Lord Sebastian Coe, chairman of the London Organising Committee of the Olympic Games and Paralympic Games(LOCOG) has announced that BMW will become the Automotive Partner of the 2012 London Games.

BMW will provide around 4,000 vehicles which will be used to transport athletes, officials, media, LOCOG team members and other sports federation and marketing partners. As LOCOG has set challenging targets for CO2 emissions, BMW will also be providing a fleet of vehicles that meet European 6 emissions standard and also beat the average of 120 g/km CO2 target set by LOCOG.  BMW also intends to showcase electric vehicles as well.

Peugeot i0n

Peugeot has started to take reservations for its new electric car, the i0n, which goes on sales at the end of 2010. This zero emissions electric vehicle offers a range of 80 miles on a full charge and will reach 80mph.

The i0n is ideal for urban driving and Peugeot sees this electric car suiting both private, fleet and local authority users. The car develops 84bhp, has four seats and can be re-charged in six hours using a conventional mains power supply, or recharged to 80% capacity within thirty minutes on “fast charge”. 

You can register your interest now @ www.peugeot.co.uk

Corsa ecoFLEX

Vauxhall has launched their new 3-door Corsa ecoFLEX which will be available to order from January 2010. Boasting 98g/km CO2 and a combined fuel consumption of 76.3mpg this car is bound to be an attractive model for many company car drivers. Even in five-door trim the ecoFLEX achieves 99g/km.

The car is powered by a punchy 1.3 CDTi diesel engine (95PS) and uses a variable geometry turbocharger which significantly increases performance and efficiency. The car reaches 0-62mph in 12.3 seconds and has a maximum speed of 110mph (where permitted). The Corsa ecoFLEX is available in Life and Club trim only and once full pricing has been announced, we will be loading Vauxhall car leasing prices.

Electric scooter

Well we knew cars were being launched with zero emissions but now ”two wheels” has come of age with the launch of a new range of two wheeled stylish electric scooters by e-motive.

The three debut models are the e1 ,e3 and e5 which employ the very latest in battery electric technology, offering tax exempt travel at as little as one penny per mile. Add in a two year warranty with AA cover and a dealer network of 25 across the UK and this new electric scooter looks a winner.

Greener Tepee

The new Peugeot Partner Tepee class leading MPV has now got “Greener” with a new Euro 5 petrol engine offering a 12.5% reduction in fuel consumption and a 15% reduction on CO2 emissions.

The Partner Tepee S model will now be powered by a 1.6-litre 120bhp VTi Euro 5 petrol engine, previously seen in the 207 and 308 model range. Using their class leading Variable Valve Lift and Timing injection (VTi) technology plus an inlet valve lift system, Peugeot is also using these two innovations to improve the engine’s thermodynamic efficiency and further reduce fuel consumption and CO2.

Audi Automatic with start-stop

The compact Audi A3 hatchback is the first car in the premium sector to combine an automatic transmission with the economy focussed start-stop technology. The fuel saving start-stop function was previously only reserved for four-cylinder manual gearbox models. However Audi has now launched this facility with their much praised S tronic twin-clutch automatic transmission.

The start-stop system also uses recuperation technology to harness kinetic energy, generated during braking, to also improve fuel economy. The first models to benefit will be the Audi A3 1.4 TFSI and 1.6 TDI models with deliveries for December if you order now.

The 1.4 TFSI reaches 0-62mph in 9.3 seconds and offers a combined mpg of 53.3 and a CO2 emissions figure of 124g/km. The 1.6 TDI figures are 11.7 seconds for 0-62mph, a combined mpg of 67.3 and a CO2 figure of only 109g/km. Audi car leasing prices are available now.

Toyota iQ

Toyota has been awarded the title of “Greenest Car Manufacturer” by cleangreencars.co.uk and is the first manufacturer in the UK to dip below 130g/km level for mean carbon emissions across their range.

cleangreancars.co.uk has calculated that the average emissions are 129.15g/km. The Prius leads the way with CO2 emissions from 89g/km, however iQ, Aygo, Yaris, Urban Cruiser and Auris all offer low CO2 car emissions as well.

Ford Focus BEV

The London Borough of Hillingdon is looking for 20 households in the borough to trial Ford Focus BEV (Battery Electric Vehicle) prototypes, over a three month period.

The Council will ask the 20 households to participate in accessing the charging infrastructure that will be installed in 2010, plus they will all be given domestic charging points. The five vehicles will come from a fleet of Ford Focus BEVs that have been provided by a consortium that includes Ford, Scottish and Southern Energy and Strathclyde University, as well as Hillingdon Borough themselves.

This initiative is partly funded with public monies and is part of the UK’s Government Technology Strategy Board (TSB) goal, which is to promote industry-led projects to reduce CO2 emissions in cars and commercial vehicles.

 Technical data

The Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) has commented on the first Committe of Climate Change (CCC) report to Parliament on the government progress towards meeting the carbon budget targets by 2020.

The Committee identified three areas where it believes we can reduce the CO2 emissions from road transport namely;

1) Improving the efficiency of petrol and diesel powered cars.

2) Widespread roll out of electric cars. 

3) Ensuring the infrastructure is in place to support this.

Paul Everitt, chief executive of the SMMT said,”The Committee recognises that a portfolio of technologies will deliver emissions reductions in the medium term and if longer term targets are to be achieved ,incentives and an integrated approach between industry ,fuel companies and government will be crucial for the uptake of electric vehicles.

“Industry, through the work of the New Automotive Innovation and Growth Team, has established a technology roadmap and researched priorities to enable widespread delivery of ultra-low carbon transport solutions,” he concluded.

Lexus RX 450h

The luxury Lexus RX 450h SUV achieved an average 54.75mpg on the FleetWorld/ALD MPG Marathon. That is pretty good going for a vehicle that weighs over two tonnes and is powered by a 3.5-litre V6 petrol engine, as well as the Lexus Hybrid Drive powertrain.

The results were achieved by Lexus’s driving team of David Crouch and Richard Lacey and this excellent fuel performance coupled with a low CO2 emissions rating of only 148g/km make the Lexus an appealing car leasing package.