Green cars need to make more noise
We've come a long way since Karl Benz introduced his first car in the 1880s and Henry Ford gave us production line models. Today, inflammatory headlines such as ‘worst polluting car needs acre of forest to absorb fumes’ whether true or simply designed to attract attention, there is no denying that both the public and the motor industry are looking towards greener methods of transportation. Whether a hybrid or electric, we are destined to see an increasing number of vehicles designed to offer the option of sustainable energy.
New technology together with consideration for the environment and global warming currently dominate all areas of life, whether building a home or designing a car. If proof were needed we need look no further than Toyota’s increasingly popular hybrid car; the Prius which is currently the best-selling car in Japan.
In conjunction with Ford, scientists at Liverpool University have recently developed a new starting system that uses a laser instead of spark plugs which in theory means that your car will start every time even in cold weather. If all goes well Ford is expected to implement the system as early as next year and they are hopeful it will lead the way forward for mixed fuel cars.
The project’s green credentials are sufficient to secure a research grant of £200,000 from the Carbon Trust as it supports their aim of finding realistic methods to reduce carbon emissions and cut pollution. The Head of Research and Development of the Carbon Trust stated that, “Laser ignition has a real potential to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in the future by improving the ignition and combustion of fuel, particularly in engines starting from cold, but it can also be used in mixed fuel engines such as bio fuels”.
This is great news for those who want to go green, however there’s still a long way to go particularly with regards to performance and safety. The noise usually associated with a combustion engine is lacking in electric / hybrid cars and in Japan, the USA and Europe they are considered dangerous to pedestrians particularly if aurally or visually impaired, so in the near future steps will probably be taken to install a compulsory noise making devise.
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