The Chancellor of the Exchequer announced in this year’s Budget statement that he had asked Professor Julia King, Vice Chancellor of Aston University and former Director of Advanced Engineering at Rolls-Royce plc, working with Sir Nicholas Stern, author of the Government’s recent climate change report, to lead a review to examine the vehicle and fuel technologies which over the next 25 years could help to 'decarbonise' road transport, particularly cars.
The Review will build on the work of the Energy White Paper and the Government's Low Carbon Transport Innovation Strategy and the TSB's Innovation Platform for Low Carbon Vehicles. It will consider the existing evidence on technologies to reduce the carbon emissions from vehicles and examine whether, over a 25-year time frame, ‘decarbonisation’ may be most cost effectively delivered through incremental evolution of existing technologies, through growing competing niches or via more radical transformational approaches.
The Review will take account of UK capabilities in R&D, design and development and pay particular attention to the competitiveness of the UK manufacturing sector. It will assess the scope for the UK automotive and fuels/energy sector to benefit from the transition to a ‘decarbonised’ road transport system, how a shift in favour of lower carbon vehicle options can be achieved, and how best to influence the global adoption of lower carbon technologies, including in the most rapidly expanding vehicle markets around the world.
The initial element of the Review will report at the Treasury’s pre-budget review in the autumn of 2007 and the Government anticipates using its recommendations to refresh and refine its strategy.
It will involve discussion with a range of stakeholders, including the automotive sector, fuel suppliers and those involved in the development of next generation fuel systems, the investment and venture capital community, vehicle fleet operators (public and private) and academic experts.
Source : http://www.autoindustry.co.uk
Thursday, May 3, 2007
King Review to assess carbon-saving car technologies for Government
New online automotive networking site launched
A new automotive networking platform, www.AutomotiveK.com, is going online in three language versions: English, German and Chinese, aiming to give automotive executives the opportunity to communicate and exchange globally on a one-to-one level within a special interest community.
Specialised information is available on the site cost-free to those in the industry, as well as the teaching and research fields. The website offers group and forum users the opportunity to exchange ideas about customized subject areas, and has a separate jobs area.
The site is aimed exclusively at automotive sector employees, who can join this ‘virtual community’ with an approved email registration, after which users are free to access expert knowledge, publish information, or simply make contacts in the industry.
Source : http://www.autoindustry.co.uk
Wednesday, May 2, 2007
Looking for compromise on transportation funding
As the Senate chair of the Transportation Conference Committee, I recently received a letter from the governor where he clearly stated that he would support no tax increases to meet Minnesota’s transportation funding needs. He directed the conference committee, if they wished to make progress this session, to adopt his borrowing plan to fund transportation.
I responded that I, along with my colleagues in the Senate and House, are willing to work with him to craft a sensible and fair solution to our state’s transportation funding crisis. Minnesota has $1.7 billion in annual unmet transportation funding needs. It is critical that the state make a real, dedicated investment in our roads, bridges, and transit systems this year. By continuing to rely on borrowing to fund our transportation system, we will only put our state further behind and shift the costs of today’s projects onto our children and grandchildren.
I am committed to developing a transportation funding package that will begin to address our state’s growing transportation needs and encourage the governor’s participation in this process. I’m obviously disappointed that he has chosen a hard-line stance rather than engaging in this critical discussion. A lack of investment in our transportation infrastructure will have disastrous effects for our state n leading to increased congestion, increased danger on our roads, and the loss of economic opportunity for our businesses.
I continue to invite the governor to work with the Legislature on crafting a transportation funding package compromise. The time is now to move Minnesota forward.
Source : http://www.winonadailynews.com
Tuesday, May 1, 2007
M&S car insurance 'comprehensive'
Some one million consumers are under the misapprehension that their insurer will provide a replacement car if theirs is written off or stolen.
New research carried out by M&S Money indicates that almost two-thirds of drivers wrongly assume that such a feature will be included in their insurance packages.
Many people whose cars were damaged or stolen say they would find it difficult to keep on the road in such circumstances, with just over a quarter having another car they could use.
Brendan Cook, chief executive of M&S Money, described the news that many people believe they will get a courtesy car as part of their insurance package as "alarming".
He described how the M&S car insurance package provides free car hire for 14 days, commenting upon the importance of shopping around for the best cover.
M&S car insurance also offers both UK and European breakdown cover for the customer.
Source : http://www.moneynews.co.uk
Rising costs causing car insurance payment 'delays'
A number of British drivers are opting out of paying for motor insurance, in part due to the escalating costs of running a car.
Research from insurer Zurich shows that UK car owners currently spend an average of £1,776.62 each year on costs such as vehicle tax, fuel, parking and maintenance.
Amounting to a not inconsiderable outlay of £51 billion each year, almost a fifth of motorists have indicated that they consequently delay paying insurance, road tax and parking fines as a result.
A third of the respondents in a poll also said they delay making MOT and vehicle tax payments, despite them being legal requirements.
Mark Searles, chief marketing officer at the group, said that rising costs had put drivers under increasing financial pressure, suggesting that the most worrying findings showed that "some drivers are risking their own and others' safety in a bid to save money".
He added: "We need to change those attitudes and remember that it is a legal requirement to have both a valid MOT and insurance."
Source : http://www.moneynews.co.uk/
Car insurance rebates mailed
It's not quite the lottery, but Manitobans, who already pay among the lowest rates for car insurance in the country, can expect a little financial reward sometime this week.
The average customer will receive a refund of about $110 after Manitoba Public Insurance mailed out 550,000 cheques on Tuesday. That's a saving of approximately 10 per cent on the basic Autopac premium for 2005-06.
A Consumers Association of Canada study in 2005 found the average premium in Manitoba was $1,096.82, second lowest in the country after Saskatchewan.
It's the third time in the past six years the Public Utilities Board has directed MPI to issue the payments, but apparently not everyone collects their due.
"Last year nearly 15,000 cheques were returned, and we're still keeping those cheques in a safe place, waiting for their owners to contact us," said John Douglas, vice-president of corporate public affairs.
The total value of the current rebates is about $60 million, or $200 million over the past six years.
Source : http://www.cbc.ca