Diesel and hybrid vehicles growing in favour
Neuchatel, Switzerland (GenevaLunch) – Swiss drivers registered 5.4 million motor vehicles in 2010, up 42 percent compared to the number on roads in 1990.
Surprisingly, given the additions to the pool of cars, the average age of a Swiss car is 8.2 years and slowly rising.
The number of cars increased to 4.1 million last year from 4 million in 2009, the year the country crossed the line to having more than one car for every two people, despite the country’s reputation for having the densest public transport system in the world.
It was also the year that saw the smallest increase, 0.5 percent, due to the global economic slowdown.
Motorcycles and cars with diesel and hybrid engines have become more popular, the figures published by the Federal Statistical Office Monday 14 February show. Diesel cars made up 18 percent of all cars registered iun Switzerland30 September 2010, the day the auto census was taken.
The most dramatic change has been the number of scooters driven in Switzerland, which increased 20-fold in 20 years. They now account for 37 percent of all motorcycles registered.
Motorcycles overall more than doubled their numbers, 118 percent, during the period.
Geneva Motor Show 2010: how green it is might depend on where you're driving (photo ©2010 Peter Brodbeck)
Bern, Switzerland (GenevaLunch) - A Swiss study commissioned by the Federal Environment Office has concluded that hybrid cars are the greenest in cities and natural gas cars are the best on autoroutes, with both out-performing diesel- and petrol-fuelled cars. The study run by Empa engineers concludes that
“A comparison with gasoline and natural gas fuelled vehicles concludes that hybrid vehicles are the cleanest during inner-city driving whilst natural gas fuelled cars do best on the motorway. When driven in rural areas, both types do equally well. Under mixed conditions (that is real, everyday driving) vehicles based on both concepts offer reductions of up to 25 per cent in CO2 emissions compared to conventional gasoline fuelled automobiles. Hybrid drive systems and natural gas engines therefore represent an important technical measure for reducing CO2 emissions which can be put to use immediately, as do vehicles powered by renewable fuels such as biogas and ethanol derived from waste matter.”
Link: how the tests were carried out, Empa (research arm of EPH, Zurich federal polytechnic institute)
Toyota’s troubles don’t appear to be set to end soon, with the Japanese carmaker now recalling half a million Prius and other hybrid cars for potential brake problems. The company has recently recalled more than 8 million cars worldwide for a series of safety defects. The cost is expected to be higher than $2 billion for initial recalls alone.
Links to other sites: Business Week, Reuters, Toyota recall notice
