2 MAY 2008
Lotus’s groundbreaking eco-sports car is bound to be a head turner at this year’s The Co-operative Insurance Eden Sexy Green Car Show from May 23-31.
One of the most famous names in the car industry, Lotus is bringing its Exige 270E Tri-Fuel to the world’s foremost green car event. This car of the future is proof that motors can be both green and sexy. It has a top speed of 158 mph and does 0-60 mph in 3.88 seconds, yet runs on petrol, bioethanol or methanol, and its appearance at Eden will be its British car show debut.
Ultimately, the sports car could be ‘carbon-neutral’, says Lotus Engineering. Its emissions would be balanced by recovering waste carbon dioxide in the atmosphere to make methanol. Within 15-20 years, Lotus hopes to see large-scale methanol production ‘recycling’ the carbon dioxide produced by factories.
Geraint Castleton-White, Head of Powertrain at Lotus Engineering, said the model marks a step forwards in the hunt for cleaner fuels, especially because the technology can slot into any conventional car. He said: “For car companies and the motorist, the use of sustainable alcohols like synthetic methanol requires relatively few changes to the vehicle. It can also use the current fuel distribution infrastructure, which is a huge advantage for suppliers.”
Eden's Gus Grand, the show’s director, said: “This could be the fuel of the future. It’s a real coup to showcase this technology here at Eden, where the public will get a taste of the vehicles we hope they’ll be driving in the next few decades.”
The Co-operative Insurance Eden Sexy Green Car Show is now in its second year and 2008 will see more vehicles on display, testing their green credentials at what is normally a car-free zone. Among other major manufacturers showing off their latest low-emission cars will be Citroen, Honda, Peugeot, Saab, Fiat, Volkswagen, Seat and Ford.
ENDS
May 2, 2008
Notes to editors:
- Eden Project Limited is owned by the Eden Trust, which is a fully registered UK Charity (No. 1093070).
- Eden is home to the two biggest greenhouses in the world – the Rainforest Biome and Mediterranean Biome.
- Around 1.2 million visitors come to Eden per year and it has generated £800 million for the local economy.
- So far capital funding of £135 million to develop Eden has been raised from a combination of £58 million from the Millennium Commission Lottery Fund, £50 million in regional grants from the South West Regional Development Agency and Objective One European Regional Development Fund, and £27 million in the form of loans, lease finance and Eden's own revenue generation.
- Immediate information may be obtained from our website: www.edenproject.com.
- The main operating subsidiary of Group Lotus plc is Lotus Cars Ltd, which has two operating divisions - Lotus Engineering and Lotus Cars. Lotus Engineering is an internationally recognised automotive engineering consultancy based in Norfolk, UK. Global facilities include those in Michigan (USA), Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia), China and offices in Germany and Japan, with rapid expansion in new territories such as South East Asia and the Gulf States.
- Lotus Engineering provides comprehensive and versatile consultancy services to many of the world's OEMs and Tier 1 suppliers, offering a full engineering service from initial concept and project design through development and integration of the complete vehicle to meet all worldwide markets and customers to full production. This includes third party 'niche vehicle' engineering and manufacture worldwide.
- Lotus Cars builds world class, prestige, high performance sports cars for sale in 37 countries. These include the iconic Lotus Elise, and the Exige and Europa. Lotus is a global high-tech company, expanding rapidly and committed to driving forward technology for both Lotus Cars and its Engineering clients, spearheading research into such areas as hybrids, electric vehicles and renewable fuels.
For more information, please contact:
David Rowe
Head of Media Relations
The Eden Project
01726 811901
mobile: 0781 304 1923
email: drowe@edenproject.com
Duncan Bowker
Public Relations Manager
The Co-operative Financial Services
0161 827 5617
mobile: 07810 756 137
e-mail: duncan.bowker@co-operative.co.uk
