Visit any major city, especially in Europe and North America and you may well come across a public bike share rental scheme or a brightly coloured ‘floating’ bike. Bike share rental schemes use a fully automated process that allows the renter to collect and return the bike to any approved docking station. There are thought to be over 1,000 bike share schemes around the world with the greatest number of operations in Italy and Spain but by far the largest bike share fleets are in China. In the last few years, bike share schemes have evolved rapidly thanks to advances in technology and the abil ..read more

We have become so used to ubiquitous fuel stations that the idea of fueling a vehicle is almost hard wired into our brains. The fact is that traditional fuel infrastructure has had a very long time to develop and become established whereas electric vehicle infrastructure is a very recent development and one which is still evolving rapidly. New charge points now rely increasingly on smart phones apps or contacless cards. EV owners often charge their vehicle at home or work but for longer distance driving good planning is still required In the UK. Here are some of the best resources; Zap-map.co ..read more

Guernsey has had a long history of public transport service provision. At one time, the island was at the forefront of public transport initiatives, starting with alternative fuels. In 1879, the Guernsey Steam Tramway began running a tram service from St Peter Port to St Sampson. In 1892 the trams were electrified by Siemens who ran the service for the first year. This was the first ever commercial tramway in Britain to be powered with overhead cables. The service carried on for some forty years until it was no longer competitive against the emerging bus fleets. Private bus operators brought ..read more

Electric bikes have come a long way in recent years with more advanced technology and lighter frames making them more reliable and user friendly. Many of Guernsey’s cycle and scooter outlets have new offerings this season. All electric bikes (pedal assisted electric bikes) are limited to 15.5 mph in the islands. Some e-bikes from Asia and America have higher power capacity to meet different road regs but cannot be used on public roads here and deregulating them will invalidate any warrantee. Buying from your local store ensures they meet UK/EU regulations. This is a run down of the e-bikes ra ..read more

La Manche is the westernmost department of Normandy which includes Cherbourg and the Contentin peninsula. This region is forging ahead of President's Macron's plans to transition France's energy and transport industries. In early 2014, the Manche region signed into law, the installation and management of electric vehicle charging infrastructure. Total investment of €1.397 million has been provisioned and by the end of 2017, the department reached its target of 129 double charging stations installed across 77 municipalities. This facilitates a total capacity of 258 vehicles charging at the sa ..read more

The motor scooter market is enormous in China with scooters seen as the convenient way to get around the city and the market continues to grow quickly as China's urbanization continues. While still a rare sight in the U.K. and Europe, the market for electric scooters and motorcycles in China is booming. In 2016, electric scooter sales were worth $8.7 billion and are projected to reach over $12 billion by 2025. At first sight, an electric scooter doesn't look much different to a 2 or 4 stroke motor, it's more the absence of any noise or smell coming from it. Electric scooters are seen as quic ..read more

Energy efficiency in the home can help reduce emissions and cut fuel bills for households especially for those in 'fuel poverty'. The European Union Directive 2002/91/EC relating to the energy performance of buildings led to the introduction of the Energy Performance Certificate (EPC). By law, any person or organisation selling a property in the UK requires anEPC. The EPC was introduced by law in 2007 in England and Wales (2012 in Scotland where the certificate, in addition has to be displayed in the property near the boiler or consumer unit.) The UK Passed the climate Change Act in 2008 wh ..read more

Cenex is an annual event, now in its tenth year which takes placeat Millbrook, near Bedford about an hour and half's drive north from Gatwick Airport. It brings together leading companies and agencies in the green automotive sector. Its principal focus is transportation looking at future technology, manufacturing technology, energy storage and intelligent mobility. As well as being an exhibition, it also provides an extensive program of seminars. I arrived at Gatwick airport after a quick flight on Aurigny, Guernsey's airline. I had pre-booked a hire car through Avis using their 'preferred ..read more

Recently there was an article in the Press stating that the States would lose £20 million in fuel duty if 100 % of island vehicles stopped running on petrol and diesel fuel as a result of the transition to electric vehicles following the UK's announcement of a ban on the sale of new petrol and diesel vehicles by 2040. There are two important points to mention, firstly this figure is wrong as it includes all of the vehicles owned in the public sector. Many millions of pounds are spent on fuel duty and maintenance to keep publicly owned vehicles on the road funded by tax payers. Secondly conce ..read more

There's an after market Land Rover Defender being sold as an Urban Truck. Urban is defined as...of a city or town. Unquestionably, this classic 4x4 is a great off-roader but the last time I checked, there aren't many rivers to ford, deep rutted or pot holed roads to navigate around these parts. Let's look at the facts about why a Defender is not quite the urban vehicle it might suggest. Firstly it has one of the worst turning circles of any vehicle. It's noisy - not a great attribute in densely packed residential areas and it has some of the highest emission levels in its class. It's also pow ..read more