Central to the role of the expedition is the environmental impact of the car, in particular that of its impact on resources and green house gas output. A world of mass consumerism and a need to go ever further at lower cost has put a huge strain on the planet’s resources. The most modern hybrid engines are attaining high levels of efficiency but acceptance from the consumer is hindered by a belief that they cannot perform to the same standard of reliability and performance. That statement provides the backbone for our expedition.
This expedition aims to prove a point - that these new economical engines can perform not only day to day but also that they can prove themselves in some very testing environments. Thus, through adversity the vehicles will raise awareness of options surrounding alternative fuels.
Our intention is to travel 13,500 miles in two vehicles with fuel efficient engines. The expedition will run between June/July 2009 lasting for around 7 weeks, beginning in England and ending in Tokyo, Japan. It has been estimated that when the vehicles make it to the end they will have used half the fuel of the same journey in standard petrol engines. Not only saving money but resources and carbon emissions as well.