The cost of motoring
The cost of motoring
It seems that transport costs are becoming a major issue for consumers and a political hot potato in the UK.
Hauliers want a duty rebate on fuel for their industry and have been taking action to highlight their cause, blocking the A40 in London and M4 in Wales.
Boris Johnson has scrapped plans to increase the congestion charge for high-polluting cars, incurring a bill of £400,000 for legal costs from Porsche who had contested the proposed increase. At the same time, he has also scrapped plans to allow thousands of the lowest polluters into the charging zone for free.And ministers have signalled that plans to increase car tax for high polluters are likely to be watered down to appease voters.
An interesting snippet that is taking up less column inches is the news that Sheffield-based ITM has developed an in-home fuel station that produces enough hydrogen to fuel homes and cars. It is the size of a domestic heating boiler and uses water and off-peak electricity to produce hydrogen. It can be used in a specially converted Ford Focus and will cost half the price of unleaded petrol. The station will go on sale in about two years' time.
More research reveals further developments...
In the US, Mygallons allows consumers to pre-purchase fuel at today's prices (no sign of anything like this in the UK that I am aware of).
Also in the US, LS9 has developed a genetically-engineered bug that excretes 'renewable petroleum', a biofuel that has "properties that are essentially indistinguishable from those of gasoline, diesel, and jet fuel".
Friday, 11 July 2008 10:45