Oil proves to be green

What is greener — a hybrid or a diesel?

Hybrids have won the PR war with everyone from Hollywood stars to politicians clamouring to be seen driving them. Meanwhile, diesels still suffer from poor PR as dirty, noisy oil-burners.

Governments offer hybrids substantial subsidies and concessions overseas and even in Queensland they stay at 2 per cent stamp duty while duty on all other vehicles has as much as doubled.

Yet the public isn't all that keen on hybrids, or LPG for that matter.

Hybrid private passenger car sales are up 16.3 per cent from 1292 in 2006 to 1503 in '07 and LPG sales are down 44.5 per cent from 607 to 337.

Meanwhile, diesel private sales are up 62.9 per cent from 10,566 to 17,215.

It seems only government departments and corporations who wish to be seen to be green are buying hybrids with non-private passenger car sales up 60.8 per cent from 1694 to 2725.

While petrol-electric hybrids have been embraced as green icons by politicians and the media, the results speak for themselves.

For example, Hyundai i30 diesel won the Greenfleet technology class of the World Solar Car Challenge in October, beating the Toyota Prius hybrid. It used just 3.2litres/100km while producing 97g/km of emissions, while the Prius hybrid averaged 5.6litres/100km with emissions of 146g/km.

The i30 CRDi costs $21,490, while the Prius costs $37,400.