I was recently engaged as a co-driver in the RAC Future Car Challenge by the indubitable Hannah from Green Car Design. It was quite the thrill, going up against some of the best drivers in the world. And Damon Hill was there too. Haha, see what I did there?
Damon was driving the same car as us, a Peugeot 508 e-HDI, and I was determined to smash him. I’m competitive like that, you see. More out of our league was television’s favourite North Face-wearing building site visitor Kevin McCloud. He was driving a sexy little EV prototype that looked far less comfortable and warm than our Peugeot, but infinitely greener.
The route took us on the reverse route of the following day’s London to Brighton veteran car run – the unadulterated poisonous clouds of death the classics would be belching out clearly offset by our environmentally friendly ways. We started off at the coast and made our way up to central London, where the adoring crowds were waiting for us in Regent Street.
It’s massively nerve-wracking, doing eco-driving. You don’t want to be driving inefficiently, slowing down for red lights or other cars. You become relentlessly focused on the task in hand, supremely selfish and obsessed with your dashboard readouts. The biggest problem was getting stuck behind EVs – their optimum speed was something approaching walking distance, but our turbodiesel engine was better at higher speeds, with double digits.
Once we had arrived in Regent Street there was a terrifically nerve-wracking wait* to find out the results. And do you know what? My neurotic competitiveness had won the day – we beat our competitors to a surprising class win. I can’t even remember the figures by this stage – I think our MPG was in the mid-60s somewhere.
Let's be frank though. It’s not the facts, but the winning – and beating Damon Hill – that counts.
*By nerve-wracking wait I mean interminable train journey to Brighton to pick up the car I’d gone down in.
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