Italian car designer unveils electric power

Italian contract carmaker and engineering firm Pininfarina has unveiled an own-badged electric car.

For decades, the firm has built some of the most stunning cars known to man, without getting much credit for it beyond petrol-head circles.

"This car is real," declares Paolo Pininfarina, grandson of the company's founder, as the covers are whipped off the sleek vehicle at the Paris motor show.

Pininfarina's electric car, which has been built in partnership with battery producer Bollore, is set to hit the road by the end of next year and should go on sale in the US, Europe and Japan by the end of 2010.

"It's 90% similar to how it will be built", which in turn, he insisted, means it is "the only real electric city car at the motor show".

Cost or technology

And so the electric motoring debate continues, with an abundance of yay and nay-sayers, so far achieving little more than confusing drivers who want solutions yet remain wary of cons.

Yet, amidst it all a consensus is emerging.

Cars run purely on battery power are unlikely to become mainstream for years to come, mainly because of their cost.

"It's not about technology," insists General Motors' chief operating officer and vice chairman, Fritz Henderson. "Its all about cost."

But petrol-electric hybrid versions that can be charged from the mains for most journeys are arriving quickly, and even Dr Paefgen is full of praise.

So expect niche electric cars to make inroads, and even more plug-in hybrid solutions to hit the road in the years ahead.

And if a plug-in hybrid emerges with a Bentley badge long before they become mainstream, do not be shocked.
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Number of homes in fuel poverty rises by 1 million

The number of UK households in fuel poverty rose to 3.5 million in 2006, the latest official figures showed today.

The data, released by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs and the Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform, showed an increase of one million on 2005 levels. They include around 2.75 million homes classed as "vulnerable" - those that contain a child, elderly person or someone with a long-term illness.

To be classed as being in fuel poverty, households have to spend more than 10% of their income on gas and electricity. In England, 2.4 million fuel-poor households had fallen into fuel poverty by 2006, of which 1.9 million were vulnerable.

This was 900,000 more households than 2005, of which 700,000 were vulnerable.

The government attributed the rise to a 22% increase in consumer energy bills between 2005 and 2006.

Although the major suppliers cut their tariffs early last year, they increased them early this year, and again in the summer, which could mean the number of homes in fuel poverty today is actually much higher than 3.5 million.

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Do you have cash to burn?

Switching suppliers can save you money but simple things can also help. UK Energy Saving suggests turning off the tap, lowering the thermostat by 1 and filling the kettle with only the water you need.

The Energy Saving Trust will give you a home energy check, which may save you up to £270 a year. For an online report, visit www.energysaving trust.org.uk, or call 0800 512 012 for a paper version.

High domestic fuel prices mean there's one financial certainty this winter - it's going to cost a bomb to keep warm. Shopping around for the best fuel tariff now, however, can give householders the best chance of keeping their energy costs as low as possible.

No amount of home insulation is going to protect you from high bills if you are stuck on an expensive tariff. And come January 2009, it's likely that consumers may face further price hikes from the energy companies so it will pay to plan ahead.

If your budget is already feeling the strain, consider fixing your fuel price for a few years. Capped or fixed-price tariffs work by guaranteeing your monthly or quarterly bills won't rise for a set amount of time. A key drawback, however, is that you won't benefit if prices fall during that time without pulling out of the deal and paying a penalty charge.

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Heating plan attacked by charity

A charity for the elderly says it has received an increasing number of complaints about the government's Warm Front home heating scheme.

This provides money for elderly and vulnerable people to help keep their homes warm in winter.

But the charity Age Concern says it has received more than 5,000 complaints about it in the past year.

These have focused on delays, poor workmanship and the need for pensioners to make contributory payments.

The government is expected to announce extra measures on Thursday to help poor people stay warm in their homes.

Problems

The charity said the government had admitted to MPs earlier this year that funding for the scheme would be cut by a third between 2007/098 and 2010/11, to just £295m.

Meanwhile complaints it had received highlighted other inadequacies.

Among them, pensioners complained they could not afford the top-up payments that were often required, sometimes reaching £2,000, because government grants under Warm Front were limited to £2,700, regardless of the actual cost of the work.

The charity added that the experience of complainers, and others who asked for advice, was that delays to work left some people without heating or warmth in their homes, while others had to pay more for extra work due to poor workmanship.

The charity said that simply putting more money into Warm Front and CERT would not help all those who needed it.

"Wide-ranging reforms are needed to address pricing inequalities which are leaving many of the poorest households paying more for their energy than wealthier customers," said Mr Lishman.

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