RAC Foundation report examines future options for low carbon vehicle technology
Fri 02 April 2010
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The RAC Foundation has published a new report which reviews the potential of low carbon vehicle technology for greening road transport. The report covers a range of technical and marketing/consumer acceptance issues including the attempts to improve the internal combustion engine and reduce vehicle weight as well as increasing market penetration of electric vehicles and the development of ultra low carbon fuels.The Foundation held a green transport event at which experts including LowCVP MD discussed the issues raised by the report.
The report concludes that there is further scope for decreasing CO2 emissions by improving the efficiency of the internal combustion engine and reducing the weight of vehicle components. Maximising the reductions from 'conventional' technology has a number of advantages, it says: the skills base already exists, the manufacturing infrastructure is in place and the costs passed on to the consumer will be comparatively low.
However, the report goes on to say, there are technical limits to the CO2 savings that can be achieved through improving conventional vehicles, and further progress will require changes in the vehicle purchasing decisions and driving patterns of consumers.
The RAC Foundation's report is available via the associated link and there are also video excerpts of the launch event which featured experts including Prof Julia King of Aston University, the LowCVP's Greg Archer and Paul Everit of the SMMT.
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