Car Articles

In case you just can’t decide which fuel you want to use, perhaps the new Lotus Exige 270E Tri-Fuel is going to be your sort of thing. It has a top speed of 158mph and charges from zero to 60 in 3.9 seconds, yet manages to chuck out less of the black stuff than most standard hatchbacks. How’s that work then?

This amazing little car can run on normal petrol, bio-ethanol or methanol – you choose the fuel. Given the current climate, I doubt many will choose normal petrol though. Amazingly, the two biofuels can be added to a part-petrol mix to make this one of the most environmentally friendly sports cars around.

So, is this really a development then? Well yes, of course. Not least because in the current climate, if you’re not driving something a little more friendly than a standard 2.0 litre petrol you’re not exactly going to fit in with the Joneses. Not only that, but climate change is, like it or not, a fact.

Whether you want to debate it is due to cars or not however remains a separate issue. Granted, this car is not a going to change the planet. But, and I use a big BUT here, it does show that traditional sports car manufacturers are actually considering their product and their customers. People are interested in doing their bit, whether that’s switching to a small diesel or a bio-fuel powered sports car. Nonetheless, this car is special.

This car is special because it is a Lotus Exige. If you’ve never been on a Lotus experience day, I can wholeheartedly recommend it. Why? Lotus makes simply fantastic cars. The Exige is, without a doubt, the pinnacle of the hard work that goes into one of their creations. It is the perfect pocket rocket whether you’re a track day star or a sports car enthusiast. It has a mix of raw power matched with very light weight (875kgs) making it a superb undiluted sports car.

How does it handle? Well, give it a few revs and you’ll see what the fuss is about. It will simply launch forwards, taking your head with it. Push on hard and at 6,000 rpm the VVT engine will open up for a boost of power. This is matched to a lovely slick, quick-shift gearbox. You won’t be left wanting in that regard.

The car itself is simply a dream – the steering is sharp, with a nicely weighted feel. You’ll get almost completely flat cornering, though if you want to have fun that’s possible too. The miles of grip the car provides will give you a lot of reassurance if you don’t happen to be the next Lewis Hamilton. It’s not all dreams of power though, given that you’ll find the frustrations of the car are evident in a lack of space and not-that-great visibility. Nonetheless, it is an amazing feat of engineering.

I think that shows why I like the Lotus Exige 270E so much. Yes, it’s a Lotus Exige. But it’s better. It gives you all that the standard car offers, then adds a big dollop of ‘yes, we do care’ on top. If you buy one – after it has been showcased at the Co-operative Sexy Green Car Show in Cornwall on 23-31st May – you’ll be the envy of just about anyone on the road, let alone the race track.

If the points above haven’t convinced you of the fact, let me just spell it out to you. The Lotus Exige (especially in this powered up, more environmentally friendly form) is a symbol. It represents all that’s right about driving – control, power and manoeuvrability. Best of all, you’ll never get bored driving it. So, let’s all give some respect to the clever folks at Hethel.

Unless you’ve been in a cave (or simply aren’t interested in how much fuel you have to buy and what’s in it), you will have heard of the Renewable Transport Fuels Obligation (RTFO). This is a fairly simple rule that says 2.5% of all petrol and diesel sold on UK forecourts must come from renewable biofuel sources. This requirement will rise to 5% by 2010.

So, renewable and greener eh? What can be bad in that equation? Well, it seems that this scheme might well be contributing to human rights abuses and rising food prices. Shock horror - something that’s meant to be good turning out to be bad after all.

Oxfam has said that the UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues had estimated some 60 million indigenous people faced clearance from their land to make way for plantations such as palm and rapeseed oil (along with sugar cane and maize) - crops that can be farmed before processing into fuel.

Various locations are under the eye of Oxfam as they are currently throwing their own people off land in order to grow these crops. Asia, Africa and South America are all on the list. Obviously these are some big landmasses, and no doubt there are many other places that would be of interest to the charity.

Of course, another massive issue is food. What I mean by this is that if landmasses are being taken off the farmers, where will food crops be grown? Granted, you could say that it will still be available. No doubt this is true. Grain prices however will continue to rise, forcing the poorest out of the market - a market where being forced out could well mean starving to death.

Finally, there are others who say that there is a bigger failing in the scheme still - one that undermines the whole principle behind it. Their opinion is that biofuels are in fact not at all sustainable, due to continuing deforestation and damaging farming practices (including the use of fertilisers). This also leads to exacerbation of the problem of climate change itself - making the switch to biofuel completely pointless.

The government, in their usual style demand that nothing is wrong and we should go ahead. For once, in the whole green issue, I remain unconvinced. It really does sound as if Oxfam has a strong case here - and if it turns out that just one farm growing rapeseed means that someone has to starve then I’d say we’ve got it terribly, terribly wrong.

Friends of the Earth insist that the way forward is to create better public transport. That’s never a bad idea - I’d like to be travelling in a clean, quiet bus that isn’t shoving out horrendous amounts of Co2. But I think that’s ignoring the problem a little. Cars are not going to go away. They are an amazing invention. We all really need to think very carefully though about where we go from here.

Given all this information, I really feel that we’re on the cusp of something great. If bio-diesel isn’t the answer, maybe a manufacturer will really take the plunge and create something sustainable, efficient and able to manage more than 100 miles on a single charge. I personally think it’s going to be Honda. Their hydrogen fuel cell is something to amaze - and it shouldn’t starve anyone of force them off their land.