Greener Fuels

Alternative Fuels, Efficient Cars, Greener Drivers

What car you drive and how you drive it can make a real difference to it's impact on the environment. This section looks at three different aspects of driving: alternative fuel, better cars and greener drivers.

Alternative fuels

There is a host of alternative fuels available to us today.

Councils in Hertfordshire are actively supporting electric vehicle charging points. There are over 500 electricity charging bays in the East of England including within Hertfordshire: Baldock, Croxley Green, Harpenden, Hemel Hempsted, Hertford, Hitchin, Letchworth, Radlett, Royston, St Albans, Watford and Welwyn Garden City. There are useful maps available to help you find a local charging point.

Electric cars are powered by electricity usually by plugging into the mains to top up the battery. Go Ultra Low and the Green Car Site provide further information about electric cars.

Hybrid cars have a petrol engine and powerful sets of batteries. The car usually starts on the petrol and, when driving in slow speeds, turns over to the electric power. The battery is topped up by the otherwise wasted energy when braking.

One possible option, if you have a diesel engine car is used cooking oil. Enthusiasts’ run and maintained journey for ever website. Other options include bioethanol or biodiesel. Both can be used in existing cars without any modification. To learn about biofuels visit the Renewable Fuel Agency and to find out where the biodisel filling stations are located visit the biodiesel filling stations webpage.

Another option is LPG (liquid petroleum gas). You can also convert your existing vehicle into LPG. To find out more about LPG visit the drive LPG website. The location of LPG stations throughout the UK is available to download from the LPG map.

In most cases, when using an alternative fuel vehicle you can be exempt from the London Congestion Charge. For more information visit the Powershift website.

Efficient Cars

When we are talking about better cars we simply mean their environmental performance, not their speed, style or manufacturer.

If you are looking to buy a car, why not consider a car with low consumption, high fuel efficiency and perhaps even alternative fuels. The Vehicle Certification Agency provides information on the fuel consumption and emissions information on new and used cars.

To help you choose a low emission car the government is supporting Go Ultra Low which includes a menu to help you choode the right car for you.

Greener Driver

The way we drive has an real influence on the amount of fuel we use and the amount of emissions we produce. Changing the way you drive can save the average car driver £250-300 per year. By following the some simple tips we can all become much more efficient drivers.

Try to drive smoothly and slowly within the optimum speed recommended by your car’s manufacturer. Try to accelerate and brake smoothly. Change gears at around 2,000 RPM as driving at lower revs can save fuel. If your car is not moving for a minute or two then turn off the engine.

Maintaining your car can also help. The most important points are: maintaining the correct tyre pressure and shedding unnecessary weight. If you are travelling at low speed then opening the windows is more efficient. If travelling at 60 miles per hour or above, closing the windows and using the air con will save you more.