From the mountain roads of France and Switzerland to Monaco’s famed F1 track, 118 alternative energy vehicle teams competed in this weekend’s Fourth Annual Monte Carlo Alternative Energy Vehicle Rally.
Like last year, Ford and Tesla were the big winners in their respective categories. A Belgian-French team driving a Ford Focus ECOnetic came in tops among low-carbon emissions gasoline-powered vehicles and third overall, while a Tesla team won in the all-electric production vehicle category.
Other winners included a LPG-gasoline hybrid Alfa Romeo MiTo that came in first overall, while a Lotus Elise running on E85 was best in the biofuels group.
The rally first started in 2007 when the greenest Grimaldi, Prince Albert II — himself an owner of a BMW Hydrogen 7 — decided that the opening round of the FIA International Cup should highlight alternative fuel technologies. He’s got some clout as a monarch, and that’s why this weekend everything from an E85 F430 to a bevy of Priuses competed in categories based on fuel type and vehicle range.
Ford’s Focus and Fiesta ECOnetic both competed in the “regularity” trials, a sort of hypermiling challenge. “The average speed must remain constant from the start until the finish line,” said Ford team leader Alain Jongerlynck. “It is a difficult driving exercise. You can not cheat on the qualities of the car.”
The contest had just 36 entries in its first year, but as new alt-fuel models became available and manufacturers looked for places to show them off, interest grew rapidly. Ford and Tesla both trumpeted their return to the rally after overall dominance and a record-breaking run for the Tesla Roadster in 2009.
Photos: Automobile Club Monaco: Teslas at the 2009 rally.
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