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Road tolls, clean air zones (CAZs) and a scrappage scheme could be employed by the Welsh Government to improve air quality.

 

Launching a 12-week consultation on its Clean Air Plan for Wales, the Welsh Government says that it is committed to promoting the transition to ultra-low emission vehicles (ULEVs).

 

It said it was working on a proposal for all new cars and light goods vehicles (LGVs) in public sector fleets to be ultra-low emission by 2025 and where practicably possible, all heavy goods to be ultra-low emission by 2030.

 

Furthermore, it said it was considering potential access restrictions for certain vehicles in urban areas, introducing toll roads and reviewing the feasibility of a scrappage scheme with credits for public transport.

 

A review of the effectiveness of anti-idling legislation to protect those most vulnerable from harmful transport emissions will also be carried out.

 

Public Health Wales estimates air pollution has contributed to up to 1,400 deaths in 2017.

 

Lesley Griffiths, minister for environment, energy and rural affairs at the Welsh Government, said: “Everyone in Wales should be able to breathe healthy air, access healthy and protected natural resources and enjoy sustainable and clean economic growth.

 

“The Clean Air Plan for Wales: Healthy Air, Healthy Wales provides a national framework within which all areas of society can work together towards these objectives.”

 

The plan brings together work across government and the public sector. It consolidates progress already made and proposes a range of new actions and commitments. These include funding new infrastructure, tightening existing regulations and acting as a stepping stone to a new Clean Air Act for Wales.

 

It also includes ambitions to meet and, where possible, exceed requirements set out in UK and international guidance and legislation. Furthermore, it commits the Welsh Government to publish a white paper this Assembly term on a Clean Air Act for Wales.

 

Griffiths said: “We have made good progress but we must continue to improve. We must improve air quality, not just in the most polluted hotspots, but across all of Wales.”

 

The 12-week consultation seeks views on existing commitments and proposed new actions in the plan including: increasing air quality monitoring outside areas such as schools and hospitals to protect those most vulnerable from transport emissions; reviewing powers local authorities have to tackle emissions from the indoor burning of solid fuels such as wood and coal; and assessing the contribution bonfires and fireworks make to levels of harmful emissions.

 

However, it is the Welsh Government’s announcement it is investigating measures aimed at reducing vehicle use such as road pricing that will be of most interest to fleet operators.

 

The House of Commons Transport Committee recently announced it intends to launch a formal inquiry into road pricing next year.

 

It said it wants to start a national debate about road pricing – something that has been lacking for more than a decade since the then Labour Government’s road pricing plans were abandoned.

 

Road pricing is seen as a potential replacement for dwindling fuel duty revenues. They are down by £19 billion since 2000 and the £40bn annual income from fuel duty and Vehicle Excise Duty (VED) is likely to decline sharply in the future, and may end entirely if the UK Government keeps its pledge to fully decarbonise road transport within two decades.

 

The Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) has also said that the UK Government needs to design new taxes which can gradually replace fuel duties.

 

The consultation on the Welsh Government’s plans will close on March 10, 2020. By Graham Hill With Thanks To Fleet News

If you’re in search of an SUV type vehicle, then a decision has to be made – Do you need two-wheel drive or all-wheel drive?

 

The short answer to this question is as simple as it gets – if you have the luxury to think about 2WD and AWD, realistically, you do not need an AWD system. At all. AWD is one of those things that when you need it, you just know you need it, and you know why you need it.

 

You would not be thinking of 2WD in the first place. Nevertheless, manufacturers seem to throw a lot of money into promoting AWD systems for their SUVs. This has become a feature that translated from something one may consider a driving aid to a mere entry on an options list you could mark. With the help of various reports from the UK and US I will list five things to think about before opting for AWD.

 

Do you need AWD?

 

It all comes down to a simple question of need. If you live in a mostly dry area with no or very soft winters and do not actually use your car for off-roading, honestly, an AWD system would be close to throwing money down the drain. It is that simple.

 

Consider this – if you used a 2WD car previously without any major problems with traction, and you do not intend to change your driving style, then a 2WD SUV will do the job exactly as your old 2WD car did.

 

But why am I saying this? Isn’t an all-wheel-drive system a preferable solution over a 2WD system regardless of your needs? No! It’s not.

 

Reason 1. AWD Is More Expensive Than 2WD

Have you ever read through the new car for sale or used car for sale listings or my lease deal listings? If you did, you might have noticed that cars with AWD are usually more expensive compared with 2WD machines.

 

According to various sources, the difference between 2WD and AWD versions of the same car ranges from £1,500 to £4,000. When talking about unibody SUVs, which are all the rage today, that difference is usually between £1500 and £2500. Either way, you will have to pay more for something you may never use.

 

AWD systems employed by manufacturers for use on SUVs, cars, or MPVs, aren’t the same as the 4WD systems used by proper off-road vehicles. Most of the time they are part-time systems with torque being sent to the normally-neutral axle only when a loss of traction is felt. Most systems are also front-wheel biased, leaving you with a FWD (Front Wheel Drive) vehicle most of the time.

 

Reason 2. AWD Does Not Have To Work All Of The Time

 

Usually, what you get for a couple of thousand pounds more is the so-called, on-demand AWD system which actually serves as a two-wheel-drive system 99.9 percent of the time.

 

According to some Australian and European researchers, 0.1 percent of the time is exactly how long AWD capability will be engaged. Think about it this way – if you cover 10,000 miles, the AWD system which powers all four wheels will be engaged for ten miles.

 

And, this is not because the on-demand AWD systems aren’t good, but because you actually do not have any use for them. Follow this analogy with your hypothetical previous 2WD car, and you can see that an additional AWD system may be just an unnecessary added cost for you. You drove that 2WD car everywhere, didn’t you?

 

Now, it is true that AWD systems do provide better traction in slippery conditions. Usually, they work something like this – when a computer senses slipping of the wheels that usually power the car, the AWD drive kicks in (via viscous coupling, transfer case, added differential, or some other means) and sends some torque to the other pair of wheels in hopes that they have more traction.

 

If they do, they push the car out, and the AWD disengages. That can last for a second, or for prolonged periods of time. After that, it is back to your usual 2WD business. This all sounds perfectly rational, but considering that a majority of cars on the roads are actually 2WD units, and they go about their business without any problems, I think that an AWD option may not be as necessary as some would like to believe.

 

Reason 3. AWD Doesn’t Improve Your Braking.

 

Right off the bat, AWD systems are created to use all potentially available traction when slippage of the wheels under power is detected. Thus, they transfer some (or all) of the power to the other set of wheels via the driveline components.

 

Newer systems, with smarter electronic control units and torque distribution hardware, can, in fact, affect handling in certain conditions. They do it by sending power to the wheels with more traction, but usually, with AWD systems available for some SUVs, these options are limited.

 

The most common question seems to be about braking. Under false assumptions, some consider AWD vehicles to be more in control under heavy braking. This is simply not the case, as the AWD system does not have anything to do with braking or slowing down.

 

As stated before, in normal conditions, cars with AWD systems are actually just 2WD vehicles that have the capability to engage the drive on the other axle if needed. Heavy braking, or any braking for that matter, does not have anything to do with it.

 

So while AWD may increase safety for cars travelling on slippery roads (mud, snow, ice, etc.), it’s basically a completely unnecessary addition if you rarely traverse slippery conditions.

 

Reason 4. Higher Fuel Consumption

 

Adding an AWD system to the vehicle unequivocally increases its weight. Depending on the system, the car has to gain a transfer case, axles for the second pair of wheels, a new differential, and a plenty of supporting gear. All of this adds weight (75kg+ on average,) which is a killer for fuel consumption.

 

According to a research, the fuel penalty for owning an AWD car instead of a 2WD car is between 1 and 2 mpg (and that is for on-demand electronically controlled AWD systems.) It’s not a lot, is it? Well, with one 15 gallon tank of fuel, you’d cover 30 miles less.

 

It all adds up.

 

Reason 5. Higher Maintenance Costs

 

Years ago when electric windows were an option my dad refused to have a car with electric windows on the basis that it was just another thing to go wrong.

 

Using the same theory, adding an AWD system adds yet another complexity to a car. A complexity that one has to maintain. Although modern systems do not need constant maintenance, any damage done to the AWD system is met with the most expensive repair bill.

 

Furthermore, AWD cars, due to their weight, and consequently more load on the brakes, do tend to wear the tyres down a bit faster than 2WD cars. Yet, it must be said that with the newest AWD systems (like 4Motion from Volkswagen, or Active Drive systems by Jeep) aren’t as hard on the components as some older systems.

 

Making the most out of a 2WD Car

 

So, instead of spending extra cash on an AWD system, you can do a thing or two to improve the 2WD system of an SUV. Installing high-end tyres definitely is the most important step when it comes to improving 2WD SUV traction.

 

Michelin actually tested a 2WD car on winter tyres and an AWD car on summer tyres travelling over slippery conditions, and it was obvious that the 2WD car with winter tyres achieved dramatically better results.

 

This only proves that 2WD will be more than enough in most cases. Apart from that, the traction control systems on newer vehicles are optimized to use as much traction the two wheels can provide. Braking one wheel thus transferring the power to the other has become a sort of a norm. Couple this with good tyres and you probably won’t need AWD anywhere that has relatively mild weather.

 

As always, choose your car according to your needs. Buying an AWD SUV in areas with light snow, occasional rain, and mostly straight roads does not have any justification. On the opposite side, if you suffer with heavy snow and ice, heavy rain and windy, hilly roads then AWD is probably preferable.

 

I hope this helps but these are just mine and a few journalist views. If you are seriously thinking of an SUV type vehicle but unsure about 2WD, FWD, AWD or 4WD seek the advice of the dealer and carry out your own research to make sure that the car truly fits your needs.

 

Oh and as one commentator said, SUV’s with whatever drive are not amphibious vehicles so don’t assume that you can drive through deep water without a thought! They are just as likely to break down or leak as any other car. By Graham Hill

A class action representing more than 90,000 UK Volkswagen owners will aim to determine whether its emissions-reducing defeat device software was designed to defeat clean air laws.

 

The Volkswagen Group is denying that the software it used was an illegal defeat device but a preliminary High Court hearing will today (December 2) focus on whether software fitted to 1.2 million vehicles was designed to cheat clean air laws in the UK.

 

If the biggest class action of its kind in the UK is successful in the two-week preliminary hearing starting today, a full trial is expected to take place in 2020.

 

A spokesman for Slater Gordon, which is representing the majority of the UK customers, said that Mr Justice Waksman will be asked to rule on whether the software installed in the cars was a ‘defeat device’ under EU regulations.

 

He will also be asked to determine whether the High Court is bound by The German Federal Motor Transport Authority’s finding that the software installed by VW was a defeat device.

 

VW admitted to manipulating 11 million vehicles worldwide to fool emissions tests back in September 2015.

 

In the US the OEM paid out $4.3 billion in civil and criminal penalties after pleading guilty to criminal charges and total costs for VW are estimated to have reached $21bn.

 

VW will also pay between $87m and $127m in compensation to customers in Australia, despite having made no admission of liability.

 

The OEM maintains that its engine software did not breach the law and said in a statement that “there has never been a defeat device installed in any of its vehicles in the UK”.

 

Commenting on the proceedings at the High Court this week, a Volkswagen spokesman said: “The purpose of the hearing is to determine two specific questions of law, namely whether the English & Welsh High Court is bound by the findings of the German Federal Motor Transport Authority (KBA) or the British Vehicle Certification Agency (VCA), and whether the legal definition under Article 3 (10) of Regulation 717/2007/EC of a defeat device is met if certain factors are fulfilled. Volkswagen says the answer to both questions is no.”

 

He added: “Volkswagen Group continues to defend robustly its position in the High Court in London. It remains Volkswagen Group’s case that the claimants did not suffer any loss at all and that the affected vehicles did not contain a prohibited defeat device. The decision today does not affect any questions of liability or loss.”

 

Quoted in The Guardian newspaper, Gareth Pope, head of group litigation at Slater Gordon, said: “VW has had plenty of opportunity to come clean, make amends and move on from this highly damaging episode.

 

“But instead it’s chosen to spend millions of pounds denying the claims our clients have been forced to bring against it rather than paying that to their own customers in compensation.”

 

Back in September the Volkswagen Group branded allegations that chief executive Herbert Deiss and chairman Dieter Poetsch were guilty of market manipulation in connection to the dieselgate scandal as “groundless”.

 

The German carmaker’s senior executives were formally charged with market manipulation in Brunswick, Lower Saxony, Germany, on September 24, over allegations that they intentionally failed to inform investors early enough about the diesel emissions scandal.

 

Former Group chief executive Martin Winterkorn was also charged. By Graham Hill Thanks To Fleet News

Providers and policymakers are being warned that a fragmented charge point network is slowing the take-up of electric vehicles (EVs).

 

There are currently 28,000-plus charge points in the UK and 15 major network providers, said Zap-Map.

 

Fleet body ACFO said the accessibility of charge points is a concern for drivers, as they consider whether to choose a plug-in company car.

 

ACFO chair Caroline Sandall said: “Electric vehicle ‘charge point anxiety’ is replacing ‘range anxiety’ as the big issue for drivers.”

 

Carmakers’ enhancements to batteries, she says, have improved the range of EVs so significantly that drivers’ fears of running out of charge, before reaching their destination, are quickly being eroded.

 

However, she warned: “Range anxiety is now being replaced by charge point anxiety due to a number of concerns, including different vehicles requiring different connectors to enable charging to take place; and no standard payment system across all charge point providers.”

 

The All-Party Parliamentary Group on Electric Vehicles has urged large public charge point operators to make their units interoperable.

 

In a letter to operators last month, it said the “fragmented” system for charge point transactions, involving multiple cards, apps and accounts, is “putting off” fleet operators from adopting EVs.

 

It says there is now an urgent need for industry-led collaboration to simplify this experience.

 

Even the most evangelical of EV advocates recognises that this is a major stumbling block.

 

Simon King, procurement director at Mitie, which has pledged to convert 20% of its car and small van fleet to EV by the end of 2020, said: “I’ve got between 10 and 15 apps for different charge point providers on my phone; a driver in a diesel van will have an Allstar card they can use at pretty much any filling station. That’s our biggest issue.”

 

And Catherine Hutt, innovation lead at Addison Lee, said: “Charging has been an issue for our drivers. The day I had to say ‘you are going to have to download about six different apps’, my heart sank. We cannot let this carry on – it’s not sustainable.”

 

A group of charge point providers has signed a roaming agreement to open up networks for EV drivers in the UK by the end of 2019.

 

Allego, Charge4Europe, Chargemap, ChargePoint, Engenie, EVBox, Franklin Energy, NewMotion and Travelcard will only require a single subscription to access any of their public charging stations.

 

They have also agreed to share charging station information so EV drivers can see where and if a charge point is available and what a charging session will cost them.

 

Matt Western, chair of the all-party parliamentary group, said: “This announcement from the collaborating parties in e-mobility is absolutely a step in the right direction.”

 

The agreement struck between the charge point operators is based on the Open Charge Point Interface, a standardised and open-source protocol commonly used in Europe.

 

The all-party parliamentary group says interoperability agreements in markets such as the Netherlands, France and Germany have helped fuel the switch to EVs.

 

Sytse Zuidema, CEO of New-Motion, says its wider experience in Europe also shows that making charging more “accessible and easy helps encourage EV adoption”.

 

The Government announced in the summer that it wanted all new EV rapid charge points to allow debit or credit card payments by spring 2020.

 

BP Chargemaster supported the move and said its Polar network will offer contactless bank or credit card payments on all new 50kW and 150kW ultra-fast chargers. It will also retrofit all existing 50kW Ultracharge units.

 

“Rapid chargers are contactless tap and pay – you turn up and get your bank card out,” said Tom Callow, BP director of communication and strategy.

 

Customers have always been able to access the Polar network, which operates 7,000 charge points in the UK, on a pay-as-you-go basis or via a subscription (membership).

 

Polar subscribers pay a monthly fee of £7.85 and, in turn, have cheaper charging rates.

 

Sandall says “total uniformity” is required in terms of payment and type of plug/charging point.

 

“Charge point providers and motor manufacturers need to unite in terms of the type of system and there needs to be complete uniformity in terms of payment – one card, one system,” she said. By Graham Hill Thanks To Fleet News

It’s fair to say that the idea of switching to winter tyres hasn’t caught on in the UK to the extent that tyre manufacturers had hoped. But increasing the grip at the tyre contact patch is the best way to maintain the best possible traction and steering on slippery or what engineers call a ‘low-mu’ surface. (The Greek letter µ, pronounced mu, represents the coefficient of friction.)

 

It might seem that four-wheel drive is a better idea, but it isn’t necessarily. A 4×4 will make the most of the traction available from the four contact patches. It may also help prevent the balance of the car being upset by a clumsy driver stabbing at the throttle.

 

But if there’s no grip available, the tyres still can’t gain forward traction, stop the car sliding anywhere it wants, or stop it quickly enough under braking, if at all. Four-wheel drive alone can’t prevent any of those things happening and the only thing that can is the grip of the tyres on the road.

 

In snow, there’s something else to consider: the width of the rubber. Watch any rally video of cars competing in snow and they all have one thing in common: skinny tyres. In snow, whatever the type of tyre, it will get more grip if it can bite down into the surface. Wide tyres, while good for cornering grip in the dry, are likely to fare worse in the snow.

 

You can probably see where this is heading. A small, front-wheel-drive hatchback with 185-section winter tyres will be more effective in snow than a big 4×4 SUV on fat summer tyres. The winter tyres grip better in snow because they’re designed to, the weight of the engine is directly over the driven wheels even if there are only two, and the tyres are skinny.

 

It’s not just about snow. Winter tyres have a softer compound that keeps the tread soft and supple in low temperatures, giving more grip on cold, damp or wet Tarmac at anything below 7deg C. That’s due to the chemistry of the compound and the fact that it contains more natural rubber than a summer tyre. Some high-end performance tyres don’t contain any natural rubber at all and can deteriorate and crack over time in extreme low temperatures.

 

The solid centre band on a high-performance summer tyre designed to give sharp steering response is missing on a winter tyre and there are normally fewer grooves around the circumference than on a summer tyre – depending on the make. However, there are a lot more of those tiny slits in the tread, called sipes. They create more sharp edges to grip the surface as the blocks they define deform in use. In snowy conditions, they also trap the snow, which grips better than wet rubber.

 

The downside of a winter tyre is that wider fitments especially are likely to be noisier than a summer equivalent, the rolling resistance is higher and the steering response and handling of a performance car in the dry won’t be as good. On a family car with modest performance, though, there’s no reason not to leave them on all year round, dodging the cost and hassle of two sets of tyres and giving much more safety and convenience in the worst winter weather.

 

The pressure to perform

 

Why does fuel consumption rise if tyres are not inflated properly? Hysteresis. As the tyre rotates and meets the road surface, it deforms, consuming energy. As it turns away from the surface, elasticity returns it to its original shape, but not all of the energy is recovered and the rest is lost as heat. By Graham Hill Thanks To Autocar Magazine.

Roadside pollution can be cut in half by a hedge, a new study from the University of Surrey suggests.

 

Experts from Surrey’s Global Centre for Clean Air Research (GCARE) conducted a five-month experiment, measuring traffic pollutants behind and in front of a hedge that shielded a children’s park in Guildford, United Kingdom.

 

They reported reductions of more than 50% in particulate matter in late April, when the hedge came into leaf. This could be because the density of the hedge or the stickiness of the leaves had a sizable impact on particle pollutants passing through it.

 

However, the results also revealed smaller reductions for gaseous pollutants including carbon monoxide and nitrogen dioxide, and that wind direction had little impact on the concentration levels.

 

Professor Prashant Kumar, founding director of GCARE at the University of Surrey, believes it is the first study to look at how a hedge affects the pollution from traffic – assessing the influence of the vegetation lifecycle, wind direction and other variables.

 

“The reduction in pollution after the ‘green-up’ stage gives valuable information regarding where to install green infrastructure across our communities,” he said.

 

“This study has not only produced unique evidence and support for our advocacy to install hedges and other forms of green infrastructure along busy roadsides to protect schools, playgrounds and pedestrians/cyclists from air pollution exposure; it has also provided a clear indication that evergreen species should be favoured for barriers against air pollution to exploit their year-round performance.”

 

GCARE at the University of Surrey has a long history of research in this area, conducting its first piece of research in 2014. It assessed the potential of roadside vegetation to reduce exposure to ultrafine particles; a study that was subsequently expanded to investigate larger-sized fine and coarse particles along busy roadsides.

 

Kumar said: “This journey continued with assessments of the relative potential of trees, hedges, green roofs and walls in city environments and proposed modelling methods for evaluating the impact of green infrastructure. Most recently, our research has highlighted the nexus between green infrastructure, air pollution and human health.”

 

It has also released guidance on the implementation of ‘green infrastructure’ to cut for air pollution.

 

“What was missing from earlier work was an understanding of how the vegetation cycle of roadside hedges influences their capacity for air pollution mitigation,” continued Kumar. “This required long-term measurements to capture various phases, including dormancy, leaf emergence and maturity.”

 

The research – The influence of the vegetation cycle on the mitigation of air pollution by a deciduous roadside hedge – was carried out under the umbrella of the iSCAPE (Improving Smart Control of Air Pollution in Europe) project, which is funded by the European Community’s H2020 Programme. By Graham Hill Thanks To Fleet News

RoSPA has called for the Government to dismiss the October clock change, and instead stick to British Summer Time (BST) on a permanent basis to improve road safety.

 

From March 1968 to October 1971, the clocks remained on BST, and RoSPA says it saved hundreds of lives.

 

Data collected by the road safety organisation revealed that approximately 2,500 fewer people were killed and seriously injured during the winters of 1968/69 and 1969/70 compared to the previous two years, showing a reduction of 11.7%.

 

RoSPA chief executive, Errol Taylor, said: “Each year, when the clocks go back in the autumn, there is a marked spike in the number of vulnerable road users killed and seriously injured.

 

“In 2017 a similar pattern emerged, with pedestrian fatalities as a result of road accidents rising from 37 in September to 46 in October, 63 in November and 50 in December.

 

“From the 1968-1971 experiment, we know we can reduce accidents, particularly those involving child pedestrians, by having lighter afternoons and evenings throughout the year.

 

“So the question remains, why aren’t we doing this now?”

 

According to statistics provided by the Department for Transport, in 2018 pedestrian deaths in Britain rose from 40 in October, to 56 in November and 70 in December.

 

The casualty rate for all road users increased from 490 per billion vehicle miles in October, to 523 per billion vehicle miles in November.

 

Recent research from The RAC Foundation shows that the October clock change sees an average increase of 278 collisions- which is up by 5.1%.

 

Head of road safety at RoSPA, Nick Lloyd, gave evidence to a House of Lords committee, which is discussing the discontinuation of the Autumn clock change.

 

Earlier this year, the European Union Parliament stated that its members should switch to permanent winter or summer time by 2021, helping RoSPA’s campaign, which started in the 1960s.​  By Graham Hill thanks to Fleet News & Others

Supermarket chain Lidl has announced it will install rapid electric vehicle chargers at all of its new stores.

 

In addition to installing the Pod Point chargers in its new buildings, Lidl will also retrofit charging points into “a number of existing stores”, which together with new stores represents a total investment of over £25m.

 

The supermarket already has rapid chargers at over 40 of its stores, which it says have helped to power more than 6.9 million EV miles. Its new commitment means over a third of all Lidl stores (more than 300) will have rapid electric vehicle chargers by 2022.

 

Sustainable lives

Ingo Fischer, chief development officer for Lidl GB, said: “At Lidl, we are committed to tackling the environmental concerns that our customers care most about, whilst giving them access to solutions that will support them in their ambition to lead more sustainable lives.

 

“Not only will our customers be able to charge their electric cars in 50 mins – less time than it takes to do a big shop – they will be able to do it for the best price on the market. It is our hope that, through this significant investment, we will enable easier access to charging points, ultimately helping more households switch to electric vehicles.”

 

Apps and maps

The points, which can charge vehicles from 0-80% charge in under an hour can be used via the company’s Open Charge mobile app. Chargers will have their own allocated and marked parking bays for use, and stores with charge points can be viewed via the Lidl app or on Zap-Map and Pod Point’s maps.

 

Growing network

Morrisons recently unveiled its first 50 GeniePoint rapid charging points at its stores nationwide, with a further 50 planned by 2020.

 

Last year Tesco announced it was to install thousands of ‘free’ EV charge points across its network of sites.

 

In partnership with Volkswagen, Tesco aim to develop what it claims will be by the UK’s largest retail electric vehicle (EV) charging network, rolling out more than 2,400 Pod Point EV charging bays across 600 Tesco stores within the next three years. By Graham Hill thanks to Fleet News

Businesses and consumers could be paying almost £150 per month more than their whole life cost calculations suggest for each plug-in hybrid (PHEV) that is not being plugged in.

 

This isn’t the first time that I’ve reported this when a company invested in a fleet of Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV’s only to find that drivers had no means for charging overnight and they were struggling to get anywhere close to 30mpg if the cars weren’t charged using a mains charger.

 

The data, revealed by Fleet Logistics UK, shows that the average PHEV returned 37.2mpg and 193g/km of CO2.

 

Using the popular BMW 330e as an example, the company calculated a monthly whole life cost of £57 if the vehicle is charged regularly, compared to more than £200 if it is not – based on official mpg figures.

 

Fleet Logistics UK says company car drivers who do not plug in and recharge their PHEVs are not only adding unwanted carbon dioxide into the atmosphere but are racking up unnecessary fuel and whole life costs.

 

But, PHEVs can be the ideal business tool for company drivers looking to transition between conventional ICE (Internal Combustion Engine) engines and electric vehicles.

 

For a large fleet running several hundred of these cars, the cost increases are clearly substantial. However, the drivers are not penalised over their driving style in terms of the Benefit-in-Kind taxation they pay, as this can start at £106 per month for a 20% taxpayer and £212 for a 40% taxpayer, regardless of how they drive the vehicle.

 

“We believe PHEVs have a role to play in helping companies transition between ICE engines and electric vehicles. However, it is important they are used correctly so as not to impact air pollution as well as cost,” said Sue Branston, country head for Fleet Logistics UK and Ireland.

 

“They do not suffer from range anxiety and therefore can be suitable for even long-distance fleets. However, if they are not recharged regularly and in line with manufacturer guidance, then they become more costly to operate for the business than initially forecast.”

 

Branston believes PHEVs could play a role within the optimum fleet policy along with RDE2 diesels and petrol models for medium to long-distance drivers, and none should be ruled out without proper analysis.

 

“From this coming April, RDE2 diesels not only give the range and fuel consumption that many fleets still need for their longer distance drivers, but they also have the advantage of avoiding the 4% diesel surcharge and may attract a 2% reduction in BIK rate,” she said.

 

Petrol plug-in hybrids regularly get a bad wrap for delivering poor mpg, but Fleet News has been running a Mercedes-Benz E 300 de plug-in hybrid diesel for the last five months and found it is capable of achieving more than 80mpg, even on long journeys, and many trips can be covered using no fuel at all. With more vehicles in the range launching with this powertrain next year, it provides another alternative to ICE with less compromise.

 

Fleet Logistics UK PHEV wholelife cost analysis:

BMW 330E 4dr 2.0M Sport auto	36months/10,000 miles pa	36months/15,000 miles pa	36months/20,000 miles pa	36months/25,000 miles pa
Monthly business fuel cost (using 176.6mpg)	£23.10	£34.65	£46.19	£57.74
Monthly business fuel cost (using 50.4mpg)	£80.93	£121.40	£161.87	£202.33
Increase to monthly WLC	£46.84	£78.24	£112.47	£142.40

 

By Graham Hill thanks to Fleet News

FROST has swept across parts of the UK this morning as the cold weather makes its mark on cars across the nation. Ice could take a while to naturally melt from a vehicle and motorists will need to make sure their windscreens are clear before setting off.

 

Frost and ice-cold conditions can freeze a windscreen and make it impossible to see the road. Motorists can clear the frost from the front of their cars with a series of simple solutions that will not cause damage.

 

However, using certain household tools could see your windscreen destroyed if proper care is not taken.

 

Scraping off frost with a credit card or putting boiling water on top can crack or scratch a windscreen and should be avoided.

 

De-icer

 

Motorists could instead use a special de-icer tool that picks the frost off a windscreen without doing any damage.

 

These tools can be picked up from many local supermarkets and vehicle garages and can be easily used to great effect.

 

Sprays

 

Special de-icer sprays can be applied to a car windscreen to prevent it from icing over in cold conditions.

 

The sprays can often be applied the evening before you are scheduled to make a journey and prevents a vehicle’s windscreen from completely freezing.

 

 

The sprays claim you will wake up the next morning with a clear windscreen and save valuable minutes picking the freezing ice off a car directly.

 

Water 

 

Although pouring boiling water over a windscreen is not advised, lukewarm water should not damage a vehicle and can clear the worst of the icy conditions.

 

Splashing some over the windscreen should make the ice soften and melt which can then be easily cleared by a hand or cloth.

 

If you are in a rush, melted and slushy ice can even be cleared by windscreen wipers before you set off.

 

Engine 

 

Turning on an engine and putting the heating on will warm up your windscreen as well as a car’s interior.

 

This will make your vehicle warm and comfortable for any early morning journeys and should clear all the frost off a windscreen quickly and efficiently.

 

However, motorists are urged to never leave their car unattended when they have turned the engine on to heat a car.

 

The engine will be running and leaving a car unattended could lead to thieves targeting a vehicle and potentially steaking it from your drive.

 

The Central Motorway Police Group revealed unattended cars left running were taken once every five minutes.

 

The crime has even been given its unique name, frosting, due to the regularity of offences in winter months.

 

Snow

 

It’s not just a frosty windscreen that needs to be cleared before heading off on a journey.

 

Experts urge drivers to check snow has not lodged into their front grille as this can lead to overheating.

 

If hot air cannot escape from the engine a car can quickly start to overheat. The front grille must be clear of snow or obstruction before heading off for safety reasons.

 

Prevent frost 

 

Frost can be prevented even before a cold patch has struck with some simple measures.

 

Placing a towel over a windscreen will prevent much of the ice forming on a windscreen and will shave time off cleaning a vehicle in the morning.

 

Rubbing a raw onion over a windscreen in the evening before cold weather can prevent frost from forming on the glass, while motorists can also use vinegar or alcohol to avoid a frost build-up.

 

Side mirrors can be covered with plastic carrier bags the night beforehand to prevent frost from impairing vision.

 

Windscreen wipers can be gently rubbed in alcohol to stop them freezing over and sticking to the window. By Graham Hill With Thanks To The Express