A new survey has shown that almost half of motorists believe they will be using alternative fuels for their cars within 15 years.

Auto Trader's business publication Dealer Update surveyed 3,000 drivers and found that 47 per cent expected to be helping to save the planet by powering their vehicles with alternative fuels by that time.

Many thought that greener cars would be cheaper to run in the future, as well as kinder to the environment. Some 95 per cent of those polled said they were running petrol or diesel-powered cars at present.

The biggest concerns voiced were that it might be difficult to refuel clean-fuel cars, and that their performance might lag behind that of conventional petrol engines.

Motorists also want to see carmakers doing more to provide green options. Most respondents (60 per cent) think manufacturers should offer clean-fuel engines on every model they produce.

Government adviser Professor Stephen Blythe also called for carmakers, particularly those in Europe and America, to do more in the fight against climate change, the BBC reports.

He said that Japanese carmakers "seem to be much more progressive than some of the European or American ones".

The UK government recently pledged that five per cent of fuel sold on forecourts would be biofuel within four years.


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