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Trying to Convert Local Car Use from Conventional vehicles to Duel Use Hybrid Vehicles
:: 27 July, 2008
A FREE car with every home is one of the options being considered by developers behind the 6,000-home eco-town plan for Long Marston.
An electric or hybrid car, such as a Toyota Prius, and a bicycle with the sale of every home is the latest deal developers St Modwen and the Bird Group have designed to lure buyers.
Antony Calvert, a spokesman for the developers, said: “We are interested in trying to convert local car use from conventional vehicles, which rely on petrol and diesel, to duel use hybrid vehicles and electric cars.
“Our intention is to recognise the reality of car use but reduce the number of vehicles in Middle Quinton and encourage these vehicles to be environmentally friendly.
“Our commitment to reinstating a rail link, as well as all the other aspects of promoting public and sustainable transport, remain key goals for the development of this eco-town.”
However, campaigners against the plans have slammed the idea saying it completely undermines the developers’ attempts to construct sustainable transport networks.
David Bliss, chairman of the Better Accessible Responsible Development (BARD) campaign, said: “Cars, electric or hybrid, still cause congestion on country roads and in the surrounding villages, and discourage reliance on public transport.
“It is hard to believe that the developers will fund the massive up-front costs associated with upgrading rail routes both east and south from the site if they are promoting car use in any form. It is just a desperate PR ploy designed to make the new town more palatable.
“If St Modwen would only look to invest in the creation of eco-quarters, attached to major towns and cities by good public transport and existing infrastructure, where jobs are located and affordable housing is desperately needed, they would attract compliments not contempt.”
About Hybrid Vehicle
A hybrid vehicle is a vehicle that uses two or more distinct power sources to propel the vehicle. Common power sources include:
On-board rechargeable energy storage system (RESS) and a fueled power source (internal combustion engine or fuel cell)
Air engine and internal combustion engines
Human powered bicycle with electric motor or gas engine assist
Human-powered or sail boat with electric power
Though hybrid cars take in substantially less petroleum than conventional cars, there is still an issue regarding the environmental damage of the Hybrid car battery. Today most Hybrid car batteries are one of two types: (1) nickel metal hydride, or (2) lithium ion; both are regarded as more environmentally friendly than lead-based batteries. “Jim Kliesch, author of the ‘Green Book: The Environmental Guide to Cars and Trucks’ told HybridCars.com, ‘There are many types of batteries. Some are far more toxic than others. While batteries like lead acid or nickel cadmium are incredibly bad for the environment, the toxicity levels and environmental impact of nickel metal hydride batteries—the type currently used in hybrids—are much lower.’".
Though substantially less toxic than conventional car batteries, nickel-based batteries are known carcinogens, as well as can lead to a wide array of other health problems (little testing has been done to show the effects of nickel on people but other possible side effects may include: “xencephaly, everted viscera, short and twisted neck, short and twisted limbs, microphthalmia, hemorrhage, and reduced body size”.
Although companies are funding research to use these safer less toxic batteries, the fact of the matter is lead is so cheap, and money always plays a factor when dealing with mass production of an item. According to a 2003 report entitled, "Getting the Lead Out," by Environmental Defense and the Ecology Center of Ann Arbor, Mich., an estimated 2.6 million metric tons of lead can be found in the batteries of vehicles on the road today. There's little argument that lead is extremely toxic. Scientific studies show that long-term exposure to even tiny amounts of lead can cause brain and kidney damage, hearing impairment, and learning problems in children. The auto industry uses over one million metric tons of lead every year, with 90% going to conventional lead-acid vehicle batteries. While lead recycling is a mature industry, it's impossible to rescue every car battery from the dump. More than 40,000 metric tons of lead are lost to landfills every year. According to the federal Toxic Release Inventory, another 70,000 metric tons are released in the lead mining and manufacturing process.
