• Prodrive gets 12th F1 franchise
• Honda protests Ferrari's flexible wings
• MSA to revise Blue Book
• Moto GP night races under consideration
• Stewart opens new Cranfield structures laboratories
• Indiana Motorsports Association appoints first executive director
• New motorsport development manager appointed for Isle of Man TT
• Digby re-elected as MIA chairman
• Motor trader fined for fly-tipping

• Deutsche Bank energy analyst advocates US gas-guzzler scrappage incentives
• Honda embarks on London pollution campaign in wake of Civic Hybrid launch

• EEMS aiming to widen use of fuel metering technology
• GPMA CVC F1 deal still pending
• New chief designer at BMW-Sauber
• FIA vice-president John Large passes away
• MIA to host parliamentary visit to British GP
• Mansell kart plan opposed
• Euro 5 standards accompanied by emissions data provisions

• SMMT reports average new-car CO2 emissions down 10.7% in seven years
• New Conservative agenda for greener transport includes 100 g/km CO2 target for 2022
• SMMT responds to TFL consultation on London Low Emission Zone
• German Bundesrat approves particulates emissions vehicle labelling scheme
• Alternative-fuel vehicles “seriously considered" by 33% of US car buyers

Prodrive, the Banbury, UK based motorsport and automotive development company, has been confirmed as the 12th team in the 20008 FIA Formula One World Championship.

The team was notified of its successful application for entry into the championship following a fax vote by members of the FIA World Motor Sport Council.

Prodrive chairman Dave Richards said, “This is wonderful news for everyone in the company. We have won World Rally Championships, British Touring Car titles and the GT1 class at Le Mans, and have been saying for some time that we would also like to be in Formula One with our own Prodrive team. We are now one step closer.

“An entry is just the beginning. We now have less than two years to build a team and put two competitive cars on the starting grid for the first race of the 2008 championship. The task is enormous and the expertise and experience of the established teams well recognised. However, Prodrive has more than 20 years of motorsport experience and all of us relish a challenge.

“We are confident that the new regulations will not only allow Prodrive to be competitive on an affordable budget, but will also make Formula One more exciting and, ultimately, even more entertaining for spectators and TV audiences around the world.”

Richards and members of the Prodrive management team were previously involved in managing the BAR F1 team from 2002 to 2004 and Richards was also team principal of the Benetton F1 team in 1998.

Prodrive’s plans to house its Formula One team in a new purpose-built facility in Warwickshire are still subject to planning permission. Should this be granted, construction would commence at the end of this year. In the meantime, Prodrive will run the F1 programme from its existing Banbury base.

The Brackley, UK based Honda Racing Formula One team has written to the FIA to protest the legality of the rear wing design currently being used by the Maranello, Italy based Ferrari Formula One team.

According to the Italian motorsport magazine Autosprint Honda Racing technical director Geoff Willis has written to the FIA’s technical delegate Charlie Whiting to say that he has video evidence that the Ferrari rear wing was flexing at last weekend Formula One San Marino Grand Prix despite changes made to its design following the Malaysian Grand Prix in March.

Willis told Autosprint, "I've already written to Charlie Whiting because the speed of the Ferrari at the end of each sector is amazing. I feel I have enough video evidence to demonstrate their rear wing still flexes."

The Motor Sports Association, the governing body of UK motor sport, has announced a 'root and branch' review and re-write of its Blue Book - the Competitors' Yearbook that details the regulations that govern every discipline of four-wheeled motorsport in the UK.

The independent review will examine all elements of the Blue Book, including readability, cross-referencing and relevance and will be the most comprehensive review of the regulations ever undertaken by the MSA. Once completed, the regulations could then be re-formatted and split into separate booklets to ensure that competitors only receive the regulations that are relevant to their particular discipline.

The review was initiated by new MSA Chairman Alan Gow who said, "The Blue Book currently comprises 30 sections, 330 pages and over 150,000 words. It is, at best, difficult - at worst, impossible to make sense of the contents. It's not surprising that many competitors have not fully read the rules - for the most part they are over-complicated and confusing. We should simplify, condense them and then issue people with just those rules that reflect their participation; they will then be able to read and understand them better.

"The current regulations are the inevitable result of many rewrites, clarifications and amendments through the years; so it's going to take a long time to decipher the current rules and strip them back to their fundamental meaning. We will not be able to deliver this in time for next year as it's a huge and expensive undertaking, but we are also looking to make some interim changes to the layout of the current blue-book that at least helps the user until we have fully completed the project."

Colin Hilton, Chief Executive of the Motor Sports Association, said, "This is a very important project. We are constantly trying to reduce the barriers to participation across the board to make it as easy as possible for people to compete. One of the critical elements in that process is ensuring that people are able to understand the rules. Like everything else there are downsides, notably the financial implications of the revised print specification, but this is another vital step in the modernisation of UK motor sport."

The prospect of night races forming part of the Moto GP motorcycle racing world championship moved a step closer to reality when world champion riders Valentino Rossi and Kenny Roberts Jr and 2006 Spanish Grand Prix winner Loris Capirossi took part in an after dark test at the Losail circuit during the Qatari Grand Prix meeting at the beginning of April.

In 2005 this Middle East event was run in ambient temperatures of close to 50 degrees C (122 degrees F) prompting proposals for the race to be run at night, a measure already used in the USA by NASCAR and the IRL for some summer races.

Riding street standard motorcycles the riders, who are members of MotoGP Security Commission, completed four laps of the track under specially erected floodlights. The experiment was judged successful enough for more tests to be planned. Afterwards Capirossi said, “If the lighting was improved, it would become possible to race here at night. Before the next tests they will illuminate all of the track and we will have the chance to test, in the dark, in better conditions and with our own MotoGP bikes.

"They need to improve the illumination which, at the moment, doesn't allow us to ride safely. Shadows, that depend on the light position, create some problems and also braking markers are not clearly visible.”

Sir Jackie Stewart has opened the new the Lightweight Structures Laboratories facility at the Bedfordshire campus of the UK’s Cranfield University.

The £2.5 million laboratories comprise facilities for composites manufacturing, polymer and ceramics processing and an extended motorsport research area.

Cranfield’s FIA approved impact testing facilities have been enhanced with the installation of a new state-of-the-art impact sled system that will be used in the structural integrity testing of Formula One cars and cars from other motorsport categories. The laboratories also feature rigs for occupant safety and material testing.

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Stewart said, “Throughout my career, I have dedicated myself to the cause of safety in motorsport. Today’s safety standards have evolved because of the work carried out by organisations such as Cranfield.

“The Cranfield Impact Centre has been at the forefront of impact testing and the new facilities reinforce the centre’s position as the leading testing facility for the motorsport community. The combination of a dedicated team and first class facilities, plus an understanding of the top teams’ requirements, reinforce this.”

The board of directors of the newly formed US motorsport industry body, the Indiana Motorsports Association (IMA), has appointed Tom Weisenbach as the organisations first executive director.

The IMA was formed to promote the development of the motorsports industry and provide a forum for networking to advance its members’ business interests and works closely with the Indiana state governor’s motorsports initiative at the Indiana Economic Development Corporation.

Weisenbach previously spent four years working for the Indy Racing League and Indianapolis Motor Speedway as Senior National Sales Manager. He also has worked for the NHRA at Indianapolis Raceway Park as Director of Sales and Business Development.

The Isle of Man Department of Tourism and Leisure has appointed Paul Phillips as its new Tourist Trophy and motorsport development manager.

Phillips will combine his new role with his previous duties as rider liaison officer for the TT Races. His new responsibilities will include having overall administrative control of the TT, controlling budgets to ensure its long-term future and working with the media.

In addition Signature Sponsorship has been appointed to manage commercial and sponsorship contracts for The Isle of Man TT for a period of three years from 2006 to 2008.

M Louise Wilson, CEO of Signature Sponsorship said, “The TT is the most exciting road race in the world and Signature will be looking to maximise the potential revenue opportunities associated with the event’.

Peter Digby, the managing director of the Thatcham, UK based motorsports transmission manufacturer Xtrac, has been re-elected as the chairman of the UK’s Motorsport Industry association for a further two years.

Digby, who was production manager at the Williams Grand Prix Engineering Formula One team joined Xtrac in 1986 and was part of a successful management buyout of the company in 1997. He was first elected as MIA chairman in 2004.

Failing to co-operate with the Environment Agency to catch a fly-tipper cost an East Anglian motor trader Craig Young a £500 fine at Huntingdon Magistrates Court this week. He admitted failing to comply with a Notice to give information and was ordered to also pay £300 costs for preventing an investigation into a fly-tip.

The dumped waste include black bin bags, plastic pipes, about 20 tyres, vehicle parts, metal pieces, a plastic bucket containing oil, engine and gear oil containers, a waste oil tank, shock absorbers, car seats, a gear box and an industrial boiler. Paperwork found among the rubbish had Young’s name on it along with the name of C&S Autos and an address in St Neots. The occupier of the address said he was buying the business from Young and the officers obtained a contact address and telephone number for Young.

Young was contacted by letter and telephone but failed to attend an interview so a statutory Notice under section 71(2) of the Environmental Protection Act 1990 was sent via recorded delivery. The notice asked for information about the fly-tipped waste to be given within 10 working days. Nothing was forthcoming and investigating officers were unable to contact him on his mobile.

After the hearing Environment Agency officer Claire Atkins said: "Failing to provide information about who fly-tipped your waste is no better than fly-tipping it yourself. Everyone has a responsibility to ensure the waste they produce is disposed of safely."

Mr Adam Sieminski, the chief energy economist for Deutsche Bank in New York this week advocated alternative solutions to high oil prices, including a "cash for clunkers" programme where the federal government would buy back gas-guzzling cars and scrap them. The US Congress must curb transport sector fuel demand if it ever hopes to see lower energy prices, he said.

"Let's get the high-consuming cars off the road, start paying for them and recycle them -- put them in a crusher," Sieminski told the Johns Hopkins' School of Advanced International Studies. In the 1990s local Southern California air pollution regulators offered an incentive scrappage programme as has been tried in various EU Member States, but there has never been a federal US scheme.

Mr. Sieminski said the federal government could alternatively tighten clean-fuel regulations enough to spur pump prices increases of 10-15 cents per gallon that would convince US consumers to stop driving.

Another possibility he raised would be to guarantee oil companies a minimum price -- about $40 a barrel - for the next five years in order to spur more investment in refineries, he said. Such a "price floor" could give US oil companies the assurance they need to invest in boost refining and crude oil production capacity, as advocated this week by President Bush.

(www.ndtvprofit.com/reuters, 27 April)

Honda (UK) suggests that if 20 per cent of drivers in London drove low-emissions hybrid cars, around 35,000 tonnes of CO2 would be saved – the same as taking 10,000 cars off the road, and the company has launched a ‘No Choke’ campaign, which aims to highlight the benefits of environmentally-friendlier vehicles.

The campaign began with the unveiling of an organic mural designed by eco-artist Sally McCaffrey, displayed on Old Street. John Kingston, Environment Manager for Honda (UK), said: "It’s up to environmentally-friendlier car manufacturers like Honda to promote and educate on cleaner motoring. Most people would like to be more ‘green’, but they don’t necessarily know how. Some aren’t even aware that there are cleaner alternatives out there. Honda’s ‘No Choke’ campaign will show Londoners they can be more eco-friendly right now, without compromising their lifestyles."

The No Choke campaign follows the launch of Honda’s Civic Hybrid earlier this month.

Motorsport Development UK’s Energy Efficient Motor Sport initiative is offering teams competing in the 2006 British Touring Car Championship free use of fuel metering technology that is intended to allow cars using different fuels to compete on equal basis.

EEMS Project Leader Dr Steve Bunkhall said, "This is part of EEMS ongoing studies to find a sustainable approach to regulations and to encourage greater fuel efficiency in motorsport. Limiting the maximum fuel flow means that teams would have to find the most energy efficient approach to be competitive. 'Energy equivalent flow' will clearly define equivalency issues and open the way for alternative fuels to compete fairly alongside petrol in mainstream UK motorsport.

"Environmental pressures are already changing the automotive world. There is an opportunity for UK Motorsport, with its world class expertise and experience, to lead the way to a greener automotive future by showcasing more energy efficient racing that is still exciting to watch and participate in, at the same time reducing the environmental impact of motorsport itself,”

The fuel metering technology is being offered free of charge to all BTCC teams to prove its reliability and effectiveness. EEMS' ambition is for the fuel flow limit to be adopted in the future to make energy efficiency key to competitiveness.

There is also the possibility of alternative fuels being provided in the future. Representatives from EEMS are taking soundings from BTCC teams and sponsors about widening the use of environmentally friendly fuels, exploring the feasibility of underwriting the conversion of cars and the provision of fuels such as bio-ethanol and bio-diesel.

An agreement between the Grand Prix Manufacturers Association and CVC Capital Partners, the owners of the commercial rights of the FIA Formula One World Championship, that would prevent the GPMA setting up its own breakaway racing series in 2008, has still to be concluded.

A report in the UK’s Sunday Express newspaper says that Bernie Ecclestone has withdrawn a proposal for the manufacturer backed F1 teams to receive a 60% share of the profits of Formula One unless the manufacturers themselves sign such an agreement.

In most other forms of motorsport the teams representing manufacturers sign commercial rights agreements rather than the manufacturers themselves. On this basis, according to the Sunday Express story, Ecclestone is only prepared to offer the manufacturer supported teams a 50% share in F1 profits.

An un-named source quoted in the Sunday Express story said that the manufacturers would not sign any 50% agreement and that they view the reduced share as a 'deal breaker' as previous discussions had been on the higher figure.

The Hinwil, Switzerland based BMW Sauber Formula One team has hired Jorg Zander as its new chief designer.

German born Zander will be responsible for the design of the team's 2007 car, beginning in July, and will report to BMW Sauber technical director Willy Rampf.

Zander first job in Formula One was with the Cologne, Germany based Toyota Motorsport team that he joined in 1999. In 2002 was recruited by the Brackley, UK based BAR-Honda organisation and in September 2005, joined the Grove, UK based WilliamsF1 team. In March 2006 Zander left Williams citing personal reason for his departure.

BMW motorsport director Mario Theissen who heads the German manufacturer’s Formula One programme said, "The development of the BMW Sauber F1 team continues to move forward, and that includes adding a chief designer to our staff line-up. We are certain that in Jorg Zander we have found the right man for this pivotal position. His experience will be an important asset to us."

Zander said, "The BMW Sauber F1 team is in its set-up phase, which presents a major challenge. It isn't just a matter of technology but of laying down the structures and processes as well. Drawing on my experience, I would like to do my bit to support the team on its way up."

Australian John Large who was the honorary president of the Confederation of Australian Motor Sport (CAMS) and an FIA vice-president has passed away at the age of 67.

Born in Tasmania, Large ran successful pharmaceutical and computer companies in Australia while also competing in rallying a discipline in which he won the Australian national championship. Large was elected as the president of CAMS in 1983 and in 1993 he was appointed as an FIA vice-president under Max Mosley having previously been the Australian delegate and a Vice President of FISA, the competition arm of the FIA, when the organisation was headed by Jean-Marie Balestre.

The UK’s Motorsport Industry Association is to host a visit by the UK's All Party Parliamentary Motor Group to the Formula One British Grand Prix at Silverstone in June.

The MIA’s CEO Chris Aylett said, “It is vital that our country’s leaders see firsthand what a major part Britain plays in this ultra-competitive environment. They need to appreciate the unrivalled level of expertise Motorsport Valley has to offer and thereby appreciate the need for ongoing investment in our industry.”

For further details contact Peter Burns at

Ex-Formula One World Drivers Champion Nigel Mansell plans to expand the facilities at a UK karting track at Dunkeswell near Honiton, Devon have run into opposition from local residents.

Mansell’s plans for Dunkeswell Kart Circuit at Dunkeswell Aerodrome include upgrading to the circuit to a standard that would allow it to host international races, the building of a shop selling accessories and memorabilia, as well as a clubhouse/restaurant/ bar, a workshop and new pits.

Other aims include the establishment of a corporate karting operation offering tuition and racing and the use of the facility as a base for Mansell’s two sons who currently take part in the Formula BMW racing series.

Nearly three hundred people have registered their opposition to the proposals after an anonymously printed leaflet circulated in the area urged people to object to the application. The leaflet read, 'Do you care? The development will create a massive environmental impact, a monstrous blight on the skyline, intolerable noise all week long and the smell of high-octane fuel in the wind.

'All this in the middle of an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.'

A group of residents in the nearby village of Sheldon have hired a legal firm to object on their behalf, on the grounds of visual intrusion, noise and disturbance, traffic, impact on local business, disturbance of wildlife and impact on human rights.

The Dunkeswell Parish Council has asked for more information about the proposals before deciding whether to support or oppose the application.

The proposed new Euro 5 vehicle emissions limits adopted by the European Commission recently are accompanied by comprehensive provisions on access by repairers to emissions-related technical data, which has to be available to the aftermarket in unrestricted and standardised form, reports the Automotive Distribution Federation’s spring Eyes & Ears newsletter.

Independent repairers are to be granted non-discriminatory and prompt access to the relevant data online, with the EC planning to implement the OASIS data standard to aid document retrieval.

The inclusion of information provisions through the OASIS standard represents an important step towards the realisation of OASIS, which was developed in 2003 by the vehicle industry and aftermarket companies under the auspices of the European Commission, according to Hartmut Röhl, president of the European independent aftermarket trade federation FIGIEFA.

Mr. Röhl tells the ADF’s newsletter the OASIS programme as ‘blocked at the end of the day by vehicle makers for political reasons’. FIGIEFA had earlier criticised the EC’s CARS 21 automotive competitiveness working party for a lack of focus on aftermarket issues, but welcomed the inclusion of aftermarket provisions in the new Euro 5 proposals.

These will now be debated by the European Parliament and Council of Ministers before coming into effect, most likely in 2008. Some European Parliament members have already suggested that Euro 5 should be implemented in conjunction with advance notice of an agreed, more stringent, Euro 6 limit.

- Reporting information arrangements between haulage associations and individual cities in some continental European countries, the SMMT’s CV Newsbrief said yesterday that some truck operators were moving straight from Euro 3 to Euro 5-compliant vehicles; Daf recently launched a new coach capable of meeting Euro 5 emissions limits by dint of a selective catalytic regeneration (SCR) system.

(ADF Eyes & Ears, spring 2006, CV Newsbrief, 25 April).

Reporting that new UK incentives for greener cars are due to be approved by European Commission this week, the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders said today that the average new car sold in 2005 emitted 10.7% less CO2 than models registered in 1997. The latest SMMT New Car Registrations by CO2 Performance report based on data from every new car registered last year, also shows a 1.2% year-on-year drop from 171.4 g/km in 2004 to 169.4 g/km in 2005.

SMMT chief executive Christopher Macgowan said, “SMMT's latest data shows the progress we are making to bring ever cleaner vehicles to the market place. We need an integrated approach if we are to keep making good progress. In addition to our technological advances, buyers need incentives to encourage them into cleaner vehicles. We hope the European Commission will soon give the go-ahead for the new Low Carbon Car Grants to help new car buyers in the UK. Following the collapse of the Powershift programme some 18 months ago, this should bring a stable long-term and technology neutral approach to grant funding.”

SMMT New Car Registrations by CO2 Performance 2006 shows that in 2005:

- The percentage of new cars with CO2 emissions of under 140 g/km has risen to 18%; a rise from 3.9% in 1997, and from 15.5% in 2004. This fall in CO2 has been matched by a 13.9% improvement in mpg levels.

- The average emission from a new car sold to private buyers has fallen 1.1%, down to 172.3g/km - its lowest ever level. This was the same improvement as the company car market.

- Over half the new car market is now under 160 g/km CO2 levels have fallen by 20.4g/km per new vehicle since 1997.

- 34.1% of the new car market falls in the lowest three VED bands; up from just 7.8 per cent in 1997.

- Despite a 15% increase in the total UK vehicle parc since 1997, total emissions from cars fell 1.0%.

- Registrations of alternative-fuelled vehicles increased 48 per cent in 2005.

The European pressure group Transport & Environment claimed last week that the car industry was “failing miserably” to meet the ACEA’s pledge of achieving an average emissions target of 140g/km of CO2 by the end of 2008, saying they would need to achieve a 4.3% annual reduction for the next three years to reach the target, compared to the 1.2% reduction reported by the SMMT.

Conservative Party leader David Cameron unveiled plans yesterday in the final phase of the current local election campaign to encourage people to switch to more environmentally-friendly vehicles. Mr. Cameron unveiled a series of options - to be considered by the Party's policy group - including:

- Setting a new target to bring the average (CO2) emissions level for new cars down to 100 g/km by 2022 through an incentive programme which could include differential rates of duty, expanding the existing company car scheme, and exempting ‘greener’ cars from parking and congestion charges

- Making it easier for people to walk and cycle on short journeys

- And improving public transport.

Mentioning that Britons walk less than almost any other Western country except Greece, while the UK cycling rate is 40% below the EU average, Mr Cameron stated: "We will be developing plans to bring about a dramatic improvement in the state of public transport in the UK. We recognise the need for radical thinking to provide cleaner, greener transport in our towns and cities."

On private transport, Mr. Cameron said: "The solution is not to stop people owning and using cars, but to transform the cars we drive. I've swapped my government car for a hybrid with substantially lower emissions. It still produces too much carbon, but it's a move in the right direction.

"I want Britain to be at the forefront of international efforts to build a new generation of motor vehicles that are much less environmentally damaging. And today I'm announcing a radical Conservative agenda for green cars. Our goals are ambitious. We want to bring the average carbon emission level from cars down to 100 grammes per kilometre for new cars by 2022, and for all cars on Britain's roads by 2030."

The Conservative’s policy document on the subject, which can be downloaded in full from www.conservatives.com, shows the party’s policy is neutral concerning the benefits of different vehicle fuel technologies, but takes note of incentive-based, CO2 target-based programmes that have begun to increase the population of hybrid vehicles abroad, including the Pavley Bill in California, under which manufacturers have until the 2009 model-year to produce vehicles that will collectively emit 22% less greenhouse gases than at present by 2012, and 30% less by 2016.

Believing that setting an objective of an average emission level of 100g/km by 2022 for new cars is a "challenging but realistic" goal, the Conservatives’ intention is to develop a programme that is cost-neutral – that will alter the balance between the cost of owning a traditionally powered, less environmentally friendly vehicle and the equivalent cost of a new-generation vehicle.

Vehicle age should be the criteria by which limits are set within the proposed London Low Emission Zone, according to the SMMT/s submission to Transport for London, which believes that this approach would present the easiest, most manageable and cost-effective solution to implementation, an approach also said by the SMMT to be supported by the Government. Claimed benefits include:

- Practical with higher levels of compliance

- Far lower costs for TFL

- Lower costs to operators

- Minimising the effect on London business

- Promotion and incentives easier to understand for operators

- System can be applied to non-UK registered vehicles

- Tried and tested approach (Sweden)

In its submission to Transport for London, SMMT suggests the criteria should vary according to vehicle type. Eight years should be applied to heavy goods vehicles, 14 years for coaches (reducing to 13 years in 2010) while ten years should be used as the cut-off criteria for vans and light commercials.

While putting in its submission, the SMMT questions the benefits of locally applied, low emission zones over wider international efforts to improve air quality. It says national air quality standards offer a cohesive and far better cost-benefit solution, by bringing incentives to operators that introduce vehicles meeting the most stringent new engine standards, regardless of location.

The German federal parliament has given final approval to a new scheme requiring cars and lorries to be labelled according to their emissions of fine particles, reported ENDS last week. The schemes aims to assist Germany's efforts to meet EU air quality standards by allowing local authorities to ban vehicles with greater emissions during high-pollution episodes.

(Sources: ENDS, www.bundesrat.de, in AEG Desktop newsletter)

A Wall Street Journal Online/Harris Interactive Personal Finance Poll shows that one-third (33%) of American adults who plan to purchase or lease a new vehicle say they are most likely to seriously consider an alternative-fuel vehicle for their next purchase. Most (92%) of these adults are willing to pay more for it than a traditional, gasoline-powered version of the same vehicle. The top reasons for considering an alternative-fuel vehicle include concerns for the environment and the cost of fuel. The survey also explores how consumers plan to pay for their next new vehicle, and what financial factors are most important to them when making their next new vehicle purchase.

The online survey of 2,516 U.S. adults was conducted by Harris Interactive between April 4 and 6, 2006 for The Wall Street Journal Online's Personal Journal Edition.

Almost three in five (58%) adults plan on purchasing a new vehicle, and while 37 percent say they are most likely to seriously consider a traditional, gas vehicle, many say they will seriously consider a hybrid (25%), ethanol (7%), or diesel (2%) vehicle.

Only 8% of adults who will likely consider an alternative-fuel vehicle say they would not be willing to pay a penny more for a vehicle that runs on an alternative fuel over a traditional, gasoline-powered version of the same vehicle. Among those who are willing to pay extra, the average amount willing to be paid is $9,258.

Among those who say they would seriously consider a vehicle that runs on alternative fuel, almost half (47%) say their main reason for doing this is because it is better for the environment. Another 45% say their main motive is because their fuel costs will be lower. Substantially fewer adults cite the fact that they can take advantage of the Federal Clean-Fuel Tax Deduction (3%) and that they will be able to drive in High Occupancy Vehicle (H.O.V.) and car pool lanes (1%) as their most important reason.