Green Car: The New All-Electric Tesla Model S. Family sedan – range 300 miles

EVERY day, as I wake up, I see a layer of brown smog hanging over London. We are not alone. Every big city with a million or more people (we have six) has a pollution problem. It affects the quality of the air we breath and motivates us to fly more at this time of year – many of us trying to soak up fresh Alpine Air (if we are lucky).

We all know pollution, air quality problems, increasing CO2 levels and Climate Change are caused by the combustion of fossil fuels. One of the biggest contributors to Climate Change is the transport sector and the Government have now recognised this. Not only has Prime Minister Gordon Brown recently said that EV’s would be one of the key cornerstones of his economic recovery plan, but Mayor Boris Johnson has unveiled a plan to introduce 100,000 Electric Vehicles (EVs) and back the technology with the introduction of 25,000 charging stations in the capital.

The Government’s wholehearted backing of green car technologies comes at a historic and exciting time for green car companies in the U.K. And there are several green electric car manufacturers now that you should know about – if you care about the environment as much as we do!

TESLA MOTORS – LAUNCH OF ROADSTER, NOW THE SEDAN (pictured above)

In the two weeks following the launch of Tesla Motors new Model S – an all-electric family sedan that carries up to seven people and travels up to 300 miles per charge – over 700 reservations have been taken. Credit crunch or no credit crunch, people are flocking and backing green car technologies like never seen before. And the performance of the Model S is not just encouraging, but astounding – 0-60 mph in 5.6 seconds and an electronically limited top speed of 130 mph. Yes it could go faster! To make your journey more comfortable, there is an inbuilt 17-inch touch screen with in-car 3G connectivity – meaning you consult Google Maps, listen to Pandora Radio or check the car’s state of charge remotely on your iPhone. The Model S can be recharged from any 120V, 208V or 240V outlet or quick-charged from an external direct current supply in only 45 minutes.

Two other cars, the Nice Megacity and the Reva L-Ion, both ‘city’ cars with a top speed of 50mph, are also proving popular.

REVA – L-Ion

Since 2001, India based Reva have sold over 2000 units according the New York Times. Initially, there were problems with the Reva after Jeremy Clarkson did a crash test and labelled it the ‘worst car in Britain’! Reva have now strengthened the car and have introduced new Lithium Ion technology that allows the car to travel 75 miles and reach a top speed of 50mph. The price tag varies between £7995 for the Reva I which uses lead battery technology and the latest Reva Lithium Ion which retails for £15,795. It is marketed through GoinGreen based here in Britain.

NICE Megacity

Similarly, the Nice Megacity is proving very popular. Not only does it sound amazing with its all electric sound, but it is manufactured in Europe (France) and is distributed from Nice Car Company’s Notting Hill base. The price tag on the nice range of cars is £8995-£14,000, so not unreasonable for the latest cutting edge technology. You can now book your test drive of the Nice Car at the Westfield shopping centre in London or if you live outside London, you contact them for alternative arrangements.

THE WAY FORWARD – WHAT SHOULD I DO?

I urge each one of us to do our bit and there is still time. Many people feel hopeless given the enormity of the Global Warming Problem but there is good news. At the recent Sustainability Summit at the Dorchester in London (which EcoSwitch attended), David Nussbaum, CEO of WWF UK, said it definitely wasn’t too late. If we all do our bit now – and many of us are warming up to the idea of tacking pollution and Climate Change – then we will mitigate the impact of Global Warming. We did it with aerosols and the Ozone Layer and we can do it again with Climate Change.

We can start with a switch to a greener car. If you can’t afford it yet, please save a bit each month so you can.

In the meantime, you can still do simple things which have a very positive effect on our environment, such as switching to a green electricity provider. Did you know that Power Stations in this country are responsible for an estimated 33% of all CO2 emissions? You can cut your individual 33% by switching to one of the genuine green energy companies – Ecotricity, Good Energy or Green Energy. You will then be ready to order your green car – remember electric cars are only as green as the electricity you put into them. So it is important to find a genuine provider as there are lots of ‘Green’ tariffs but they vary enormously in quality.

EcoSwitch.com will shortly be launching a comparison of the most genuine green companies (links above) to help you with the switch – and it should only take 5 minutes to apply.

Posted under Cars & Transport, Climate, Corporate, Gas & Electricity, Renewable Energy

The problem in identifying alternative power sources (to gas powered motor vehicles) is multi-faceted. Both hydrogen and biodiesel are high-profile, but impractical alternatives. Hydrogen is readily available, but converting it into fuel and developing a distribution network is a very expensive proposition. Despite all the spin, biodiesel is proving increasingly unappealing with production costs equal to or even exceeding energy used to generate the fuel. Electricity, on the other hand is readily available and there are no complications or additional costs associated with building a new distribution network – the infrastructure is already in place.

In the US, all the talk is now about the imminent introduction of the Chevy Volt and Tesla Roadster electric cars or ‘EV’s’ – as they have come to be known. But there lies an inherent problem with EV’s and it is to do with the power-to-weight ratio. 4-wheel electric cars currently rely on large, heavy and very expensive banks of advanced lithium-ion batteries. By contrast, two wheeled electric motorbikes and scooters weigh in at less than 25% of your average family saloon car and require far fewer batteries to match the performance of their gas consuming counterparts. Also, advances in battery technology are resulting in annualised improvements in the order of 8%. Two-wheeled EV’s are mechanically simpler, requiring far fewer components and safety equipment than cars. They are also subject to less stringent regulations. All this means less time spent in developing EV 2-wheelers and therefore a more affordable product.

In 2007 a production 100km/hour Maxi Scooter was introduced in the US by Vectrix, who have since brought out a second model. While the cost of a Maxi Scooter is about $11000 US, sales have rocketed 300% in the first year. Vectrix plan to introduce a 50km/hour scooter this spring retailing at about $5000 US. Two other US based companies will also introduce EV motorcycles this year, both focussing on the urban commuter market, with a range between recharges of 65-100km. Remarkably, EV two-wheelers are already achieving gas-equivalent mileages of around 0.47 to 0.78 litres per 100km.

For those who want a more exotic alternative to their Ducati or Yamaha, California based Mission Motorsports recently unveiled a 240km/hour, 240km range EV motorcycle. Billed as “the world’s fastest production electric sports bike”, the first models will roll off the production line next year at a retail price of about $68,000 US. Much of this cost is taken up in developing a suitably robust battery pack, capable of competing with equivalent gas-powered performance machines.

Proponents of EV motorcycles and motor scooter technology have invested heavily in developing these vehicles and predict a rosy future for the industry, even in the face of the current economic downturn. ‘Electricity is just so many orders of magnitude more efficient that it’s the only way to go’, says Forrest North, Founder of Mission Motorsports, earlier involved in the mechanical design of the Tesla EV car and leader of the Stanford University solar car team in the 1990’s.

The UK weather might put the dampers on EV two-wheeler use, when compared with sunny California. Nevertheless there appears to be fantastic potential for introduction of electrically powered motor scooters and bikes in London and other major urban centres in the UK. Just think about all those couriers that could take advantage of EV bike technology!

Posted under Cars & Transport, Environmental News

The long awaited Nano is close to completion, as the Tata company announce the launch of what has become known as ‘the world’s cheapest car’. A report in The Guardian explains that the 4-seater vehicle, originally intended only to be sold in India, is being modified for sale in Europe for 2011 and in the US shortly after. Selling at around 100,000 rupees (£1,350) the car will apparently be India’s greenest, giving 23.6km to the litre. Nevertheless, environmentalists are concerned by the surge of cheap cars about to hit India, then Europe, the US and no doubt most other regions, if all goes to plan.

There are of course many, many reasons why this is probably not the best of ideas right now, with regards to the climate change/global warming issues that we’re all becoming increasingly familiar with. It seems unlikely that making it even cheaper to own one of the things known to cause considerable problems and environmental damage, will help alleviate the symptoms of global warming. And ‘the world’s cheapest car’ does not come without costs.

Several reports have highlighted the protests against the Tata company’s acquisition of farm land in West Bengal, following suspected dodgy dealings with the government. Business Week reported in August 2008, that 30,000 people took to the streets, and consequently production shifted from Singur to Pantnagar. Despite being expected to significantly boost the Indian economy and increase foreign investment, as other car manufacturers also move to India, the human costs are equally high; ‘the world’s cheapest car’ clearly does not have ‘the world’s best-paid plant workers’.

Combined with the minority, ‘developed’ world’s existing obsession with gas-guzzlers and unnecessary car journeys, the introduction of 100s of 1000s of new vehicles, is likely to make the problems of climate change snowball. As much as it may be a technological, economic and a manufacturing marvel, the Nano may be a very good answer, to a misguided and ill-thought out question.

Posted under Cars & Transport, Climate, Companies, Corporate, Environmental News

Apart from the obvious health benefits, the humble bike – along with the ever-increasing add-ons now available – has become the vehicle of choice for many commuters and travellers. For The Cycling Gardeners it is more than that!

As the cost of fuel yo-yos from week to week and environmental reports continue to confirm that humans are leaving a bigger and more damaging footprint on the earth than perhaps they should, many small businesses are reaping the benefits of using alternative ways of operating. As just one example, The Cycling Gardeners have established strong business models that operate within well-defined ethical guidelines. With fuel and oil-dependency in mind, they run their small businesses using the very-renewable pedal power! As most people these days will be well aware, there are a huge number of trailers available for push-bikes – from the brightly coloured kiddy-carriers that weave in and out of slowed-down morning traffic, to the more rugged outdoor types, that provide ample space for weekends away in the hills. The Cycling Gardeners have adapted their trailers to serve as tool-transporting, compost-carrying vehicles that put strain on the calves and hamstrings, and not the local environment.

But why is this important?

As science, politics and popular opinion all move closer to the collective realisation and acceptance of the very big environmental questions facing us all, we need to find the alternatives; to do the same things, to do new things – but in different ways.

Why not look into ways of ditching your business car, for a business bike? Start a new revolution!

You can find Norwich’s Cycling Gardener on film and a link here for Brighton‘s. More ideas for trailers can be found at Carry Freedom

Posted under Cars & Transport, Climate, Corporate, EcoWarriors, Environmental News, Gardening & Outdoors, Gas & Electricity, How To's & Guides, Renewable Energy

Posted under Cars & Transport, Environmental News

LATIN AMERICA

From one day to the next, automakers and governments are urgently seeking to lower their reliance on oil. Since drastically shifting our lifestyle and accept a lower level of consumption and mobility is such a hopelessly difficult thing to do, the more convenient attitude is to try and substitute the fossil fuel for hybrids and electric vehicles. One of the critical issues to address is where the electricity will come from. Another one concerns the batteries and how to dispose of them as well as how to produce them and more importantly where to find the resources.

Something is brewing in Latin America. As reported in the New York Times.

Circa 50% of the world’s lithium, the mineral needed for the batteries in today’s EVs and hybrids, mobile phones, laptop computers and other appliances, is found in one single country. One of the world’s poorest nations, Bolivia has recently nationalised both oil and gas production and is not about to let go of its treasure. Now that foreign interests are pressing to strike deals over Bolivia’s lithium reserves, a nationalist sentiment about the resource is building quickly in the country’s government.

In response to European and Japanese companies efforts to secure the resource, Bolivian president Avo Morales talks of closely controlling the extraction of lithium. These vast mineral deposits lie beneath the world’s largest salt flat, Salar de Uyuni, and indigenous people living nearby want a share in the bounty. By collecting salt and selling it across the country the people in Uyuni have survived for generations. A leader of salt gatherers and farmers in the salt flats feels that, ‘The lithium may be Bolivia’s, but it is also our property.’

Other uses of Lithium includes the treatment of bipolar disease because of its regulatory capacity, it can ease both mania and depression. From another health and safety point of view, Lithium metal is corrosive and requires special handling to avoid skin contact, something that is largely ignored with current extraction techniques in Bolivia. For example, breathing lithium dust or lithium compounds can irritate the nose and throat and higher exposure to lithium can cause a build-up of fluid in the lungs, leading to pulmonary oedema which can be deadly. In order to mine the resource from the salt flat, technicians need to get brine to the surface, where it is evaporated in pools to expose the lithium which is then handled with primitive methods.

China could also become an important producer of Lithium, tapping into reserves in Qinghai province and Tibet, something that could also cause some stirring sentiments of legitimised robbery and national versus local rights of way.

Rare as it may be, Lithium based batteries [Li-Ion] have been known to explode for different reasons, if built badly or handled carelessly. What will happen to the world’s largest Lithium resource now that we are realising its potential as a way out of oil dependence? Or, will Lithium help a volatile world calm down and cure itself from a manic depressive boom and bust cycle, accelerated by the cheap energy of fossil fuels?

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Read the NY Times article here.

Posted under Cars & Transport, Gas & Electricity, Renewable Energy

Having been in the pipeline for a while and in preparation during the whole of 2008, a new international body to promote renewable energy was officially a reality as a large number of countries signed the up to the International Renewable Energy Agency statute in Bonn on the 26th of January.

More than 120 government delegations from across the world attended the conference and a total of 75 nations, a broad cross-section of developing and industrialized countries, signed the Agency’s statute. Many others expressed their strong commitment to Irena’s goals and their intention to join in the near future.*

55 of the member governments of the organisation are now committed to full membership. The goal for IRENA is to ‘help mobilise the huge potential of Renewable Energy’ to mitigate climate change, ensure an affordable energy supply and energy security while fostering human and economic development.

In pointing out that huge potential, the unit Current Global Primary Energy Consumption is used [GPEC]. An estimate in the IRENA presentation material states that renewable energy, if fully harnessed, amount to a theoretical 2032 GPEC. This is naturally impossible but hints at our possibility to cover our energy use through alternative energy sources. That we have over two thousand times of our current consumption at our disposal relies on 1800GPEC from solar radiation. Painfully aware of how difficult it is to effectively make use of solar energy, the 200GPEC of wind energy is possibly more inspiring and the point the IRENA is trying to make is that a combination of these two and the 20GPEC derived from biomass and 10 from geothermal could see us through.

At the moment China, Japan, the US and the UK, along with other major countries are not yet on board making the IRENA another hopeful but perhaps impotent move, where international initiatives are reduced promotion and policy making. A spokesperson for the UK’s new Department for Energy and Climate Change said, ‘We are certainly supportive and in interested in joining but we need to make sure that what we are joining has the right focus. There needs to be more focus o the deployment of renewables rather than just talking policy and issuing papers and there needs to be a wider membership.’ What is meant by wider membership is not entirely clear, an organisation where everyone is waiting for the others to join will have trouble growing and remain hampered and, surprise, prone to talking about policy making. This draws to mind the problems of getting the major polluters to sign and implement the Kyoto protocol. With everyone waiting for the Kyoto successor, the climate conference in Copenhagen in December, IRENA is at least a step away from talk about reductions and carbon offset and towards actually building up alternatives. Talk is cheap it is true enough. But a signature of commitment is at least something and the countries still looking on from the sidelines are not helping what could be an important actor in the work towards switching on a large scale.

The chairman of World Council for Renewable Energy, German member of parliament Hermann Sheer and initiator of IRENA, told the the Guardian:

IRENA is the single-most important step for a speedy global introduction of renewable energies. It will give an enormous push to the use of renewables around the globe.*

The organisation has at present a budget of €25million gathered through member subscription and will give financial, practical and technological support to member countries. Chad for example, with a constant supply of strong sunlight is to date almost entirely dependent on conventional fossil fuel energies. The country will benefit from IRENA funded installations.

75 nations have signed signed on [see listing below, obtained here.] Iran and Afghanistan are among them; Japan, China, India and the US are not, nor are the UK. One wonders why.

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* Article by Kate Connolly and David Gow, ‘UK looks on from sidelines at green energy summit’ in The Guardian on 26 Jan 2009, p19

For an official pdf-format brochure on IRENA, click here.

For the IRENA website, click here.

Leif Ahnland

Founding Conference of the International Renewable Energy Agency IRENA

26 January 2009, Bonn, Germany

Signatory States

1 Afghanistan
2 Algeria
3 Argentina
4 Armenia
5 Austria
6 Bahrain
7 Benin
8 Bulgaria
9 Burkina Faso
10 Cape Verde
11 Central African Republic
12 Chad
13 Chile
14 Comoros
15 Côte d’Ivoire
16 Cyprus
17 Democratic Republic of the Congo
18 Denmark
19 Djibouti
20 Egypt
21 Eritrea
22 Ethiopia
23 Finland
24 France
25 Gambia
26 Germany
27 Ghana
28 Greece
29 Guatemala
30 Guinea-Bissau
31 Honduras
32 Iceland
33 Iran (Islamic Republic of)
34 Ireland
35 Israel
36 Italy
37 Jordan
38 Latvia
39 Liberia
40 Lithuania
41 Luxembourg
42 Madagascar
43 Mali
44 Mongolia
45 Montenegro
46 Morocco
47 Nepal
48 Netherlands
49 Nicaragua
50 Niger
51 Nigeria
52 Norway
53 Peru
54 Philippines
55 Poland
56 Portugal
57 Republic of Korea
58 Republic of Moldova
59 Romania
60 Sao Tome and Principe
61 Senegal
62 Serbia
63 Slovenia
64 Spain
65 Sweden
66 Syrian Arab Republic
67 Tajikistan
68 The former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia
69 Tunisia
70 Turkey
71 Uganda
72 United Arab Emirates
73 Uruguay
74 Yemen
75 Zambia

Posted under Cars & Transport, Environmental News, Gas & Electricity, How To's & Guides, Paid For Products, Renewable Energy

Podcars, small driver less cabins on an elevated rail system are now being investigated as an efficient addition to public transit systems. Basically roller-coaster technology paired with what looks like the monorails from World Exhibition in Seville 1990, the podcars sports a major difference; they are single units taking a small number of passengers instead of trains. The networks would be a realisation of classic futuristic visions from the 60′s. The benefits include an extensive flexibility both when it comes to destination and travel time. Intended to run 24/7 with very short intervals the system delivers the passengers to the chosen destination bypassing other stops.

A South Korean company is preparing for full-scale tests under European conditions in the city of Uppsala (an hour to the north of the Swedish capital Stockholm) where a testing facility with the world’s longest podcar track is built.

Hopes are high for the completely computerised system that would offer fast and flexible public transport that could ease traffic congestion. A high initial investment would quickly reach a both economic and ecological break-even if implementation and travel habit adaptation are major issues to be solved. Planning applications are only one type of obstacles that could prove insurmountable  especially in historically sensitive areas. Estimates indicate a low environmental impact in comparison to today tram and subway network and by combining the privacy of the car with the efficiency of rail transit we could be heading for cleaner cities while offering the individual a sustainable way of getting from A-Z without stopping at BCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXY.

Currently a number of Swedish municipalities are investigating the possibilities to cooperate on the project and the group, going under the name Kompass hopes for authorisation to begin planning for a functional system in Uppsala, Umeå or Stockholm.

* YouTube video with the Uppsala Podcar up and running, click here.

Posted under Cars & Transport, Environmental News

If you will go to the Geneva Car Salon in March this year you just might attend the presentation of the first electric Lotus. Nothing is 100% confirmed and few concrete facts are released but it is expected to be a range extended EV. This is the same power train working principle on which the Chevy Volt is based. In practice it means it is has a smaller and lighter battery pack to provide some plug-in range and an internal combustion engine to stretch the driving distance, in the case of the Lotus this will probably add up to something like 300-400 miles. That would put Lotus in direct competition with the other top notch EVs -already out there or in the pipeline- like the Fisker Karma and the Tesla Roadster.

Sports cars. To make financial sense for any company, due to expensive components such as the batteries, high end models from exclusive car companies are not surprisingly among the first longer range EVs. The label clean car that we are using here does not completely apply to any car really (unfortunately, calling it Relatively Clean Cars lacks the punch.) Clean Cars is even less correct when it comes to speed monsters partly using fossil fuel propulsion, electric motor or not. But, since we live in a world that will contain rich people that want to be at least a little bit environmentally friendly while maintaining individuality and flair, the competition this end of the electric car range is not unwelcome. And as so often, it is when someone is pushing the limits that we later on down the line get mainstream, affordable products and solutions.

Interestingly, with this announcement it appears that the trickle down effect works inside the company as well. The engineering division of Lotus has spent over a decade working on electric vehicle technology(notably on Ecotricity founder Dale Vince’s private project) and now the production side finally looks ready to take advantage of it. Having worked extensively on the Tesla Roadster and also on the Dodge Viper EV, Lotus is probably well prepared to bring out a top of the line speedster.

Best of luck and may the best Lotus win.

Leif Ahnland leif ahnland

Posted under Cars & Transport, Companies, Environmental News, Gas & Electricity, Press Releases

The concretisation of the idea of going green for GoinGreen, retailer of Indian car manufacturer Reva, consists in selling the G-Wiz i electric vehicle in Britain. Technically a quadricycle but more a bicycle-motorized with four wheels and a car look-alike capsule to substitute rather than be a car.

From first glance it is clear that the G-Wiz is characterised by simplicity and an ecologic profile. Indeed, it produces no emission if renewable energy is used to charge the batteries; otherwise, using normal energy it cuts down one third of the emission of the most efficient fuel conventional car. Moreover, one has to bear in mind that -since it does not even technically belong to any category of ‘cars’ it has not done a real crash test and it has no airbags (It passed a 25mph test whereas a normal car has to undergo a 35 mph test). On the other hand, the battery situated in the bottom of the seats provides stability to the vehicle and gives the driver a view positively higher than a normal car. Regarding safety it has to be said that the new version includes disc brakes which is a significant step towards safe driving.

The inside space is tiny, so tight that sitting in the driver seat you can open the passenger side door without stretching. In practice there is not any tunnel in the middle and the rear seats are for decoration or very,very small people. The style is overall low cost and the optional leather inside seems pretty pointless in this context where fixture and fitting overall are devoid of stylish design. When it comes to comfort the seats are no exception, as far away as possible from the cupped, sports car – in the G-Wiz they are simply flat.

The controls are easy enough to operate but often feel a little flimsy and sometimes not all that intuitive. The ‘gears’ are controlled by a rotary knob on the dashboard with 4 commands: reverse, neutral, forward and boost. So, there is neither any clutch nor park position while an umbrella handle shaped handbrake comes up from the dashboard.

A ‘smallcar’ it is, in almost every respect. Regarding speed performance it reaches 0-30mph in 6 seconds, with top speeds up to 45-50 mph. But, in comparison, this is slightly better results than some competitors, for example Nice Car company’s Mega City. The producers discourage the overuse of the boost command in order to avoid premature draining of the batteries and is primarily for use in situations where quickness is necessary, like entering in a roundabout.

There are of course some obvious strong points in its small dimension: parking situations or tackling with the traffic jam. In short, don’t expect an ecologically perfect substitution for the conventional runabout; but if you are looking for an alternative to walking or riding, this is a fair option. Remember that it needs an overnight recharge which entails a private parking close to an outlet and this is not so common in metropolis like for example London. This of course is not a good thing, London is just the market for G-Wiz type transport, partly due to incentives like free parking and congestion charge exemption when it comes to accessing centre of London. What companies like the G-Wiz retailer GoinGreen hope for is an extension of the range of incentives, in other cities and towards other types like access in the bus line for examples. And now the same incentives G-Wiz rely on have been given to other vehicle like VW Polo Bluemotion, an eco-diesel, which is not good news for the producers of electric car. And it is understandable that many people are waiting for the cost implications to be clearer before purchasing it.

Something to remember. Henry Ford once said, ‘if I had listened to what people wanted I would be making faster horses.’ Today people want to the product of Mr Ford’s legacy: speed, range, freedom and horsepower. Electric mini cars like the G-Wiz will become a more common sight on our roads, there are some things we will not be able to negotiate such as petrol prices and pollution. A small, efficient transportation like the G-Wiz to get to work has become a viable alternative as our needs and wants adapt to a post fossil fuel economy. Period.

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G-Wiz by Reva and GoinGreen : Specification

Purchase price : From £9,240 on the road including VAT
Insurance group : 1
VED (road tax) : None
24-hour roadside recovery free for the first year, £90 thereafter. Service interval 6 months; a standard workshop service costs £395; a visit from GoinGreen’s mobile service team costs £575.

Battery life expectancy : 2 to 3 years. A replacement battery pack costs £1,695 including labour and VAT
Warranty period : 2 years or 16,000 miles

Running costs : Fully charging the G-Wiz from the mains takes 8 hours and costs about 40p off-peak. The batteries can be topped up from a partial discharge without harm.

Leif Ahnland leif ahnland

Posted under Cars & Transport, Companies, Gas & Electricity