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Could this be the future of urban driving?
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The T.25 combines efficiency and practical urban design
I always like to see where the automotive and transportation industry might be heading as the urgently needed transition toward vehicles that offer better fuel economy or run from renewable energy make more headway. While hybrid engines are making growing inroads into market share overall vehicles that are designed for urban living still remain somewhat of a novelty item. This in itself is a pity as the growing urbanization of our populations means that in the coming decades a personal vehicle designed with city living very much in mind will become much more of a necessity in addition to being more desirable. If you ever looked to park in London or New York, Paris or other large cities you know a smaller vehicle would have huge benefits in addition to practicalities as so many journeys need not be of very great distance. As urban car design takes on the changes I anticipate in the years ahead I think a common option may be very similar to something just released in the UK.
Gordon Murray Design have finally shared the design for something I originally read about a few years ago. The T.25 City Car made its debit at Oxford University in England during the Smith School’s World Forum on Enterprise and the Environment. This really might be the future of city driving and it would meet the bill in terms of reduced fuel consumption. The compact city design offers amazing fuel consumption of 74 mpg / 3.8 l / 100km while also offering extremely low emissions results. One element of design that will really turn heads is that the vehicle promises to have the power and acceleration of a standard 2.0 litre engine which would truly assist it in gaining a foothold in the market. It is certainly a very small car however, although it can seat up to 3 adults from nose to tail it measures just 8 feet with a width of only 4 feet. While the mileage offered is very encouraging the maker stresses that the size of the car would have huge impact to congestion and other concerns if this can become your typical city set of wheels. Consider these facts:
- Its compact size will allow ‘2’ T.25’s to travel in one UK motorway (highway) lane. Trebling the capacity and reducing congestion.
- ‘3’ T.25’s can easily fit into ‘1’ standard parallel parking space, trebling much needed urban parking, reducing pressures for inner cities as well as the disruption to traffic flow.
- Delays caused by congestion are prominent in urban areas and easing or eliminating existing congestion on the road network would be save billions annually in GDP
- The compact size of the T.25, being half the size of the average car,will still achieve the highest safety standards.
- T.25 will have a better power-to-weight ratio than the average 2 litre luxury saloon. Reversing the trend towards larger, heavier and more powerful cars.
- Accident repair costs are kept low by way of replaceable body panels.
Whether this car can reinvent city driving remains to be seen. At present the designer is seeking financial support to enable the car to be mass produced. The logic is strong though, especially where it concerns congestion reduction but I’ve a feeling the design would need to be sold to one of the existing giants to make it take off. Either way its exciting to see the next generation of concept cars become reality.
Learn much more about the T.25 City Car at the Gordon Murray Design website.
Model shows how the T.25 would reduce congestion
Can an election swing on eco issues?
Posted by: | CommentsNext month sees the general election taking place in the UK as the incumbent labour prime minister seeks to hold on to 10 Downing Street despite a two pronged challenge from the conservatives and liberal democrats. Labour have been running Britain for 13 years next week and it appears that their grip on power may be at stake as the country entertains the idea of change. Polls since the election date was announced show 
all three parties within just a few percentage points of one another and it would take a brave gamble to predict the outcome despite the election being less than two weeks away.
With such a tight race each party is doing everything possible to gain additional support to help push their campaign over the finish line and it seems that their stance on environmental issues may be a key in gaining control of parliament. Each party has paid considerable attention to highlighting green concerns and initiatives to their individual manifestos and while the bickering over the economy and immigration might just cause frustration for voters each party hope that their green differences will secure crucial voters.
The highs and lows of two of the manifestos are listed below – it will be fascinating to see which party wins the crucial green vote. Equally refreshing is the fact that two of the parties clearly recognises the value in steering the UK toward being a low carbon nation and even promise to over achieve in developing renewable energy/reducing carbon emissions at rates that exceed European targets. Wind and nuclear energy are both key issues in Britain and it is in those areas where you will see differences between the ideas proposed. What would be ideal for this island nation in the decades ahead would be an effective way to harness the power of the ocean and tides. Despite ranking just 79th globally in total land area the UK has abundant miles of coastline which ranks 13th on earth.
So who would you vote for if the election was to be decided by eco-issues? The conservative party haven’t added any new commitments to their manifesto nor made this a large part of their electioneering during opening and closing statements during recent debates.
Labour
•Use industrial policy, which has seen wind turbine and electric car makers invest in the UK, to create 400,000 green jobs by 2015.
•Use “active government” – ie intervention – in markets to deliver a low-carbon energy sector.
•Up to £5,000 discount for electric cars and 100,000 charging points by 2015.
•Reduce aviation emissions to 2005 levels by 2050.
•Ban all recyclable and biodegradable waste from landfill.
Concerns
•Back a third runway at Heathrow, but rule out any other new runway until 2015.
•Back new coal power stations without requiring that all their carbon emissions are captured and stored.
Winners
•£100 extra towards energy bills for those over 75.
•Prosecution for a car owner if litter is thrown from it, plus seizure of cars used for fly-tipping.
•Treble the number of secure bicycle parking spaces at railway stations.
•Ban wild animals in circuses and maintain the fox-hunting ban.
Liberal Democrats
•Set target for a zero-carbon UK, but allow 10% of emissions to be offset overseas.
•Spend £3.1bn in the first year on a green jobs stimulus which will lead to 100,000 jobs.
•Tax planes, not passengers, to discourage empty flights, and tax short-haul flights more if trains or coaches are available.
•A road-pricing scheme, making motorists pay for their use, offset by scrapping the vehicle excise duty tax disc.
•Tax financial transactions and aviation and shipping emissions to help poorer countries moderate and adapt to climate change.
Concerns
•Rule out a new generation of nuclear power on the grounds of expense – a “big hole” in electricity generation, says Labour.
•Scrap the new Infrastructure Planning Commission and return decision-making to local people – risks delays to renewable energy projects.
•Commit the UK to a target of 40% emissions cut by 2020, breaking step with the EU.
Winners
•Cut rail fares and make Network Rail refund one-third of ticket cost if rail replacement bus services are used.
•£400 eco cashback scheme for new double glazing, boilers or solar panels.
•Double woodland by 2005 and policies to “increase tranquillity” in the countryside.
•Prevent “garden-grabbing” development by designating them as greenfield sites.
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