A glimpse of the future

As regular readers will know, the café is always keen to support new forms of transport that will reduce harmful emissions to our environment. For many there is considerable debate about which form of green transport and green solution represents the best option to pursue.

The café believes that it is too early to rule out any particular form of greener energy.

It is pleasing to note, however, that there are already some electric vehicles that are beginning to become viable alternatives to the internal combustion engine. Here is a look at just some of them. Below are vehicles you might just see around and about.

The London Bus

A London bus, but with a difference… this one has a hydrogen powered motor, which produces nothing but steam. To be fair, there is also a small diesel motor that can be used to power up the hydrogen engine. The overall fuel comparison is impressive: 89% less nitrogen oxides, 83% less carbon monoxide and the bus uses 40% less fuel than an equivalent conventional bus.

The Smart Car EV

This Smart Car is probably the most affordable of the vehicles featured here. It is congestion charge exempt, but with a range of 72 miles it probably needs a little more development before it becomes main-stream. An interesting development nonetheless.

The Nissan Altra,

This car is proving very popular in California, where owing to liberal state laws, people are able to avoid all sorts of costs through leasing an electric car. Unlike some of the other cars featured here, it is a very normal family car. Ranges of up to 120 miles and £1.50 to fill up; no wonder Gordon Brown has not seen fit to grant this car subsidies to encourage more people to drive them!

The Tesla Roadster

The manufacturers claim that this electric vehicle has an incredible 250 miles range before needing a charge – that’s about the same range a Ford Fiesta has on a full tank. Even more impressively, the car can achieve reach 60 mph in around 4 seconds. Unless you are feeling a little rich this month though, you might want to give the $92,000 car a miss until the price come down. I think my Fiesta is safe for a while. Still it is lovely to see that the technology is becoming available to the market.

The Venturi Fetish

Another sports car, this one with a lower range of 155 miles, but it weighs less than a tonne and the batteries can last for around 10 years. The batteries are made musing lithium-ions, which seem to be the most efficient type available on the mass market at the moment… but watch this space for developments.

Of all these, I think I will have the Tesla Roadster, but with the number of clients at Cafe Lumiere, perhaps the bus would be more appropriate.

(My thanks to Microsoft and the BBC for the pictures)