The 2010 Bridgestone Eco-Rally will take place on Wednesday 7th July. The rally is a convoy of low and zero emission vehicles which travel the famous Veteran Car Run in reverse, driving from Brighton’s sea front to central London. The rally will join a green transport exhibition at the finish line which is free to attend.

Both elements of the event are once again organised by Revolve, whose founders are committed to accelerating the market for zero emission transport.

Steven Glaser from Revolve said; “For the past three years, the Eco-Rally has received lots of attention from the media and well-known supporters and partners. To have a major sponsor such as Bridgestone on-board with their F1 contacts adds a new twist to what is already a unique and innovative event.

“It really shows the British public that industry is developing green alternatives to conventional transport and we are confident that the new breed of eco vehicles can live up to the expectations of the F1 drivers.”

Previous Eco-Rallies pioneered the demonstration of hydrogen-powered vehicles and featured an extensive range of other alternative-fuel vehicles capable of driving much further than the average journey with little or no emissions from the tailpipe. Previous participants include award-winning vehicles from the likes of BMW, Honda, Ford, Mitsubishi, Nissan, Lotus, Tesla and Volvo.

This year’s Bridgestone Eco-Rally will showcase the very latest concepts and low emission technology for the masses, highlighting vehicles eligible for the Government’s forthcoming plug-in car grant.

Andy Dingley from Bridgestone said; “Bridgestone is delighted to be involved with this year’s Eco-Rally. It is a fantastic event which showcases the vehicles of the future and really shows off the versatility of the different, environmentally-friendly fuels out there.
“Climate change is not something any of us should take lightly. Bridgestone is committed to reducing the impact of motoring on the environment through the Make Cars Green initiative and to helping ensure a healthy environment for current and future generations. The Bridgestone Eco-Rally fits perfectly with our policies and ideals.”
Motorsport is the catalyst for many of today’s CleanTech products including kinetic energy recovery systems, carbon-fibre wind-turbine blades and low rolling-resistance tyres.

Confirmed partners and supporters so far for the Bridgestone Eco-Rally 2010 include Imperial College London, the Royal College of Art, Brighton and Hove Council, the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, Camden Council and Westminster Council.
For more information about the annual Eco-Rally, visit www.eco-rally.org.

Piccard said this marked the completion of the first phase of the project, confirming their choice of technical equipment. The next phase will be proper test flights in 2010. Solar panels have yet to be connected to the craft. “It’s a long way between these initial tests and a circumnavigation of the world,” said Piccard.

The project is sponsored by two Government agencies, the Department for the Environment and Rural Affairs and the Department of the Environment Northern Ireland. Both agencies are using the Renewable Materials LINK Programme. Lotus Engineering is currently undertaking a design study and the build of a single cylinder research engine for completion in January 2009. Vehicle modelling will validate the reduction in vehicle CO2 emissions. Queen’s University of Belfast’s School of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering will be adding its world leading expertise in engine simulation, with Jaguar Cars Ltd a consultative partner at all stages of development.

This engine design is expected to significantly increase fuel efficiency for sustainable bio alcohol fuels. The architecture features an innovative variable compression ratio system and uses a two-stroke operating cycle with direct fuel injection. The OMNIVORE engine will be ideally suited to flex-fuel operation with a higher degree of optimisation than is possible with existing architectures.

Mike Kimberley, Chief Executive Officer of Group Lotus Plc said: “The automotive industry is now focusing on its environmental obligations to reduce CO2 emissions and improve efficiencies and we are seeing the high technology capabilities of Lotus Engineering being in strong demand. Not only does our brand value of ‘performance through light weight’ fit perfectly with the necessary direction of the industry to produce lighter, more efficient vehicles, we are also working on all aspects of future fuels, investigating alternative powertrains to accommodate alcohol fuels as they enter the market.”

Kimberley continues: “Alcohols possess superior combustion characteristics to gasoline which allow greater optimisation. Taking full advantage of the benefits of sustainable bio alcohols will ensure a greater percentage of vehicle miles will be travelled using renewable fuels. We are delighted with the investment from DEFRA which will assist this partnership in taking forward research development and the demonstration of this environmentally conscious transport solution.”
The OMNIVORE programme complements the recently unveiled Lotus Exige 270E Tri-fuel as part of Lotus’ research to understand the complex combustion process involved in running on mixtures of alcohol fuels and gasoline, which will be important for a successful transition from today’s fuels to the sustainable, synthetic fuels of the future.

Geraint Castleton-White, Head of Powertrain at Lotus Engineering said: “The requirement to operate on gasoline in today’s flex-fuel engines limits their thermal efficiency when operating on alcohol fuels. However, the physical and chemical properties of alcohols, when compared to gasoline, provide the potential for higher thermal efficiency operation to be achieved. This single-cylinder research engine will investigate a highly thermal efficient combustion system that optimises engine performance to fully exploit the properties of both gasoline and alcohol fuels and maximise efficiency.”

Aptera, which plans to use the capital for its manufacturing plant, has set the end of this year for the release of its all-electric Typ-1, a two-seater, three-wheeled electric car whose streamlined shape might look at home in a Jetsons cartoon. The target price tag for this electric car is less than $30,000.

The electric version of the three-wheeler would drive 120 miles per charge, while a hybrid version due for release near the end of 2009 is meant to achieve 300 miles per gallon.

“The Aptera Typ-1 is designed to be the lowest-energy way to transport two passengers safely from point A to point B,” Bill Gross, chairman and CEO of start-up incubator Idealab, which backs Aptera, said in a statement.

Google’s philanthropic arm on Wednesday shared that it will split $2.75 million toward its RechargeIt initiative between Aptera and battery start-up ActaCell. Other investors in Aptera include Esenjay Investments, the Simons Family, and the Beall Family Trust.

The company said it has received 3,300 deposits of a minimum $500 each from potential customers in California.

The company’s Lightning GT is due for release later this year and the company claims it will “put British sports car innovation well and truly back on the map”.

The Lightning GT is designed to accommodate the latest battery and motor technology and reflect its 100% electric power and performance, the electric Lightning prototype is being hand-built by a small team of passionate British engineers, designers and collaborators.
Whilst the rest of the automotive world engages in the hybrid, hydrogen or electric debate, the Lightning Car Company firmly believes its 100% Electric Lightning GT will help kick start the market for performance EV’s.

The company maintains that “without a significant positive shift in perception, electric motoring will remain a huge compromise in the eyes of driving enthusiasts and therefore fail to impress the masses.”

With the build of the prototype well underway, we should see the real thing during the second half of 2008. The electric Lightning GT and Sports versions are now available to pre-order and deposits of £15,000 are being accepted.

Announcing the findings of the Gallagher Review this afternoon, Ms Kelly said there had been an increasing number of questions about indirect, less tangible affects from the production of biofuels.

She said the government would “amend rather than abandon” its policy to encourage the use of biofuels through a rising target, warning that an uncontrolled biofuels sector could impact on food prices and the destruction of the rainforest.

She recommended a “cautious approach”, saying there would be a consultation on reducing existing targets from an annual 1% increase, to a level where it would reach only 5% by 2013/14.

Ms Kelly said there would now be a consultation on the matter, and a consultation on the 2013/14 review in 2011/12. However, she said that there would not be a moratorium on biofuels, that doing so would hamper investment in clean biofuels technology.

“The report confirmed that biofuels can play a role in tackling climate change,” she insisted, “and I quote: ‘there is a future for a sustainable biofuels industry’.”

The Secretary of State went on to say that the Gallagher review considered a real need for caution with the European target of 10% renewable energy in transport fuels by 2020. She said the Gallagher report suggested a target in the region of 5-8% by 2020 would be more appropriate.

The Gallagher report said the 10% target could still be appropriate if it is accompanied by tough sustainability criteria, and Ms Kelly promised a “rigorous” review of such rules. But, she said later in the debate that the government will be pushing for a “conditional rather than binding” EU target for 2020 - conditional on the availability of biofuels that do not have indirect effects.

“It’s more of a symbolic gesture,” said the source, who asked not to be identified. “It’s very difficult to power much more than that with solar energy.”

Toyota is due to launch the third-generation Prius next year.

Big automakers are all racing to come up with alternative solutions to using fossil fuels to appear ecologically conscious and to lure consumers looking to save money at the pump.

But solar power is not seen as a viable solution to power cars. Solar panels are expensive due to rising silicon prices and storing energy is difficult, the source said. It was unknown how much the solar panels on the new Prius cars would cost, or how many solar-mounted versions Toyota would build.

Toyota has struggled to keep up with demand for the Prius as soaring gasoline prices put consumers off of gas-guzzling sport utility vehicles and pickup trucks. Rival Honda Motor Co will also step up its hybrid push with a new, low-cost model early next year, followed by several other gasoline-electric cars.

Automakers have teamed up with battery makers to develop and produce lithium-ion batteries to store more energy in smaller packages to extend cruising distances.