Friday, July 11, 2008
Gordon Brown backs electric cars
Prime Minister calls for electric car focus following G8 summit
Prime Minister Gordon Brown has urged motorists to switch to electric cars and learn more about eco-driving, following the G8 summit in Japan which spawned an agreement to adopt a target for reducing carbon emissions.
By 2020, Brown wants all new cars sold in Britain to be electric or hybrid, producing less than 100 grams of carbon dioxide per kilometre.
“This is not the odd vehicle that would be a hybrid but vehicles that are family cars,” he said.
"I think a combination of car licence [road tax] and petrol costs could – if we could develop the new technology – be to the benefit of car drivers.”
Critics pointed out electric and hybrid cars' fuel consumption increases on long journeys, whereas diesel and petrol cars produce less pollution.
The government's own report – the King review of low-carbon cars – states that 'different fuels suit different uses'.
DATED: 11.07.08
FEED: MT
Prime Minister Gordon Brown has urged motorists to switch to electric cars and learn more about eco-driving, following the G8 summit in Japan which spawned an agreement to adopt a target for reducing carbon emissions.
By 2020, Brown wants all new cars sold in Britain to be electric or hybrid, producing less than 100 grams of carbon dioxide per kilometre.
“This is not the odd vehicle that would be a hybrid but vehicles that are family cars,” he said.
"I think a combination of car licence [road tax] and petrol costs could – if we could develop the new technology – be to the benefit of car drivers.”
Critics pointed out electric and hybrid cars' fuel consumption increases on long journeys, whereas diesel and petrol cars produce less pollution.
The government's own report – the King review of low-carbon cars – states that 'different fuels suit different uses'.
DATED: 11.07.08
FEED: MT
