Govt should use ‘bio fuels and hydrogen to cut emissions’

Electric cars may not be enough on their own to bring vehicles in Britain into line with carbon targets and the government must use a range of different tactics to help cut emissions, a new report by the Institute of Mechanical Engineers has suggested.

The report, ‘Low Carbon Vehicles: Driving the UK’s Transport Revolution’, states that the use of hydrogen and biofuel, as well as electric-powered cars, could help produce vehicles which emit just 30g per km of carbon by 2050 – a level that should become the aim of the government, rather than the target of 100g per km by 2020.

DIY hydrogen for cars

A DIY hydrogen generator, no bigger than a fridge and due to go on sale within 2 years, will allow householders to produce their own power for household appliances or an electric car.

Hydrogen can be used as a fuel for electric cars thereby doing away with the need for a battery – these so-called fuel cell vehicles can travel longer distances than electric vehicles that need to be re-charged directly from a mains supply.

For example, Nissan’s FCV (Fuel Cell Vehicle) is capable of travelling up to 500km without refilling.

The generator is likely to cost £2,000 and will use water and off-peak electricity to produce hydrogen that can be stored and later used as fuel for a car or a generator to power household appliances.

A spokesperson for the Environmental Transport Association (ETA) said: “This generator depends on an electricity supply, so for it to be truly green people will need to buy from a supplier that uses a sustainable source of power, but the use of home generators such as these will undoubtedly boost the fuel cell market.”

The market for DIY car fuel appears to be growing. A device called the ‘FuelPod 2’ turns used cooking oil into bio-fuel that can be used in any diesel-engined vehicle.

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