Although many have doubted the London 2012 team’s claim that this will be the ‘greenest Olympics ever’, there is very little doubt that the fleet of cars being used in the Olympics are of a high green calibre. London as a city has always been friendly to electric cars, boasting hundreds of electric vehicle charging points scattered across the city. The Olympics however have helped London take their love affair with electric cars even further by using them to ferry official, athletes and even equipment across and between the fields and arenas of the games.
How BMW are contributing to the games
German automobile manufacturer BMW are the official automobile supplier to the games, and therefore are responsible for all vehicles employed by London 2012. In an effort to make the games live up to their green credentials, BMW has provided a fleet of fuel efficient and hybrid cars that also beef up BMWs image as a green car provider.
Not all vehicles being used are electric, indeed most of them are simply fuel efficient and occasionally hybrid. But the small incorporation of electric cars is a big step for BMW and a big step for the games.
How the ‘Mini-Minis’ are saving time on the field
Perhaps the most curious addition to the electrical car family at the Olympics are the mini Minis: remote controlled mini Mini Cooper Hatchbacks that are a quarter of the size of the actual Mini Cooper car. However instead of having a petrol engine, these mini cars are run on batteries that allow them to start quickly and zip up and down the field.
While the mini Mini looks more like a toy than an actual vehicle, they have been given a very important task in the games. To attempt to save time, the mini Minis are being used to ferry javelins, hammers and other equipment back from the field to the throwing area. This not only saves manpower but also time, as the mini Minis can whizz across the field and return the equipment promptly.
What do electric cars stand to gain from Olympic exposure
Many people see the use of electric, hybrid and fuel efficient cars in the Olympics as little more than a gimmick, but I’d argue that it is actually a great way to instill trust and faith in electric vehicles. The Olympic games are probably the most important events that London has staged in the past few decades, and the fact they’re putting so much stock in electric vehicles show that they trust them to perform and perform well. It may not be the kind of exposure that gold medalists get, but it will certainly be enough to help increase the standings of electrical vehicles worldwide.
This is a guest post by Andras Deak, an occasional blogger and a full-time alternative energy enthusiast. He works for Rolec Services, a very innovative green company providing electric vehicle charging solutions.