Archive for May, 2007
SUV’s to be hit by green tax?
The Department of Minerals and Energy is proposing a “green tax” that may see the price of petrol guzzling vehicles such as SUV’s increasing by as much as 33%, as well as greatly increasing the licensing fees of such vehicles.
This forms part of the Government’s efficiency strategy aimed at cutting down consumption patterns by 12% […]
Citroën C1 / Peugeot 107
Given that there’s a real shortage of options when it comes to alternative fuels and powertrains in South Africa, the green SA motorist is forced to make the 3-way decision of “petrol/diesel/Prius”. As I discussed last week, in terms of the petrol vs diesel issue it seems that, for now at least, petrol engines are […]
Emissions around the world
I’m searching (without much success, it must be said) for South African legislation on vehicle emissions. Currently the Department of Environmental Affairs and Tourism have been rather helpful, although apparently the legislation I’m looking for falls under the auspices of the Department of Transport. Nevertheless, there’s an aptly-named woman at the D.E.A.T called centre, […]
Grrr… irresponsible reporting in The Citizen
I saw a headline on the poster today that said “Global Warming is a Myth“, and was forced to buy a newspaper I normally stay well clear of - The Citizen. The article to which the headline referred was an opinion piece by David Carte, which made the usual claims that there is actually much […]
Honda Hybrids, follow up
Well, I got a reply from Honda within a day of my mail to them. It’s kinda non-committal, but better than nothing, I guess.
Good day Carl
We are investigating bringing a hybrid to South Africa, but do not have a suitable product available (in terms of price as well as availability) to us at present. […]
Honda Hybrids
Honda is currently the “other” big hybrid manufacturer along with Toyota. Honda’s current crop of hybrids include the Civic Hybrid, the Insight and the Accord Hybrid.
The question is, why has Honda SA not committed to hybrids like Toyota has? Today I emailed Honda SA’s head office with this enquiry:
Good day,
I run a web log […]
The Tesla Roadster
Well, the blog’s been up for three days now, and I’ve already had a request to discuss the Tesla Roadster. There’s no doubt that this car adds a real dimension of sexiness that’s often lacking in environmentally-friendly vehicles. If you’re familiar with this car, you might notice that GreenCar’s main header image is actually a […]
The e-bike
A South African company called Adequate Energy has developed an e-bike. This is basically a normal bicycle that is powered by a brushless and gearless electric motor driven by a sealed lead acid battery.
The motor can drive the e-bike without any input from the rider, or it can provide assistance to the rider while pedalling. […]
Yahoo Autos Green Center
Yahoo has just launched a “green” subsection in Yahoo Autos. Although it’s quite American-centric, it still provides a lot worthwhile information. One of the most useful features is their Green Rating, which lists the top 100 green cars in the States based on the environmental impact of the vehicle. This takes into account:
Unhealthy smog that […]
G-Wiz… that’s a little dangerous
The G-Wiz, a diminutive Indian electric vehicle available in the United Kingdom for around £8000.00, may be banned from UK roads following its dismal showing in recent crash tests. The car failed to comply with current European safety regulations.
Despite its popularity with celebrities, the car has been slammed by the mainstream media for its shoddy […]
