AN environmental group has taken to doing what it has always considered the devil鈥檚 work: Greenpeace is designing a car. Instead of attacking the car industry for its pollution, as it always has done in the past, Greenpeace in Germany has invested DM2.5 million (拢1.1 million) in developing a car which it claims could cut fuel consumption in half.
The result, a much-modified Renault Twingo, is due to be road-tested in January. According to Greenpeace, its eco-Twingo will have 30 per cent less wind resistance and weigh 20 per cent less than Renault鈥檚 original. A smaller turbo-charged engine will deliver the same performance while consuming much less petrol, say the environmentalists.
Unfortunately, the car is likely to cost up to 15 per cent more, and will still pollute the atmosphere.
Advertisement
鈥淲e are not car manufacturers,鈥� says Wolfgang Lohbeck from Greenpeace. 鈥淏ut there is so much incompetence among senior engineers that we had no choice but to show the car industry how to do it.鈥� The car industry has often claimed that halving fuel consumption is not feasible in the short term.
Greenpeace commissioned three Swiss companies 鈥� Wenko AG, Esoro AG and BRM Design 鈥� to completely redesign the four-seater Twingo. Between them they came up with a two-cylinder, four-stroke, supercharged petrol engine, a new aerodynamic body and a host of other changes aimed at making the car lighter and more efficient. They fitted new seats made from lightweight material and new tyres designed to minimise fuel consumption.
The aim is to demonstrate how easy it is to make a current mass-produced model much more environmentally friendly without compromising either safety or performance. Greenpeace reckons that its car will be capable of doing 100 kilometres on between 3 and 3.5 litres of petrol, the equivalent of between 67 and 78 miles per gallon, and could cost around 拢8000, nearly 拢1000 more than Renault鈥檚 original.
Despite being fitted with the most efficient design of catalytic converter, the car will still pump out polluting exhaust gases such as carbon dioxide and nitrogen oxides. Greenpeace points out that reduced fuel consumption will cut emissions, though it accepts that pollution will remain a problem. 鈥淲e are not legitimising the car,鈥� says a spokesperson for Greenpeace in Germany. 鈥淭his is just the first step in rethinking the whole concept of personal mobility.鈥�
The German car industry鈥檚 initial response was to question whether Greenpeace鈥檚 car would be as safe as it should be, a suggestion that was dismissed by Greenpeace. Now, however, the industry association VDA says its attitude is sceptical but open-minded. 鈥淚t is not yet a drivable car,鈥� says a VDA spokesperson. 鈥淎nd it is not just a technical question. You have to sell it too.鈥�