Blogs

What is your vision for sustainable living in 20 years' time? Competition "Generation '92" offers the opportunity for young Europeans born in 1991, 1992 or 1993 to make a video showing their vision of a sustainable future. The winners will be invited to take part in an event on sustainable development in Copenhagen on 5 June. The best entries will also win a total of €6,000 in cash prizes.

Environmentally-friendly transport isn't all sackcloth and sandals, as VansA2Z discovered on the 2011 Bridgestone Eco-Rally behind the wheel of a Ford Transit Connect Electric, converted to battery power by Azure Dynamics.

Bridgestone is adding its voice to the debate on the MOT test and is urging the government to rethink the proposed changes, which could come into force in 2012.

To celebrate the centenary of Ford of Britain in 2011 the company is exploring its photo archive to reveal rarely seen images.

From the early Model T's production system that made motoring affordable, to the latest electric Transit Connect vans, Ford has a long tradition of breaking new ground and entering new markets.

There are certainly fast green cars out there, as we recently proved in our mini 'green grand prix' at Silverstone. However, energy efficiency is greatly reduced when travelling in excess of 70mph and this is one of the main reasons why 'eco-friendly' cars are generally 'not that fast'. A top speed of over 70mph is largely irrelevant anyway as there are few places in the world where it's actually legal to drive that fast. Despite this, we can't help but fantasize about super-fast cars and it's often used as a very effective selling point.

Here at eco-rally.org, we do publish the top speed for every vehicle that has appeared in our events, but we also publish the more useful 'average city speed', i.e. how fast you can accelerate to the speed-limit and maintain it whilst zipping through congested traffic. This is where small, lightweight electric cars and bikes tend to excel. Registered users can compare all green vehicle stats here: http://www.eco-rally.org/compare.

ITV national coverage of the 2011 Bridgestone Eco-Rally, featuring the Lotus Exige Tri-fuel and the GenEco Biobug | More videos...

Dr Martin Dare-Edwards, Country Manager for Infineum UK, and also Chairman of the Oxfordshire Local Enterprise Partnership, took to the wheel of a Tesla Roadster for the start and first leg of the Bridgestone 2011 Eco-Rally on Sunday 31st July.

Issue 4 of Cleantech Magazine is devoted to covering the 2011 Bridgestone Eco-Rally with special interviews & features on some of the key players and hidden cleantech gems, plus profiles of every exhibitor and stats on every vehicle in the event.