Driving Down Global Warming
Forty new Ford Focus Flexi-Fuel Vehicles (FFVs), the first manufactured bioethanol-powered car in Europe, will soon be on Somerset’s roads as part of Somerset County Council’s goal to drive down Carbon Dioxide (CO2) emissions – the main greenhouse gas thought to be responsible for global warming.
Under the terms of the Kyoto Protocol which came into force in February 2005, the UK government has set a domestic target to reduce CO2 emissions by 20 percent by 2010. To help achieve this goal, Somerset County Council’s Sustainable Development Group is leading the way nationally by striking a groundbreaking partnership with Ford Motor Company, Wessex Water, Avon and Somerset Constabulary and Wessex Grain.
Bio-ethanol is a renewable fuel derived from plants (such as cereals, sugar beet etc) or biomass (such as wood waste) and the 1.8 litre Focus FFV offers an overall 70 per cent reduction in CO2 emissions compared to the same petrol-only model.
Five bioethanol fuel pumps will be located around the County but the cars will be capable of running on any mixture of ethanol and petrol. Wessex Grain will arrange the supply of bioethanol, initially from a bioethanol plant in Spain using wheat grown in the South West.
Wessex Grain is in the process of finalising proposals for a bioethanol production plant at Henstridge which would allow cars in Somerset to run on fuel from locally grown wheat by 2007. This new facility would be able to convert 340,000 tonnes of wheat into 131,000,000 litres of ethanol a year at full capacity.
Cllr Paul Buchanan, Portfolio Holder for Economic Development said: “Somerset County Council is a leading example of local authority best practice in partnership working. We are delivering practical solutions to the threats that climate change present to the County. The FFV, along with the possibility of having a bioethanol plant and filling stations is an exciting prospect for Somerset’s economy, environment and reputation as the UK leader in sustainable development.”
The cars will join the Somerset project partner fleets early next year and following the introduction, the Focus FFV will be available to other fleet and car users in the locality.
Photograph shows from Left to Right: Andy Taylor, Corporate Citizenship Director for Ford Motor Company; Ian Bright, Renewable Energy Officer for Somerset County Council; Cllr Paul Buchanan, Somerset County Council’s Portfolio Holder for Economic Regeneration; Nick Rogers, Head of Transport Services for Avon & Somerset Constabulary; and Mike Fackrell, Sustainable Development Group Manager.
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