Vince Cable, iconic Lib-Dem economist – now elevated to Business Secretary under the new coalition government – is generally regarded as a good thing around these parts where Business Car Manager towers are located. He is, after all, our local MP – and a good job he does for us, too.
But recently his rather sober-suited demeanour took on a rather sporty outlook when Vince went off to the Midlands to visit Aston Martin and Jaguar – and found himself fulfilling lots of boyhood dreams, such as getting behind the wheel of an Aston Martin (see blog 488 – Vince Cable shows a racy side).
As gratifying as it might be to drive an Aston Martin – and believe me it is – nevertheless, it’s perhaps reassuring to hear the Business Secretary on greener ground as one of the first major political players to try out hydrogen fuel cell power in the Honda FCX Clarity.
Now Honda is known over here for its hybrid cars – but the Clarity is less well known. On the other side of the pond, there’s much more recognition, and film stars such as Jamie-Lee Curtis are known to drive them. They are also in commercial use in Japan as well.
Honda also has plenty of ingenious ideas that accompany this car for the future. For example, it has a next-generation solar hydrogen station prototype that is intended for use in the home as a refuelling appliance for fuel cell vehicles. The prototype is installed at the Los Angeles Center of Honda R&D Americas. It’s all part of Honda’s long-term vision for emission-free future transport.
Anyway, back to the present and Business Secretary, Vince Cable, who had the chance to drive the world’s only production fuel cell electric car following a Cabinet meeting at 10 Downing Street.
What did Vince think? “I was pleased to be one of the first in the UK to test drive the Honda FCX Clarity and find out more about the potential for hydrogen fuel cell technology,” Vince explained.
“The government is keen to encourage all forms of low carbon vehicle technology such as hydrogen fuel cells, hybrids or significantly more efficient conventional vehicles. This is part of our push to stimulate the market for green motoring and give consumers greater choice.”
One of the things I like about Vince is his pragmatism. He doesn’t let blue-sky thinking get in the way of the nitty-gritty here and now – note his support of “more efficient conventional vehicles”.
Quite right, too. Average new car CO2 figures were down by 4.7% in the first half of 2010 reaching 145.2g/km, compared with the same period in 2009 the trade body SMMT reports. Meanwhile registrations of alternatively fuelled cars doubled over this period – think hybrids. With the new Jazz Hybrid due soon, and the recently released CR-Z coupe, Honda has a few of these too – so it seems they tick quite a few of Vince’s boxes already.
Anyway, you would expect the Business Secretary to promote lower emissions: lower CO2 means lower business car running costs; and lower company car tax.
As we always knew, it’s always worth listening to Vince.
Business Car Manager: Editor’s Blog
