The first Clarity Fuel Cell, Honda’s most advanced zero emissions vehicle, have arrived in Europe

• The first Clarity Fuel Cell, Honda’s most advanced zero emissions vehicle, have arrived in Europe
• Vehicles will take part in the Hydrogen for Innovative Vehicles (HyFIVE) EU demonstration project to highlight the capabilities of fuel cell vehicles and increase awareness and adoption of the technology
• Honda will deploy vehicles with customers in London and Copenhagen
• Clarity Fuel Cell is part of Honda’s aim to have two thirds of its fleet electrified by 2030

The first examples of Clarity Fuel Cell, Honda’s most advanced zero emissions vehicle, have arrived in Europe this week. 

The first six vehicles will be based with customers in London and Copenhagen as part of the Hydrogen for Innovative Vehicles (HyFIVE) demonstration project, partly funded by the Fuel Cell and Hydrogen Joint Undertaking (FCHJU).

The new Clarity Fuel Cell features Honda’s latest technological enhancements in the field. 

It is the first fuel cell sedan to house the entire stack underneath the bonnet, making the cabin spacious enough to carry five occupants. 

A recent US Environment Protection Agency (EPA) test measured an effective range of 366 miles (589km), greater than any other production zero emissions vehicle.

Thomas Brachmann, Chief Project Engineer, Honda Research and Development and leader of Honda’s Clarity Fuel Cell programme in Europe, said, ‘Honda has always been one of the leaders in the field of hydrogen fuel cell technology, with over 30 years of research and development behind us. The arrival of these vehicles in Europe and Honda’s participation in HyFIVE is the next step towards Honda’s vision of the full commercialisation of this technology.’

The HyFIVE project aims to promote the awareness and adoption of fuel cell vehicle technology and infrastructure across Europe. Once deployment is completed, 185 Fuel Cell Vehicles from five automotive manufacturers will be with private and corporate customers across Austria, Denmark, Germany, Italy, Sweden and UK.

The Clarity Fuel Cell is the pinnacle of Honda’s electrified vehicle technology and highlights the commitment, recently announced by company president Takahiro Hachigo, that two thirds of global sales will feature an electrified powertrain by 2030.

Ssangyong annouces the name of it's new SUV, we welcome, the TIVOLI.

• The SsangYong Tivoli is announced
• Urban dynamic SUV styling with the best interior quality in its class
• Launch in Korea set for January 2015
• On sale in the UK and globally from mid-next year

SsangYong Motor Company CEO, Yoo Il Lee, has announced the name of the company’s all new B-segment crossover - Tivoli.

Under development for the past three years and seen in concept form at recent international motor shows with the project name X100, the new Tivoli will be launched in Korea in January, 2015.

Together with its name, SsangYong has also revealed the latest rendered images of the car’s exterior and interior.  The exterior features the look of a dynamic, urban SUV with a modern silhouette, and embracing the rhythmical motion of SsangYong’s new design language.

The interior offers the modernity of a luxurious living space, with a stylish and contemporary look. Designed to offer driver and passengers easy connectivity to their IT devices, it also brings style, practicality and plenty of storage space.

The new car takes its name from Tivoli, the Italian town near Rome with a reputation for style. Noted for its cultural heritage and beautiful location, the gardens at Villa d’Este have inspired many others to use the name, including the Tivoli Gardens in Copenhagen.  The new model gives the car an international standing, while complementing SsangYong’s heritage as a specialist SUV brand.

SsangYong has worked intensively on both design and product quality for this new car, using extensive analytical market research to create a new compact SUV that will set the trend in this segment of the car market.  The Tivoli will go on sale in Korea in January and globally during the second quarter of 2015. 

VW Golf records near 100mpg run on normal road conditions

• New Volkswagen Golf TDI BlueMotion uses less than three litres per 100 kilometres on the “Think Blue. Eco Ride.”
• 1,602 kilometres – from Nantes to Copenhagen without refuelling
• DEKRA-supervised test value shows: actual consumption figures below the standard value are possible

On a DEKRA-supervised test run, the Volkswagen Golf TDI BlueMotion has proved itself to be a real three-litre car. On the trip from Nantes to Copenhagen, the Golf with the 110 PS TDI engine used only 2.92 litres of diesel per 100 kilometres (equivalent to 97 mpg). The distance between the two cities – 1,602 kilometres (995 miles) – was completed on a single 50 litre tank of fuel.

Simon Thomas, Head of Marketing of the Volkswagen Group and the Volkswagen Passenger Cars brand: “This is a really impressive result. The trip shows that the interaction between fuel-saving BlueMotion efficiency technology and a well thought-out proactive driving approach allows economy figures that are hard to match.”

The highly varied route of the trip went from Nantes in the West of France, the “European Green Capital 2013”, via Paris, Antwerp, Bremen and Hamburg to the Danish capital Copenhagen, situated on the Baltic, “European Green Capital 2014”. The “Think Blue. Eco Ride.” shows that the standard consumption figure based on the NEDC driving cycle, which is already extremely low at 3.2 litres per 100 kilometres (88.3 mpg) and 85 grams of CO2 per kilometre, can even be beaten. Drivers from the Volkswagen Driving Experience succeeded in reaching a verified value of 2.92 litres of diesel per 100 kilometres in normal traffic over a driving time of 20 hours and 45 minutes. The standard 50-litre tank was filled in Nantes, where it was sealed by a DEKRA inspector. At the end of the trip, 46.92 litres of diesel were filled into the same tank under the supervision of the same inspector.

The Golf TDI BlueMotion is one of the technical highlights of the Golf family. Like all the other Golf models, it has a standard start-stop system and regenerative braking mode. In addition, the perfected aerodynamics, the low weight of the vehicle, the modified six-speed manual gearbox and especially the tires, which have been optimised for low rolling resistance, contribute to the high efficiency of the Golf TDI BlueMotion.

“Think Blue.” Is the internationally-based holistic environmental sustainability strategy of the Volkswagen Passenger Cars brand. The initiative includes innovative, environmentally compatible products with various powertrain technologies and is intended to encourage people to rethink and join in. Simon Thomas: “Through ‘Think Blue.’, we show that low consumption driving can be combined with driving pleasure. This is why Volkswagen offers fuel saving training in a number of countries, for example ‘Think Blue. Ecotraining’ in cooperation with ‘Naturschutzbund Deutschland in Germany.’”

* 96.74 mpg – converted from 2.92 l/100 km