Letters to Fleet News editor Martyn Moore.

Coal-to-liquids plan is not a good option

The EU’s suggestion that coal-to-liquids technology might deliver greener fuels such as hydrogen (April 24) is highly questionable.

Hydrogen is only as clean as the energy from which it is produced.

Hydrogen derived from, say, renewable electricity might indeed deliver almost zero emissions.

But coal-to-liquids and coal-to-gas are very costly processes, environmentally as well as financially.

Producing green fuels from coal would require carbon capture and storage capabilities that do not yet exist.

It is highly significant that the EU is even considering such a costly and challenging alternative to conventional fuel.

It is a sign that Europe’s long-term supplies of oil are becoming increasingly uncertain.

The rising trend in fuel prices is set to continue over the next few years.

Today’s decisions on CO2 lock-in operating costs for the lifetime of the vehicles on the fleet.

When the EU dusts off research into coal-to-liquids, it is a good time for fleets to look to their own future by taking holistic approaches to minimising total costs of vehicle ownership and CO2 emissions.

MARK SINCLAIR
Director, Alphabet

Just how difficult is checking tyres?

With reference to your front page story ‘Deaths highlight safety check need’ (May 1) and “why don’t all motorists get the professionals to do it for them”.

Surely checking tyre treads for legality is just something that all motorists should be able to do?

Even with no “formal expertise in inspecting tyre depths”, surely if you can’t grasp how to check a tread depth, the rather more complex cognitive loads involved in actually driving the vehicle will be beyond you.

It would be interesting to know if the member of staff who pointed out that the tyres were bald actually still drove the vehicle.

SAUL JEAVONS
Via email