Go to previous story
Email to a friend
Print articleThe event was very well supported by the mass market car manufacturers and a few prototype and specialised manufacturers, including BMW, Ford, Honda, Vauxhall/Opel/GM, Peugeot/Citro?n, Saab, Nice, Cycles Maximus, Intelligent Energy, Modec, Reva (G-Wiz) and Vectrix.
The event was also attended by Greenfleet and Good Going (soon to come under Transport for London) who were promoting alternatives to driving (walking, cycling, public transport) and better, more environmentally friendly, ways of driving.
Driving the cars were a number of representatives and celebrities including Vicki Butler-Henderson, of Channel 5's Fifth Gear, and Quentin Willson, motoring journalist and presenter.
Vicki Butler-Henderson drove the Honda Civic petro-electric hybrid which has 1.4 litre petrol engine and a CVT gearbox. Of the ride from Brighton, Butler-Henderson said that it felt just like an ordinary car. Asked if she would be buying one, she said that ?it doesn't fit into her lifestyle?. Not a surprising response from a holder of a racing license, but an honest response to the range of options currently available to the public. This Civic is the only eco-car in Honda's UK range. Until there are eco-options across the whole range take-up is likely to be slow.
But perhaps Vicki Butler-Henderson should have a go in BMW's offering: a 7-Series Hydrogen-Petrol Internal Combustion Engine. Being a 7-Series the performance is in a different league to the Civic 1.4 hybrid with a top speed of 143mph. Quentin Willson certainly had plenty of praise for BMW's bold step into hydrogen: ?they've picked hydrogen and are saying to everyone else 'what are you going to do?'?. As for the drive from Brighton he said, ?the technology is here now, it works and it doesn't break down.?
Whereas BMW has plumbed for Hydrogen, Ford is hedging its bets. At Revolve, Ford presented a hydrogen fuel cell Explorer and a bioethanol Focus. Sabine Flanz of Ford's Alternative Powertrains department in Aachen, Germany, acknowledged that Ford is still developing a number of strategies before deciding on any one, unlike BMW who ?really need the hydrogen to take off.?
So, where is all this activity going to lead? The consensus is that hybrids are the short and medium-term alternative, but hydrogen is the end-game. Biofuels are increasingly on shaky ground with concerns over competition between food and fuel crops.
What is disabling hydrogen is the lack of infrastructure; though, with proper government backing, it can take-off. Norway has a 'hydrogen highway', and Governor Schwarzenegger is hydrogen's biggest fan: already California has 24 hydrogen stations in operation, with another 15 being planned.
Willson is unequivocal about the political situation: ?the politicians have under-estimated public interest in alternative fuels ... they talk, but do nothing.? Jason Davoto, of Greenfleet, was equally vocal about the government's commitment to the environment: ?the Budget didn't go far enough. There needs to be a real incentive for people to buy alternative fuel cars.? Davoto believes that change is going to be instigated by business, but they ?need a route out? of their current practices.
While motor manufacturers are looking at alternative fuels, other organisations are looking at alternative ownership. WhizzGo is a club that allows you to book a car for as little as 1 hour. It is currently working in 8 cities in England. In London, it is exempt from the Congestion Charge. Why is this good for the environment? WhizzGo claim that for every one WhizzGo car, five people sell or scrap a car; and car club members drive fewer miles than car owners.
What if cars are not your thing? Revolve also had three motorcycle alternatives: Intelligent Energy's ENV fuel-cell motorbike; Vectrix Maxi Scooter (electric and hydrogen) and Cycles Maximus' trike (electric).
The Vectrix is an ordinary scooter but comes either as an electric model, complete with 3-pin plug to plug into your domestic electricity supply, or a new model which has a hydrogen fuel-cell. The Vectrix incorporates ?regenerative braking capture? technology which allows your braking to charge the batteries.
The ENV is a prototype being developed by Intelligent Energy (a hydrogen fuel-cell specialist) in partnership with Suzuki. Their bike looks like something out of Buck Rogers, but adheres to the non-grease ethos, even to the drive chain which is replaced with a alternator-type belt.
What happens next? The motor manufacturers are showing us what they can do. ?The decision? - as ?our Graham? might say - ?is yours.?
