Drivers baffled over CO2, biofuels and hybrids

Research reveals a high level of confusion surrounding car emissions and greener driving technology.

Survey results from The British International Motor Show reveal that most people (85% ) do not know their own car’s emissions level, over half admit to feeling confused about emissions (60%) and do not know which tax band their car falls into (52%), even though nearly three quarters (70%) say they care about reducing emissions when driving.

It also found most people (84%) do not know if an emission rate of 100gs of carbon dioxide per km is a high or a low value (it’s considered very low). And more than half (58%) think electric vehicles have exhaust pipes whilst a quarter (25%) believe that biofuel is CO2 free.

Common misconceptions when it comes to greener driving terminology include:

Electric cars

• Over half (58%) do not realise electric vehicles don’t have exhaust pipes

• A fifth (17%) think they produce CO2 from their exhausts

• One in six (15%) think water comes out of electric car’s engines

• A minority (4%) even electric cars emit battery acid

Biofuels

• A quarter of people (25%) think biofuel produces no CO2 at all

• One in five (18%) think ‘biofuel’ is a car that uses two types of fuel

Hybrids

• Almost a third (30%) were found to believe hybrid vehicles run on biofuels alone

• A very confused minority (4%) think a hybrid car is two cars welded together

Alt-fuel vehicles at the Show

Electric vehicles on show at the British Motor Show include two two-seater sports cars - the Electric Lightning GT and the Tesla Roadster.

The Show also boasts the Ze-o, the first family size, five-seater MPV showcased by leading EV retailer, NICE, as well as models from G-Wiz and the new brand Quiet Cars.

Honda will reveal a light weight, low-emission sports car as well as showcasing their new fuel cell car, the Honda FCX Clarity.

Other low-emission cars include Ford’s Fiesta ECOnetic, Citroen’s C-Cactus, Cadillac’s hydrogen powered SUV Provoq, Morgan’s hydrogen powered Life Car and Opel’s MPV concept car Flextreme.

Attitudes

The research found that while most (70%) people care about reducing CO2 emissions when driving, worryingly, over a third of men don’t care at all (38%).

Nearly two thirds (60%) of us go as far as to admit that we feel confused about how to reduce emissions when driving – but interestingly, only 43% of men admit to being confused.

Only just over a third (35%) of us has ever sought advice on how to reduce emissions.

Driving habits

• A third (33%) keep their boot full of unessential items, adding weight and causing increased pressure on the engine.

• A quarter drive with under inflated tyres (26%), increasing resistance and making the engine work harder.

• 11% over rev their engines wasting fuel and increasing engine wear.

Drive down your emissions

• Making sure your tyres are correctly pumped up

• Changing up a gear earlier, to keep your revs low

• Avoiding carrying around unnecessary clutter in your boot

Top Ten Green Cars

We all want to do our bit and buying a green car is increasingly important to car buyers. But what exactly constitutes an eco-friendly car?

Car Jargon Guide

Our jargon-busting guide explains all those baffling terms in easy-to-understand language.

Bugatti Veyron: Buying the best car in the world

We have all seen the Bugatti Veyron by now. Do you want one? Then you have to sign a contract with the company which - quite frankly - is rather absurd.

'Help, I´ve put petrol in a diesel engine' - Frequently Asked Questions

Around 400 people a day risk damaging their car by misfuelling, and filling up with gas is a mistake that could cost thousands. So what do you do if you´ve filled up your diesel car with unleaded petrol?

Clarkson loses cash after publishing bank account details

Jeremy Clarkson has been stung by an online fraudster after posting his bank account details in The Sun in an attempt to prove that the missing government data disc scandal was a ´storm in a tea cup´.

Name

Comments

Validation	Please enter the text to the left (case sensitive)
Reload