Impressive economy figures on day three

Impressive economy figures on day three

The EnergyWise Rally 2002 paid a visit to Parliament today. Associate Minister of Energy and Transport Hon. Harry Duynhoven drove the Toyota Prius petrol-electric hybrid car in the leg to Wellington finishing in front of the Beehive. In his address, he commended the new car industry for its initiative in demonstrating the use of new vehicle technology that minimises environmental impacts.

Then, propelled by a brisk southerly wind, the thirty-six car EnergyWise Rally fleet headed away from Parliament through the Wairarapa and Hawkes Bay. Reaching Hastings in approximately four hours, all the cars were travelling at ‘real world’ speeds, cruising at the 100 km/h speed limit whenever possible.

Big mover on the day was TV3 sports presenter Shaun Summerfield in the Honda Insight petrol-electric hybrid. Although not eligible for an award because it is not available for purchase in NZ, the two-seater Insight has blitzed the field with a remarkable consumption figure of 3.54 l/100km (79.8 mpg) over the first three days.

Also in the demonstration class, the Volkswagen Golf TDI running on biodiesel (made from rapeseed oil) is demonstrating an outstanding economy figure. The negligible carbon dioxide emissions from this fuel would have placed this car at the top of the environmental rankings had the fuel been commercially available.

In terms of cars and fuels currently available to the NZ public, the event continues to be led by the Peugeot 406 HDI of Donn Anderson. An impressive consumption figure of 4.20 l/100km (67.3 mpg) combines with the car’s considerable size to place this entry at the top of the Environment Award rankings.

Other commendable performances include the Honda Jazz CVT, driven by Paul Berridge (4.74 l/100km – 59.6 mpg), which is comfortably leading the 1400cc class, and the impressive 7.30 l/100km (38.7 mpg) of the Ian Porter / Lloyd Robinson 3.5 litre Mitsubishi Diamante. Interim progress results and event photos from day three can be seen at http://www.energywiserally.org.nz.

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