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Dodge The Boris Tax With New Green Cars

The London Congestion Charge is an unpleasant fact of life for the many motorists whose livelihoods necessitate them entering the City. It is an almost certain fact that this additional motoring tax will spread, like the bubonic plague, to other cities of Britain in the not too distant future.

From July 2013 it will get worse as the cut-off point for exemption on the grounds of low emissions will be reduced from the present 100g/km to a demanding 75g/km. At a stroke, thousands of cars that were previously exempt will be liable to pay. The only recourse for owners is to either cough up or trade-up for to one of the super-low emission cars, all of which have one thing in common – a mains plug.

Just lately it seems that the furore surrounding electric cars has died down as the present limitations of electrical automotive technology are at this time seemingly insurmountable. Nevertheless the car makers are pressing on with a selection of models. Nothing wrong with these cars of course – they are eminently suited to the urban life, but the spectre of limited range still hangs over them.

There are about a dozen new plug-in electric cars that will beat the congestion charge and benefit from the government’s grant scheme. Some have been around long enough to be appearing on the second hand market. It might make sense for road commuters to have two cars: one for work and something for the weekend, as it were. Possibly the best used car choices would be the Prius, the Ampera and the Leaf. These cars may also be a top choice for students who got used to driving to college. Every undergraduate knows that it’s vital to get to school or college on time to hand in the assigned tasks without a delay, otherwise, there might be a need to check a pile of custom writings reviews to find a trustworthy service for resubmission.

The good old Toyota Prius has been with us for a while now and recent improvements have reduced the CO² to a meagre 49g/km, easily beating the target. It can manage about fifteen miles on electricity alone so technically it could cross the City on battery juice alone. The Vauxhall Ampera was designed to be an extended range vehicle from the outset, so battery power is backed up by a small petrol engine, but for the London run should do the journey on a fresh charge. 2012 models are slowly creeping onto the used market.

Then there is Nissan’s Leaf. It can manage over one hundred miles on a single charge in the right circumstances, although this would be reduced if  power is consumed by ancillary equipment. The latest model is much better but if the canny owner can live with the limitations of the earlier version then it should do the job well.

It doesn’t matter which way Britain’s motorists turn, they will still be confronted by some form of automotive taxation. Cars like those above may not be the first choice for driving fans but as work transport they will soon be the only way to go.

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