Can small Electric Cars and large 4x4s both make a contribution to the environment?

Electric vehicles have been very much in the public eye as the answer to cleaner motoring. Hybrid vehicles have been in development for years but only recently have they developed engines advanced enough to warrant their price tags. But it seems technological advancement isn’t the only shade of green in the industry’s pallet.

Every car manufacturer is striving to improve the efficiency of their engines, not only to lower their carbon emissions but to raise the appeal of low running costs to customers. Even conventional petrol and diesel engines are becoming more efficient – some superminis are now topping over 60 mpg (petrol). This is a far cry from the guzzlers struggling at almost half that figure 10 years ago (2002 Ford Fiesta Zetec 1.25 – 34mpg).

So, the conventional fuel families have come a long way to shrink their carbon footprint and in some cases they have even managed to reduce motor insurance as a result but what about the real ‘baddies’ – the 4x4s. The latest Land Rovers stretch to reach 50mpg, which is impressive when considering the size of the vehicles. To think they are now more economical than the 2002 Ford Fiesta we still see around the streets, you have to give Land Rover some credit.

Still, some 4x4s can spew out almost 300g of carbon per kilometre, which is roughly the equivalent of carbon produced by three 2011 Volkswagen Polos over the same distance. The drivers of the 4x4s have always been under scrutiny for unnecessarily damaging our environment but Land Rover as a company is doing something extraordinary to make amends.

Land Rovers are (somehow) green machines...

The Land Rover offset programme is designed to counterbalance the emissions created from the manufacturing and the usage of their 4x4s. By planting trees, Land Rover is basically aiming to produce more oxygen than the CO₂ it produces by existing.

Currently, the scheme covers the first 45,000 miles of every Land Rover produced.  Funds are also invested into powering hydro-electricity generators, to help produce more natural energy than they burn out during the vehicle manufacturing process.

Electric vehicles are finally accepted...

As more electric charging points populate urban areas, it is clear to see how mankind is moving towards more low carbon motoring. One of the main problems is that a lot of the modern day electric vehicles are expensive to buy.

Fortunately, there are financial benefits in place now for opting to purchase a futuristic vehicle. Road tax is usually discounted or even completely free and recently the government revealed a plan to cover up to 20% of the initial cost for anybody buying an electric van.  

Insuring electric vehicles may also be cheaper and the best idea is to get in touch with your car insurance broker to find out more. There is also a potential for congestion charges to be reduced for drivers in these specialist cars – it is all worth asking about.