BIG Decision - Seriously Eco

Today we made a pretty big decision at EcoForecourt. Until today we capped the C02 of our cars at a pretty respectful 155g/km C02, by large this is not bad going for most vehicles. However, we are ECO Forecourt and so we want to do exactly as our name suggests and bring you low carbon, green cars ONLY.

As a result this afternoon we have committed to capping our cars C02 at a highly respectful 130g/km C02.

What's the big deal you say? Well to give you an idea of why this is such a dramatic change for us, yesterday we had around 1000 cars on the site, today due to the re-capping our stock count has taken a significant hit and we are back down to around 150 cars! Almost like day 1.

It was a really hard decision for us but in the long run we believe this to be the best choice for our visitors. You don't expect to walk into an organic store and find your experience tainted by picking up battery produce, so why should you expect to visit our Eco car website and have your search results contaminated by the thought that some of our stock might not quite be as eco as you think.

We want to commit to eco in as big-a-way as possible and by making this drastic change we can be 100% confident in our message to our customers and guarantee that every car on EcoForecourt.com is 100% Eco with regards to the government criteria.

So, here are the benefits:

As all the cars on EcoForecourt are 130g/km C02 or under, we GUARANTEE that you will not pay a penny more than £90 for your road tax, with the majority of the cars listed with us being either £30, £20 or FREE. Pretty cool we think!

The cars on the site will fit into emissions bands A,B,C & D - those that are in band A have FREE road tax, free parking benefits where applicable and FREE congestion charge in London and other congestion areas too (do make sure that is assigned to your numberplate by the DVLA)

Running costs are typically substantially less with our cars from all sorts of areas indicated below:

• Fuel
• Insurance
• Road Tax
• Maintenance
• Free Parking (where applicable)
• CC Exempt (where applicable)
• Zero Emissions on many models.

Of course not only will eco cars be saving your wallet but they are also helping the environment too. Lowering our carbon footprint is the end goal and by looking for cars on Eco Forecourt now you can be 100% confident you are going green regardless of what you end up finding on our website.

Thank you so much for visiting us and we are really looking forward to the future of motoring with you.

James Walker

Founder

EcoForecourt.com

We are integrating! Eco Forecourt Links With Green-Car-Guide

Our first month out of beta and we are really happy to announce that we are forming a partnership with our friends over at www.Green-Car-Guide.com. By placing our Eco Forecourt search box on their homepage, green car fans from around the country, and indeed the world will be able to search directly through our stock at Eco Forecourt while still reading the recommendations and reviews of the Green Car Guide. Until recently there hasn't been a hub where green cars are collected in one easy place and we are delighted to be able to team up with such an enthusiastic team and help people identify what exactly is an eco car and point them in the right direction to getting in one! The Green Car Guide has been established since 2006 and has been writing about the latest industry news and reviews ever since and have become the go-to place for any and all info concerning the future of motoring and advice on which eco car could be for you. They also offer a fantastic Free Green Car Guide download indicating the very best glow carbon, eco cars in each category. The integration of the two sites should be complete by next week upon which we will let you know how it's going!

Lack of fresh air costs UK motorists £440 million a year

Coinciding with our post on '10 Ways To Get More Miles Per Gallon' Drivers in the UK are losing out on more than £440million pounds by driving with under-inflated tyres.

The research*, revealed by Michelin discovered that not only are motorists letting poor tyre pressure affect their bank balance, but more than 370 million litres of fuel are being wasted each year.

Luckily for the UK, Michelin is racing to the rescue of drivers who are in the dark when it comes to tyre pressures.

The Michelin Fill Up With Air team is taking to the road to offer free tyre checks to help improve safety and reduce vehicle CO2 emissions, while also helping motorists save cash.

Michelin’s head of communications, Peter Snelling, said: “Based on the findings of Michelin's 2009 campaign, if all of the cars in the UK were running on correctly inflated tyres then motorists would save more than £440 million and more than 370 million litres of fuel a year. As a result, CO2 emissions would also be reduced by almost 1 million tonnes.

“Michelin’s 2010, Fill Up With Air campaign is going to be the biggest to date with more than 50 locations included in the tour.

“It really is a matter of life and death and people should learn to check their tyres regularly and thoroughly which is what we can help them to do.

“Tyres that are under inflated can cause poor handling on the road and potentially lead to serious accidents and put lives at risk.

“Last year we checked more than 5,000 cars and the results showed that some motorists in this country are simply not taking tyre maintenance seriously. This year the Michelin Fill Up With Air team will be visiting more locations than ever before, so if we’re in your town please take 10 minutes to come in for a free tyre check.”

Michelin is campaigning to make drivers aware that the wrong tyre pressures can mean tyres wear out more quickly as well as increasing the car’s fuel consumption. With fuel prices at an all-time high it is now more important than ever that people set their tyres to the correct pressure.

Peter Snelling added: “It is not only the nation’s purse which is suffering but the environment too. If motorists consume less fuel by having the correct tyre pressure then they produce less Co2 emissions which is much better for the environment.”

The Fill Up with Air Roadshow will be touring the UK and Ireland from May to October.

*Figures are based on a parc of 30.3 m cars driving 12,000 miles pa at 35 mpg, with fuel costing £1.20 per litre.

New Government To Introduce Car Charging Network

Interesting news! Our new Con-Lib government is said to have identified the importance of introducing a nation-wide network of charging points for electric and plug-in hybrid cars.

In a joint statement the Conservatives and Liberal Democrats said:

"The parties agree to implement a full programme of measures to fulfil our joint ambitions for a low carbon and eco-friendly economy, including the establishment of a smart grid and the roll-out of smart meters."

Prior to the general election last week the Conservatives promised to create a national car recharging network, while the Liberal Democrats promised a 'zero-carbon Britain.' It is now a priority of the new government.

New Audi A2 On It's Way By 2012

Audi today has revealed some details that it intends on producing an all new version of their late model A2. Doing away with the traditional space-frame construction of it's predecessor the new A2 is taking a leaf out of the A1's book and utilising it's steel monocoque which saves both weight and cost.

In a move to obtain some of the market share in front wheel drive eco cars from the likes of BMW and Mercedes the new A2 is rumored to be sold at an ultra competitive price with a strong focus on economy. The original A2 which was discontinued in August of 2005 was the first five door car in Europe that averaged a fuel consumption of less than 3 litres per 100km, thats 94.2 mpg! Today the importance of eco credentials is even more important resulting in Audi chairman Rupert Stadler saying that electric drive will be a priority of the A2 and acknowledges that the range extender technology in the A1 e-tron is a likely possibility for the new A2. Of course conventional petrol and diesel engines will also be on offer, likely in the 4 cylinder variety derived from the A1

At this stage the majority of the news is acknowledgment and confirmation from Audi, but the styling is likely to reflect that of the previous A2, featuring a taller box (smooth box) like construction with a relatively narrow track pitching it as a great city car.

Stay tuned for further info

New All Electric VW Golf Announced

Set to go on sale in 2013 Volkswagen have announced it will be producing an all electric plug in version of the hugely popular Golf. Called the Golf Blue-e-Motion the new EV features a zero emission drive train powered by increasingly popular lithium ion batteries.

The Golf is to make up just one segment of the intended broad spectrum of electric vehicles to be added to Volkwagens range by 2013, including an electric Jetta and Lavida - focused on the chinese market.

Until multiple electric vehicle models hit Volkswagen showrooms in the future, the car giant plans to launch its electric car range with the introduction of the first Blue-e-Motion vehicle, the 'Up'. This is a car described by VW as a “city specialist” and was previewed in concept form at last year’s Frankfurt motor show.

Unveiled by German chancellor, Angela Merkel, the launch model is based on the 6th generation Golf, however, the showroom version of the Blue-e-Motion is planned to form part of the seventh generation Golf range that will begin heading into UK showrooms in the same year.

The 115bhp electric motor sits up front in the space normally occupied by the Golf’s petrol or diesel engines, develops 113bhp and 199lb ft of torque demonstrating once again the torque benefits of electric motors. This all drives the front wheels through a new single gear gearbox developed by Volkswagen called the "MQ210".

The lithium-ion battery pack mounted within the middle tunnel of the floorpan sits under the rear seat and in the floor of the boot, this makes a welcoming change to how Mini have replaced their back seats in place of the battery. The pack is said to allow for a range of 93miles and in an effort to reduce mechanical drag, it uses a separate clutch that automatically decouples its electric motor on a trailing throttle to provide what Volkswagen describes as “sailing effect”.

At 1545kg, the electric Golf weighs in as a chunky little devil at more than 305kg than the existing Golf 1.6 TDI BlueMotion. As a result Volkswagen says it hits 62mph from standstill in 11.8sec and reaches a top speed that, in the interests of retaining battery charge, is limited to 87mph. Not the most performance orientated vehicle to then but nonetheless the purpose of the new electric Golf is to make city driving more eco friendly.

Electric Mercedes SLS AMG On It's Way

Mercedes had recently announced it's plans to produce an all electric version of it's flagship SLS AMG by 2015. However, it has just been confirmed that Mercedes are now brining forward the launch of said electric supercar to as early as 2013, 2 years earlier than planned presumably to get a better foothold in the race for the electric car market. AMG managing director Volker Mornhinweg says he has already driven the prototype cars and promises they will be as exciting as the petrol powered SLS AMG they are based on. "I can tell you that it is an amazing kind of experience" he said.

Of course, Volker being slightly biased one might expect his praises of the car, but the figures might suggest that he's right. The car is to feature 4 motors at each wheel with a combined output of 400 kilowatts equating to 536bhp, no spring chicken then! And due to the inherent nature of electric motors the available torque is staggering at 649ft/lb, thats 170ft/lb more than the existing petrol version, pretty awesome I think you will agree. As an added bonus, with their being a motor at each wheel the electric SLS will of course be all wheel drive, allowing all of that power to be put down with brilliant potency as we are seeing from the likes of the 'un-driftable' Murcielago SV.

“We can remove the combustion engine and transaxle and make no changes to the body, and we can put in two motors with the gearbox in the rear, two motors and the gearbox in the front and we can take the center console as a battery place – it looks like a T and it is perfect,” said Volker.

The car is said to have fantastic handling too because the motors are able to adjust the power going to each wheel and now the traditional coilovers have been beefed up with a pushrod actuated system that also removes the need for double wishbones found on the petrol models front suspension.

However, while all this new tech is fantastic stuff, it does carry a weight penalty, and at just over 4,600 pounds it weighs nearly a 1000 pounds more than the current SLS AMG. Ouch.

Though despite this extra weight Obias Moeres, AMG’s head of vehicle development, says it “covers its weight very easily,” Once more that is what you would expect any self respecting head of AMG development to say, but, with all that torque Moeres goes on to say it's 0-60 time is under 4 seconds and a top speed of 118mph (limited to maximise range) putting it in the same league as the Tesla Roadster, which, in comparison is a matchbox with a lego technic motor in it. so well done AMG.

Now, the setback with every electric car at the moment is the notorious battery charging time, and a good comparison to this is always the Tesla Roadster as from 'empty' to 'ready' it can take 16 hours fora full charge. I know i know it still pains me each time i write it. Despite all the above fantastic performance figures then you would expect the electric iteration of the SLS to be around the same time or even worse due to it needing extra power to pull the giant mass that it is along. But you would be wrong. Using the same lithium-ion batteries as found in all current and future production electric cars, the electric SL AMG can reach an 80% charge in... wait for it... 20 minutes! Now this has to be based on input from a Level 3 440 volt charger, but nonetheless this is incredible stuff. And by the time this thing is in showrooms in 2013 Level 3 chargers will be more accessible and probably be an optional extra with the car!

So all this leaves us to one last thing. The price. After reading back through this post the electric SLS AMG is about the first electric car that really does sound desirable and there is a reason for that, because all of that fantastic technology and performance figures is expected to cost you over a quarter of a million pounds. I think i'll leave it there for now then.

Go well.

Europe To Get Standardised Charging Points

With electric cars ready to hit the showrooms this year Europe's electric vehicle market is already inline for an element of standardisation. Antonio Tajani, the European Industry Commissioner, has released plans to standardise charging points.

"This is no abstract concept, it's a set of 40 practical actions" he said "Electric cars are being keenly awaited by European citizens, it's important for those people to be abel to cross boarders and still charge their cars.

With senior authorities such as Antonio Tajani already looking to benefit the charging facilities across the continent it is evident that electric cars are going to become an integral part of motoring in the near future, I for one am looking forward to the next evolution of electric motoring to see if any manufacturer is capable of making a car with serious performance and convenience, and yes Tesla have made a good job at the performance side of things but a 16 hour battery charge...Seriously?

Ultra Eco Leaf Car - More Pictures!

Doing the rounds I came across a few more leaf car pictures earlier and thought i'd throw them up here as the original post only had the one image. These detail a little better how the unique roof of the Leaf car looks and works. Just like a real leaf, the roof is able to emit oxygen from it's surface as well as doubling as an ultra efficient solar panel which is one of the ways in which it provides power to the car as well as using the wheel turbines. Obviously this is a concept project but it actually works! Give the technology a few years and we could very well see elements of this vehicle making their way to mass produced cars in the future.

Format Wars - What New Fuel Will We End Up Using?

One of the most recent format wars that comes to mind is BluRay vs HD-DVD. A few years ago the tech blogs, websites and news pages were often awash with information, speculation and reviews of which format was dominating the digital entertainment industry each week. There were of course key players on both teams and if it were not for the withdrawal of Toshiba from the format race we might have been left with the choice of 2 or more formats to run your entertainment on - not that this is a bad thing. Lets face it though, most of us aren't really that fussed about what format the disc is that goes in your player, just as long as it does a good job right?

The future of fuel however is likely to be a very different story. What about our new alternative fuels? Which one will dominate? Which companies are going to get a sturdy foothold in the market share, Which fuel will you likely use and which will come to market first?

To cut this short, hybrid cars are already winning the race, which currently leaves, not the notorious oil conglomerates to mop up the money, but instead we are seeing battery manufacturers, with the likes of LGChem, laughing all the way as they struggle to keep up with the demand for ever improved lithium-ion power packs.

At this years Geneva motor show nearly every manufacturers stand featured eco inspiration in their new models and press releases, from Volkswagens super high MPG blue efficiency Polo to Ferrari's 599 HY-KERS. One particular company however, stood out the most; Porche. Typically being a manufacturer of performance orientated (and therefore uneconomical) cars, Porsche simultaneously unveiled 3 new hybrid vehicles this year, a GT3 leMans racer, the jaw dropping 918 Spyder and their all new Cayenne 4X4.

When the Carrera GT was first unveiled or even the first Cayenne just 4 years ago, the last thing on peoples minds would of been efficiency, economy or environmental responsibility. Merely a few years on and the primary focus of Porche's show as it unveiled it's latest range of super cars was it's hybrid technology and advancements in fuel and energy efficiency, demonstrating, that even companies who's last concern that seems to be only a blink ago, is now part of their flagship car, paving the way for the future and setting the benchmark for other companies to follow suit.

Hybrids, however eco friendly they are perceived today, are probably going to be an interim technology in the long run though. While the governments and super companies of the world are for ever recognising the importance of going green and eco, hybrid technology, while seemingly new, is something they have been able to turn their attention to in the short term to maximise green credentials.

The future of automotive design is looking at 100% electric vehicles and hydrogen fuel cell alternatives as well as cars that essentially power themselves from energy developed by wheel turbines and are carbon neutral as they clean the air in their immediate environment. As a personal thought, if an infrastructure (petrol stations and refineries being the primary candidates) can be developed to support hydrogen as we have done with petrol and diesel, the future of hydrogen powered cars looks healthy. There are already hydrogen fuel stations in California acting as a development program for the technology as well as serving the few hydrogen drivers currently cruising the sunny highways of LA. As we have the option of petrol and diesel today in the future it will not be unlikely to have the option of classic fuels as well as hydrogen and electric available to us at “fueling” stations.

Electric vehicles are already making a big push in the industry too. With the likes of the Silicon Valley designed Tesla Roadster making a prominent statement that performance does not have to be compromised for efficiency. With a 0-60mph time similar to that of a 911 Turbo it is a clear indicator that there is vast potential in the application of electric motors in the future of transport. Further supporting the electric trend is Volkswagen, while not focusing so much on the performance benefits electric motors bring to the table - such as 100% torque 100% of the time - Volkswagen have recently announced their Milano Taxi model which will be cleaning up the streets by 2013. Of course like all of these alternative fuels, in their infancy they each bring with them their own problems and electric cars biggest problem by far is the charging time and range. Where you might be able to drive 250 miles or so on a full charge in the Tesla, the 'empty' to 'ready' time can be 16 hours! Volkswagens Milano Taxi, albeit a lot better still only gets you an 80% charge in 4 hours - imagine standing next to the pump for that long, these are all substantial stationary charging times which the industry needs to overcome as best as it can before the masses will be able to adopt electric vehicles, even if they really want to.

In the grand scheme of things we are just scraping the surface of AF (Alternative Fuel) vehicles and their accompanying technologies, and while traditional fuel prices and gas guzzlers tax brackets are only continuing to rise, there are engines out there developing some fantastic economy figures running on traditional fuels. That being said, we are witnessing a pivotal point in automotive history that will eventually change the way the world fuels it’s transport in years to come.

New Lease Of life For Hydrogen Fuel Cells In Cars

In recent times hydrogen has had it's fair share of stumbling block in the race to becoming an actual alternative fuel, the fear of explosions due to it's highly volatile properties, the problem with carrying large quantities of hydrogen requiring heavy tanks to be installed in vehicles and of course the lack of infrastructure to supply the fuel to the world. However, Israeli scientists and entrepreneurs claim to have advanced hydrogen fuel one step closer to the reality of it becoming a genuine alternative fuel. As opposed to using metal or composite cylinders of compressed gas that resemble the likes of diving equipment, hydrogen is stored in thousands of miniature glass capillaries which, once development is completed, will only be slightly thicker than a human hair. Dan Eliezer, chief scientist of Geneva based C.En Ltd said "We have shown new materials that can store more hydrogen than any other system," The 370 glass filaments are slotted into a larger glass tube called a capillary-array, about the width of a drinking straw. The Israeli development team say 11,000 such tubes will fuel a car for 240 miles (400km) and take less than half the space and weight of tanks currently installed in the few hydrogen cars now available. Despite a sizeable investment of $10million into the fuel cell project by Generali Insurance, the project is unlikely to gain traction without a much larger capital injection to upscale the development. Once again with Hydrogen, one of the more significant problems is the crucial need for a substantially better infrastructure and distribution network to supply hydrogen to the masses and this will not be feasible without the support of major car companies, which have poured billions of dollars into their own closely guarded research programs. Despite these hurdles Moshe Stern, C.En's chief executive, said "the electric car will dominate the market for years to come, but the cheap and unlimited supply of hydrogen will make it the power source of the future". "Within a few years, perhaps a decade, hydrogen fuel will shift the world's energy balance away from oil", he said. "The real revolution is not the technical revolution, it is the political revolution," said Stern. "We are Israelis. We know what it means to be blackmailed by oil,"

New Volkswagen Electric Taxi

Taking it's name and colour theme from taxi's of Milans past, Volkswagens new green and black eco taxi has been unveiled today at the Hannover Messe auto show. Described as "an urban MPV tailored to the needs of taxi drivers" the Milano taxi is powered 100% by electricity. As with most electric vehicles being developed today it draws it's power from lithium-ion batteries that are installed on the underside of the vehicle. An 80% charge takes just over an hour and with 85kW of power developing a top speed of 75mph and a pretty impressive range of 186 miles between charges, Volkswagen has upped it's game in the alternative fuel - eco race - that every other manufacturer is currently competing in. One of the more unique features of the Milano taxi is its swivel-sliding door, which extends into the roof to make for a wider opening. It also uses any vacant front passenger space to carry luggage and a cut back dash to boost interior room. IN the passenger side a screen in the rear displays the current fare and allows passengers to get more information on local points of interest. On the drivers side there is a touchscreen computer, which tidies up the dash and integrates the often bolted on technology such as taxi radio, telephone, sat-nav and trip computer etc. Volkswagen has announced that it will launch its first, zero-emission, production electric vehicles in 2013.

British Built Axon Hybrid Car

There's a new British motor industry and it's green.

From the ashes of the old rises some of the world's best low-emission technology, Cue the Axon 8080. Northamptonshire-based Axon Automotive have just launched this plug-in hybrid, which mixes batteries and a little bioethanol engine, making it good for 100mpg, with just 50g/km CO2 and no range anxiety either.

An ultra-lightweight carbon fibre poppet bankrolled by the UK Technology Strategy Board, the 8080 will be in showrooms as early as 2011 and should qualify for the Government's five grand eco bung. So much cooler than a G-Wiz.

Axon Automotive has been selected to be part of a signing ceremony to launch the cooperation between E-ON and Milton Keynes council over plans to install electric car recharging points.

Milton Keynes is one of three ‘Plugged-in Places’ locations across the country, which will receive funding to install recharging infrastructure to accelerate the uptake of electric cars.

Make Like A Car And Leaf

Following the ever growing green trend, Chinese car designer SAIC has unveiled this pretty radical looking green car type thing. I guess it looks more like a buggy actually but either way it's an interesting looking mode of transport that caught my eye. The amazing thing about this car though is not it's looks but what it actually does and how it does it.

Aptly named the 'Leaf Car' due to it's foliage inspired roof which houses photovoltaic cells, the car features individual wheel turbines, which spin a lot like those tacky 'bling' rims made ever so popular on rappers Hummers a few years ago. However, very much unlike a Hummer, SAIC claims the turbines generate electricity as the car is travelling in a sort of self charging movement. The metal-organic chassis also captures CO2 for use in a microbial fuel cell which would actually emit water vapor. In essence it runs on renewable energy and somehow emits oxygen, making it the world’s first “carbon negative” car. Put simply if this car were to make it to the road it would actually be good for the environment - cleaning the air as it went along.

F1 To Go Turbo...Again?

In May 1977 Renault revealed its first ever Formula One car, the RS/01. It boasted two distinctive innovations, one was its radial tyres developed with Michelin and the other was its engine, a 1,492cc turbo charged unit, the first of its kind in Formula 1 developing power in the 1000bhp region. This was eventually banned by the FIA in the mid eighties for a switch to naturally aspirated engines. Today, In a bid to attract new sponsors, teams and manufacturers to the sport, Formula 1 bosses are considering a move back to smaller, 1.5 litre, turbo charged engines once again by 2013. This time it is a different story though, It is also the sports first step to help promote it's 'green' credentials along with the reintroduction of KERS that the FIA currently debating over. If the F1 series were to drive down costs and clean up it's act by turning to the leaner greener turbo engines, Volkswagen has said it will look at entering the pinacle series in 2013 with a possible partnership with Williams and smaller engines aren't the only aspect that might be returning to the sport either, Michelin has also this week spoken about a return to F1, but has imposed several conditions on the FIA: it wants a switch to 18-inch rims to make its F1 tyres more relevant to its road and sports car programmes, and it wants the sport to be doing more for the environment.

How To Charge Your Phone Through A Tree

During my daily eco web browse of the web just checking up on the news and what not I came across this really cool solar charger. Typically when you think of solar chargers, tacky plastic casings and novel key rings often come to mind - this is stunning design however, is far from the likes of generic solar chargers you find in the back of gadget magazines.

"Beautiful! This is a great marriage of function and beauty" as one person quite rightly commented on the Electree's news post. It has universal adapters so it is compatible with a multitude of devises and even has USB connectivity too! Thanks to 54 tiny photovoltaic panels this device will store energy in a battery during the day, allowing you to re-charge your stuff whenever you need and to top it off, all of the wires re hidden away in the bonsai tray maintaining it's great aesthetics. Unfortunately this is still a working prototype so i'm not sure when it will beo n the shelves, but i want one! So i'll be sure to keep you updated as and when I hear more.

Our website development progress 2

Once you have a seen a wire frame they all pretty much look the same so we won't bore you with any more grey lines - every other primary page for the site was laid out this way and sub pages that can be easily replicated in the future will follow the same format just with different content in them. So the task at hand recently has been to design the look and feel of the site. We wont be giving too much away just yet but the fact you are reading this blog will give a good indicator of EcoForecourts feel and theme. Our thing is keeping it eco and keeping it green both visually and literally. To echo our eco status we are hosting EF on 100% carbon neutral servers, we are only a short time into establishing EF and already we are setting the foundations for a sustainable service through green technology.

If you have any recommendations for how we can be greener please let us know - we're all ears :)

Go well.