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“Australia must enhance the knowledge base of its more promising biofuels resources and build on its significant existing strengths in biofuels research.” Dr Batterham said.

The ATSE report, Biofuels for Transport: a Roadmap for Development in Australia, will be launched in Melbourne today by Victorian Energy Minister Peter Batchelor.

CarAdvice are keen for your thoughts. Could biofuel research find the answer to our energy needs? Or is it only a small part of the solution? We look forward to your comments.

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Mr Purchase of the VACC said of the scheme “In August, VACC made its submission to the Senate Economics Committee, on behalf of independent service station owners in Victoria and Tasmania, stating it was ‘opposed to regulation of prices in the retail fuel market that will handcuff retailers and will not introduce greater transparency to the wholesale supply of fuels’.

“Fuelwatch was flawed because it targeted retail fuel prices. The only way to ensure cheaper fuel prices is to allow independent service station operators fair and equitable access to competitive fuel supply at the terminal gate. The wholesale market is all-but wholly in the hands of the big oil companies.

“VACC believes the proposal by the Service Station Association (SSA) to force the oil majors to share port facilities with competing importers will introduce greater competition at the wholes level.

“VACC recommends the ACCC and the new Petrol Commissioner, Mr Joe Dimasi, turn their attention to the operation of the wholesale fuel market, the buy/sell arrangements and the relationship between the oil majors and their supermarket partners.”

Though talks in the Senate did not completely rule out re-introduction of a similar scheme further down the track, for now at least common sense has prevailed.

CarAdvice are keen to hear your thoughts. Do you believe the FuelWatch scheme could have worked?

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 “The upgrade to this V6 engine was to enable improved fuel economy and reduced emissions without sacrificing real world performance,” GM Holden Director of Powertrain, Ernie Tamburrini said.

To clarify, fuel consumption of the petrol Commodore sedan is reduced by 0.2 litres per 100 kilometres with Ute and Sportwagon models down by 0.4 litres per 100 kilometres.

Dual Fuel (LPG) models also see an improve in economy now delivering returns of 14.2 litres per 100km. The vehicle was also recently reduced some $1500.

Private buyers are also eligible for the $2000 government rebate here, meaning the net cost of an LPG Ute would only be $1400 more than its petrol equivalent and only $400 more for the LPG sedan.

The monthly LPG conversion rate will increase in November to meet growing demand. The petrol engine in the Omega and Berlina models delivers peak power of 175kW at 6500rpm and peak torque of 325Nm at 2400rpm and is matched with a four-speed automatic transmission. The upgraded Alloytec V6 engine will be standard on all Omega and Berlina Commodore, Sportwagon and Ute variants from November production.

NB: SS-V Ute & Calais Sportwagon shown for illustrative purposes only.

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It is hoped that by doing so that Prime Minister Kevin Rudd will be forced in to addressing anti-competitive pricing practices the group says are flaunted by the large retail giants.

The owners who stand to lose up to $10,000 each in the exercise are being supported by other local proprieters including mechanics, butchers, pizzerias, egg farmers, water suppliers and cafe owners who will all give away free goods and services at the selected service stations to help out the rebellious independents.

Sydney motorists can support the independent service stations by purchasing the cheap fuel during “happy hour” at the following locations:

• Speedway Auburn, 238 Cumberland Rd, Auburn
• Metro Bankstown, 158 South Terrace, Bankstown
• BP Independent Blacktown, 163 Sunny Holt Rd, Blacktown
• Metro Croydon, 418-424 Liverpool Rd, Hume Highway, Croydon
• Rebel Petrol, 200 Homer St, Earlwood
• Speedway Fairfield, Horsely Drive, Fairfield
• United Petroleum Granville, corner Clyde and Mona St, Granville
• Speedway UniGas Haberfield, Parramatta Rd, Haberfield
• Speedway Meadows, 359 Elizabeth Drive, Mount Pritchard
• BP Independent Denistone, 295 Quarry Rd, Ryde

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Nonetheless, VACC Executive Director, David Purchase is not happy:

“Mr Dimasi does not need to write to the oil companies. He should already have all the evidence he needs at his finger-tips from previous investigations. What he really needs to be doing right now is taking the oil companies to task,” Mr Purchase said.

Nor do we blame him, there are only so many letters and requests that can be sent before proper action needs to be taken. The VACC has requested that Mr Dimasi immediately look at the operation of the wholesale petrol market and the issue of Terminal Gate Prices.

According to VACC the biggest losers here (apart from the consumers) are independent service station owners who are being denied a fair price. With the independents unable to compete fairly, there is an immediate pricing disadvantage discouraging competition in the market.

“For too long the oil majors have enjoyed top-to-bottom control of the petrol industry and the ACCC admitted as such, referring to the ‘comfortable oligopoly’ in the 2007 Inquiry. Until someone comes out swinging, then the oil majors will continue to rule the roost and give the Petrol Commissioner the run-around.

Meanwhile the Rudd government’s national Fuelwatch Scheme is under scrutiny once again with VACC labelling the system as flawed.

What should/can the Federal government do to reduce petrol prices?

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Ethanol fuel is derived from plants (e.g. corn) and is seen by many as a step in the right direction. However, the benefits of Ethanol fuel are debatable, whilst better for the environment as a fuel, the production cost and the CO2 produced during the production phase can in some cases outweigh the benefits.

The most obvious problem with ethanol fuel is the ‘food Vs fuel’ debate, where food supplies that can go to feeding large populations have been used to produce fuel. Honda, however, has come up with a clever system of using only the inedible stalks and leaves of plants, leaving the edible parts for human consumption.

Honda in association with the Research Institute of Innovative Technology for the Earth (RITE) is working to produce ethanol fuel from cellulose and hemicellulose, compounds found in soft biomass such as vegetable waste which includes inedible leaves and stalks of plants such as rice straw. Of course this already raises the question of whether or not this “waste” is better left for decomposition.

Although the realisation of the technology’s full potential is still some time away, the RITE-Honda research is one of the world’s leading organisation in the ethanol field.

Do you believe the use of ethanol fuel provides a reasonable and long term solution to the energy crisis?

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The new battery technology developed for Mini E, which was specially engineered for automotive use, has a theoretical range of more than 240 kilometers. Mini E will initially be made available to select private and corporate customers as part of a pilot project in the US states of California, New York and New Jersey with the possibility of the program being extended to European buyers.

Peak torque of 220Nm is available from word go and delivers seamless acceleration to 100 km/h in 8.5 seconds (top speed is electronically limited to 152 km/h to save battery life). The suspension system has also been modified to match the weight distribution characteristics offered by a car laden with batteries. Surprisingly though, Mini E is said to lose none of the agility and outstanding handling made famous by the brand.

By introducing the Mini E, the BMW Group has drawn strongly on its unique technological expertise in the field of drive systems to develop a vehicle concept enabling zero emissions without renouncing the joy of driving. Putting the cars on the road under real daily traffic conditions will also make it possible to gain widely applicable hands-on experience.

Evaluating these findings will generate valuable know-how, which will eventually be factored into the engineering of mass-produced vehicles. The BMW Group aims to start series production of all-electric vehicles over the medium term as part of its Number ONE strategy. Mini E will give its world premiere at the Los Angeles Auto Show on November 19 and 20, 2008.

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HyNor is a national project in the Kingdom of Norway that aims to establish a clean energy transport system based on hydrogen fuel and from mid-2009, Mazda will provide approximately thirty RX-8 Hydrogen RE vehicles to the HyNor project under commercial lease contracts.

Mazda’s Program Manager Akihiro Kashiwagi with HyNor Chairman Johan Thoresen

The RX-8 Hydrogen RE validation vehicle (shown above) is being delivered early to allow HyNor and Mazda to jointly assess its driving performance in Norway.

“Up to now, real world use of Mazda’s hydrogen rotary vehicles has been limited to Japan. Participation in the HyNor project marks our advancement to the next stage,” says Akihiro Kashiwagi, Mazda’s program manager in charge of hydrogen RE development. “After we validate the first vehicle on Norwegian roads, we intend to deliver 30 more units under commercial lease contracts. We are pleased to be a part of the establishment of a society based on hydrogen energy in Norway. Mazda plans to use the wealth of data and experience that will result from this project for the further development of hydrogen vehicles.”

HyNor is a unique Norwegian initiative to demonstrate the implementation of a hydrogen energy infrastructure along a 580 kilometre route from Oslo to Stavanger, Norway. Hydrogen filling stations are being established along this transport corridor to enable refueling of hydrogen vehicles.

The project aims to revolutionize transportation in Norway by encompassing buses, taxis and private cars, and varying types of transport systems, including urban, inter-city, regional and even long-distance transport.

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It’s certainly a far cry from the record high of above $US147 per barrel reached in July, yet pump prices have fallen - at most - fifteen cents. Am I the only one noticing a disparity here? Please feel free to leave a comment.

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The result represented a 34.81 per cent improvement over the official combined consumption figure of 62.8 mpg (3.74 litres per 100km). The cross-Britain route was designed to include all aspects of motoring, with different types of roads and driving conditions.

Winners for the last two years in a Toyota Aygo, James Sutherland and Richard Hill from Peak Performance, recorded the highest overall figure for a petrol engine in their 1.0-litre car with 82.39 mpg (2.85 litres per 100km), improving on the 78.39 mpg (2.99 litres per 100km) they achieved last year in the same vehicle.

Richard Balshaw, General Manager for Toyota Fleet said “Achieving the highest overall consumption in both diesel and petrol classes has highlighted the efficiency of Toyota engines across the board. With a raft of new models due in the coming year with even stronger fuel efficiency and lower CO2 emissions, Toyota will remain highly competitive in the fleet market.”

Ross Durkin, Publisher of Fleet World added, “It’s not what you drive, but how you drive that makes the difference. Naturally if you drive carefully in a vehicle which is already highly economical you will reap double the benefit, as the performance of the Toyota Yaris in this year’s event clearly demonstrated.”

For further tips on economic driving from CarAdvice’s own Karl Peskett please click here.

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“Our high-performance diesels offer low emissions, low consumption and the benefit of far greater torque to deliver a typically dynamic BMW driving experience,” said Guenther Seemann, Managing Director of BMW Group Australia.

Seemann predicts Australian customers will continue their burgeoning love affair despite the higher pump price for diesel.

“Even with a 30 cent price differential for diesel at the pump, a customer who purchases a 530d and travels 15,000 km in the course of a year will still spend less on fuel than their petrol counterpart in a 530i. Given that some diesel models will now be subject to less tax, due to the change in the Luxury Car Tax, diesel sales will continue their rise in the short to medium term,” he said.

Seemann also says the new tax landscape will encourage premium manufacturers to continue to roll out more new diesel models which are incredibly frugal yet deliver outstanding performance.

“The newly unveiled six-cylinder BMW 330d, boasting 180 kW and 520 Newton metres of torque, yet consuming 6.8 litres per 100 kilometres is now under serious consideration for Australia,” he said.

BMW currently offers nine diesel models in Australia across the following series: 1 Series Hatch; 3 Series Sedan; 5 Series Sedan; X3 Sports Activity Vehicle; X5 Sports Activity Vehicle; and, X6 Sports Activity Coupé. Of these model ranges, diesel sales account for, on average, 40 per cent of all deliveries.

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