MPG Marathon showcases eco-driving at a town near you

Help is at hand for motorists under pressure from rising pump prices and VAT increases: the 2010 ALD Automotive/TOTAL ECO10 MPG Marathon is coming to a town near you – including David Cameron’s - this month (September).

Now in its eighth year, organisers are confident that the Marathon is likely see the first driver achieve 100 mpg from a current production engine during this two-day endurance drive starting and finishing at Ettington Chase, near Stratford upon Avon on 15 – 16 September. It sets out to prove that Britain’s 30 million motorists can save hundreds of pounds per year on their fuel bills irrespective of volatile pump prices – and fleet managers could save tens of thousands of pounds.

Organisers have experienced a greater level of driver interest since the so-called austerity Budget where the increase in VAT from 17.5% to 20% was announced for January 2011.  The  Petrol Retailers Association which represents two-thirds of Britain’s 9000 forecourts is calling for a Government-led working party on fuel prices, but the MPG Marathon aims to demonstrate and showcase that drivers are also in control of what they spend on fuel.

Numbers are set at 40 vehicles, but organisers have already seen a third more requests for places for the eco-challenge, that is expected to see the first driver achieve 100 MPG. Last year’s winner achieved a staggering 96.81 MPG in a SMART Fortwo Coupe.

“We have seen dramatic interest in this year’s event, in part driven by the desire to be the first to achieve 100 mpg. But it is largely because the VAT increase will dramatically impact the cost of fuel, already the highest in Europe, so drivers are looking at more ways to reduce their spending at the pumps. Filling up a £60 tank of unleaded will cost an additional £1.50, a major incentive to motorists to cut costs,” said marathon organiser Ross Durkin.

Durkin drove the 400 mile route to see just how much difference careful “eco” driving made to his fuel consumption, comparing one highly economical session with a more ‘aggressive’ drive on the following section of the route.

“I did one 90-mile leg in eco driving mode and the next 70 miles in the style of a company rep in a hurry. And although the average speed achieved was only slightly higher on the second leg – 41mph vs 38mph – the fuel consumption fell sharply from 47.2mpg to 40.8mpg – a fall of nearly 14%.”

“We had a long day ahead of us, so my eco driving was not as frugal as it could have been, but this simple test drove home very quickly to me how much difference the style of the driver can make to fuel consumption and hence CO2 emissions. For an individual driver covering 12,000 miles a year buying fuel at £1.25 a litre, the difference would amount to a saving of £226.62. ‘For a fleet of 100 cars covering 20,000 miles a year the saving mounts up to over £37,700.”

“These are ‘here and now’ savings that can reduce their motoring costs today, especially with the January VAT increase to contend with,” he adds.

Supported by Act on CO2 and the Energy Saving Trust, the 2010 MPG Marathon is likely to be more than just economically challenging for drivers. The route, which is just being finalised, will include more A and B roads and hills to conquer around Warwickshire, Worcestershire, Gloucestershire, Northamptonshire, Herefordshire, Buckinghamshire, Shropshire and Oxfordshire where the 40 vehicles will be passing through David Cameron’s Witney constituency. Last year the now Prime Minister sent a letter of support to the Marathon organisers for what he described as ‘a hugely important cause.’

David Yates, marketing director for ALD Automotive, says: “We are coming out of a very hard recession, but the increase in VAT will be felt by all motorists, particularly Britain’s three million company car drivers who spend much of their time behind the wheel and have to fill up more regularly.  Driver behaviour is determined by the culture of the businesses they work for so this exercise will demonstrate that businesses can be safe and save money at the same time. We are delighted to be once again associated with the MPG Marathon to help promote this message.

As well as fuel efficiency, the message of this year’s ALD Automotive/TOTAL ECO 10 Marathon is once again safety as reduced speed saves lives as well as fuel consumption, CO2 emissions and unnecessary wear and tear on the vehicle.

RoadSafe, the UK’s leading Forum for promoting road safety and reducing deaths and injuries on the roads is again joining forces with the 2010 MPG Marathon team to promote the Safer Driving for Better Business message.

Adrian Walsh, director of RoadSafe, the sponsors of the Prince Michael International Road Safety Awards, says: “Smarter driving by definition is safer driving. There are approximately three million company car drivers on the road and an untold number in the grey fleet, those who use their own vehicles for business purposes. Many spend a disproportionate amount of time on the road compared to other drivers and our clear message is: ‘while you are saving fuel, you can also improve safety.”

Last year’s event attracted widespread cross party support. David Cameron sent a message wishing participants ‘a successful event for what is a hugely important cause.’

As well as ‘smarter’ driver training techniques, the MPG Marathon will showcase a number of fuel and carbon saving technologies.

Lysanda’s Eco Log will once again be installed on every vehicle. This is an on-board software device that provides fleet managers with accurate data on vehicle fuel consumption and carbon emissions and identifies areas of improvement in fleet efficiency, including the measurement of how much fuel is being used or wasted, and why.

“To put this in pound note terms, a driver covering 12,000 miles a year and averaging 30mpg at £1.17 per litre (£5.31 a gallon) would see his/her fuel bill reduced from £2,124 to £1,769 by employing smarter techniques and improving their fuel consumption from 30mpg to 36mpg. There would also be a corresponding reduction in CO2 emissions,” says Durkin.

Places are filling up fast, but the MPG Marathon team is still looking for drivers and manufacturers to take part after the run-away success of the 2009 event where more than one driver achieved in excess of 90 MPG.

There will also be an opportunity for all drivers to undertake Eco or ‘smarter’ driving training in advance in order to maximise the MPG over the two-day event, and by example, encourage Britain’s 30 million motorists to do the same.

Steve Crouch, Marketing Executive, TOTAL UK Ltd, says: “The MPG Marathon showcases how clever driving, regular checks on your vehicle and greener fuels can make a big impact on fuel economy. The continuing success of the event shows that people are more conscious of driving efficiently and the way it affects fuel consumption and the environment.

For further information, visit the official website mpgmarathon.com.