Driving me wild!



Vauxhall Ampera

 It comes of no surprise to those that know me that I’m somewhat of a ‘petrol-head’. And, as much as I like to ogle the odd supercar that passes my way, it’s true that with the rising price of oil, diminishing natural fuel resources and increasing worries about carbon emissions, the need for green solutions to our 4-wheeled friends is high.

Seeing the Vauxhall Ampera on the front cover of many a magazine at the moment has got me thinking about how far we have come with green cars, in a relatively short space of time. MOSI has its own battery powered vehicles including a Berlingo Electrique and a Sinclair C5 – a far cry from what’s being produced today. Green cars have finally shaken off their dull image and can now actually be considered - well, rather cool!



E-Wolf

German electric vehicle specialist e-WOLF has been developing a new sports car called the e-WOLF Alpha-2. The company has been renowned for producing electric vehicles for some time and, by using two electric motors to power the rear wheels, they claim they can get 0-100km/h in just 3.9 seconds and a full-charge will offer a range of around 300km!

In Britain, the founder of Gloucestershire-based wind energy company Ecotricity, Dale Vince OBE and his team built the 'Nemesis' - an electricity-powered supercar which can accelerate from 0-100mph in 8.5 seconds. It is powered entirely by 100% green electricity made by Ecotricity’s UK network of windmills!

Ecotricitys 'Nemesis' 

I was also delighted to see one of the new generation electric hybrid double decker buses in the flesh this week. It’s good to see that Greater Manchester is leading the country in the drive to get cash for greener buses, with grants totalling more than £11.9m to get them all on the road by next year. Low carbon buses emit around 30 per cent fewer greenhouse gas emissions than standard diesel buses and use around a third less fuel.

But with this shift towards electric vehicles, for both domestic and commercial use, what impact will this have on our power grid and the originating fuel source? Answers on a postcard please – carrier pigeons accepted.