web chat archive

Web Chat Archive

Clean Green Driving Machines

Can we really become a nation of greener drivers and what are the trade-offs we might have to make between convenience now and protecting our future?

If you'd like to find out more about environmentally-friendly cars, greener fuels, carbon-offsetting or just learn some tips for more fuel-efficient driving then join this free online webchat with Craig Staniland, green guru and underwriting director for leading motor insurer Swiftcover.com.

Craig appeared live earlier on the webcam to answer your questions. Read below to see what was said.

Transcript

Host: Hi everyone. Craig is here and settling in ready to take your questions.

Craig: Hi everyone looking forward to receiving your questions.

Noel: what exactly is green driving?

Craig: Its driving a car that pollutes less and also driving in a way that reduces the pollution from that car.

stu francis: how can you drive more fuel-efficiently (besides driving in a higher gear)? thansk

Craig: Check your tyre pressure, every 6psi (pressure per square inch) too low increases fuel consumption by 1%. Remove roof racks to reduce wind resistance. Shut your windows for the same reason. Turn off the air conditioning and if there are any particular heavy items, that you do not need, remove them because that increases fuel consumption. On swiftcover's travelometer.co.uk website you will find more tips on green driving.

Neil: Are any other manufacturers about to launch a competitor hybrid car to the Toyota Prius?

Craig: Honda already produce the Civic IMA which is a hybrid car. Lexis, a subsidiary of Toyota, produce the RX400H amongst other cars all with a hybrid engine. Interestingly VW are launching the Polo Bluemotion later this year with a standard diesel engine which actually produces less CO2 than the Prius.

Wannabe greener: Are there any discounts available for driving a greener car to offset the cost of buying a more expensive car?

Craig: Swiftcover.com offers insurance discounts for hybrid cars. Vehicle excise duty is reduced for more environmentally efficient cars. Cars running with hybrid engines, on LPG or electric cars, are exempt London congestion charging. Interestingly, in November we raised an Early Day Motion (EDM) urging the Government to remove VAT charges from the most environmentally friendly new cars. Watch this space!

Greenie Wannabe: What are the best green family cars - i.e. not green colour, but environmentally sound?

Craig: There are several depending on the size of car you wish to buy. The Environmental Transport Association – www.eta.co.uk – suggests the Honda Civic 1.4 IMA and Toyota Prius. But if you want a large family MPV, you may wish to consider the Renault Scenic 1.5 or the Volkswagen Touran 1.9. Many of these aren’t totally environmentally friendly but they’re certainly better for the environment than some of the alternatives.

Frankly Speaking: No-one actually needs a 3 litre car in London or in many cities. Why doesn't the Government tax these cars at point of sale far more heavily? Equally, why don't insurance companies charge a much higher rate for insuring these cars too? Are these fair measures do you think?

Craig: As mentioned before, in November we did raise an Early Day Motion urging the Government to remove VAT charges from the most environmentally friendly new cars. Conversely, it would not be unreasonable to tax the most environmentally unfriendly cars more. Ken Livingstone has already announced that should he be re-elected as Mayor of London, he will look to increase the congestion charge for the least environmentally friendly cars to £25 per day. Given these cars (with a CO2 of 225 grams per kilometre) already have a higher vehicle excise duty, there is an argument that legislators are moving against the more polluting cars.

barky: prius is nothing like as economic in daily use as made out - are we being fooled ??

Craig: There are indications that the Prius isn’t quite as fuel efficient in regular use as hoped. However, it’s CO2 figures remain some of the best of all commercially available cars.

webbo: Can drivers in the UK really make a difference? A lot of this problem lies withgas-guzzling drivers in the US!!

Craig: It’s fair to say that the US does pollute more than the UK. Most people know that the US refused to sign up to the Kyoto agreement. However, we have to start somewhere and only this week Al Gore was given an Oscar for his film An Inconvenient Truth. Hopefully, America is getting on board.

Anon: Ken Livingstone lives down my road and has one of these eco-cars parked outside his house. Fair play to him, though he has a powerpoint outside in the street for hooking his car up to it to keep it charged. Is this type of scenario likely to be more common for all of us?

Craig: It depends which direction we go as a society. It’s notable that in Oregon to drive into the centre of the state capital you usually have to have an electric car and many of the parking bays have power points. However, this will be a big investment for the whole of the UK. Diesel cars, like the VW Bluemotion, may be a more practical alternative.

Patrick 'Veggie' Berger: Is it legal and/or insurable to use e.g. corn or other vegetable oils as fuel?

Craig: If the car is legal to drive then it is typically insurable.

Jon Sellors: What is swiftcover doing to encourage its customers to be greeener

Craig: Swiftcover.com offers a 10% discount of its insurance premiums on hybrid cars. We also recommend you look at Swiftcover’s website www.travelometer.co.uk for more tips on greener driving.

Ian: Are deisel cars better for the environment than petrol - seems to be lots of conflicting advice?

Craig: You are correct, there are conflicting answers. Diesel cars tend to do more miles to the gallon but unfortunately its not as simple as that to work out which is best for the environment. The jury is still out!

Sam Sung: Does encouraging people to be green in their travel arrangements mean discouraging insurance policies, or perhaps just less claims since there are less journeys?

Craig: Following the research we did for Swiftcover’s travelometer.co.uk website, we found that people are generally unhappy to give up their cars completely but are prepared to seek greener alternatives if they don’t cost too much. Ideally giving up your car is a great green initiative but more most people its just not practical.

Help please?!: I’m considering converting to an alternative fuel but know that re-fuelling stations are few and far between. Which alternative fuel stations are most common and easy to come by?

Craig: Alternative fuels include Liquid Petroleum Gas (LPG), natural gas, Biodiesel, Bioethanol, hydrogen fuel cell. However, many of these alternative fuels aren’t available very widely in the UK. The most common alternative fuel is LPG, there are 1,200 refuelling stations around the country making it the most convenient option. Go to www.flogas.co.uk for a list of the refuelling stations.

Hi Craig: Where can I go for information about buying a new environmentally-friendly car makes and models?

Craig: The Environmental Transport Association’s website – www.eta.co.uk – would be a good place to start, as would www.whatgreencar.com

Sol: How much do battery / electric cars cost to own and run? Can you give us an indication please.

Craig: In terms of price, it tends to average out the same as running a petrol car in terms of cost to you. There are savings on using electricity because there’s no extra fuel duty, but usually the cost of leasing the batteries adds around £60-70 a month which offsets the saving. However, there is up to a 40% reduction in greenhouse gases, so whilst you might not be better off, the planet is!

Richard in Richmond: My local council is planning to implement a scheme whereby they will charge on a sliding scale for residents’ parking permits based on vehicle CO2 emissions. What do you think of this? It has certainly got a mixed reaction locally.

Craig: Although I do not know exactly what is planned for Richmond, this probably ties with Vehicle Excise Duty scale which penalises more powerful cars. It comes back to the question, “do you want to encourage people to drive cars that are better for the environment?”.

barky: why are diesel hybrids so slow getting to the market ? surely more economical than a petrol one

Craig: The reason that we raised an Early Day Motion in November to remove VAT on particularly environmentally friendly cars was because hybrid cars are significantly more expensive (can be easily £2,000 more) than other cars in their class which is discouraging people from buying them.

Silla: Are company cars - big, heavy, and often unecessary - now an anachronism, particularly with regards to environmental concerns?

Craig: Company cars have lost favour over the last ten years with increases in tax and a move towards emissions-based charging. However, some cars, most notably the Lexus RX400H (which has a hybrid engine), a luxury 4x4 has an emissions rating of about 192 CO2, which makes it possibly less polluting than a Ford Mondeo 2 litre or a Mini Cooper S. So whilst big, heavy cars will typically be more polluting than small, lightweight cars, there are other factors to consider.

Ramsey: What do you think of the Honda Civic petrol-hybrid? Is it true you get 100% discount on the congestion charge in London with this car?

Craig: Not all alternative fuel vehicles are eligible for a discount on the fuel congestion charge. However, I understand the Honda Civic IMA is. To double-check please go to www.cclondon.com and access the PowerRegister.

Steven with a v: Can car sharing ever take off as an idea?

Craig: From time to time there have been initiatives to encourage car sharing but until we start having particular lanes for car sharing, or giving people the right to use bus lanes, if there are 4 or more people in the car, its unlikely we’re going to make a huge amount of headway on this one. Personally, I get fed seeing unused bus lanes whilst I'm stuck in the traffic jam!

Green Cartside: Are there any decent second-hand (used) green car models to look out for (rather than buy a new one!)

Craig: I’d suggest www.whatgreencar.com or www.eta.co.uk for some ideas. Nearly new second hand cars, which benefit from modern technology, whilst not requiring a new car to be built, are often a better option for the environment.

Steve Boxhall: We all know the climate is changing - getting warmer - but do you think it is for government or consumers to take the lead and do something?

Craig: It’s for both the Government and consumers to do something. However, consumers are the voters come the next General Election. If we all move in a consistent direction you can guarantee the Government will bend. Businesses can, and should, help too. Hopefully this chatroom promoted some green ideas and encouraged people to think slightly more green, though, if you excuse the pun, it’s the tip of the (melting) iceberg! For more information visit www.swiftcover.com or better still our microsite www.travelometer.co.uk

Host: Unfortunately that is all the time we have for today. Many thanks for all your questions.

Craig: Thank you, this has been very interesting and fun. All the best Craig.

Happy green motoring!

Web Chat Archive