I have been following the backlash from Top Gear's article on electric cars; I read with interest of the allegations from the car manufacturers, Nissan and Citroen, that the article was faked but I think Clarkson makes a valid point that has been lost in the outcry and anti-Clarkson rhetoric that has followed the programme; that being, new sustainable car technologies are at this point in time, flawed.

Both of the small cars featured in the programme cost in excess of £25,000 and have a range of 100-200 miles between charges; with the time for a full charge taking 8hrs and let's not start on the limited lifespan of the batteries before they need replaced at a substantial cost. They are far from being as practical or as cost effective as the current fossil fuelled alternative.

As an Architect, promoting and implementing sustainable technologies, the problem is the same. If I am honest, they are too expensive and can be limited in their implementation.

Now I passionately believe in sustainable technologies, I believe that they are essential for our future and as a Practice we promote and implement them wherever we can. It is disheartening when clients come to us full of good intentions and dreams of a sustainable building at the top of their agenda but when you start talking costs their Eco standards suddenly slip and we are looking down the barrel of carbon technologies again.

There are grants out there but they don't go far enough to plug the affordability gap and they are also difficult to secure.

Even if we get a client wanting to invest in sustainable technologies, many are put off by some practicalities; whether that is not being able to install a heat pump within an old property, having the wrong type of ground under their house or not wanting a noisy device in the house or garden that looks like a glorified fridge freezer.

We are in the middle of a period of transition. I applaud Nissan and Citroen for their R&D in this field and the fact that they have put these cars into production but we are only at the start of a very long journey.

The same is true with the sustainable technologies for buildings.

The building regulations have forced us to seriously consider and adopt sustainable solutions which has been a positive step. Changes in legislation have done more for the promotion and advancement of these technologies than leaving matters to people's eco ideals and market forces alone.

Every year the technologies improve and the costs come down. I don't know when we will be in a position when sustainable technologies will be as cost effective and efficient as the current carbon technologies but that day will come and given the progress made across all different manufacturing sectors in the past few years, I don't think it's far off.

Despite the negative publicity, well done to Jezza and Top Gear for featuring these new sustainable technologies (albeit in rather a contentious way) and showcasing the 'road' to a more sustainable future on mainstream tv.