ALEX Salmond's attempts to boost the Scottish Executive's green credentials backfired yesterday as it emerged that the hybrid cars he is trialling are more polluting than those they could replace.
The First Minister and his colleagues are to test-drive two electric-petrol Lexus GS 450h saloons as possible successors to their current LPG-fuelled Volvo S80 SE cars.
Hybrid cars are seen as greener because they are powered by batteries at low
speeds and petrol at higher speeds.
But the Lexus is more polluting than conventional engined cars in its class - prompting green campaigners to pour scorn on the trial.
The Lexus has a 3.5 litre engine compared to the Volvo's 2.4 litre, and produces 186 g/km of carbon dioxide, compared to 184 g/km by the Volvo.
Green transport groups said ministers using the Lexus would send out the wrong message. They said the vehicle looked aggressive and would give a poor impression to pedestrians.
Ministers in the last Scottish Executive were attacked last year for driving the equivalent of 17 times round the world, despite urging people to use public transport or walk.
The SNP-led Executive said ministers had decided to take up a free trial of the Lexus in an attempt to make their car fleet greener. There are already five smaller hybrid cars in the fleet - Toyota Prius and Honda Civic - but they are used for short, urban journeys.
A spokesman for Mr Salmond said the Executive was exploring the possibility of using other hybrid cars for longer journeys.
"The government is committed to being as environmentally sensitive as possible in line with a greener Scotland being one of our five strategic objectives. We want to ensure we have the most environmentally friendly vehicles possible for the journeys being undertaken.
"The trial vehicles will be used by a variety of ministers and drivers over the period of the trial to assess suitability. If we decided to buy any of these vehicles - which may not be new - these would replace existing less environmentally friendly vehicles in the fleet with more environmentally friendly ones."
Volvo S80s are the most common of some 23 cars in the Government Car Service (Scotland) fleet, which also includes a Renault Espace.
Mr Salmond's spokesman said the fleet was also used by visiting UK ministers, senior Executive officials, visiting dignitaries, "and, where necessary, the transportation of official documents".
He said if more hybrid vehicles were bought, it was intended that this would not increase the fleet's overall running costs.
Andrew Davis, the director of the Environmental Transport Association, which advises consumers on the greenest cars, said the Lexus was the wrong choice if ministers genuinely wanted to be more environmentally responsible.
He said: "We welcome any move in the right direction but, on the face of it, this is just quick points collecting.
"The Lexus sends out the wrong message - it allows people to have a hybrid car and feel good about it.
"Like most cars of its class, it is not very green because there are lots of smaller petrol cars which produce less carbon dioxide."
Mr Davis added: "Even within its class, the Lexus is quite a beefy, heavy car and has a large engine. It is also an aggressive-looking car, giving pedestrians the impression they should not be on the road."
Mr Davis said other petrol- engine executive cars produced lower emissions, such as the Skoda Superb, at 159 g/km.
A spokesman for the Scottish Executive said the environmental performance of the trial cars would be assessed before any decisions were taken.
He added: "We want to be as environmentally friendly as possible, and trialling hybrid vehicles over longer distances is part of that."
VOLVO S80 SE BI-FUEL
Price: £25,968 (2005; discontinued)
Engine size: 2,435cc
Fuel: LPG
Emissions: 184 g/km
Maximum Speed: 127mph
0-62mph: 10.6 seconds
Weight: 1,567 kg
LEXUS GS 450h
Price: £38,080
Engine size: 3,456cc
Fuel: battery-petrol hybrid
emissions: 186 g/km
Maximum speed: 155mph
0-62mph: 5.9 seconds
Weight: 1,865 kg
The full article contains 689 words and appears in The Scotsman newspaper.
