Driving that bit greener to save fuel, part one

Driving greener has the much welcomed benefit of saving you money. If you have to drive, following our tips and tricks will allow you to maximize the usage of your vehicle and your fuel.

On your marks…. preparation

* Avoid overfilling the tank when refuelling. Spilled fuel evaporates and releases harmful emissions into the atmosphere and just plain wastes money.

fuel saving for couriers
Image by freefotouk via Flickr

* Make sure that your tires are inflated to the correct pressure. Under inflation by 7psi will waste half a gallon of fuel in every tank. Inflating to the vehicle manufacturer’s guidelines -which are based on cold tires, so use the petrol station nearest your start point to avoid your tyres warming up and being inflated to the incorrect psi.

* Service your car at least every year. Get the engine tuned, the wheels aligned and catalytic converter checked, and the air con re gassed if you insist on using it.

* Reduce weight, and fuel consumption, by removing unnecessary items from your vehicle that do not need to be there for a particular journey. This can include buggies, golf clubs, tools, footwear and all those things you keep ‘just in case’

* Check your windows, screen wash and lights – ensuring that your windows are clean and your lights are working will make your journey safer. Nothing more environmentally unfriendlier than an accident.

Think of it as pre-flight checks but for your car :-)

Sarah

Parts two and three to follow

Driving more fuel efficiently, delivering greener

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New tool to manage ‘grey’ fleet use

An interesting article from which below is an extract regarding ‘Grey mileage’ and tracking it. The Kit mentioned below has been launched by Enterprise Rent a Car, and the kit is free.

The company says that its new Driving the Right Behaviour pack includes a tool which promises to measure the ‘grey’ fleet, something that has been notoriously difficult to quantify. As a result, its impact can be greatly reduced through a solid decision making process.

The ‘grey’ fleet is a widely used transport option for many organisations, especially in the public sector. It’s estimated that 57% of all public sector miles are ‘grey’ fleet journeys, equating to around 1.4 billion miles every year.

The pack includes best practice advice, a transport policy template and a ‘grey’ fleet toolkit, equipping fleet decision makers with all the tools necessary to measure and better manage the ‘grey’ fleet.

At the centre of the pack is a tool which brings in information from a variety of sources in a way that can help measure the impact of the ‘grey’ fleet, including quantifying its impact on costs and emission profiles

via Enterprise launches new tool to manage ‘grey’ fleet use.

If you would like a free Driving the Right Behaviour pack contact Oz Choudhari on Oz.Choudhri@erac.com.

Sarah

Couriers on twitter? add yourself here!

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

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    Uninsured motoring losses…

    I have a fleet client with about a hundred vehicles but they are always getting into bumps, usually quite minor but every time they have to stump up for a £500.00 excess and some hire“ seemingly about twice a month and thats just not the non-fault claims.

    Now with the benefit of no cost fleet management, frequently the other drivers insurers will pay the excess and a credit hire company will provide a car or van just like yours at no cost -where their driver is not to blame “ which can leave about £1000.00 of cashflow where it should be in your bank account!

    If your driver or any employee/passenger is injured, first you want to ensure that they are fit to go back to work as soon as possible. Early treatment such as physiotherapy is usually the best option and in non-fault cases, this can often be provided at no cost to the person injured.

    You probably imagine that any wages paid whilst they are off work can be reclaimed from the at-fault drivers insurers. Not necessarily correct! To achieve this, you may need a change in the contract of employment to provide for it. Otherwise, at the time of the accident, seek legal advice as to how to recoup this cost.

    If liability for the accident is disputed, you need a legal team who are expert in road traffic accidents and who may be able to negotiate a sensible settlement without the need for court proceedings.

    You may have the benefit of legal expenses insurance but it is wise to find out who actually deals with your claim and whether they will hamper your choice of solicitor if it is necessary for one to be involved.

    Accidents will always happen so make sure you are minimising the costs.

    If you need advice about your fleet, please e-mail me from my website below.

    Chris Lodge
    Kaslers Solicitors
    If you need After Accident Assistance following a Road Accident in the UK, we can help – <a href=”mailto:cml@kaslers.co.uk?subject=”Ref: Kevin Arrow”>Email direct with as much info as you can by clicking here</a>

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    Corporate Manslaughter Appeal Denied.

    Nearly 6 years ago Martin Graves was trading as M J Graves International in Felixstowe. That year he was prosecuted and found to be guilty of gross negligent manslaughter. He  was sentenced to four years imprisonment for the  gross negligent manslaughter part and to  a further 12 months concurrent imprisonment for offences realting to the  falsifying of tachograph records.

    One of  M JGraves Internationals’ drivers – Victor Coates was also sentenced to four years in prison for manslaughter.

    A haulier who was jailed for manslaughter after one of his drivers killed a motorist has lost his appeal against an indefinite disqualification. The Transport Tribunal concluded that his prison sentence was “richly deserved”. The Tribunal dismissed an appeal by Martin Graves against the decision of Eastern Deputy Traffic Commissioner Philip Brown refusing to vary or cancel an order for his indefinite disqualification from holding an O-licence in any Traffic Area.

    Source:  road transport

    Graves has a appealed against the revoking of his O licence (the indefinate disqualification part) and has asked that it is returned so that he can expand his freight forwarding business.

    During the first trial it became a apparent that drivers he employed regularly broke hours and were offered bonuses for working longer hours. Now Graves is back in business, who is to say he wouldn’t do this again?

    Perhaps Graves should consider a new area in which to trade, where breaking the rules doesn’t have such a high price. Has he thought about banking?

    Sarah

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