A slow start for the Plug-In Car Grant scheme has not caused it to be scrapped as the government has today reassured the green car sector will continue until 2015. The scheme which offers 25% off the price of eligible electric and plug-in hybrid cars up to a value of £5,000, is costing £300m to run. It was also announced that the scheme was being extended to include plug-in vans at a discount of 20% up to the value of £8,000.

“Car buyers have had a year to take advantage of our grant and now it’s time for van buyers to get their chance to go electric,” said Transport Minister Norman Baker in a statement. “This is great news for businesses given the lower running costs of these vehicles – fleet buyers tell us that this is one of the most important factors influencing their decision on what to buy.”

Freight operators and their customers can breathe a sigh of relief as TfL are introducing support packages to help them operate effectively during the London 2012 Games. The Freight Advice Programme includes free workshops to businesses in Games transport ‘hotspot’ areas who are either receiving freight deliveries or those that deliver. These workshops will start at the end of January and run up until the end of April to allow plenty of time for companies to make sufficient plans. Sessions are not limited to London, but will also be taking place in Southampton, Manchester, Cardiff and Birmingham due to the high concentration of businesses that supply London.

Some of London’s famous markets including Covent Garden market, Spitalfields, Billingsgate and Smithfield will also benefit from the programme. Starting this month, each market will be assigned an advisor who will ensure that tenants, customers and suppliers are aware of the transport challenges of the Games and are given support to put the necessary plans in place to help them continue to run smoothly during the summer. Advisors are also available for smaller local businesses including retailers, restaurants and pubs in the ‘hotspot’ areas.

London’s Transport Commissioner Peter Hendy said, “Ensuring that London’s supermarkets, restaurants and pubs remain stocked this summer will be critical to the overall success of the London 2012 Games. Businesses based in transport ‘hotspot’ areas that make or receive freight deliveries need to start planning now to ensure they continue to operate effectively – and profitably – next summer.

Yesterday we showed you how to control certain functions of the Ford electric car via a smartphone app, today we show you how to drive your car remotely from an iphone!

Have a great weekend everyone!

Smart has unveiled a new electrically powered concept car. The tiny car has been created for the US market and is based on a classic American pick-up truck. It is designed to be the perfect vehicle for an urban society. Chief executive officer of Smart, Dr Annette Winkler, said: ‘We at Smart love pick-ups – if they are small on the outside, large on the inside, very safe and extremely comfortable.

The tiny pick-up truck is powered by a Lithium-ion battery and a 55-kilowatt magneto-electric motor and can reach speeds of up to 80 m.p.h., not bad for car only 11ft 8ins long. Among the features of the vehicle by Smart are off-road tyres and a docking station that can power two electric bicycles as well as store them. The only downside to this eco-friendly concept car is the lack of roof!

A summit has been called by local transport secretary Norman Baker to find a solution to the increasing problem of lorry drivers being sent down inappropriate streets by their sat navs. The minister is calling on highway authorities, mapping providers and sat nav manufacturers to work more closely to ensure everything possible is done to ensure vehicles are using appropriate roads for their size.

Mr Baker commented: “Out of date directions mean misdirected traffic – a scourge of local communities. The summit is timely because from April we are allowing local authorities to reclassify roads,” he said. Under new powers, local councils will be able to ensure that A roads are placed where they want traffic to go without having to gain Whitehall approval.

The only concern with this summit is, if lorry drivers no longer try to fit down narrow streets, what will we have to chuckle at!

Thanks to front wheel drive this woman was able to turn the tables on the tow truck. I’m sure the truck was happy for a break!

Have a great weekend everyone!

It’s common misconception that eco-friendly cars are uncool and unexciting. A Chinese inventor has come up with a concept car to banish this image for good. Yuhan Zhang, 21, has created a car, named the Volkswagen Aqua, that can operate on land, ice and water. It’s design is similar to a hovercraft in that a series of fans and airbags make it hover but its two motors are powered by a hydrogen fuel cell making it completely carbon neutral.

Mr Zhang has great ambitions for his design which was created for a competition sponsored by the German car giants Volkswagen. He said, ‘I hope Aqua will become an affordable supercar that is available to the general public one day.’ The competition asked designers to come up with a ‘Chinese off-road vehicle’. Aqua is based on technology that is currently available, so Mr Zhang’s dream may become reality in the not too distant future. Still think eco-friendly cars aren’t cool?

Make your new year’s resolution for 2012 to be more eco-friendly and not only will you be helping to save the planet, but the economy too! Energy Secretary Chris Huhne has revealed that the UK economy has benefited from renewable energy by the tune of £2.5bn so far in this financial year.
In a statement Chris Huhne said, “Renewable energy is not just helping us increase our energy security and reduce our emissions. It is supporting jobs and growth across the country, and giving traditional industrial heartlands the opportunity to thrive again. Our renewable target is less demanding than other EU member states, but the effect is bringing real jobs and investment.

Being green is not as much of a challenge as the dreaded new year diet or fitness regime so make this the new years resolution that you keep. Here at Shiply we made the resolution when it was announced in 2008 that in the UK 36 million tonnes of CO₂ are wasted through empty lorries. We took the challenge to fill the empty lorries and help to save the planet and so far we have helped to save over 11,409,482 kg of CO_{2 .} What will you do to embrace the green?

Just as well there weren’t any sharp corners to turn!! Have a great weekend everybody.