The news feeds on this site are independently provided by Adfero Limited © and do not represent the views or opinions of the Energy Saving Trust.
Developments in electric vehicle technology are moving along in the slow lane, one environmental campaigner has claimed.
Writing for the Guardian, Craig Bennett, policy and campaigns director for Friends of the Earth, notes that manufacturers have continued to ‘water down’ EU agreements on fuel efficiency standards and also failed to meet mandatory targets.
This could be set to change however, as the European Parliament has this month imposed van emission targets and car manufacturers must make sure that new models emit less than 130 g/km of CO2 by 2012.
Mr Bennett also argued that more needs to be done to urge motorists to take up public transport options, particularly as fuel prices continue to rise. But he stressed that this will not be easy, as train fares have risen six per cent on average and bus services are under threat from council cuts.
He also highlighted the missed opportunity of not widening the London congestion charge to other cities. The scheme has led to reduced traffic levels of 27 per cent since 2003, equating to 86,000 cars a day.
Posted by Emily Thomas
Find out how the Energy Saving Trust can help you manage your fleet
For more information please see: Guardian article
View the original article here