Calthorpe going ‘green’ in low carbon project
A PROPERTY developer is providing carbon neutral viewings of its accommodation and offices in Birmingham as part of a UK-wide green project.
Calthorpe Estates is testing electric and ultra low emission vehicles produced by Mitsubishi, called the i-MiEV, from Coventry and Birmingham Low Emission Vehicle Demonstrators (CABLED).
The vehicle is used by staff to travel around the 610-hectare Calthorpe Estate, in Edgbaston, to offer environmentally friendly viewings of properties including the £40m office scheme Calthorpe House.
Graham Standring of Calthorpe Estates said that Calthorpe House had a host of energy saving features including rainwater harvesting and high levels of thermal insulation.
“There is even an electrical charge point installed at the property so we can comfortably travel around the estate in the i-MiEV,” he said.
“Taking part in this trail is the latest way in which we are actively reducing carbon emissions.”
CABLED is the largest of eight regional teams to participate in the £25m low carbon vehicle scheme and Advantage West Midlands has supported the consortium by investing £2.5m.
The project will trial 110 vehicles on the roads of Birmingham and Coventry while 340 vehicles are being tested UK wide using funding from the Technology Strategy Board and the Department of Transport.
The i-MiEV is a fully electric car with zero emissions and a range of 100 miles.
It can be charged from flat to full in six hours at any UK three-pin socket, costing under £1 for a full charge.
Five other manufacturers within CABLED will roll out vehicles in 2010, including Jaguar/Land Rover, Mercedes Benz/Smart, Tata, LTI and Microcab industries.
Birmingham City Council and Coventry City Council are providing electrical charging points for vehicles across the two cities and there is access to the University of Birmingham’s hydrogen refuelling station.
During the trials, Aston University will be analysing and reporting its conclusions from the data generated by the vehicles.
