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Sustainable Cheshire Forum Climate Change Guide |
Alternative
Fuels
For further information on alternative fuels visit www.est.org.uk
LPG (Liquid Petroleum
Gas)
LPG produces much lower emissions - about 10% to 15% less CO2, 75% less
carbon monoxide and 85% less hydrocarbons - and is about half the price
of unleaded petrol. However, the engines do use petrol in order to start.
Biodiesel
Biodiesel is a renewable fuel that is produced from the oil of crops
including oilseed rape, sunflowers and soybeans, as well as from waste
cooking oils. These crops absorb CO2 as they grow, offsetting emissions
by 60%. Standard diesel is sold as EN 590, which can contain a blend
of 5% biodiesel and 95% ultra-low sulphur diesel, although biodiesel
is available in blends up to 100%. Some car manufacturers approve higher
blends (up to 30%), but speak with your vehicle manufacturer first.
Biodiesel is available from certain petrol stations. For more information,
visit www.est.org.uk or www.biodiesel.co.uk
Electric vehicles
Electric vehicles are powered by batteries and an electric motor. This
keeps both noise and CO2 at the tailpipe to zero. Due to the relatively
small capacity of their batteries, electric vehicles have a limited
range between recharges (usually 60-150 miles), so they are best suited
as city cars. Electric vehicles can be recharged simply by plugging
them into an existing electrical socket. There are only a limited range
of purely electric cars available on the market at present. However,
there are a number of hybrid electrical cars such as the Honda Insight,
Toyota Prius, Honda Civic IMA and Citroen C3 Stop & Start mildhybrid.
A new hybrid electric vehicle costs around £1,000 - £3,000
more than a conventional vehicle. However, as hybrids are more than
capable of running in excess of 55 miles per gallon of petrol, fuel
costs will be around two thirds of those for an equivalent petrol fuelled
vehicle.