The Bridgestone Eco Rally takes place today with the latest ultra-low and zero emission vehicles driving in convoy from Brighton's seafront to London's Hyde Park.
Now in its fourth year, this year's event is set to be bigger than ever with stars from the world of F1 attending, and vehicles from major manufacturers including BMW, Ford, Tesla, TH!NK, MINI and Honda.
For the first year, two members of the WhatGreenCar team are taking part, travelling in an aftermarket converted electric Citroen C1 ev'ie. WhatGreenCar are doing so in partnership with Best Buy, a company well established in the US which launched in the UK earlier this year who are selling the ev'ie online. Best Buy aim to open 200 stores over the next year, and are particularly focused upon environmental issues, not only within the automotive sector but in all aspects of their product sales.
Visually, the ev'ie is identical to a factory produced C1, but the Electric Car Cooperation (ECC) has essentially removed the original petrol or diesel combustion engine and replaced it with a 30 kW Lithium-ion battery pack, giving the C1 ev'ie a new price tag of £16,850.
One of the major aims of the Eco Rally is to demonstrate the positive aspects of adopting low or zero emission vehicles. This year's event is also a response to the results of an online survey commissioned by Bridgestone, which finds that the UK public are still dubious about the green cars of the future.
The survey finds that:
* 23% of people in the UK would not buy or drive an eco friendly vehicle
* 42% of these believed that electric and hydrogen vehicles would be a hassle to fill up or charge
* Nearly a third of these were worried about the power of eco friendly vehicles
* 37% of these believed that lower emission vehicles would be too expensive to buy
* 17% of these believed that lower emission vehicles would be too expensive to run
TV motoring journalist, Quentin Willson, who has driven in the last three Eco Rallies said, "These stats prove that there is a lot of confusion and myth about green cars, particularly about range, cost and performance. The biggest challenge is getting people to drive these cars. Once they do, all doubts evaporate."
"However, huge strides are being made in this area and we are keen to demonstrate at the Bridgestone Eco Rally that sustainable motoring really has hit the mainstream. For motorists who want cheaper fuel and energy choices this is only event in the world that showcases just how clever, usable and desirable green cars have become."
For more information about the Bridgestone Eco Rally, visit eco-rally.org.
Follow the WhatGreenCar C1 ev'ie on Twitter and Facebook.
