Green car fever hits Rockingham

This year's GreenFleet Arrive 'N' Drive on 26 May was buzzing with activity with fleet managers test driving the latest low-carbon vehicles around Rockingham's first class race track

With fuel prices crippling for many organisations, buying greener vehicles is no longer just something that enhances your corporate image but a necessity which deeply affects your bottom line.
    
In recognition of this, GreenFleet’s Arrive ‘n’ Drive, which took place on 26 May at Rockingham, Northamptonshire, opened its doors to fleet managers and allowed them to test drive the latest green vehicles on a first-class race track to prove that buying green doesn’t have to mean a compromise in performance.
    
Attendees were also able to take in a huge range of products and services that help reduce the running cost and CO2 emissions of their transport operations.
    
EVENT FIRSTS
A new layout meant that the manufacturers taking part this year had more vehicles available for test drive than ever before, with the likes of Citroen, Honda, Vauxhall, SEAT, Volkswagen, Kia, Peugeot, Mitsubishi, Ford, Volvo, Toyota, Lexus, Hyundai and TATA all displaying their latest low-carbon offerings.
    
The event was the first opportunity for UK fleet managers to see and test drive the dynamic Ampera, Vauxhall’s range-extended electric vehicle, due out in 2012.
    
Fully booked all day, the Ampera was a hit with visitors curious to see how the range-extended electric vehicle takes to the road.
    
The Vauxhall Ampera fixes the shortfalls associated with conventional electric vehicles, mainly ‘range anxiety’ – the nagging question “will the battery get me to where I need to go and back again?”
    
The Ampera works as a standard electric vehicle in that it is always driven by an electric motor. It has a Lithium-ion battery which delivers up to 30 miles on a full charge. But once the battery has depleted, a petrol engine kicks-in, driving an onboard generator to supply electricity to sustain the battery. And in this mode, the car can go on for another 310 miles.
    
Ford gave the event yet another UK first – the opportunity to test drive the new Transit Connect Electric, developed with Azure Dynamics. The 192-cell 28kWh lithium-ion battery pack is housed under the load floor so that the standard van’s 3.8m3 load space potential is retained. Plugged into a 13A domestic socket it takes around eight hours to charge the pack fully.

MAIN SHOWCASE ARENA
SEAT showcased its new Ecomotive range, including the Ibiza, Leon and Altea, as well as the new Exeo Multitronic.
     
The award winning new Alhambra Ford was present on the day, as was the Fiesta ECOnetic, which offers astonishing fuel economy of 76.3 mpg (combined cycle) and exceptionally low CO2 emissions of just 98 g/km.
    
GreenFleet LCV Manufacturer of the Year, Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles, was joined by the Passenger Car Division to showcase the latest BlueMotion technology from their range.
    
Citroën displayed its all electric C-ZERO, as well the advanced new C3 and DS3 Airdream models which are under 100g/km CO2 emissions.
    
Toyota presented its range of groundbreaking hybrids, such as the Prius and Auris and were joined by Lexus, with a hybrid showcase of RX450h, GS450h and CT200h models.
    
Meanwhile, Mitsubishi Motors displayed vehicles from its Intelligent Motion range including the pure electric i-MiEV, the Colt ClearTech, the ASX Crossover and the Outlander Crossover.
    
Volvo allowed visitors to experience its nine DRIVe models with improved aerodynamics and rolling resistance, improved interiors and efficient engines.
    
Honda’s new CR-Z hybrid coupe was also a hit on race track, with visitors keen to see how this sporty looking car with low emissions of 117 g/km and fuel economy of 56.4 mpg takes to the road.
    
Hyundai showcased its current best sellers, the i10, i20 and i30, which emit below 120 g/km of CO2.
    
Delegates were also able to test drive Peugeot's new 3008 which was awarded What Car?'s Car of the Year 2010. The practicality and desirability of this vehicle is further enhanced by low CO2 emissions starting from only 130g/km.
    
Kia demonstrated its EcoDynamics range, which has cutting-edge Intelligent Stop and Go technology fitted as standard and TATA Motors demonstrated the Vista EV on the race circuit.

SMARTER DRIVING
Research suggests that if staff adopted 'smarter driving' practices every time they got behind the wheel, organisations could save 15 per cent on their fuel bills – a benefit that the drivers could also enjoy with their private mileage.
    
To explain exactly how to become a 'smarter driver' – that is, someone who adopts a fuel friendly driving style, the Energy Saving Trust (EST) was present as the event's smarter driving partner. The training incorporated a test route on the real roads where driving style and fuel consumption was observed and recorded. EST then gave simple advice on how to drive smarter to reduce fuel use. Armed with this knowledge, participants then repeated the route, putting into practice EST’s eco driving tips to see how simple changes to driver behaviour can reduce fuel consumption.             
Technology partner TomTom Business Solutions provided the fuel consumption data to give participants feedback on their 'smarter drive'.

GOING ELECTRIC
Duty of care for vehicle operators when recharging either a pure electric or plug-in hybrid vehicle is of paramount importance and it is the fleet manager’s responsibility to ensure that an employee is in a situation where they know that they are recharging safely, whether the car is at work or at the employee’s home. As the country’s largest producer of low carbon electricity and with a wealth of knowledge of working with electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles, EDF Energy were on hand in the EV Arena to advise attendees on issues such as where and how to charge, technical reporting and usage tracking.
    
mia-electric also exhibited in the EV Arena and displayed its range of plug-in electric vehicles which were launched at the Geneva Motor Show in March 2011 to wide acclaim, mainly for their innovative approach to urban mobility.
    
The distinctive, next generation urban sports bike from Agility Saietta was also available at the EV Arena, along with electric motorbikes from Swiss company QUANTYA.
    
Aixam Mega, Europe’s largest supplier of ultra-light electric vehicles, showcased their vehicle selection, as did E-Power Trucks with its range of electric utility vehicles, electric tugs and multi passenger vehicles. TATA Motors' electric ACE EV, a half-tonne commercial vehicle, was also on display.
    
Euromec Contracts attended this year and gave visitors the chance to experience the Powerflex TASK M50EV, the first utility vehicle to encompass lithium technology with a range of up to 100km and 60km/h speed.
    
Meanwhile charging bay innovators Elektromotive were be on hand to demonstrate the award winning Elektrobay, as the event's Recharging Technology partner.
    
Allied Electric showcased its modified Peugeot vehicles, which have been recognised for their Outstanding Contribution to the Scottish Environment at the Scottish Green Awards 2010, while EVC (UK), the electric vehicle specialists, also displayed a range of electric vehicles such as fork trucks, milk floats, tow tractors, personnel carriers, utility vehicles and locomotives.
    
Low emission technology development company, Ashwoods Automotive, displayed a range of hybrid and LPG vans and were on hand to discuss how their vehicles and technologies can contribute to real and substantial CO2 and fuel usage savings.

INDOOR EXHIBITION
Complimenting the extensive selection of eco-vehicles, visitors took to the indoor exhibition to familiarise themselves with the products and services available to green your fleet, network with peers, and pick the brains of the many industry experts present on the day.
    
Award-winning, low carbon rental company, Greenmotion, was on-hand to discuss its green contract hire, while Lex Autolease gave advice on fleet management and funding issues.
    
TRACKER demonstrated products that provide businesses important details of their fleet activity, enabling them to make better decisions about how to run their fleet.
    
CMS SupaTrak demonstrated its award winning EcoTrak fuel saving technology throughout the day, while Trimble showcased a range of telematics and tracking products, such as DriverSafety™, which monitors driver behaviour, fuel use and CO2 emissions.
    
Michelin exhibited its low rolling resistance tyres and ATS Euromaster were on-hand to talk about their tyre management solutions.
Meanwhile RL Automotive displayed its portable and drive-over tyre wear diagnostic equipment using laser and Bluetooth technology. And for better tyre maintenance, TAC-Scan demonstrated its products that deliver fast, laser precise measurements of tyre tread and wear.
    
Schneider Electric was also available to discuss how the company can help enable the widespread adoption of electric vehicles, by ensuring that users and installations are safe, and making charging stations accessible and easy to use within existing infrastructure.
    
Autodrain exhibited its depollution products and systems that enable businesses to maximise profit potential from the petrol and diesel in their vehicles.
    
For a whole range of green services, Big Green Book – the UK’s premiere environmental and promotional business network – was on hand to help attendees align their business operations with environmental management.

ROCKINGHAM
With over three miles of race circuits available, Rockingham is an inspirational venue offering amazing backdrops for the ultimate driving events. Centrally located, Rockingham is easily accessible from the A1, M1 and A14, within easy reach of London and 30 minutes from Bedford.
    
The venue is the first purpose built race track in the UK since Brooklands in 1907 and has transformed the industrial wasteland left by the British steel works into an asset that the people of Corby and Northamptonshire are justly proud of.
    
Rockingham has been designed with safety as a foremost concern, and proudly holds one of the best safety records of all European circuits, as well as offering carbon neutral conferencing facilities, driver training courses and track days.
    
Rockingham offers multiple in-field circuit configurations, featuring hairpins, straights and chicanes with ample passing and run-off areas. Unique to the UK, the Wet Grip facility can simulate a variety of driving conditions including ice, rain and slippery wet leaves. These different road conditions are simulated at much slower speeds than in normal driving and in a fully controlled environment. The area is designed to give drivers a greater understanding of the latest ABS, traction control and crash mitigating technologies, and the way that they affect vehicle control.

For more information
www.arrivendrive.greenfleet.net