Vehicles account for 15 per cent of the total greenhouse emissions in Australia, and one quarter of the dangerous tiny particles in Sydney’s air. Eco-motoring is a fledgling industry, but there are some clever innovations in the pipeline.
Hydrogen is seen as the fuel of the future as it burns pollution-free and has the potential to be ecologically sustainable if it’s produced from renewable energy sources. While we currently lack the technology and infrastructure to bring hydrogen-powered cars into widespread use, several vehicle manufacturers expect to have hydrogen fuel cell vehicles available this year.
Natural gas isn’t greenhouse-neutral, but it could become an important player in the interim before the switch to hydrogen. One option is to connect reformers to natural gas mains at service stations to produce hydrogen. This would lower greenhouse emissions while solving the problem of not having a complete hydrogen network.
LPG (liquefied petroleum gas) reduces some emissions and provide about a 10 per cent decrease in CO2 emissions. While it’s not greenhouse-neutral it’s better than petrol and diesel, and most four-stroke ignition engines can be converted to use LPG. There is currently an excise holiday on LPG until 2011, when it will be phased in over four years.
Ethanol is an alcohol fuel alternative that can be produced from crops and has potential to reduce overall greenhouse emissions from vehicles. It is widely used overseas as an additive to petrol. NRMA supports a 10 per cent blend of ethanol in petrol as long as it does not increase costs for motorists. Australian vehicle manufacturers have noted that ethanol should not be used in some older vehicles. Ethanol is exempt from excise until 2011.
Biodiesel is made from renewable sources, like sunflower oil, and is gaining popularity as a potential lower greenhouse-impact diesel replacement. Newcastle City Council introduced B20, a biodiesel blend, into its fleet last year and reports a significant drop in greenhouse gas emissions and air pollution. Federal Government funding is available to set up biodiesel plants and medium-scale operations are appearing across Australia. Excise is payable, no matter if the biodiesel is pure or a blend.
Almost every car manufacturer is developing its own hydrogen fuel cell vehicle. Fuel cell vehicles are powered by electricity produced when hydrogen and oxygen are combined in the fuel cell. The only by-products are heat and water. Perth is participating in an international trial organised to test three hydrogen fuel cell buses in 10 cities.
However, until the provision and storage issues of hydrogen are resolved, the best compromise appears to be the hybrid car, which has both electric and petrol engines and greatly reduces fuel consumption. The Toyota Prius and Honda Civic are the only hybrid cars currently available on the Australian market and they have been shown to consume significantly less fuel than conventional vehicles performing the same tasks, depending on driving style.
Freight company TNT is trialling the Hino Dutro Hybrid truck, which may become a standard delivery truck in its national fleet. The Hino Dutro Hybrid uses advanced diesel and electric hybrid technology to reduce emissions and improve fuel efficiency. The body consists of lightweight, recyclable plastic material, known as ‘Lite Body’
panel, which are made by Peki Transport Equipment.
While fuel cell and hybrid cars are the favourites, solar cars are still in the running for the eco-car crown. Students from the University of NSW Solar Racing Team are designing and building a solar racing car for the World Solar Challenge, a 3000-km race from Darwin to Adelaide this September. The Sunswift III can average 100 km/h using the same amount of energy needed to power a vacuum cleaner. If you’d like to contribute to the project, you can adopt one of the 6000-plus solar cells and have your name marked on it. For details, visit www.sunswift.com
Europe is leading the way in eco-motoring. Frenchman Guy Nègre has invented the CityCAT, a ‘zero pollution’ car that runs on compressed air and can reach speeds of up to 110 km/h. It can run for 10 hours in urban areas and refuels in a few minutes using an air pump in a petrol station. Maintenance costs are much lower than a petrol-run car and the first series is due for production early this year. The compressed air technology (CAT) system could also be used in public transport and a MultiCAT train consisting of carriages powered by the CAT system is being developed.
Engineers at Cranfield University in England have created the Aerocarbon car that uses an aerodynamic design and lightweight material to reduce fuel consumption. The body is made of carbon fibre instead of steel so it’s half the weight of a comparable steel vehicle. Fuel consumption is said to be about 2.8 litres/100 km with a 660 Honda engine that can propel it to about 144 km/h.
In Japan, Toyota has pioneered the use of eco-plastic made from renewable sources like sugarcane to make floor mats for the Toyota Raum. They are now working at putting eco-plastics to other uses, such as spare tyre covers.
A transport trend gaining popularity in America and Europe is environmentally friendly car hire. For an annual membership fee, people who only need cars on the odd occasion can reserve a vehicle over the Internet or by phone. Then they just turn up, unlock their car with a smart card and it’s theirs for an hour or a day. The same service is now being offered in Australia. Newtown CarShare has over 100 local residents and businesses sharing a fleet of seven vehicles. For more information visit www.newtowncarshare.info
In our Jan/Feb 2004 issue we invited NRMA Members to subscribe to Greenfleet, a not-for-profit organisation that, for $40, plants and maintains 17 trees estimated to absorb the greenhouse gases emitted by your car over one year. Greenfleet has planted millions of trees since its inception in 1997 and would like to plant more than 600,000 trees this year. They received hundreds of subscriptions, totalling 7,954 trees, but this year we’d like to see even more NRMA Members subscribing. Subscribe via the Internet at www.greenfleet.com.au.
It’s crucial for governments to set appropriate policies and give support if green motoring technologies are to move from the lab and onto our roads in large numbers. The NSW Government intends to reduce the stamp duty on low-polluting cars. The Biodiesel Association of Australia is lobbying for the removal of excise on production of biodiesel for private use. Wins have already been achieved with local councils like Newcastle and Camden introducing biodiesel blends into their fleets.
One target the Federal Government has been working towards is lowering the sulphur content in petrol and diesel, which will help reduce pollution. In July 2004, the Fuel Standards Consultative Committee recommended that sulphur content in petrol be reduced to 50 ppm (parts per million) in premium unleaded petrol by January 1 2008, and 10 ppm in diesel by January 1 2009.
The Environmental Protection Authority says it will review the NSW Clean Car Benchmarks in 2005. The Federal Government’s green vehicle guide (launched in 2004) uses the NSW clean car benchmarks to allow car buyers to get information on the environmental performance of new cars sold in Australia. Visit www.greenvehicleguide.gov.au
Part of NRMA’s advocacy role involves campaigning for more eco-friendly motoring by hosting environmental conferences, researching and advising on environmental issues relating to motoring, such as alternative fuels and vehicles, and educating NRMA Members and the community on issues like proper vehicle maintenance and how to reduce fuel consumption (see NRMA’s Top 10 Tips below).
NRMA also sponsors eco-motoring projects and events, such as the University of NSW Sunswift Solar Racing Car. For more details on biofuels and green vehicles plus more ways to reduce fuel consumption visit www.mynrma.com.au/environment.asp
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