Get behind the wheel of change (From Bradford Telegraph and Argus)

Get behind the wheel of change

8:23am Wednesday 14th October 2009 in Columnists By Amanda Burt

Irrespective of oil price, the ever more apparent negative effects of carbon emissions alone are driving us to urgently reduce, if not eliminate, oil-based transportation emissions.

Petrol-powered vehicles account for as much as 50 per cent of carbon emissions in some European countries and are a big contributor to air pollution.

According to the World Health Organisation, 900,000 people die each year from causes directly attributable to outdoor air pollution.

Besides this devastating consequence, many analysts say that the world’s crude oil prices will surge to the $100 per barrel mark within three years. The impact of investment cuts in new oil fields could hit as soon as 2012, putting an end to the so-called cheaper fuel prices consumers have enjoyed.

In addition, UK consumers are still spending more and more money on fuel, not only due to increasing oil prices, but because of rising taxation. Unleaded petrol cost an average of 97.7p per litre in May 2009 and, although still well below the July 2008 peak, that’s a 12 per cent hike since the beginning of the year.

Take away the hefty fuel bill and you‘ll find that the more environmentally-friendly electric car doesn’t need a clutch, transmission, spark plugs, engine oil, filters, exhaust, or any of the usual components of the conventional motor car. This means they are also significantly cheaper to service. As a result, you might argue the potential threat to a long list of jobs.

The Government has confirmed that, from 2011, it will offer motorists cash ‘rewards’ of £2,000 to £5,000 to buy electric or hybrid cars. Not to mention the ‘shake-up’ in road tax, whereby for every new vehicle bought in 2010 which emits more than 130g of CO2 per km, customers will suffer a ‘first year rate’ charge of up to £950.

Granted, hardcore “petrol-heads” will never love the electric replacements, but when you can drive 200 miles for the price of a cup of coffee, you can see them catching on.

Think of the saving you’ll make over a lifetime if you don’t have to buy the lagoon of petrol required for the typical combustion engine. OK, the batteries are rather bulky, and electric vehicles are still quite costly, but the batteries are easy to recharge, competition is forcing the prices down and the chances are they will hold their value.

So what better time to start thinking ahead and embracing change in an era where we can produce solutions that allow people to drive fast, have fun, overtake the slowcoaches – and still save the planet?