News

Drivers in Yorkshire could be amongst the first in the country to be monitored by average speed cameras. The technology uses a new type of speed camera that works in pairs in order to calculate a vehicle’s average speed over a distance of up to 6 miles. Steve Betts, a spokesman for the South Yorkshire safety camera partnership said that...

Personal watercraft (PWC) do not enjoy the best of reputations; seen by many as little more than a cause of nuisance noise to people and marine life, ‘Jet Skis’ are best enjoyed away from beaches and shallower waters. But now an American company hopes its new design of near-silent electric PWC will win fans both above and below the waves....

Fiat has been recognised for its in-car eco: Drive system. The firm has scooped the Fleet Environmental Award at the 2009 Fleet World Honours. Motorists using the technology can find out how green their driving style is, alerting them to their car’s emissions and fuel consumption. These factors are measured through the use of a USB...

Vauxhall is launching what it claims will be the greenest car it has ever made. The new Corsa ecoFLEX 1.3 CDTi has cut its carbon emissions by over 10 per cent to 105g per km and is capable of returning 70.6mpg. Super-efficient diesel engines The improvement in the performance of this model are due in part to a reduction in weight, improved...

The key to making electric cars a success is to make them exciting, according to American talk show host and car enthusiast, Jay Leno. It is a view shared by the Environmental Transport Association (ETA). Increases in environmental awareness and the cost of fuel have not altered the fact that the appearance of a car is still a huge...

Tom Hanks is the latest Hollywood actor to be highlighted as a fan of electric vehicles (EVs), but his support for the technology dates back to 2003, since which time his own Toyota RAV4-EV electric car has covered over 50,000 miles. In a letter to the New Yorker newspaper, Hanks describes his experience of owning an electric car: “By the...

Toyota has announced modifications to its Prius hybrid to make it more fuel efficient and luxurious than before. The new version of the vehicle will come equipped with remote control air conditioning, LED headlights and solar panels. It will feature an intelligent parking system and ‘lane-keeping assist’, which helps prevents motorists...

The Étape Caledonia, the only British cycling event of its kind that takes place on roads closed to motorised traffic, was sabotaged at the weekend when protesters sprinkled carpet tacks along much of the 81-mile course. Many of the 3,500 cyclists who took part in the ride, which raised £200,000 for charity, suffered punctures forcing the...

People in Nottingham are being urged to get on their bike to save the environment as the annual Greenweeks campaign begins this weekend. Three weeks of events and awareness-raising schemes will be held from May 23rd to June 14th, with local people aiming to reduce their carbon footprint. A number of organised bike rides will be held, run by...

A new design of trike that went on sale in Britain this week is able to transform itself into a child’s pushchair. The Taga trike is quite unlike any cycle currently on British roads; it is designed to combine the benefits of a high-quality pushchair and a well-engineered bicycle. In its pushchair form, the Taga can be taken on the...