'Green' cars

Hereward

No, Lexus has two models, the GS450h and the RX400h; however, both these models produce more CO2 than the Prius. I am sure there are other models out there.

owen2k

The lexus is a very nice car, but produces more co2 than most cars as the hybrid is mainly used as a backup for extra performance...

In general Hybrid cars are not all they are cracked up to be, they cost a lot of energy to manufacture and disassemble, with 2 engines and all, and massive batteries that actually move the car rather then just power the electrics, lights pumps ect as in conventionl cars,

you may be better off buying a conventional petrol or diesel car and getting it converted to use Natural gas, we have some filling stations here (south east) and it only costs about 30p a litre, and its cleaner than a hybrid, only thing to make sure of is that you have enough filling stations in your area, and that you dont need to take the car on a ferry or Eurostar (i saw on their site that they ask if car is Natural gas powered when booking i dont know though if its prohibited......

squirreltufty

what about the ones that automatically cut out when you're stationary in traffic (sorry don't know what they're called), and then start up again when you press the throttle (do they actually exist or is it just something I saw on Tomorrow's World that never materialised?)

redux

Diesel is hardly eco-friendly though, is it? The primary aim of my switch is eco-friendlyness, with the financial side second.

Actually it is more friendly than petrol, as there are lower emissions of CO2 and pollutants. Cold-started catalyst-equipped petrol cars cause more toxic emissions in 3 miles than a diesel in 50, and the diesel stays lower after that.

And with biodiesel you can reason that the CO2 has been captured out of the air by the crop in the first place. There is use of energy in planting and harvesting the crop of course, but it pays back from two and a half to four times, depending if you burn the straw somewhere else as fuel too.

I disagree a bit about SVO vs biodiesel; for one thing, I've heard it said that SVo does not have the 20 pence a litre duty reduction.

You could get a Volkswagen Lupo or Audi A2 that does over 90 mpg, run it on home-made biodiesel for about 2 pence a mile spent on fuel. Compare that to 8 or 9 pence I spend until I get round to bio, or about 25 pence a mile of a typical petrol 4x4

squirreltufty wrote:

what about the ones that automatically cut out when you're stationary in traffic (sorry don't know what they're called), and then start up again when you press the throttle (do they actually exist or is it just something I saw on Tomorrow's World that never materialised?)

I believe the above two cars do this, and may have some coasting system on downhill

but there's no need for automation - just turn it off anyway

rubix_76

PabloNeruda wrote:

Diesel is hardly eco-friendly though, is it? The primary aim of my switch is eco-friendlyness, with the financial side second.

AHA !! (he says rubbing his hands together with glee)

Boy-O-Boy, the people who rave on about electric-hybrid cars are very niaeve !!

You say you want to be eco-freindly but where exactly do you think that the electricity that will charge your electric car (if you choose an electric hybrid of course) will come from ..... a coal-using-CO2-polluting power station maybe !!!

In the Daily mail a few days ago they did a survey of what they called "dust to dust" energy usage for cars. Suprise-suprise the so-called eco-friendly hybrids came out very close to the top, both in energy usage to produce them, and energy usage to power them.

They may emit the lowest levels of CO2, but the energy needed to power or charge them takes much more energy.

There, I have now got off my soap box, and need a rest as my throat is sore.

rubix_76

redux wrote:

Actually it is more friendly than petrol, as there are lower emissions of CO2 and pollutants. Cold-started catalyst-equipped petrol cars cause more toxic emissions in 3 miles than a diesel in 50, and the diesel stays lower after that.

Redux, you seem to know your stuff when it comes to diesels. I have heard the reason that diesels get higher road tax is not (as you have stated) to do with higher CO2 levels, but smoke (whatever is meant by that) emmisions. Is that what causes smog maybe ???

Can you explain please ?

shona_2

PabloNeruda wrote:

Anyway, is the Prius the only kind of hybrid out there?

Honda do another one - in a Civic saloon body - which ws the snag for me as I wanted an estate - which the Prius isn't either...

Have read some fairly poor reviews of the Prius - not living up to mileage claims etc.

Not sure about the Honda one. Claims 61mpg (latest model).

Also - they tend to be pretty scarce, and therefore keep more value than they probably should...

Shona

gord115

Just read a test in auto express on the honda civic hybrid and the Toyota prius.The fuel consumption in normal driving is nothing to write home about.38mpg for one and 41mpg for the other.They reccomend buying the diesel equivalents and saving a few grand into the bargain.

Prudent

chilli_dog wrote:

Also the dear old government dont like us using it because of the difference it loses in fuel duty. You are supposed to monitor your mileage and send a cheque to the government every month for the tax it loses. I kid you not.

If you get stopped at the roadside by the excise people and they dip your tank and find you using it with being registered then there could be troubl.

I am appalled. Shouldn't they being encouraging us to be more environmentally friendly?

redux

rubix_76 wrote:

Redux, you seem to know your stuff when it comes to diesels. I have heard the reason that diesels get higher road tax is not (as you have stated) to do with higher CO2 levels, but smoke (whatever is meant by that) emmisions. Is that what causes smog maybe ???

Can you explain please ?

It was alleged by some people a few years ago that particulate emissions from diesels are very harmful.

But some of the studies were sponsored by a company selling lead additives for petrol (yes, it was a while ago).

Others were from the USA where there is not very much diesel use, and one test found that most particulates in a couple of areas were from fast food restaurants.

But the rumour endures, and this seems to be the reasoning behind why road tax is a bit higher for diesels.