) produces the lowest level of carbon dioxide across the total fuel cycle (although it does produce higher than normal methane emissions).
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Vehicles powered by CNG and LPG are currently available from a number of mainstream car manufacturers including Volvo, Vauxhall and Rover.
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Switch to a more efficient or smaller car
The fuel-efficiency and carbon dioxide emissions of cars varies dramatically between different models. But, in general, the older and larger the vehicle the larger the contribution to climate change.
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If you're thinking about changing cars make sure you compare the fuel efficiency and carbon emissions ratings of the models you're considering. By choosing the more efficient car you'll be cutting your carbon dioxide emissions and saving money.
Visit the Vehicle Certification Agency website to find out the emissions from your current car and compare this to other models available.
Click here to see tables of the petrol and diesel cars available in the UK which emit 120g per km of carbon dioxide or less. If you drive one of these you're making a big difference in terms of climate change reduction.
Petrol vs Diesel?
Carbon emissions are proportional to fuel consumption so, as diesel cars generally have higher fuel efficiencies they can emit 30-40% less CO2 than petrol ones. However, it's the overall efficiency which is most important (which is also of course related to the engine size), so the smaller the better for either petrol or diesel.
Design Innovations
Some manufacturers have introduced innovative car technology which combines style with efficiency features that significantly reduce fuel use and emissions.
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Citroën Stop and Start
This new model stops just before the vehicle comes to a standstill and starts again automatically as soon as you take your foot off the brake. As a result it saves around 10% relative to normal carbon emissions for city use.
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Smart Cars
The Smart range has now expanded to include stylish four-door and roadster models, but all have extremely good comparative fuel efficiency and low carbon emissions.
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But above all...
Whatever you do, if you care about the planet and your impact on climate change then avoid buying or driving a Sports Utility Vehicle (SUV). They're bigger than they need to be and contribute more to climate change than other cars due to lower fuel efficiency.
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Top 10 Greenest Cars
An MSN UK article (Jan 05) which lists 10 of the greenest cars currently available in the UK.
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Ecofleet - new car leasing service offering only low-emission vehicles and offsetting all remaining carbon emissions from use of the vehicle. |
Click here for more general information from the Government about the environmental impacts of driving and what you can do to reduce your carbon dioxide emissions.
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Are you a supplier of low-emission vehicles?
If you'd like to appear on this site then please contact us: info@whatyoucando.co.uk
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