Vauxhall ecoFLEX Experience - Finale in Malmö
Helen White has been chosen as the UK finalist of the Vauxhall ecoFLEX Experience. From July 22 to 24, Helen will travel to Sweden, where she will take on the winners from 19 other countries in the final round of the pan-European fuel-saving competition. The eco champ from the UK made the most of the motto “Green Drivers Wanted!” in the first two online rounds and beat 6000 participants from the UK with her skills and expert knowledge of eco-driving. In total, nearly 70,000 participants across Europe registered during the three-month competition. The international winner of the ecoFLEX Experience will be electrically powered in the future: first prize is one of the first Vauxhall Ampera models that will be on the market in early 2012.
From the Swedish racetrack into the Vauxhall Ampera
In this last stage, it gets personal, as all 20 country winners meet at the Sturup Raceway near Malmo, Sweden to demonstrate their fuel-saving skills. The rivals must master four disciplines in the process: A typical city tour in the Corsa with a lot of starts, stops and speed limits, and then smooth, easy cruising in the top-of-the-line Insignia. The question “How far can I go on just one litre of fuel?” is to be answered in Vauxhall’s new flexibility champion Meriva. A special stretch will be tackled with the compact Astra: Who can complete 30 laps on the Sturup Raceway with a limited amount of fuel and cross the finish line first? It is important for the participants to keep an eye on the fuel tank as well as on the clock during all four stages. Whoever finds the ideal balance and completes all stages most economically will be rewarded with the Vauxhall Ampera.
Second prize is an all new Astra ecoFLEX 1.3 CDTi with CO2 emissions of just 109g/km and combined fuel consumption of 68.9mpg. Third prize winners can drive away in an equally powerful Corsa ecoFLEX model, which can achieve 76.3mpg on a combined cycle.
The grand prize Ampera represents the electric mobility of the future and goes into series production in early 2012. The extended-range electric vehicle (E-REV) can cover around 40 miles on pure electric power with its 16 kWh lithium-ion battery. Then the Ampera’s on-board engine-generator will provide the electricity to drive the wheels for the remainder of the journey. This ensures continued power supply and enables travel distances of over 350 miles without recharging. The extremely quiet 150PS electric motor delivers 370Nm torque from a standstill. It accelerates the Ampera from zero to 62mph in around nine seconds and enables a maximum speed of 100mph.
