September 16, 2011
Old meets new at the Regent Street Motor Show
London’s West End can be a no-go zone in the weeks leading up to Christmas. But this year the inaugural Regent Street Motor Show will provide a welcome relief from less-than-dazzling light displays, C-list celebrities and frazzled fellow shoppers.
On Saturday 5 November the RAC and the Regent Street Association will join forces to present a free motoring spectacular that will reflect the best of veteran cars and brand-new green vehicles.
The Regent Street Motor Show will cover more than a third of a mile of the famous London shopping parade — from Piccadilly Circus up to Conduit Street. The centrepiece will be the Concours d’Elegance, which will include around 100 19th-century veteran cars. Drivers and passengers will be in elegant period attire — so as not to detract from the beauty of the vehicles.
In a neat twist, the Regent Street Motor Show will act as a sort of crossover event for two major rallies centred around Brighton that weekend.
So, if you’re a fan of the annual London to Brighton Veteran Car Run, the Regent Street Motor Show will offer a preview of some of the vehicles taking part in Sunday’s rally.
For those more interested in eco-friendly cars than elegant motoring, the Brighton to London RAC Future Car Challenge will also take place on Saturday 5 November. Visitors to London will able to see some of the energy-efficient 21st-century cars that have just completed the run up from the South Coast.
Twentieth-century cars will also get their share of the spotlight at the inaugural Regent Street Motor Show, in a celebration of 1960s motoring. For a few hours “Swinging London” will swing again, as Jaguar E-type and Mini Cooper both celebrate a half century. (Feel free to turn up in a miniskirt or flares.)
The organisers are expecting crowds of up to 250,000 for the Regent Street Motor Show, which runs from 10.30am to 4pm. That figure would be even higher if they could find a 007 to get behind the wheel of the Jaguar E-type.
September 14, 2011
Yo-Auto opens its doors at Frankfurt 2011
Cheap and green are not words I’d normally associate with Russian billionaires. But among the new faces at Frankfurt 2011 is the appealingly named Yo-Auto — a venture that teams the Russian truck maker Yarovit with Mikhail Prokhorov’s Onexim investment group.
Wealthy Russians put football teams and fast cars high on their list of “Must Haves” and Prokhorov already owns the New Jersey Nets basketball team. He’s ranked only the world’s 59th richest man, according to Forbes, which must give him the oligarch’s equivalent of an inferiority complex.
Still, Prokhorov’s fortune is estimated $13.4 billion — a sum that would purchase quite a few Yo-Auto cars. That’s because the new company isn’t about high-end motors. The aim is to produce eco-friendly hybrids that will cost less than $10,000 (around £6,200).
In December 2010 Prokhorov unveiled models ranging between $12,000-15,000 and covering the hatchback, van and crossover markets. This week Frankfurt got a look at the Yo Concept, which uses a range extender petrol engine. But Yo-Auto says that the first little Yos to roll off the production line will include conventional petrol engines.
Yo-Auto CEO Andrei Biryukov says they’ll have to buy car parts that are not manufactured in Russia. This would include electronics and some parts of the suspension system.
In August work began on constructing a new plant near St Petersburg to manufacture these budget-price vehicles. Yo-Auto envisages an initial capacity of 45,000 cars per annum, which would double during the second phase. The plant is due to come on stream in the second half of 2012.
The pictures of the Yo-Concept reveal a stylish design with capacious doors that offer easy access for partying oligarchs.
But you have to wonder how the Yo-mobile itself will fare when it eventually hits the roads. Though it promises to do an eco-friendly 67mpg, will a top speed of 75mph and a cruising range of 249 miles really cut it in the millionaire playgrounds of Europe?
September 9, 2011
Boris plugs the Renault Fluence Z.E. at EcoVelocity
Can anything upstage London’s ebullient Mayor, Boris Johnson? He was active on both sides of the Thames yesterday, with wheelchair tennis in Trafalgar Square and a test drive of Renault’s Fluence Z.E. saloon at Battersea Power Station.
London’s great white elephant (I mean the Power Station) was hosting Boris and EcoVelocity 2011, the Low Carbon Motor Festival. UK consumers got their first sight of the 100 per cent electric Fluence Z.E when the Mayor took part in the opening parade of electric and low-carbon vehicles.
Swapping his usual bicycle for something with a more 21st-century profile, Boris said: “I was delighted to try out one of Renault’s electric vehicles and glide it silently around the EcoVelocity test track.” It seems unlikely that Boris would do anything quietly, so perhaps Renault’s stylish 5-seater has more going for it than I realised.
The four-door Fluence Z.E will go on sale in the UK in the first half of 2012. (Just in time for those Olympic traffic jams.) It will be priced from £17,850 on the road — that takes account of the generous deduction of £5,000 for the government’s Plug-In Car Grant. That scheme runs until 31 March 2012 and also covers vehicles like the Vauxhall Ampera, Chevrolet Volt and Toyota Prius Plug-In.
An extra financial incentive for Fluence Z.E buyers is that they will be hiring rather than purchasing the vehicle’s lithium-ion battery. So, for £69.60 per month (including VAT) you can banish your fears of battery longevity and replacement costs.
Renault’s vision for an electric vehicle future also includes the two-seater Twizy, priced at a competitive £6,690 and an electric van, the Kangoo Van Z.E.
Not content with covering the Capital with bike stands, Boris is also firmly behind the Source London network, which aims to provide a membership scheme with 1300 charge points in place by 2013.
EcoVelocity 2011 will run from 8-11 September — unless those “range anxiety” fears prove valid and it runs out of juice.
September 6, 2011
Productiv Bridges the Gap
These men look pretty pleased with themselves and why not. Don’t be fooled by the picture: they haven’t reinvented the wheel or auditioned to replace Jeremy, James and Richard on Top Gear. (Sorry guys, you just don’t have that middle-aged public schoolboy look.) No, these are the faces behind Productiv Limited, a new UK business created to help bring new technology developers to the marketplace.
Productiv’s support should create a mutually beneficial way for small- and medium-sized companies to work with international vehicle manufacturers and their tier 1 suppliers. Chief executive Richard Bruges (above, centre) says “It links new technology developers with the investment, engineering, production and commercial partners necessary for bringing upcoming low carbon technologies to market.”
These are tough times for European vehicle manufacturers with customers increasingly nervous about splashing out on a new set of wheels. Then they face a decade of worrying about huge fines, should they fail to to meet emissions regulations targets. What can be done?
That’s where the superheroes of Productiv come in. The company will allow both the technology producers and their end users to start small and keep risks low, beginning with low-volume production runs of up to 20,000 units.
The innovators, movers and shakers will get expert help from Productiv about developing their product and satisfying their customers but without having to give up valuable intellectual property rights.
For the manufacturers, Bruges says they’ll be able to “access essential new technologies from outside their supply chain without exposing themselves to unacceptable risks of dealing direct with small businesses”.
This sounds like a veiled reference to some of the mad inventors you see every week on Dragons’ Den. So it’s appropriate that Productiv will be involved in the technology presentations at this week’s Low Carbon Vehicle Event at Rockingham, hosted by Cenex.
Major vehicle manufacturers, including BMW, General Motors and Jaguar Land Rover will sit in on a series of five-minute presentations from the technology developers. Bruges hopes the focus will be on problem solving and in particular on emissions reduction solutions.
Will this new spin on Dragons’ Den be friendly and non-confrontational? We hope so.
September 1, 2011
Sparking Interest: the Hyundai ix35 FCEV
There’s just a week to go before the start of EcoVelocity 2011, an event modestly billed on its own website as “not your usual motor show”. If you head to London’s Battersea Power Station next week, it probably won’t be a new Porsche firing your imagination but the Hyundai ix35 FCEV (Fuel Cell Electric Vehicle).
This will be the UK debut of a car that represents Hyundai’s third generation of FCEV. Passenger rides in the Hyundai ix35 FCEV will be on offer. So if you’ve got a Twitter account and a yearning to experience “future travel”, a ride in this hydrogen-powered car might be a good way to attract more followers.
Hyundai claims that this futuristic vehicle offers the same convenience as traditional internal combustion engines. If range anxiety keeps you awake at night, you’ll want to know that the Hyundai ix35 FCEV has a driving range of 360 miles (580km, if you prefer). It offers a maximum speed of 100mph and the zero-to-62mph time is 12.8 seconds.
The fuel cell stack of the ix35 FCEV is capable of operating at temperatures as low as -25 degrees Celsius. More important, owners can cruise around secure in the knowledge that the only emissions they’ll be inflicting on the environment are water vapour.
But where does the Hyundai ix35 FCEV go after you’ve enjoyed a few laps of the track in SW11? Well, it’s all part of the company’s move towards the commercialisation of FCEV. Earlier in 2011 it signed a memorandum of understanding to run test fleets of FCEVs. Already there have been test drives in Korea and Copenhagen.
According to Tony Whitehorn of Hyundai UK: “The ultimate goal would be to see zero-emission vehicles on UK roads within the next few years; however, the market and local infrastructure will be the real determinant of this.”
Reading between the lines, it sounds as though zero-emission is still a long way away from being a reality. But if you want a green-themed and fun day out with the kids, a low-carbon motor festival in Battersea is just around the corner.
August 18, 2011
Eco Friendly Trio: the New Kia Picanto, Rio and Optima
Other manufacturers will be green with envy when they hear about Kia’s latest success. Well, that might be a bit of an exaggeration, but the Korean manufacturer did get a big pat on the back for the eco credentials of the new Kia Picanto, Rio and Optima.
The technical inspection body TÜV Nord rated these models highly both for low tailpipe emissions and the overall greenness of the manufacturing process. As a result they’ve been granted ISO 14040 Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) status. The Kia Sportage received similar accreditation in 2010.
So what does it all mean for consumers and for the environment? One key factor is that the new Kia Picanto, Rio and Optima all offer competitive running costs. The Rio B-segment hatchback does best of this bunch. It boasts the lowest CO2 output — an impressive 85 g/km — of any internal combustion engine car currently on sale in Europe. That’s even better than the Hybrids.
An LCA inspection rates the environmental impact of the vehicle throughout its lifetime. Choice of materials, exhaust emissions and recycling are all put under the microscope. (I wonder how ostrich leather and lizard skin would score in an LCA assessment?)
But this isn’t just about new Kia Picanto, Rio and Optima being good for motorists. In the bigger picture, Kia is also being rated highly for the way it produces the cars. The company’s plant in Zilina, Slovakia has already been certified as “environmentally friendly” in 2008. As Kia’s Benny Oeyen puts it, this recognition is also for “the quality and efficiency of [the cars'] production methods, for achieving the highest levels of safety and for their striking design”.
If you can’t wait to drive one of these lean, green, LCA-rated vehicles, the new Kia Picanto has been available in the UK since June. The Rio will go on sale from 1 September, and if you want the new D-segment Optima saloon it will be coming to a showroom near you later in the year.
May 15, 2011
Renault Twizy to Cost Just £6,690!
By now I am sure that you have all heard of the Twizy, an inquisitive mix of city car and scooter that seats no more than two people. Renault has now announced that the Twizy will be available for purchase as of next year, and will cost you just £6,690!
Revealed at the Paris Motor Show last October, the Twizy is powered by a 17hp electric motor with a range of 62 miles and fully recharges in three and a half hours.
It measures at just 2.32-metres long, 1.19-metres wide and 1.46-metres tall. Even though it is not quite big enough for a boot, it comes with a 31-litre lockable cubby-hole perfect for keeping your briefcase: the urban commuters dream.
On top of the initial £6,690 Renault is charging £40 a month to lease the battery on a 3 year agreement. In the future there may be an option to buy the whole unit. As of now the £40 a month may seem a little steep, however it is a sort of insurance policy as Renault will replace the battery if anything goes wrong or if you feel it is starting to lose power.
If you live anywhere near a city, expect to see a lot of these wacky quadricycles hitting the streets next year!
May 1, 2011
Chevrolet Volt and Nissan LEAF Crash Test Results.
America’s Institute for Highway Safety have awarded both the Chevrolet Volt and the Nissan LEAF the institutes highly sought after, Top Safety Pick award for state-of-the-art crash protection.
It was the very first US crash test evaluations on electric cars, and they both excelled in all four areas including front, side, rear and rollover crash protection.
Joe Nolan, the Institute’s Chief Administrative Officer says, “What powers the wheels is different, but the level of safety for the Volt and Leaf is as high as any of our other top crash test performers.”
It goes to show that green cars really are the way forward.
April 28, 2011
Electric Car Comes with its Own Built in EV Scooter!
Combining both a car and a scooter in order to boost double barrier-free accessibility, Geely’s McCar is the first ever make of its kind!
McCar made its debut at the recent Shanghai Motor Show, alongside several other new pre-production models from Geely.
The main concept behind the hybrid vehicle is to help ease inner city congestion. McCar does this as you can park the main body of the car out-of-town, and then continue the rest of your journey on the scooter.
The car itself is capable of around 93 miles per charge, with the electric scooter expecting to have a charge of 18 miles. This may mark the new trend for combo vehicles around the world!
2011 World Green Car Goes to the Chevrolet Volt
The Nissan LEAF may have won the 2011 World Car of the Year, but just as prestigiously the Chevrolet Volt has won the title of the 2011 World Green Car.
Chosen similarly to the World Car of the Year, the 3 finalists were the BMW 320d Efficient Dynamics, the Nissan LEAF and the first place Chevrolet Volt.
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