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Electric cars that don’t need charging

A Japanese academic has developed an innovative way of making electric cars more attractive – having them charge their battery as they drive along the road. Based on the assumption that what is holding back electric cars is the need to carry an expensive and heavy battery that takes a long time to charge and then offers either a short distance or a low speed, Takashi Ohira at the Toyohashi University of Technology has built a 0.3%-scale electric car that picks up electricity from electrodes buried beneath the road surface as it drives along.

No need to provide CO2 information?

T&E’s Belgian member Inter-Environnement Wallonie (IEW) has warned that the EU law requiring car manufacturers to give information on CO2 emissions from new cars has no teeth. IEW has given up a four-year fight, during which it complained to the Commission on several occasions that car makers are blatantly ignoring directive 1999/94, which makes it obligatory to give fuel economy and emissions information where new cars are sold. 

The role of the Commission in advancing the road pricing agenda cannot be understimated

"The role of the Commission in advancing the road pricing agenda cannot be underestimated", T&E Director Jos Dings stated at the Conference on fair and efficient road pricing organised by the European Commission on 5 Dec:

Road pricing is progressing because the list of its advantages is impressive. No wonder ever more countries in Europe are choosing for road user charging, and we are having a conference about its future.

Failure in test checking caused false fuel economy claims

A blog by the International Council on Clean Transportation (ICCT) says a recent case in America, in which the Korean car makers Hyundai and Kia overstated the fuel efficiency of some of their cars, was caused by a failure to properly check manufacturers’ claims and has lessons for the whole world.

Tyre label has vital lessons for fuel efficiency in road and air transport

Opinion by Nina Renshaw - T&E deputy director There aren’t many downsides to working at T&E, but if I have to name one, it is that we don’t often have the joy of seeing the fruits of our work in the real world. Mostly you don’t see less energy use or fewer emissions, and you see even fewer economic incentives at work when walking around town. So 1 November will be a rare moment.

Low-carbon cars can boost Europe’s economy

The idea that making cars cleaner would be bad for jobs and competitiveness is a myth. That is the conclusion from a report launched by T&E that looks into the economic consequences for carmakers to meet strict carbon dioxide emissions limits from 2020 and beyond. T&E says it strengthens the argument for an 80g/km target for 2020 and a 60g target for 2025.

Stricter CO2 standards needed or Europe won’t be able to compete

The Obama administration has finalised new rules to improve fuel economy for American car makers. They are expected to transform US cars and light trucks and lead to the widespread adoption of hybrid vehicles by 2025. The move threatens to leave Europe’s car industry at a competitive disadvantage unless stricter CO2 emissions targets are agreed for 2020 and beyond.

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