
GPS, database and engine 'disabler' to bring limit to 500 miles per week...
By silicon.com
Published: 1 April 2007 00:30 GMT
Government scientists in the UK are working on a scheme which could limit the distances cars are able to drive each week as part of a far-reaching review of motoring aimed at reducing carbon emissions.
Proposed 'black boxes' which could be installed in all UK vehicles as part of road-charging plans may also be linked to a mechanism within car engines which would disable the vehicle if it exceeded a weekly limit on the distance it is allowed to drive.
A leaked document seen by silicon.com suggests those limits may be as low as 500 miles per week - laid down as 800 kilometres by European authorities - for most cars, though controversial four-by-fours may be subject to an even lower limit of around 300 miles per week.
Once the car reaches its limit a warning tone will sound to the driver, notifying them that the engine will cut out within five minutes and they should find a safe place to pull over. The driver will then be unable to restart the car until the counter is reset at the start of the next week.
Theresa Green, founder of environmental lobby group the Carbon Neutral Cooperative (CNC), told silicon.com: "This is a great idea and one we wholeheartedly welcome. If this encourages people to leave their cars at home and use public transport then that can only be good for the planet."
But the plans have not been met with universal support.
Brian Hunter, chairman of the Car Drivers Club of Great Britain, said: "This is just another hair-brained plan piggy-backing on unsubstantiated claims about the effect our cars are having on the environment."
"The government clearly hasn't thought this through," added Hunter. "We're going to end up with cars left abandoned because people forgot to check whether they have enough mileage left to get home."
However, silicon.com has also learned that technology is being trialled to use the 'black box' GPS satellite tracking facility and link that data to a DVLA database of drivers' home addresses. It is thought that if a driver is within 5 miles of home (8km) they will be given extra time to get their vehicle home.
How typical of this Government to turn to technolo...
Richard Allan
April Foooolllll!!!!!!!
Only got 1 person thoug...
Eric the Disillusioned
Very good: Please teach CNET & ZDNET the skill?
Richard
Come on lads (or lasses) Too obviously fake. Now, ...
Anonymous
The USP's are reducing cost & reducing carbon footprint. COMPANY INFORMATION - Established in 1997 - Approx 70 UK Employees - Fast growing UK owned ...
Familiarity of the legal requirements of running a transport scheme and experience with the preparation of vehicle servicing schedules, including ...
Keywords:Senior software engineer senior kernel engineer device driver engineer windows developer software development C/C++ Intel x86 Assembler ...
Agenda Setters 2009
Welcome to the ninth annual Agenda Setters poll – silicon.com's list of the top 50 most influential individuals in the technology and IT industries, from techies and CIOs to entrepreneurs and business leaders. Find out more in our latest special report.
Dell PowerVault DL2100 Powered by CommVault - Spec Sheet
Data Protection Strategies: Deduplication for More Efficient Backups
True Convergence Demands a Communication Service Provider that Embraces a Customer-Centric...
Learn how Performance Metrics for Telcomm Expense Management Drive new ROIs and SLAs
Stories from the web...
Copyright © 2008 CBS Interactive Limited. All rights reserved. Top of page
Mark Crichard Doing business with citizen developers: Beware the legal pitfalls Legal Eye: Make sure your business is protected from potential hazards
Tim Ferguson How CIOs can achieve post-recession success Q&A: McKinsey & Company on living in the 'new normal' business world