April 25, 2008
The Co-operative Insurance Eden Project Sexy Green Car Show returns this spring (May 23-31) with the launch of a new small family car which the makers claim will be the most sustainable on the road.
British company Axon Automotive will be showcasing their yet-to-be-named eco-friendly hatchback in the shadow of Eden’s world-famous Biomes.
The world’s first eco-friendly car show drew huge media and public interest when it opened at Eden last spring and the organisers say that this year’s show will build on that success and be bigger and more animated than last year.
Axon Automotive, based in Wellingborough, Northamptonshire, aims to be the most sustainable car manufacturer in Europe and launched the company at last year’s Sexy Green Car Show with their Eco-M edition of the Caterham 7 Classic.
They claim their new eco-friendly hatchback will be capable of delivering 100 miles per gallon with sub-80g per kilometre CO2 emissions.
The hatchback features a carbon fibre body (some of it recycled) to create a lightweight vehicle that combines good performance with fuel efficiency that is better than any car currently on the market.
While most of its “low carbon” competitors are looking at alternative fuels, Axon are making a conventionally-fuelled car with reduced weight and excellent aerodynamics. Safety isn’t compromised either, and the car has Formula 1-style crash structures and new ‘safety’ seats that deploy during impact.
Steve Cousins, Managing Director of Axon, said: “This approach halves fuel consumption whichever fuel you use and we get phenomenal economy from a small petrol engine combined with an IVT (infinitely variable transmission).
“From a consumer’s viewpoint, a small petrol engine is both low cost and a familiar technology, making it easier to maintain.
“It’s a car for the motorway as well as for town, can carry two adults and two children and it has lots of luggage capacity. Light weight can be fun too. Less power is required for acceleration and the target 0-60mph performance is that of the BMW Mini One.”
Carbon fibre is usually associated with expensive performance cars but Axon have discovered the economics of manufacturing carbon fibre vehicles are helped by very low tooling costs.
Steve added: “The material itself is expensive, but other costs are so much lower that car making is profitable again and at much lower volumes of production. That’s the breakthrough.”
Eden’s Gus Grand, director of the Co-operative Insurance Eden Sexy Green Car Show, said: ”We were really proud to see the launch of the Axon Automotive company last year with their Eco-M and it’s incredibly exciting to be able to launch their new model at Eden this year.
“The car is the embodiment of everything the Sexy Green Car Show stands for – it’s efficient, fun and on the cutting edge of environmental driving technology.”
