Posted on Friday 16 November 2007
Environmentally friendly cars have been becoming increasingly popular ever since the introduction of the ground-breaking Toyota Prius. Renault is now pushing the boundaries of how clean an eco-friendly car can be by creating a version of its Logan sedan with record-breaking emission levels and equally brilliant fuel economy.
A range of technical optimizations and an ‘eco’ driving style enabled the Logan Renault eco² Concept to cover the 172.20km route of the 2007 Michelin Challenge Bibendum on a mere 4.69 liters of diesel fuel. This performance works out at an average fuel consumption of a mere 2.72L/100km and CO2 emissions of just 71g/km. During NEDC combined cycle homologation tests for the vehicle, it achieved a score of 97g of CO2/km, equivalent to fuel consumption of 3.8L/100km. The improved result over the route was due to the driver’s use of the Gearshift Indicator, highlighting Renault’s stress on the importance of the ‘eco driving’ factor.
After the rally, a classification of competing vehicles was drawn up based on the following criteria: an acceleration test, a slalom test, noise emissions and a regularity run. Out of the
entry of 74 vehicles, the Logan Renault eco² Concept finished in second position, proving that the car’s ecological credentials were not obtained by sacrificing performance
The car is aimed at developing markets where people are more concerned with price, however Renault would be smart to look at adapting such technology to western markets as environmental issues are more prevalent today than ever before.