British Transport Secretary Andrew Adonis has announced that the UK will spend £30 million to install plug-in vehicle charging stations. The charge points will be built in at least three and as many as six "electric car cities and regions" across the UK, the forerunners of a national EV recharging grid. The plan is called Plugged-In Places and is accompanied by creation of the Office for Low Emission Vehicles (OLEV). The OLEV is a new goverment office in charge of coordinating policy and funding for low-carbon projects throughout the country. Full press release after the jump.

[Source: Department of Transport]

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Rudolf Diesel filed the patent for his signature engine in 1893. However, its installation in a passenger car didn't occur until 1933, when Citroën installed a diesel engine into a Rosalie bay, although this car was never authorized to run on roads. Not until 1936, when Mercedes showed off the 260D, can we talk about the first successful diesel car on the road. Based on the 200 model, the 260 used a 2.4-liter I-4 engine named OM 138 mated to a Bosch mechanical injection pump. The ensemble allowed the car to produce 45hp of power at 3,200 rpm. Almost 2,000 units were built through 1940. The car initially has a 3-speed gearbox; and was upgraded with electric coil ignitors in 1938.

One of the diesel powerplant's main benefits – then as now – was reduced fuel consumption. The 260D burned 9 l/100 km (26 mpg U.S.) compared to 13 l/ 100 km (18 mpg U.S.) in the gasoline counterpart. Another bonus: at the time, diesel was half the price of gasoline, so the motorists saved a lot of cash at the pump.



[Source: Mercedes-Benz via Diariomotor]

Alongside the recently-launched MultiAir MiTos, Alfa Romeo has launched a dual-fueled LPG (Liquefied Petroleum Gas) version of the Turbo 1.4-liter engine in the sexy hatchback. This model benefits from tax exemptions in many European countries, since it reduces CO₂ emissions down to 131 g/km. The engine retains the standard 120 hp and still makes 0 to 100 km/h (62mph) in 8.8 seconds. The 39-liter LPG reservoir is placed in the spare tire well and, together with the standard gasoline tank, allows the dual-fuel MiTo to run for 1,200 km (745 miles) non-stop. Prices start at €13,900 in Italy, thanks to €4,500 from the state.



[Source: Diario del Motor]

As we announced, SEAT is trying to maximize the possibilities of the sunny Mediterranean climate for its factory in Martorell, near Barcelona, Spain. SEAT's plan is ambitious, and could allow the plant to be able to function almost off the grid. The factory will use 320,000 m² of solar panels on the roof, the equivalent of 10 MW of electric power. Annually, the plant could generate 13 million kWh. That's enough to power 3,000 homes and will save up to 6,200 metric tons of CO₂. The first project will start working next year, and will be Spain's second largest photovoltaic installation. Now let's see if solar power can be used for the Brisa and Duna models

[Source: SEAT]

Thrifty Dutch Hyundai owners have been given a chance to enter a contest where the prize is the equivalent of five years' worth of gas, estimated at €10,000. The package goes to whoever is the most frugal at the wheel. Anyone registering for the contest at Dutch Hyundai dealers is also entered to win a €500 fuel card. The fuel challenge will be conducted in December and there's more information at the official site. A local Dutch auto publication is also offering another €500 card. Because nothing says conserve your fuel like giving drivers three independent chances to win free gas.

[Source: AutoNL]

Ford Lusitánia, the Portuguese importer of The Blue Oval's vehicles, is currently promoting the Projecto Eco-Condução Portugal. The project includes a contest and a campaign to promote a small set of eco-driving tips.

The contest takes 20 motorists, selected from 150 finalists, who are being tested as they drive their cars to see who uses the least amount of fuel. The eco-driving campaing focus on 6 common green driving tips: anticipate traffic, drive using low rpm, don't rev up and then quickly slowing down, keep the car properly tuned and analsye your driving to try and identify ways to burn less fuel. Ford partners for this campaing are the ACAP, BP, IMTT-Instituto da Mobilidade e dos Transportes Terrestres, Instituto Superior Técnico and CarChip.

[Source: Ford of Portugal]

Peugeot is no stranger to scooters and already has a 3-wheeled scooter to aim at the Piaggio MP3. Since the MP3 has a hybrid version and Peugeot is exploring hybrids in its automobiles, it's not too surprising that Peugeot has revealed the Concept HYbrid3 Evolution. The powertrain uses a 300cc engine good for 41 hp, according to Diario del Motor. This is double what the MP3 produces and uses two electric motors powering the front wheels to account for eight of those hp. The scooter starts in electric mode and turns on the combustion engine when the speed gets over 10 kmh. When running, the front wheels are activated in case of traction problems. Consumption is low, just 2 l/100 km (118 mpg U.S.), and the HYbrid3 puts out 50 g/km of CO₂. The frugal scooter still hits a maximum speed of 150 km/h (90 mph) and runs from 0 to 50 km/h (0 to 31 mph) in under 5 seconds. Unfortunately, Peugeot didn't mention when the scooter anything about a sales date for the HYbrid3.



[Source: Peugeot via Diario del Motor]

British and French motorists will be able to try the Citroën C-Zero before it goes on sale. Citroën has launched a website for interested drivers to ask for a test drive of the badge-engineered Mitsubishi-based car and to get all kinds of information about the model. As announced yesterday, the C-Zero is based on the Mitsubishi iMiEV and uses a standard European 220V plug to fill the batteries in about 6 hours. The website also offers up a nice video which you can watch right after the jump. It's in French, but the message is pretty obvious.

[Source: Citroën via Le Blog Auto]

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For 10 years, diesels lovers have had a reason to celebrate their engines a little bit more than before: filters that reduce pollution. Called Diesel Particulate Filters (DPF), the devices were first introduced by Peugeot at the Frankfurt Motor Show back in 1999. The lucky vehicle was a Peugeot 607. As you might know, DPFs come in two versions. Some of them, like the ones used by PSA, need a special additive, called Eolys. Others, like the ones used at Toyota, store the pollutants in a chamber and burns them when necessary. Peugeot has sold 2.1 million cars with PDFs, 233,000 of them in Germany.

[Source: Auto News]

It's been a while since we've heard an update on the car coming from the joint venture of Renault-Nissan and Indian manufacturer Bajaj, a competitor to the Tata Nano. Carlos Ghosn, Renault-Nissan's CEO, fills us in with a statement that the ULC (Ultra Low Car) project is alive and well. What news do we learn? First, the 2011 release date has been pushed back to 2012. Second, the car is going to cost $3,000 (compared to the Nano's base price of around $2,000) and will still be available in a version that gets 70 mpg. According to Ghosn, the car will be designed, developed and produced by Bajaj, while Renault-Nissan will provide sales and marketing. We surmise that an export model, with either Nissan or Renault (or maybe Dacia) badges, is more than a possibility.

[Source: AFP via Le Blog Auto]