Sustainable Auto Business News: Cars Go Small, Green & Local

The Hiroko is a tiny European electric and drive motors hide inside each of the four wheels. Living Journey aims to make Hertz equipment solutions and sustainable mobility an industry leader in environmental practices via a defined set of new initiatives. Significant improvements in vehicle technology have resulted in new cars in the Australian market recording their lowest ever CO2 emissions. Read More

Hertz announcement by Wes Lane (8 February 2012):

Car hire firm Hertz has announced the launch of its new global sustainability strategy.

The program, called ‘Living Journey’, aims to make Hertz equipment solutions and sustainable mobility an industry leader in environmental practices via a defined set of new initiatives, the company said in a press release this week.

Hertz has outlined three specific points in which it will work to pave the way in sustainable business practice: Smart Mobility, in which it will offer low-emission products to consumers; Environment, in which it will reduce the firm’s environmental footprint via the use of renewable energy and efficiency improvements; and Community, in which it will give back to its neighbours via volunteer and philanthropic efforts.

Mark P. Frissora, Hertz’s chairman and chief executive, said in a statement that sustainability has been a part of the company’s culture for a long time, adding that last year it set precedent for the industry via its Electric Vehicle product offerings and solar generator programs at rental facilities and corporate offices.

Mr Frissora went on to say that Living Journey would continue such efforts and would encompass all of the firm’s sustainability initiatives through investments, partnerships and employee education.

The firm also noted in the statement that it had received recognition by the Global Business Travel Association for Sustainable Practice in 2011 for its hourly Hertz On Demand rental scheme.

Source: www.comparecarhire.co.uk

Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries Australia (7 February 2012):

Significant improvements in vehicle technology have resulted in new cars in the Australian market recording their lowest ever carbon dioxide emissions.

The National Average Carbon Emission (NACE) figure for 2011 is 206.6 grams of CO2 per kilometre – down 2.8 per cent compared to the 2010 figure of 212.6 grams of CO2/km.

“The average new car sold in Australia is now at least 20 per cent more efficient than it was in 2000,” the Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries (FCAI) Chief Executive Ian Chalmers said.

All new passenger cars, SUVs and light commercial utes, vans and buses (up to 3.5 tonne) are included in calculating the NACE figure, therefore including many more vehicle types than CO2 measures used in other parts of the world, including Europe.

“This is one of the most significant yearly improvements in the NACE figure and demonstrates the industry’s commitment to continue to improve fuel efficiency and reduce carbon dioxide emissions,” Mr Chalmers added.

“The result is a combination of improvements in vehicle technology and a change in consumer buying preferences toward lower emission vehicles,” he said.

“There has been a strong uptake in new-generation diesel and hybrid powered vehicles by consumers.

“In addition, ongoing efficiency improvements in average emissions from petrol powered vehicles by almost 7% indicates that consumers are continuing to purchase more efficient across the new vehicle fleet,” Mr Chalmers advised.

“Carbon dioxide emissions from new vehicles have reduced significantly without regulation and the industry now looks forward to working constructively with the Federal Government in developing a new standard,” he said.

Source: www.fcai.com.au

By Mark Brown in Wired UK (26 January 2012):

This teeny fold-up car will be silently zipping along the streets of major European cities in 2013. It’s called Hiriko, and it was unveiled at the European Commission headquarters on 25 January.

Like a child’s stroller, the car’s chassis can collapse in on itself to dramatically reduce its size and occupy a smaller footprint when parked. When folded and stacked, three Hirikos could squeeze into one traditional parking space.

To save on space (even when unfolded it’s just 2.5 metres long), the car also has no doors. Instead you have to clamber in and out through the giant fold-up windscreen. Luckily, the steering console — which sports a spiffy LCD screen — pivots out of the way.

The car is entirely electric and drive motors hide inside each of the four wheels. The wheels can be controlled independently, allowing the car to execute tight manoeuvres, sharp U-turns and easy parallel parking in tight spaces.

The battery will get you 120 kilometres without a recharge, and can be rapidly re-juiced using relevant lithium-ion battery technologies. Also, the car’s speed is electronically set to respect city limits.

The design, originally dubbed CityCar, was dreamt up by Boston’s MIT Media Lab as an answer to urban stress, space and pollution. Since then a consortium of seven small firms from Spain’s Basque country have turned the idea into the commercial Hiriko (“urban”, in Basque).

The car will hit European cities in 2013. There are plans to make it a city-owned vehicle, up for hire like Boris bikes. Or, alternatively, it could be released for sale privately at around 12,500 euros (£10,500).

According to the AFP, several cities have shows interest, including Berlin, Barcelona, San Francisco and Hong Kong. Talks are underway with Paris, London, Boston, Dubai and Brussels.

Source: www.wired.co.uk