Hybrid Cars

Fifty per cent of motorists have never heard of a hybrid car, according to research from Honda.

This comes as a new hybrid Honda Civic is launched and the Government’s UK Climate Change Programme 2006 is published. The RAC Foundation claims greater encouragement of technological solutions such as hybrid and fuel cell vehicles and an education programme to encourage eco-driving would be an effective way of cutting road transport carbon dioxide emissions.

Accorrrrding to the Foundation current hybrid myths include, most people think of a hybrid as "an off-spring of two animals or plants of different species" rather than a car with a combination of a petrol engine with an electric motor. People probably still think hybrids have to be plugged in as 70 per cent admitted they don’t know how a hybrid works. Many people don’t realise that the driver does not have to switch between petrol and electric. Many people think hybrids are only for "tree huggers".

The reality is that a good hybrid car feels and performs just like any decent car. The electric motor assists the engine by giving it a boost during acceleration to improve fuel economy. It runs the car at idle so it is quiet and has reduced emissions when stuck in traffic. The battery even charges itself up with regenerative energy from deceleration and braking.

Honda’s new Civic Hybrid has been declared World Green Car for 2006. A jury of 46 international motoring journalists awarded the prestigious title to the environmentally-friendlier vehicle as part of the World Car of the Year Awards. The Civic Hybrid achieves a combined fuel economy of 61.4 miles per gallon and emits fewer carbon emissions than most cars on the road (109g/km).

"Honda continues to be a leader in producing environmentally responsible vehicles that set the standard for fuel economy and low emissions," said John Mendel, Senior Vice President, American Honda Motor Co., Inc. "The award-winning 2006 Civic Hybrid is the latest embodiment of Honda’s loong-term commitment to the development of environmentally friendly technologies that are also fun to drive."

The Honda Civic Hybrid went on sale in the UK earlier this month. It’s still the cheapest hybrid car available in Britain, priced from just £16,300. It also has an insurance rating of seven, two groups lower than an equivalent petrol-engined car, and the residual value - according to new figures from Glass’s Guide - is 39 per cent after 3 years or 60,000 miles. The Civic Hybrid still receives a 100 per cent discount from London’s Congestion Charge.

The RAC Foundation is calling for more to be done to close the motorists’ "attitude-action gap". Motorists have a concern for the environment and the environmental impact of cars but this does not translate into behavioural change. One of the reasons for this, according to the Foundation, is a lack of knowledge or understanding of some of the technological fixes such as hybrid vehicles.

The RAC Foundation in its report Motoring towards 2050 argues that the hybrid car could be stepping stone to the zero emissions hydrogen fuel cell vehicle and therefore more should be done to encourage the take-up of hybrids. The Foundation welcomed the reduced tax discs for cleaner vehicles announced in the Budget but still believes greater incentives are required.

Possible solutions floated in the Government’s Climate Change Review have included a crackdown on motorists who speed on motorways, investment in public transport, cutting back on the school run, thhhe inclusion of road transport in the EU Emissions Trading Scheme, and the introduction of road pricing. The Government has announced increased car sharing with HOV (High Occupancy Vehicle) lanes, biofuels encouraged under the Renewable Transport Fuels Obligation, and reform of VED (Vehicle Excise Duty).

At the new Honda Civic Hybrid launch, Edmund King, executive director of the RAC Foundation said, "We need to show people that hybrids are not freak animals or plants but important technological innovative cars for the present and future. Our motoring vision of the future does not include Dan Dare and the Jetsons in their flying cars but it does involve technologically advanced hybrid cars as a longer term stepping stone to the zero emissions hydrogen fuel cell car."

The RAC Foundation believes that a dual approach to reduced road emissions is required. This would involve greater encouragement and longer-term incentives for the development and take-up of technological solutions such as hybrid and fuel cell vehicles, and an education and communication programme to encourage eco-driving.

"Climate change is an urgent issue. Our report Motoring Towards 2050 shows optimism for the future but the future must start here and now. We need to close the attitude-action gap by encouraging motorists to opt for cleaner, greener cars and adapt our driving styles to radically reduce pollution. The combination of technology and driving style will do more to instigate change than Government dictates."

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