Share

BMW's 2.3/100km 1 Series

LONDON, England - A BMW 116d EfficientDynamics hatchback earned the Best Internal Combustion Engine award at the UK's RAC Future Car Challenge 2012 by achieving 2.3 litres/100km over a 102km journey from Brighton to London, England.

The event was tied in with the annual Veteran Car Run.
 
The route included many uphills and traffic but event organisers recorded a 39% improvement over the official 3.1/100km figure.

The 116d was driving by engineer Paul Andrews and Green-Car-Guide.com editor Paul Clarke. The pair have won nine eco-driving events and 24 class wins in special-stage rallies.

As well as competing in the event, the Green-Car-Guide team also drove the vehicle over a 800km return trip from north-western England to the country's south coast event start and returned 2.6/100km.

CLEANEST BMW YET


Clarke said: “It is an incredible achievement for a BMW to achieve such figures on a busy Saturday morning drive from Brighton into central London. Hybrids and electric cars certainly have an important future but it shows that people shouldn’t write off the internal combustion engine yet - its efficiency is improving all the time.”

The challenge, first held in 2010, sees competitors drive electric, hybrid, hydrogen and low-emission petrol and diesel vehicles, using the least amount of energy possible.
 
Steve Chater, BMW UK's corporate operations manager, said: “We know our cars are class-leaders when it comes to efficiency and driving pleasure but this result raises the bar. Being able to achieve better than 2.3/100km is an outstanding result and this is on top of it being the cleanest BMW yet, offered for sale in the UK courtesy of 99g/km CO2 emissions.”

GREEN CAR AWARDS

Renault's battery Zoe scooped the most efficient small car and electric vehicle award. Opel/Vauxhall's Ampera earned the best mid-sized vehicle award while Mercedes-Benz E300 hybrid recieved the most efficient luxury ride title.

The BMW 116d EfficientDynamics was the only premium brand vehicle in its class.

Here are the other winners from the event:
 
Production Vehicles                               
Most efficient small car - Renault Zoe
Most efficient regular car – Vauxhall Ampera
Most efficient luxury car - Mercedes-Benz E300 Hybrid
Most efficient light commercial vehicle (LCV) – Renault Kangoo Van
Best electric vehicle (EV) -  Renault Zoe
Best extended range vehicle - Vauxhall Ampera
Best Hybrid Vehicle - Mercedes-Benz E300 Hybrid
Best fuel cell vehicle – Vauxhall HydroGen4
Best internal combustion engine - BMW 116d EfficientDynamics
 
Prototype Vehicles
Most efficient small car  –  Cree SAM Moto-e3
Most efficient luxury vehicle –  Jaguar XJe
Most efficient sports Car -  Windreich AG ME 2012
Most efficient LCV –  Mercedes-Benz Vito electric mini bus
Best EV - Windreich AG ME 2012
Best extended range vehicle – Politecnico Di Torino

Public choice awards -  Windreich AG – ME 2012
We live in a world where facts and fiction get blurred
Who we choose to trust can have a profound impact on our lives. Join thousands of devoted South Africans who look to News24 to bring them news they can trust every day. As we celebrate 25 years, become a News24 subscriber as we strive to keep you informed, inspired and empowered.
Join News24 today
heading
description
username
Show Comments ()