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Eco Rally Sparks Conversation About the Future of Transport

Sally Hill | 08.07.10

Yesterday a convoy of ‘alternatively-fuelled’ vehicles converged at the starting line of the 2010 Bridgestone Eco Rally in Brighton. The event finished in Hyde Park, London and celebratory drinks were had at an award ceremony at the Royal College of Art.

The day was not short of celebrities and glitz, among the spectators and drivers were TV presenters Lisa Rogers and Kevin McCloud, motoring journalist Quentin Willson, Energy and Climate Change Secretary Chris Huhne and past and present F1 drivers and engineers.

Lisa Rogers, who presents Channel 4’s Scrapheap Challenge, was participating in the eco rally for the third year. She competed in her own car, an Audi A4, which she converted to run on vegetable oil. She said ‘In terms of running, it's great as it's so much cheaper. It's a bit messy but I have a farm where we have the space for a chip fat filter. It's not as convenient as going to a petrol station but, that said, it's incredibly cheap by comparison with filling up your engine with diesel.’

Chris Huhne, Energy and Climate Secretary took part, and commented that ‘What this event gets across is that electric and low carbon vehicles have really come of age. They are no longer just souped-up milk floats.'

The vehicles’ energy sources ranged from hybrid to electric to hydrogen-powered and major manufacturers supporting this year's event, including BMW, Citroen, Lotus, Tesla and Honda. The Honda CR-Z, the world's first sport hybrid, was first past the post. 

Sadly, our friends at Zero Carbonista were forced to pull put at the last minute and could not race the ‘Nemesis’ wind car. However, the car is still being developed, and we’ll keep you up to date with its release.

The twittersphere followed the day enthusiastically, with the #ecorally hashtag seeing snaps posted throughout the day and rivalries coming to the surface.

The day also helped to spark conversations online about sustainability and the future of transport. Eddie Irvine, who participated, noted that he could happily live in most parts of the world without a conventional car, and that it’s ‘a very interesting period in the world in terms of what is going to happen over the next 20 years.’

One tweeter made the challenge: ‘The very idea of an eco rally is an oxymoron. You are still using unnecessary energy.’ We hope the Eco Rally will spark an ongoing conversation and inspire more Brits to think about alternatives to travel as we have known it.
 

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