Car-share

The 2012 Eco-Rally logistics team will be using Zipcars and Zipvans for all essential rally support and representatives from Zipcar will be on hand at the start and finish lines to answer any queries. Joining a car club means having means saving money and emissions. A typical Zipcar member saves £3,162 per year vs. owning their own vehicle.

Mio is the official navigation partner for the 2012 Eco-Rally and the guest drivers will be putting the latest in state-of-the-art in-car navigation technology to the test from Oxford to London. Features include Trip Planner, real-time traffic information, latest weather forecasts and advanced IQ Routes™, which collects real-life information from other drivers and optimises your route accordingly, allowing you to avoid congestion on every journey you take.

Westminster City Council has partnered with Zipcar to give members access to shared cars parked across the city. Each Westminster Car Club vehicle aims to remove 15-20 privately-owned vehicles from the road, meaning less emissions and less parked cars. Member benefits include free fuel, free insurance and no congestion charge. There is an extensive range to choose from including the new Vauxhall Ampera. As most trips taken by Zipcar members are under 35 miles they could be completely free from tail-pipe emissions.

Joining a car club means having means saving money and emissions,. A typical Zipcar member saves £3,162 per year vs. owning their own vehicle. Car club models available in the UK emit 20% less CO2 per kilometer than the average British car. In the US, 10% of the population is expected to adopt car sharing as their primary mode of transportation. Millions of people saving billions of gallons of gas and oil. Factor in the savings and you've got an economic revolution.

At 30g CO₂ per passenger kilometre the express coach is the most carbon efficient form of motorised transport resulting in less than a quarter of the emissions per passenger than equivalent journey by car. Average number of people in a car is just 1.58, compared to 32 on a coach. Congestion dramatically increases CO₂ emissions from road vehicles. Under heavily congested conditions tail pipe emissions can be increased by as much as 3 or 4 times. Click here to compare CO₂ emissions from different modes of transport over various journeys.

The 2011 Bridgestone Eco-Rally convoy includes a Stagecoach double-decker bus with cutting-edge electric hybrid technology. The hybrids are smoother for passengers, quieter for pedestrians and emit ~30% less carbon, particulates and NOx than a standard vehicle. They operate at Park & Rides and on some of the busiest city centre routes. By switching just one journey in twenty-five we can remove 1 billion car journeys from our roads, and avoid 2 million tonnes of CO₂. In addition, new research proves that taking the bus rather than the car can reduce mental stress by a third.

The project to deliver a fleet of the zero emission taxis to the streets of London in time for the 2012 Olympics is on track, with the first Fuel Cell Black Cabs covering a combined total of over 8,000 miles in road and test track testing conditions. The 2011 Bridgestone Eco-Rally will be another milestone in the high profile zero emission trial. The taxi is designed to excel in rush-hour traffic, with smooth and responsive acceleration provided by the fuel cell and electric motors.