The Future of Alternative fuels

Posted in Hybrid

Can we make fuel that is inexpensive and won’t harm the environment? Energy and oil companies, entrepreneurs and researches all are busily engaged in the quest for tomorrow’s clean fuel. No single solution, no magic bullet exists to solve the problem. Instead, industry and vehicles in times to come will probable by powered by a variety of different sustainable energy sources. Check out this great infographic below from Motorparks. It covers a lot of interesting facts like Electric engines and their evolution as well as Hydrogen Engines!

Vehicle Excise Duty 2017

Posted in Cars

It is worth making sure that you are aware of the new Vehicle Excise Duty Rules which came in the UK this year. These do not apply to old vehicles but any new vehicles which were purchased on or after 1st April will have to abide by them. This applies to new and second hand vehicles that were originally purchased after this date.

It is important to be aware because the rules are very different to before. It used to be based just on the emissions of the vehicle and so if you have a ‘green’ car then you would pay less than if you had a large car with high emissions. However, now the value of the car is also taken into account. This means that if you buy a car with low emissions, it may not be as cheap on tax as you imagined. It is worth checking this infographic from Motorparks before you buy your next car.

New proposals shake things up in the world of MOTs

Posted in Cars

With new proposals from the government set to shake things up in the world of MOTs, Motorparks aim to help drivers facing their car’s MOT in the upcoming weeks or months. As we have always known it, a new vehicle is safe to drive on the roads for up to three years without requiring a MOT test – but as the new rules come into play, new cars will now be able to drive up until four years without a MOT certificate.

Transport Minister Andrew Jones pointed out: “We have some of the safest roads in the world and MOT tests play an important role in ensuring the standard of vehicles on our roads.” Continue reading “New proposals shake things up in the world of MOTs” →

Ranking the range of electric vans

Posted in Electric CarsTagged

New statistics revealed by Nextgreencar.com show that our electric vehicle market is a progressively growing one. According to their data, the number of electric vehicles on the UK roads has grown considerably over the past few years.

In 2013, there was 3,500 new electric vehicle registered – by the end of 2016, this had risen to over 85,000 vehicles. It becomes clear the electric vehicle is strong, especially when adding to those numbers is the fact that there are 5,000 registered plug-in vans across the UK too.

As the market grows, it appears so does the choice. With more interest, manufacturers are offering more choice to buyers. Used van specialist Van Monster has evaluated some of the most popular electric vans and ranked them against features such as maximum load, battery charge and speed. Take a look before you invest in your next addition to your fleet – some key features could sway your decision:

Table 1

Electric cars

Table 2

Best Electric cars

Check out The World’s Most Shocking Driving Laws

Posted in CarsTagged

Most of us really aren’t thinking about driving laws around the world. But if you’re going to get serious about driving internationally or even just travelling around the world, you might want to think about what those laws might mean for you in the future. And hey, don’t you need more trivia to impress other people at cocktail parties? You might not leave with a date, but who doesn’t want to impress someone with stuff the other person may not even be aware of? We’re going to go and bring out some shocking driving laws that you’ve probably never heard about. We couldn’t do this research totally alone, of course — we had vehicle hire experts at Northgate track down these facts. If you ever need more insight into car hire, these are the people to check out. Now, let’s get on with the list!

Driving Laws

1. You Better Carry Extra Glasses

In Spain, it’s not enough to wear prescription eyewear while you drive. By law, you have to make sure that you have a spare handy. If you’re pulled over and you don’t have them, you can face some stiff fines for not being as prepared as you should be.

2. No Women Drivers (within the country, of course)

In Saudi Arabia, you absolutely cannot drive if you’re a woman. It’s something that has constantly put Saudi Arabia on many lists for their terribly backward treatment of women. We look forward to the day where all Saudi women can drive where they wish to go, without having to have a man present at all.

3. Don’t Help Other Drivers Dodge Tickets

In the United Kingdom, you absolutely cannot do fellow drivers a solid by showing them where the speed traps are. While it definitely is shocking, proponents of the law point out that you are technically keeping the police officer from doing their job. To us, it sounds like the state just doesn’t want to miss out on their share of fines! What do you think?

4. Tipsy? Ride in the Back!

If you’re planning on partying in Macedonia, you need to make sure that you don’t try to ride in the front seat after drinking. Even if you’re not the driver, the driving laws in Macedonia state clearly that you cannot ride in the front if you’ve taken in any alcohol. Since there can be fines and other penalties even for tourist drivers, this is one that you might want to pay attention to later on.

We thought that this list of driving laws around the world were pretty shocking, especially considering that we spend so much time on the road as a whole. We highly doubt most of you have really looked at the full list of driving laws in your country. Check it out before you get behind the wheel, just to stay informed.