Getting going with a plug-in hybrid

After a lot of reading and working out the finances we have decided that it is really time to get greener on our journeys in and out of the woods.

It seemed silly that we have a desire to take on a piece of woodland and promote bio-diversity and all the other aspects of engaging with the local environment and then emitting a bucket full of unburned hydrocarbons (HC), carbon monoxide (CO), nitrogen oxides (NOx) or particulate matter (PM) getting there and back.

Going plug-in hybrid is unlikely to save us any money but should have a huge impact on our carbon footprint as we travel to the woods. If we are lucky the saving on fuel will offset the rental of the vehicle but hopefully the real difference will be seen in our emissions.

We have only done two journeys so far but at the moment it already appears that we will be using a quarter of the fuel that we have used previously, which must be good. The silence as you drive through the woods using only the electric motors is wonderful.

Only time will tell the real impact but as we learn how to get the most out of the electric side of the car hopefully our impact per journey will get less and less.