This year's British International Motor Show - running from the 23rd July to 3rd August - will place on display some of the most exciting advances in sustainable transport.
Available throughout the show will be 'The Co-operative Insurance Greener Driving Pavilion' and the 'EV Village'.
The installations - the result of a partnership between ACT ON CO2 and The Co-operative Insurance - will showcase the most environmentally friendly cars from several manufacturers. It will demo new technologies for the development of sustainable transport, and feature vehicle cutaways of the industry's current eco-friendly models, including hybrid and electric cars.
The 'Electric Vehicle Village', which will house many of the world's pioneering electric cars, will also be the site of the first ever 'Which Car? Green Awards 2008'.
It marks a vast promotion of the growing relationship between the motor industry and sustainable energy. And the promoters themselves are aware of that fact:
"Our aim is to inform and educate visitors on saving money as well as the environment, whilst providing a sneak preview of what tomorrow's motorist might be driving".
Included in the show are several concept cars. One - touted as the first car to be made from fully recyclable materials - has a body comprised of hemp.
It has also been reported that Nissan will display a car powered by hydrogen.
This year's show marks a rise in the number of eco-friendly cars on display, and it shows that the importance of investment into sustainable energy transport is apparent to the world's major auto mobile manufacturers.
Nor is the British International Motor Show a small stage. Indeed, it is one of the oldest motor shows in Britain established in 1903 and held for the first time at Crystal Palace, London.
The existing electric and hybrid models on offer at the British International Motor Show - plus the prototype models - coincide neatly with Gordon Brown's announcement that he wants all cars sold in Britain to be either electric or hybrid by 2020.
It is expected that the Prime Minister will unveil more plans relating to the announcement at the British International Motor Show itself.
He has already posited that one possible option is the introduction of a 'top-up' system - already being used in Denmark and Israel - in which motorists would pay for a contract that entitled them to a set number of miles on the road.
Those miles would be charged into the car using electricity instead of fossil fuels, and the batteries could be recharged or replaced at several points across the country.
Certainly, this year's show appears to promote a commitment from the manufacturers to the importance of sustainable energy transport.
With BMW releasing the first ever hydrogen powered car in 2006 - the BMW Hydrogen 7 - and the development of the Nissan X-TRAIL FCV since 2003, a partnership between the industry and the government is a growing possibility.
There are also more electric cars on the road than ever before, as manufacturer development means improved models.
After former London Mayor Ken Livingston made electric cars exempt from the congestion charge - due to their carbon emissions output of zero - the incentive for owning an eco-friendly car was only strengthened.
Let's hope a commitment from government, and auto mobile manufacturers continues into the future.
Until then, visit the British International Motor Show to see some very cool cars.
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Posted under Articles, Cars & Transport, Environmental News
This post was written by Chris Woolfrey on July 30, 2008