EDMONTON, Alta. — Each year, AJAC (Automobile Journalists Association of Canada) conducts an event to showcase the latest advancements in eco-friendly automotive powertrains.
EcoRun provides an opportunity to test the latest technologies, ranging from pure electric and hydrogen cell vehicles, to plug-in and conventional hybrids. The latest in high-efficiency gasoline and diesel engines are also included.
EcoRun helps inform Canadians about the alternatives available to them now and in the near future. Accurate consumption numbers recorded over two days and almost 1,000 km of driving on real world roads, has proven that vehicles are capable of not only meeting their published mileage claims, but exceeding them.
Nineteen journalists from coast-to-coast drove the vehicles over two days switching vehicles after each leg. EcoRun started in Edmonton and from there, Leg 1 took us to Red Deer. Leg 2: Red Deer to Drumheller, Leg 3: Drumheller to Calgary. We overnighted in Calgary then Leg 4 took us to Canmore, Leg 5 to Banff and Leg 6 back to Calgary.
Two issues became evident quickly: the logistical issue of electric vehicles, and the significance of speed. It was necessary to stop for a couple of hours every 150 km or so to allow the electric vehicles to be recharged.
EcoRun organizers had arranged the route to ensure the availability of 220 or 440-volt recharging stations at each stop. As for speed? It was fascinating to watch consumption figures change relative to speed and altitude change, dipping or plunging depending on the increase in speed or elevation.
Regular readers know my driving style is diametrically opposed to saving fuel. It took a concerted, and sustained effort to think and drive with fuel efficiency in mind and my right foot behaving.
EcoRun awards a green jersey to the winner, the person with the lowest average fuel consumption during the event. Because of the variety of powerplants, a points system has been developed to determine the winner.
Four of the previous seven winners took part this year. The best any of them could do was third with 3.03 points. The winner was Michael Crepault of Montreal with a 3.68. Michael not only was the best overall, he recorded the top score in four different vehicles.
Your scribe finished fifth at 2.87 and had the best score in three vehicles — the hydrogen fuel-cell powered Hyundai Nexus, the all-wheel-drive Prius and the new Ford Explorer hybrid. I managed 3.1 litres/100 km in the Prius, a personal best.
EcoRun was an opportunity to practise driving with fuel efficiency in mind. It also proved there are a number of highly efficient — and clean — vehicles on the market and several others coming very soon.
The personal highlights were hydrogen-powered Nexo, and the pure electric Hyundai Kona/Kia Niro cousins.
I’ll be reporting on these three here in the coming weeks.
The entry list for the eighth annual EcoRun included vehicles with a wide range of power plants: hydrogen, pure electric, plug-in hybrid, hybrid, gasoline and diesel.
With only one exception, we were able to match or exceed the NRCAN ratings for every entrant.
The results with actual mileage, followed by their NRCan rating (litres or equivalent/100 km) were:
HYDROGEN
Hyundai Nexo 3.9 / 4.1
ELECTRIC
Hyundai Kona 1.7 / 2.0
Chevrolet Bolt 1.8 / 2.0
Kia Nero 1.9 / 2.1
Nissan Leaf Plus 2.2 / 2.2
Jaguar i-Pace 3.1 / 3.1
PLUG-IN HYBRIDS
Mitsubishi Outlander 5.2 / 6.2
HYBRIDS
Toyota Prius AWD 3.7 / 4.7
Toyota Corolla 3.8 / 4.5
Lexus US 250h 5.1 / 5.6
Toyota RAV4 hybrid 5.4 / 6.0
Ford Explorer 8.0 / not yet rated
GASOLINE
Hyundai Elantra 4.4 / 6.8
Mazda3 GS AWD 5.4 / 8.2
Mazda3 GS Sport FWD
5.7 / 8.0
Nissan Altima Platinum 5.7 / 7.5
Volvo XC60 T8 6.6 / 6.5
Volvo XC90 T8 7.0 / 7.2
Infiniti QX50 7.2 / 9.0
DIESEL
Chevrolet Colorado diesel
7.2 / 10.5.
