Polo BlueMotion to compete in RAC Future Car Challenge
The latest version of the Polo BlueMotion is set to compete in the first RAC Future Car Challenge on Saturday 6 November. The RAC Future Car Challenge follows a route from Madeira Drive in Brighton to Pall Mall in London, during which the participating vehicles are measured for the energy they use. The winner is the vehicle found to have used the least energy on the 57-mile route. The first cars competing will depart from Brighton at 08:30 before making a brief stop at Central Sussex College in Crawley en route to the finish in Central London. Selected vehicles will then be on display in Regent Street from 12:45 to 16:00.
The 91g/km Polo BlueMotion will be joined by another super fuel-efficient production Volkswagen, the 99g/km Golf BlueMotion. Both use a series of aerodynamic and mechanical changes to maximise the efficiency of their refined common-rail TDI diesel engines. In the case of the Polo BlueMotion this results in combined economy of 80.7 mpg. Based on this figure, the Polo BlueMotion would complete the 57-mile run from Brighton to London using just 3.21 litres of diesel (0.70 gallons) costing a total of £3.78 based on today’s average fuel prices.
Joining the trio and leading Volkswagen’s charge in in the event, the Golf blue-e-motion prototype will be making its debut in the UK. An electric vehicle developing 114bhp and 199lbs ft of torque through an electric motor which is powered by a series of lithium-ion batteries with a total capacity of 26.5 kilowatt hours, the Golf blue-e-motion can accelerate to 62mph in 11.8 seconds and also serves as an indication of the future direction of Volkswagen’s electric vehicle programme with the first production model planned to go on sale in 2013.
