Does the colour of a van make a difference?

Earlier this week a Scottish courier company was in the news for being unable to source red vans for their fleet. Most vehicles come off the assembly line white or silver and are then customised. In the article I read, they had scoured western Europe looking for the right vans for their fleet. They take their branding seriously.

Stuart Harris saw this and thought of us-

(c) Stuart Harris

My immediate response was – OMG – it makes my eyes hurt. I was duly reminded that this was business and not personal so the idea would be to have the van remembered. The one above is certainly unforgettable!

Aside from being remembered, there is safety to consider. Despite what people think white vans are actually the safest colour to drive.  Source – Link (via @IanRMcAllister, thanks Ian)

A safety group in Cambridge think Safety is far more important. Last year the local authorities changed the colours of the speed camera vans from white with fluorescent parts to plain blue with the area’s transport/police logos. They did this to standarise their fleet.  The group argue that by not having a standard colour for speed camera vans throughout the UK, they may be causing problems rather than deterring them. Link.

When you buy your vans, what comes first? safety or recognition? Is branding important on a van? or is the ability to undertake work of a confidential nature more important?

Sarah

PS if you click on the van image, it will take you to Stuart’s site where you can read what the images on the van actually say.

Reblog this post [with Zemanta]

Van driving isn’t the same as car driving

(or rally car driving).

As many white van men will tell you, it’s not as easy as it looks to drive a van. The bigger it is, the harder it becomes. A van moves differently to a car, and then moves differently again when it is loaded versus unloaded.

The BBC recently published a video of David Coultard racing a van. You can view it here – http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/8064920.stm

I did notice when loading the back of the van they didn’t strap down the tool box or close it for that matter – they would be no good at delivering your goods – they would be all over the back of the van in no time!

Van racing – will it catch on?

Sarah

PS thanks to Ian McAllister for sending me the link :) cheers Ian, will race ya next time I am in Wales ;)

Reblog this post [with Zemanta]

#Scrappage – another budget faux pas?

Yesterday and today the word ‘Scrappage’ has appeared a lot in the press and across twitter. It relates to the car and van scheme where you can trade in a vehicle over 10 years old for a £2k subsidy on a new vehicle. The Government puts up £1k and the automotive industry put up the other £1k. My inner cynic is ignoring the fact that Vauxhall and Fords increased their prices earlier this year, some say in anticipation scrappage.

Already the scheme has been slammed as not being very green or environmentally friendly.

Looking at it from a business point of view, many courier companies lease there vehicles, so they send them back every few years for new vehicles. The leasing company gets a discount for buying in bulk, and usually sells off the ‘older’ fleet at a discount. So Scrappage is not likely to appeal here.

If you had a well maintained vehicle and you wanted to trade it in for a brand new Sprinter price in the region of 22k, would you do it? In this current economic climate? with customers taking longer to pay their bills would you get finance for a new vehicle so you can get 2k off of the price?

What if you had cash? would you part with it for a less than 10% discount knowing a vehicle depreciates 25% it its first year?

I need to look at the scheme in more depth because right now I cannot see any advantage to trading a vehicle in. I reserve the right to change my mind later.

Sarah

PS the small print says you must have had the vehicle 12 months in order to get the discount… so  if you were planning to buy a scrap vehicle to trade it for the discount (something which might have actually worked) – then tough, you can’t.

Reblog this post [with Zemanta]

The Benefits of Fuel Cards

Hello there, my name is James Wilde and I am a New Business Executive for Fuelmate, which is a division of the family run Rix Petroleum. I work on the fuel card department in attracting businesses to the idea of fuel cards to provide them with an effective tool to pay for and monitor their fuel consumption.

Firstly, I would like to thank Sarah for the opportunity to post on this blog, it is very much appreciated – although she will not use fuel cards herself :-)

A lot of people may already know how they work but for those who don’t, the easiest way to think of them is like a credit card. You pay for your fuel on the card and then receive a weekly invoice – albeit without the huge interest charges!! Fuel cards can be beneficial whether you run a large fleet or just a couple of vehicles and is much easier than keeping the receipts and filling out expense forms, which can take a lot of time and effort. Our fuel card accounts help you manage your fuel expenses and keep track of your fleet with ease. Fuel cards are accepted 24/7 at most service stations nationwide so you are never far away from somewhere to use them.

At Fuelmate we offer 3 different fuel cards – each one will suit each and every business differently, and it is my job to match the right card to the right business. This can be done by location, consumption, where you drive (whether local or motorway) and whether it is petrol or diesel you require.

However, when it comes down to it, the main benefit to operating fuel cards are the discounted prices you receive. Typically our prices are 5-6p per litre cheaper than the pump prices. With the pump prices fluctuating on a daily basis, it is becoming harder to effectively budget for fuel. At Fuelmate, we would notify you on a Friday of what the price would be for the following week, and then that price is fixed, so you know what price you will be paying. There are also no hidden charges; we don’t charge for invoicing, for the cards themselves or for the account management that we offer – you purely pay for the fuel that you use!

If you would like to see what we can offer your business, whether you are an existing fuel card user or new to the idea, contact me on 01482 338917 or email me on james.wilde@fuelmate.co.uk and I will endeavour to provide you with the card and the price that will help your business.

Kind Regards,

James

James Wilde
New Business Executive

Fuelmate Ltd.
Witham House
45 Spyvee Street
Hull
HU8 7JR

Tel. 01482 338917
Fax. 01482 338591
Email. james.wilde@fuelmate.co.uk

Reblog this post [with Zemanta]

Hydrocharger – Have you heard of it?

For several years now, the UK has been moving the issues of Global Warming and the depletion of the earth™s fossil fuels further and further up the political agenda. Today, petrol and diesel prices have reached a record high, causing economic difficulties for businesses and private individuals alike.  At the same time, Government is pressing ahead with its policy of taxing vehicles on the basis of their emissions “ the more polluting the vehicle, the higher the tax.  Although it insists that this incentivises motorists to drive more environmentally-friendly vehicles, the reality is that motorists are faced with two choices, both of which cost money they can ill afford

Sell their current car and buy a new low-emission example. Due to ever-increasing fuel prices and a draconian Road Fund Tax policy, second hand values of high-emission cars are falling dramatically, making the cost of this changing your car higher than ever. It follows that the greater the Government incentive, the smaller the number of people who can afford to buy less-polluting cars.

  • Accept that there is nothing they can do about rising fuel prices and Road Fund Tax and simply find a way of paying it
  • Motorists are therefore between a rock and a hard place.  They would like to do the right thing and make the change, but cannot afford to do so.  If they do not change, they cannot afford to run their vehicles (on which they rely) without diverting funds from somewhere else (e.g. food, clothing, education, etc). This is undoubtedly having a detrimental knock-on effect on personal lifestyles and the economy generally.

    A solution

    The team behind Hydrocharger Limited has been researching and developing Hydrogen on Demand systems for internal combustion engines for around five years with a view to reducing fuel consumption and reducing harmful emissions.  Today the company offers an aftermarket product called Hydrocharger that customers can be confident will increase MPG for existing cars and light vans by around 25%, and at the same time will reduce emissions by around 40%.  Hydrochargers are also producing very significant improvements for Heavy Goods Vehicles.

    What is Hydrocharger?

    In very simple terms, a Hydrocharger system consists of one or more interconnected cells filled with distilled water and a small quantity of electrolyte. When the engine is running a current is passed through electrodes in each cell to produce HHO (hydrogen and oxygen), which in turn is fed into the air intake of the engine. The Hydrogen acts as a secondary fuel source, which reduces the volume of the primary fuel (petrol or diesel) that is required.  At the same time the oxygen causes the primary fuel to be burned more completely. The result is a reduction in petrol/diesel consumption and a dramatic reduction in harmful emissions.

    Hydrocharger cells are unique in appearance, being made of heat-resistant ABS with a full-height transparent water-level viewing window. All the components have been carefully designed to maximise the volume of hydrogen produced for a given current, whilst at the same time minimising electrode deterioration and preventing overheating. Registered Installers can either install Hydrochargers in the engine bay (if room permits) or remotely in the boot of the vehicle.

    Why buy Hydrocharger?

    With around 4,500 satisfied customers to date, Hydrocharger Limited is almost certainly the UK leader in this exciting new market. Hydrocharger offers the average motorist significant net savings in fuel costs.  If the Government could be persuaded to set a vehicles Road Fund Tax band by its actual emissions (i.e. post Hydrocharger installation) rather than by the manufacturers quoted figures, the argument for fitting a Hydrocharger to every vehicle on the road would be even more compelling.

    We are not aware of any other product of a similar price that can offer today’s motorist the chance to

    1. Reduce running costs so significantly
    2. Reduce their carbon footprint so dramatically

    A sobering thought

    If every vehicle on the UKs roads were fitted with a Hydrocharger, it would have the same effect environmentally as taking TWELVE MILLION vehicles off the road

    Goal

    The Directors of Hydrocharger Limited are committed to making it possible for as many vehicles as possible to be fitted with a Hydrocharger within the next five years, both in the UK and overseas.  Their primary motivation is the environmental and social benefits that Hydrocharger offers, rather than their own personal financial gain.  The Directors believe strongly that it is our collective duty to ensure that our children have a future to which they can look forward.

    Innovation

    Hydrocharger Limited is the first company in the UK (and one of the first in the world) to harness the established technology of hydrogen production from the electrolysis of water and apply it to the automotive aftermarket.  Utilising what is (to all intents and purposes) “free” energy brings welcome solutions to two of the major challenges facing motorists and society as a whole – how to combat  ever-rising fuel costs and reduce pollution levels.  Every conceivable economic indicator points to the fact that Hydrocharger is the right product in the right place at the right time.

    Motor manufacturers are all introducing new technology that will make the cars of the future cleaner and more efficient  but thats tomorrow.  The problem is NOW.  Buying a new, cleaner and more economical car does not cure the problem“ it simply shifts your problem onto somebody else (whoever you sell your existing car to).  Fitting a Hydrocharger does fix the problem because it increases your current cars MPG by 25% and reduces its harmful emissions by around 40% – and its a fraction of the cost of replacing your existing car with a new one!

    Hydrocharger can transform the cars we have today and make them as clean as or cleaner than the cars we can expect to be buying tomorrow.

    New Product Release

    We have now released our new truck system email for more information.

    Pricing

    Car/Van upto 3000cc                        £220

    Car/Van 3000cc +                                 £440

    HGV/24 volt system                          £1500

    Email for more information to get the right kit for your vehicle.

    sam@hydrochargeme.com

    Reblog this post [with Zemanta]
    Related Posts with Thumbnails