Browse by subject: Transport & travel: Cars (160)
Zip through London
26 Nov 2007
High-tech gloss sharpens appeal of car hire by the hour
Slick, up-market branding is repositioning the old...
Want to cut congestion? Join the club
12 Nov 2006
Save the planet, share a car! - Shell Better Britain Campaign
Traffic goes electric green
10 Jul 2008
Wind-powered recharge grid on the horizon for Danish battery vehicles
It’s looking good...
Three wheels good
10 Jan 2008
This space-age Aptera could take some beating in the green car stakes. And it’s on sale already in California –...
The showrooms of the future
23 Feb 2010
In 20 years’ time, our city streets will no longer be dominated by the motor car as vehicles of all shapes and...
The creeping advance of the hybrids
04 Nov 2006
Hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs) could capture 8-10% of the European market by 2015. That’s the relatively sober...
Ten of the best… green cars
14 Nov 2006
Electric, hybrid, biodiesel, Smart... see how the top contenders measure up.
Taxi shorts
29 Nov 2007
Taxi shorts London cabs are being cleaned up too, following the introduction of stricter pollution standards in...
Taking issue with Jeremy Clarkson
12 Nov 2006
The hazardous journey of a car manufacturer trying to reduce car use
- Kia Cars
Taking 'a heck of a hit'
05 Nov 2006
Automotive companies are hardly on top of a Socially Responsible Investment (SRI) analyst's watch list, but the sector...
Streetwise for a day
02 Nov 2006
Who noticed International Car Free Day? Held on 22 September, it didn’t get much national coverage, but at...
Street surfaces to harness kinetic energy
07 Apr 2009
An Israel-based firm thinks it has found a way to help offset motorists' carbon footprint – using specially designed...
Sticking plaster or smoke signal
09 Nov 2006
Buy a car, plant a tree, save a planet? Some of these half-baked schemes really don’t add up to a hill of beans...
Sparking a green revolution
12 Mar 2009
San Francisco bids for ‘electric car capital’ with recharging infrastructure
Convulsions among the dinosaurs...
Spark plug: can EVs save the climate and the motor industry?
06 May 2010
Electric vehicles (EVs) are the flavour of the year. A hundred years after the petrol revolution swamped the first...
Sounder sleeping policemen
04 Nov 2006
Even compliant motorists can still get the hump over sleeping policemen. Could they be mollified by a new traffic...
Solar Grove: the new face of car parks
05 Feb 2010
A new sort of car park is taking hold in America, as companies install solar trees to provide electricity for their...
Singapore’s drive for energy change
12 Nov 2006
The city state of Singapore, already known as a pioneer of congestion charging, is set to be a test-bed for fuel cell vehicles too...
Selling the electric alternative
05 Nov 2006
Ford’s new TH!NK city, a two-seater battery electric urban car with a 55-mile range, has now gone on sale....
Second life for EV batteries
05 Feb 2010
The economics of electric vehicles (EV) has been strengthened by a battery re-use deal, as Nissan sells their lithium-ion...
Schwarzenegger’s hydrogen highways
04 Nov 2006
California to get filling stations for fuel cell vehicles
Safety, speed and the school run
05 Nov 2006
Campaigning to reduce the number of people killed on Britain’s roads, organisations such as Transport 2000...
Road map for car sharing
05 Nov 2006
Still an idea in its infancy in this country, car-sharing is coming of age in Germany. The concept grew from modest...
Rental cars try harder
09 Nov 2006
Avis Europe is to offer its customers the option of a ‘carbon neutral’ hire package. This will mean the...
Renewable distance runners…
11 Nov 2006
The longest journey distance clocked up in a solar car has been pushed up by a further few kilometres. The Aurora-RMIT...
Quiet benefits of car recycling
05 Nov 2006
Recycled car waste can be turned into state-of-the-art sound-proofing material. Is this just what the auto industry...
Prius on patrol
04 Nov 2006
Keep a particular watch out for the Toyota Prius in Hampshire. It could be watching you too. Hampshire Constabulary...
Plug and go
10 Jan 2008
In a big boost for all-electric cars (and the
new breed of plug-in hybrids), energy company EDF and charge-point...
Petit point
10 Jan 2008
New French point-of-sale taxes favour smaller, cleaner cars
France’s new ‘no-nonsense’ Sarkozy regime...
Perkier trade in low-carbon company cars
27 Feb 2008
The changing regime for taxing the 'perk' of the company car is starting to have its desired effect on the models people pick...
Oxford learns to car share
05 Nov 2006
A second major car-rental company has lined up with car-share enthusiasts to create a car-club scheme aimed at cutting...
Ordinary business has to wake up, says John Griffin, CEO Addison Lee
25 Jan 2010
"You have to get ordinary, dosh-driven business to make the change", says John Griffin, CEO of Addison...
On the threshold of the Silent Vrooooomm
10 Nov 2006
Fuel cells could sweep away the hype and give us all guilt-free motoring... maybe! Ashok Sinha and Caspar Henderson...
Obama drives up fuel efficiency on cars
24 Jul 2009
A new uniform federal standard links curbs on greenhouse gas emissions with fuel economy standards for the first time in US history...
More money for less carbon
30 Nov 2007
Council poised to tweak mileage allowances to favour greener vehicles.
Lotus produces all natural hemp car
01 May 2009
Lotus’s Eco Elise features a hemp spoiler and body panels, sisal carpets, woollen fabric seats and water-based...
Lift to school, anyone
05 Nov 2006
Even the most curmudgeonly motorist is likely to lighten up when school holiday time comes around - if only because...
Lift scheme gets them going
06 Nov 2006
Norfolk may not be the first place in the world you’d think of looking for a lift via the internet. Since September...
Life begins at 30
10 Jan 2008
Want a sweeter, more sustainable life? Cut the speed limit on all roads to 30mph, argues Glenn Lowcock.
It’s 2025. Who’s making money – and how?
29 Nov 2007
Sky-high energy and carbon prices are sure to change the way we travel, work and trade, says Martin Wright, in the...
Insuring less car use
07 Nov 2006
We’re familiar enough with pay-as-you-go as a mobile option, but what about Pay-As- You-Drive (PAYD)? Instead...
Innovation, innovation, innovation
07 May 2007
Race car you can grow Students at Warwick University have developed a racecar made almost entirely from biodegradable...
Idle improvement
17 Oct 2006
‘Stop & Start’ engine technology cuts traffic jam emissions Citroën cars are starting to...
Hydrogen city car hits 300mpg and 30g/km CO2
24 Jul 2009
With politicians and carmakers waxing lyrical about electric vehicles, the squat hydrogen fuel cell car with a top...
Hybrids by retro-fit
10 Jul 2008
UK company's makeover approach could "convert conventional cars"
Can your current...
How green is my wagon?
11 Nov 2006
Least environmental impact: Honda Insight hybrid-electric Honda Civic GX natural gas Toyota RAV 4EV battery-powered...
Hot wired power
12 Nov 2006
A US company is testing what could be an important breakthrough in making cars more energy efficient - by turning...
Honda’s home hydrogen re-fuelling station
09 Nov 2006
It’s no secret that every major car manufacturer is looking towards hydrogen fuel cells as the power source of the future...
Honda talks up a 2002 launch
06 Nov 2006
Honda has hit the accelerator a little harder than expected on bringing its fuel cell passenger car to market. This...
Honda hits the highs
05 Nov 2006
The Environmental Transport Association lists over 500 models in its latest Car Buyers’ Guide, ranking them...
Hemp on the hub
09 Oct 2007
Plant-based brakes to reduce pollution
Britain’s motorists get through a not-so-cool 80 million sets of...
H2Go: are we nearly there yet?
23 Jun 2008
Simon Hadlington assesses the future of the hydrogen economy
Growing car market of a welcome kind
05 Nov 2006
Clean fuel vehicles (CFVs) may not be everywhere, but the signs are that they are getting somewhere, especially the...
Grid reference to unlock carshare potential.
04 Nov 2006
Log on to the internet to find a carshare for your commute to work. A US-based project, carpoolworld.com, will use...
Green light on fuel cell car leasing
06 Nov 2006
Honda just met its aim of launching a fuel cell car in 2002 (GF37, p14). The mayor of Los Angeles signed a lease...
Green hydrogen and the gasoline connection
05 Nov 2006
Among the big car manufacturers, it might seem there’s already something like a consensus that the future lies...
Grant for trade-up to cleaner cars
05 Nov 2006
The US state of Maine is launching a programme to help get old cars off the roads. It is offering a cash incentive...
GM’s precautionary move on PVC
05 Nov 2006
More signs of the concern among companies that they could lose customers unless they are proactive on issues with...
Gear change in collaboration
06 Nov 2006
Two of America's 'Big Three' carmakers, Ford and General Motors, have shelved their usual rivalry in favour of working...
Fuel cell scales the heights
11 Nov 2006
Volkswagen’s experimental ‘cold combustion’ fuel cell car (right) has come through a tough long-range test drive...
From hybrid to hydrogen – US concept cars face the future
05 Nov 2006
Have the big US motor companies seen the future - and does it work? Amid some fanfare, all three have just unveiled...
From here to Timbuktu
25 Jan 2008
‘Chocolate-powered’ biotruck completes Saharan expedition
Two Brits reached Timbuktu on Boxing Day after...
Fresh stirrings on the carshare front
07 Nov 2006
Anxious to explore all avenues in the campaign to cut congestion, Transport for London (TfL), the organisation responsible...
Free green buggy rides
04 Nov 2006
The sub-two-mile trip, that maximum-pollution-per-mile car ride, is in the sights of the green lobby in the Californian...
Four trends that are reshaping America
16 Nov 2009
For over 30 years, Lester Brown has been tracking emerging trends in energy and environment – and working out what...
Ford joins Japanese to clean up
02 Nov 2006
Continuing innovation keeps the Japanese ahead of the competition in cleaning up the internal combustion engine....
Ford focus on green labelling
05 Nov 2006
Subjected to the assorted selling stimuli of the car showroom, will the punter plump for the model with the best...
Flexible friend
05 Nov 2006
Rush-hour car sharing to avoid road tolls has become common practice in many congestion ridden US cities. But eco-conscious...
Flexible car of the future
11 Nov 2006
Fresh thinking on fuel cell cars can’t just focus on how the motor works, or how to supply the hydrogen. General...
Five to drive down carbon
25 Jan 2008
The target specification is a five-door car capable of being mass produced and sold at an affordable price in the...
Feeding our cars
27 Mar 2008
General Motors turns food waste into fuel
It seems that everybody wants a share of our household food waste...
Fast lane to sane lane
10 Jul 2008
Local curb breaches German principle of limitless
autobahn speed
Fast cars are big...
Exchange of fire - So what’s the problem, congestion or pollution?
10 Nov 2006
So what’s the traffic problem: congestion - or pollution?
EVs surge in Japan, China, US
09 Aug 2010
Highlights of a fresh wave of interest in electric vehicles: Japan's electric city, NASA's energy storage systems,...
EV batteries: zero to 80% in just 15 minutes
17 May 2010
Fast-charge stations developed by the Tokyo Electric Power Company can boost an EV battery back up to 80% capacity...
Europe's capitals warm up to EVs
20 May 2010
Easy to use, easy to find infrastructure will be the key to success for electric cars. London and Amsterdam commit...
EU deal on end-of-life cars
05 Nov 2006
From the year 2007, car owners in the EU will be able to pass over to the manufacturers the responsibility (and cost)...
Electric roll out
19 Feb 2009
Battery powered cars to hit the streets
The UK government is putting “up to £10...
Electric car start-up applies for IPO
27 Apr 2010
Tesla Motors has registered for a $100 initial public offering. A rare opportunity to bet on a car.
Ecotricity designs wind-powered sports car
11 May 2009
A wind-powered sports car? Sounds like a perfect whipping boy for Top Gear. But Ecotricity’s Dale Vince is deadly...
Driving ambitions?
06 Nov 2006
More than a coincidence? As the New York Times reported recently, former motor industry moguls Lee Iacocca of Chrysler...
Driven to the car-free experiment
04 Nov 2006
What better way to experience the full impact of cars on the urban environment than to declare a car-free day and...
Driven to distraction
05 Nov 2006
However strong the stereotype which links Italians with the cult of the car, there are some spots where the traffic...
Divine driving force
06 Nov 2006
American environmentalists may finally have found the Achilles heel of the gas guzzling 'sports ute' vehicles that...
Cutting down on car dependence
05 Nov 2006
Don’t worry about the government’s apparent concern to appease the motoring lobby. Never mind such little...
Cut car use, says Kia
05 Nov 2006
It seems that the UK distributors of the Korean KIA Carens and Sedona ‘multi-purpose vehicles’ (MPVs),...
Creeping towards the cleaner car
12 Nov 2006
We must all know by now that cars are one of the main sources of carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions. But the motor manufacturers,...
Creative energy
30 Oct 2007
Renewable power projects really can work. On a serious scale. Here’s the living proof – and a challenge for Britain to match...
Cool cars a hot prospect
11 Nov 2006
Fuel efficiency has just taken a knock in the US car industry, with the Senate chucking out legislation on raising...
Close competition for clean city cars
09 Feb 2010
A lauded British race car designer and a UK-based car company are touting their design for a sustainable urban car...
Click here for car share
07 Nov 2006
The University of Bristol operates an innovative web-based car sharing scheme known as 234car, which it also sells...
Cleaning up in the motor trade
05 Nov 2006
US car makers are gearing up for 2004, when they need to be able to meet stricter emissions legislation. First laid...
Cleaner company cars?
07 Nov 2006
The new company car tax regime, effective since this April and based on car emissions, rather than mileage (see GF27,...
China volts ahead
09 Nov 2006
China is putting some serious money into electric cars. The Ministry of Science and Technology is boosting the R&D...
Checking the damage
11 Nov 2006
CO2 emissions figures for cars are now included in the Car Running Costs database, the Consumers’ Association...
Change works out for electric car
05 Nov 2006
Running an electric car for urban use has been a thoroughly positive experience. That’s the message, one year...
Catalyst for cleaner diesel
04 Nov 2006
A new technology could boost the tarnished environmental credentials of the diesel engine. Once favoured as less...
Car to run on hydrogen from water
03 Jun 2010
Cars could be made up to 20% more efficient just by adding water. Hydrogen, split from water, could be mixed with...
Car in the community in LA
09 Nov 2006
The Playa Vista project is looking to show America the way forward on zero emission mobility. Since it’s in...
Car clamps
10 Jan 2008
Norway edits out the greenwash
The Norwegian advertising watchdog has introduced some of the strictest rules...
Can road trains cut congestion and emissions in one?
07 Jan 2010
Slipstreaming – the cycle racing tactic where the chap at the front does all the hard work, while others behind...
Californian cachet for clean sports ute
11 Nov 2006
Californian cachet for clean sports ute Keen to promote its all-electric sports utility vehicle (SUV) as ‘caring...
Bus tickets for old bangers
05 Nov 2006
Our previous issue (GF, Issue 22, p20) reported on proposals from the Commission for Integrated Transport (CFIT),...
Best in show
11 Jul 2008
Fuel cell power packs a punch in 'dream car' bracket
Three years in the making, the Morgan Lifecar is capable...
Battery charge in Indian car market
04 Nov 2006
India’s first electric city compact car, the Reva, was the star exhibit in a recent promotion by the Electric...
Banned wagon
11 Nov 2006
Is the death of the fossil fuel car really right around the corner? Depends where you live. If it’s Lombardy,...
Asia steps on the gas
29 Nov 2007
Is CNG the fuel to give China’s car choked cities a breather? Ling Jin reports.
Arrival of a new departure
09 Nov 2006
Another milestone for the fuel cell car in its journey to market. DaimlerChrysler’s NECAR 5 made it from San...
Around the world on a couple of gallons
29 Nov 2007
Car contests spark smart young thinking on energy efficiency
Any colour you like...as long as it's green?
10 Nov 2006
Bill Ford, 'clean revolutionary', talks to Martin Wright
And another thing
27 Mar 2008
“What happens when improving people’s quality of life runs slap bang into environmental limits? The Tata Nano does exactly that...
American Eye
31 Jul 2008
$4 a gallon? It may seem peanuts to British drivers, writes Polly Ghazi, but in shell shocked America,...
American Eye
30 Apr 2009
As car sales continue to fall, Polly Ghazi asks whether manufacturers are on the road to oblivion or transformation...
Alternative transport strategy (2): Bogota
05 Nov 2006
The people of Bogota, Colombia, have backed a visionary plan to phase out peak-time car use entirely. Not only did...
A desire named Streetcar
23 Feb 2009
Hannah Bullock talks to Andrew Valentine, the man who aims to “take the hassle out of driving” – while taking...
A breath of fresh air
10 Jan 2008
Coming soon, London’s ‘Low Emission Zone’ is set to clean up the capital. - TFL

