MINI's plant oxford goes green with over 11,500 solar panels.

More than 11,500 panels are helping to harness renewable energy to power Oxford’s MINI Plant.

At more than 20,000 square metres, the plant’s new bodyshop now boasts one of the largest, roof-mounted solar farms to be installed in the UK.

The photovoltaic system is fully commissioned and has a generating capacity over 3 MW comprising over 11,500 solar panels and covers an area equivalent to five football pitches. The installation will generate enough electricity to power the equivalent of 850 households.

Frank Bachmann, managing director of MINI Plant Oxford, said: “We are delighted that our new solar farm is now up and running and already producing green energy for Plant Oxford.

“It is fitting that the first of these panels have gone onto our new bodyshop as the building has been designed with environmental performance at its heart.”

The plant’s bodyshop, which contains 1,000 robots, was opened at the end of last year to build the new MINI hatchback.

The building already has an impressive list of environmental credentials including 3,869 individually programmable LED lights, a special energy-saving “rest mode” for the robots, a water harvesting system to supply the toilets and so-called heat wheels in the building’s roof control the recirculation and admission of fresh air to reduce the amount of heating and cooling required.

The launch of the solar farm also coincides with Oxford’s first ever ‘Low Carbon Oxford Week’. Plant Oxford was one of the first signatories of the Low Carbon Oxford Charter, which kick started a programme of activities aimed at reducing the city’s carbon footprint by 30 percent by 2020.

Dr Barbara Hammond, Chair of Low Carbon Oxford and Chief Executive of the Low Carbon Hub, said: “I am pleased that MINI Plant Oxford has undertaken such a large solar project here in Oxford. We hope to see other businesses, big and small, install solar PV projects, such as those we are developing with local businesses at the Low Carbon Hub.”

Jaguar Land Rover has been named Responsible Business of the Year

Jaguar Land Rover has been named Responsible Business of the Year by Business in the Community (BITC). The UK's leading premier automotive manufacturer collected the accolade at the BITC’s Responsible Business Awards yesterday.

Jaguar Land Rover received the award in recognition of its significant investment in UK jobs and facilities, improving its environmental performance and increasing the skills and education opportunities for young people and existing employees.

Jaguar Land Rover has created 9,000 new jobs since 2011 and will invest £2.75 billion this year, making it the largest UK automotive investor. This investment supports technology innovation and the company’s CO2 reduction strategy.

Over the past few years, Jaguar Land Rover has reduced tailpipe CO2, lowered operational carbon emissions per vehicle, waste to landfill and water use. Carbon emissions from inbound logistics and emissions for outbound logistics have also been reduced. Jaguar Land Rover’s CO2 offset programme has compensated 5 million tonnes of CO2 over the last five years by funding 50 sustainable development projects which have positively impacted the lives of more than 1.2 million people.

Dr. Ralf Speth, CEO, Jaguar Land Rover, said: "We are delighted to receive the Responsible Business of the Year Award, which recognises the achievements of our employees, suppliers, stakeholders and academic partnerships to deliver sustainability improvements across our business. Sustainability is integral to Jaguar Land Rover’s business plan and we are committed to achieving a sustainable future.

“Jaguar Land Rover has been investing in researching and developing the latest technologies and creating new and updated engineering and manufacturing facilities to help grow and develop our business in a sustainable way. We have ambitious plans for sustainable growth and developing sustainable products that meet the needs of customers now and in the future is vital to that goal.”

Marc Bolland, Chief Executive of Marks & Spencer Plc and Responsible Business of the Year 2012, who presented the award, said: “Jaguar Land Rover is addressing sustainability at every stage of the life cycle of its products and at all levels of its business. It is a potential pioneering force in bringing about transformative change to the luxury goods industry and a key driver in educating and influencing the client base and wider consumers on behaviour change.”

Stephen Howard, Chief Executive of Business in the Community, said: “Jaguar Land Rover perfectly embodies the mutuality of responsible business - an understanding that by transforming business you can transform communities. It is an inspirational example of a large business combining profitability with responsibility.  Through improving environmental performance, investing in communities and proactively developing its future workforce Jaguar Land Rover has become a powerful example for this movement.  We are delighted to name them our 2013 Responsible Business of the Year and look forward to working with them and sharing their story with many more businesses over the coming year.”  

The company also won the 'Education Award' which recognises businesses that are building sustainable partnerships with schools to raise aspirations of young people to enable them to build successful working lives. Jaguar Land Rover's Inspiring Tomorrow's Engineers national school education programme has been developed to increase young people's engagement of STEM (science, technology, engineering and maths) and promote engineering careers. The programme includes partnerships with various schools and academic organisations. In 2012, more than 200,000 young people were engaged in the programme.

The Jaguar C-X75 Prototype VIDEO

• The Jaguar C-X75 is a state-of-the-art hybrid supercar with the efficiency of a low-emissions city car.
• The C-X75 can hit 100mph from standstill in less than six seconds and has a top speed of 220mph.
• It can emit less than 89g/km of CO₂ and has a pure electric vehicle range of 60km.
• Its 502bhp, 1.6-litre turbocharged and supercharged four-cylinder engine is one of the world's highest specific power output powerplants at 313bhp per litre.
• The C-X75's two electric motors add a further 390bhp, for a combined output in excess of 850bhp.

“The C-X75 programme represents the pinnacle of Jaguar's engineering and design expertise. It is arguably the world's fastest test-bed for the world's most advanced technologies, combining as it does a remarkable hybrid powertrain with awe-inspiring performance. Jaguar is always looking to shape the cars of tomorrow and with projects like C-X75 we are laying the foundations for the next generation of Jaguar innovations.”
- Adrian Hallmark, Global Brand Director, Jaguar

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Introduction

Following the highly successful introduction of the C-X75 supercar to the media for test evaluation in June 2013, Jaguar is releasing a behind-the-scenes film of the car’s development: C-X75 – A hybrid supercar prototype without equal.

The film features contributions from the car’s lead programme engineers and reveals the challenges overcome in developing a vehicle with a 220mph top speed but that is also capable of producing less than 89g of CO₂ per kilometre and can even run with zero emissions for up to 60km.

When Jaguar unveiled the C-X75 concept in 2010, it was the beginning of a new chapter in innovation and technological advancement that would see the car evolve from a design study to a fully working prototype in just two years.

In that incredibly short timespan, Jaguar and development partner Williams Advanced Engineering have created an all-wheel drive, plug-in parallel hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV) with the world's highest specific power engine and Jaguar's first carbon composite monocoque chassis.

Although the decision was taken in 2012 that as a result of the global economic climate the C-X75 would not enter full production, it was clear that it was a powerful showcase for Jaguar’s world-leading expertise in lightweight vehicle construction and the ideal test-bed for the company’s innovative research into high-performance, low-emission powertrains.

The great achievements in the development of C-X75 prototypes – including cutting-edge hybrid technologies, carbon composite materials and advanced design solutions pioneered in association with Williams Advanced Engineering – will be utilised in other areas of research and development, innovative future products and next-generation engineering for the Jaguar and Land Rover brands.

Highest power and torque density

The C-X75 has a combined power output in excess of 850bhp and 1000Nm of torque, thanks to its state-of-the-art, Formula 1-inspired, 1.6-litre dual-boosted (turbocharged and supercharged) four-cylinder powerplant which generates 502bhp at 10,000 rpm.

It is allied to the highest torque and power density electric motors in production, which generate a further 390 horsepower. The battery pack in the C-X75 is the highest continuously rated power PHEV pack in the world, capable of delivering more than 300kW over the full state of the charge window.

The C-X75 can sprint from 0-100mph in less than six seconds, thanks to its advanced 7-speed automated manual transmission that allows gearshifts in under 200 milliseconds. The very first C-X75 prototype exceeded 200mph in testing with ease, and the car has a theoretical maximum velocity of 220mph.

The car's deployable aerofoil and underfloor aerodynamics create more than 200kg of downforce at 200mph, and active systems enhance its high-speed stability.

Ultra low emissions and pure electric mode

Thanks to the most extreme PHEV specification of any mobile battery in development, the C-X75 will also run for 60km in pure electric vehicle mode and its CO₂ emissions fall below 89g/km.

The C-X75 project al

 Jaguar to stake an even stronger claim as the UK's most significant investor in innovative technology. The results of the C-X75 programme, in particular in advanced powertrain technologies and lightweight composites, demonstrate Jaguar's technical leadership at the very cutting-edge of automotive development and manufacturing.