Alternative Fuel Choice

VICTORIA’S peak motoring body has backed a plan for discounted registration fees for buyers of green cars.

It comes as new figures reveal city residents have embraced greener cars, but big petrol guzzlers remain popular in the outer suburbs.

An analysis of Australian Bureau of Statistics data reveals East Melbourne, South Melbourne and the inner city, as well as Kew and Southbank, have the most Toyota Priuses – a hybrid given a five-star green rating in a state government audit.

Outer eastern suburbs Ferntree Gully and Lysterfield followed by Dandenong and Frankston have the most Nissan Patrols – a four-wheel-drive that has a poor rating for fuel use and emissions.

But inner suburban motorists lose the green high ground when it comes to expensive petrol guzzlers.

Ferraris and Bentleys occupy the lowest nine rungs on the Federal Government’s green vehicle guide for greenhouse emissions.

Those vehicles are most popular in Brighton, Toorak, Hawksburn and inner Melbourne.

James Bond’s car, the Aston Martin – most popular in Brighton, Cotham, Kew, Hawksburn and Toorak – also fares badly on the green test.

Mineral water salesman Joe Garofalo, of Brunswick, bought a pair of the Toyota hybrids and has no regrets.

“We were running Commodores, which I was purchasing for $30,000. The Prius cost me $37,000. I knew that in the long run I’d do well to the environment and do well to my pocket,” Mr Garofalo said.

The RACV favours a long-term scheme where fuel excise would be replaced with a road user charge paid for at the pump.

But chief Brian Negus said the club supported, as an interim scheme, cheaper registration for greener cars as long as other vehicles’ registrations were not made dearer.

A Brumby Government spokeswoman said there were no plans to charge for emissions through the registration process.

Source: News.com

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