Aptera - 300mpg plug-in hybrid trike

The Aptera trike will be available in electric and plug in hybrid versions. The electric Aptera has a range of around 120 miles on a full charge, whilst the hybrid can achieve anything up to 300 miles per gallon. They're taking pre-orders (for California only at the moment) prior to launching next year.

It's possible the vehicle will make it over here, priced at less than £15,000. I'm going to start saving now.

Technorati tag: Aptera, Hybrid

C8 - "green influentials"

From the inbox-

Forget the G8, Gordon meets the "C8" for fresh thinking on how to tackle climate change

To mark this year's Energy Saving Week, the Energy Saving Trust has assembled the "C8" to start one million conversations on climate change during the Week. Like the G8, the C8 is made up of important leaders – but these leaders represent the everyday influential communities in the UK that have the most potential to drive mass adoption of energy efficient behaviour and reduce the UK's carbon footprint.

The C8 includes leaders from the likes of the Women's Institute and the Church of England as well as a leading green blogger, Adam Vaughan. During Energy Saving Week, the C8 is urging people within and beyond their networks to take action to reduce C02 emissions. Women's Institute groups will be holding electrical appliance amnesties and climate coffee mornings while priests up and down the country will be putting climate change at the heart of their Sunday sermons.

C8 members were selected by the Energy Saving Trust on the back of the launch of the world's first ever climate change Influence Index that measures potential to influence large numbers of people through understanding of green issues, social networks and their community connections. Membership of the Women's Institute and religious groups was each made up of 72% 'green influentials' – the most persuasive and powerful group on the Index - busting the national average of 38%. Shopkeepers were also shown to be a key community, with 61% falling into the green influential category.

Following a summit on Monday to discuss the best ways to spread the word about climate change through their organisations and networks, representatives from each community visited Prime Minister, Gordon Brown, yesterday to secure his backing for the campaign.

Gordon Brown said: "Energy efficiency is firmly on our agenda here and we value the great work that the Energy Saving Trust has done in this area and the potential of its 'C8' partners to spread the message. As the 'C8' has stipulated, saving energy and fighting climate change isn't solely about the Government taking action, it is also about what we can all do as individuals and in our communities."

Philip Sellwood, Energy Saving Trust Chief Executive, said: "If all 211,000 members of the Women's Institute boiled only the water they needed rather than overfilling the kettle each time, collectively they would save around £1,000,000 in annual fuel bills and more than 5,600 tonnes of carbon dioxide per year. The message is – individual actions do make a difference and encouraging communities to club together motivates people to do their bit."

To find out whether you're a green influential, take the test at: www.energysavingtrust.org.uk/influencer

Technorati tag: EcoHouse, Energy Efficiency

Biofuel duty cut

I missed this when it was announced, but I think it's a step in the right direction-

Small biodiesel producers will no longer have to pay duty of their fuel, while medium sized manufacturers will only have to pay quarterly rather than monthly. Under changes to the duty process which will come into force on Saturday (30 June) only those producing more than 450,000 litres per annum will not see any changes to the amount or way they pay duty. An HMRC spokesman says: "We can confirm that, with effect from 30 June, producers of biofuel of less than 2,500 litres annually will no longer need to pay any excise duty. Those producing up to 450,000 litres annually will only need to submit and pay returns quarterly.

Technorati tag: Biodiesel

Gordon Brown's climate cowardice

I've been away for a while, sorry about that. (And I flew across the Atlantic whilst I was away, I'll have to look into offsets.) But I'm back again now, and with something to really rant about.

Ministers are drawing up plans to abandon plans and promises to drastically increase Britain's renewable energy production. Faced with some expense and a bit of hard work, new New Labour (or whatever we're supposed to call them now Gordon's in charge) want to bottle out and go home. So they're trying to team up with Poland and others to try and have the targets turned down before the final draft goes through.

Some of the reasoning behind this move is nonsensical to say the least.

One of the main objections of government to meeting the renewables target set by Mr Blair is that it will undermine the role of the European emission trading scheme. This scheme was devised by the Treasury under Mr Brown and allows wealthy governments to pay others to reduce emissions. "[Meeting the 20% renewables target] crucially undermines the scheme's credibility ... and reduces the incentives to invest in other carbon technologies like nuclear power", say the papers.

Investment in reducing emissions is going to harm investments in reducing emissions? That doesn't make any sense.

Gordon could find the estimated £4billion a year required to make the change, probably quite easily. For one thing he could stop funding terrorism by bringing all of our troops back from Iraq and coming up with a more coherent plan for Afghanistan. He could create a multi billion pound industry in this country by subsidising start ups in the renewables sector (who'll than employ lots of people and pay masses of tax). And he could champion smaller, local, schemes that aren't as doomed as resurrecting nuclear power or hopelessly long term as a Severn barrage. Mini barrages up and down tidal estuaries might be an idea. Or community geothermal schemes. Taxing/ banning incandescent bulbs and putting a rebate on compact fluorescents would help cut the country's energy needs drastically, as would increasing the standards for new build homes.

There's so much that could be done that would pay back so quickly. I fear our political class lacks imagination and spines.

Technorati tag: EcoHouse, Renewable Energy, Gordon Brown