Future Car Challenge 2011: Participate

Participate

The Royal Automobile Club extends an open invitation to motor manufacturers, importers, institutions, engineering companies and private engineers to participate in the 2011 RAC Future Car Challenge (FCC). Finishing in front of a c.250,000 crowd in London's Regent Street, closed for the occasion, this new event brings comprehensive benefits for marketing/media campaigns and promotions.

Entrants will enjoy:

Extensive pre and post event media coverage (TV, Radio & National/Regional Press).
Formal entry listing in this important Royal Automobile Club event.
Entry details with web link on www.futurecarchallenge.com.
Association with industry/government low-emission motoring groups/campaigns.
Royal Automobile Club trophy awards for each category and overall winner.
Product display/promotion in Brighton, Crawley and Regent Street.
Product exposure along the 60 mile route from Brighton to London.
Opportunity to run liveried cars (encouraged) for optimum roadside promotion.
Refreshment provisions during the Run at Brighton, Crawley and London.
Entry Number Panels for each participating vehicle.
Royal Automobile Club finisher's medal and certificate for each finishing vehicle.
Awards crest/logo for on-going company PR, advertisements and stationery etc.
Passes/tickets to the event functions of Friday evening's informal dinner in Brighton, Saturday morning breakfast and the Saturday evening post-event Awards Celebration Dinner at The Royal Automobile Club.

Starting on the renowned motoring road of Madeira Drive Brighton, the 2011 Challenge will take place on Saturday 05 November - the day preceding the Club's 115th Anniversary London to Brighton Veteran Car Run. The RAC Future Car Challenge will use the traditional 60 mile Veteran car run route in reverse for a formal finish in Pall Mall and onto a unique ceremonial finish in Regent Street London, to join the assembled display of 100 early motor cars in the traditional Veteran Car Concours in front of an estimated 250,000 audience.

The RAC Future Car Challenge is NOT a race but a challenge to demonstrate low-energy impact over the route from Brighton to London within a given minimum and maximum time. The event will provide significant opportunities for the media, along with VIP guests/celebrities, to participate and support low/zero emission motoring.

ELIGIBLE ENTRANTS AND VEHICLES:

Entrant Class

The organisers will offer around 80 places for 2011 (64 entries in 2010) across the following three Entrant classes:

1.	Entrant Class 1	(Manufacturers/Importers of over 10,000 units world production p.a.)
2.	Entrant Class 2	(Manufacturers/Importers/Engineering Companies/Institutions of less than 10,000 units world production p.a.)
3.	Entrant Class 3	(Non-commercial, non-sponsored and non-corporate branded entry)

Vehicle Category

Entries will be categorised by vehicle type as per the following 7 groups (Euro Car Segment):

1.	Small Passenger Car (A&B)
2.	Regular Passenger Car (C)
3.	Large Passenger Car (D)
4.	Luxury Passenger Car (E&F)
5.	Sports Car (S)
6.	Multi-Purpose Vehicle (M&J)
7.	Light Commercial Vehicle (up to 3.5 Tonne)

Vehicle Energy Type

The Challenge is open to road-legal, concept, development, pre-production and production cars and LCVs (light commercial vehicles) that feature new/alternative low-energy in the following five energy types:

1.	Pure Electric (EV)
2.	Extended-Range (E-REV)
3.	Hybrid (HV, HEV, PHEV)
4.	Hydrogen (HFEV)
5.	Internal Combustion Engine (ICE) - up to 110g/km CO2 emission fuelled by any legal means^*

(^*Each year the maximum CO2 limit permitted for the ICE category will be decreased in line with government targets. For 2010/11 we start with 110g/km but recognise there is a 95g/km government target set for 2020).

THE CHALLENGE

The challenge is to drive an eligible vehicle the 60 mile/92km official course from Brighton to London using the least energy possible within the 2hrs 45min minimum and 3hrs 30min maximum time permitted.
Participants are challenged to use the least energy in both Vehicle Category and in Vehicle Energy Type with Royal Automobile Club trophy awards presented in both groups for Best in Class.
Overall energy used will be multiplied by the relevant energy cost to find the most economic low-energy vehicle in each Class (see Official Entry Regulations).
The Challenge element is optional. The entrant may opt out of having their vehicle energy measured and simply participate to parade and promote the vehicle.
Each participating vehicle must have a minimum of 2 adult occupants throughout the Challenge.

How the Energy consumed is measured

All participating vehicles will be required to install an official FCC Data-logger with GPS (provided) which will record relevant information including EV voltage and current used at battery output converted to kW-h. The entrant will be supplied, pre-event, with the FCC Data-logger pre-wiring/sensor kit for fitting prior to arrival in Brighton.
On arrival at the Finish in London the FCC Technical team will remove the Data-logger to download the information as required.
For hybrid and fuel-based HV, HEV, E-REV, PHEV, HFEV and ICE vehicles the fuel consumed will be measured by the technical team and transformed to energy in kilojoules then converted to kW-h.
Measurements from the Data-logger and the fuel consumed will be combined, where appropriate, to provide the overall energy consumed in kW-h.
The FCC Technical Team of Imperial College London will present a FCC Technical Seminar at the College in early May to present and discuss the final detailed arrangements for the energy-consumed measurement.

Technical Team and Technical Panel/Judges

A team of low-energy vehicle specialists at Imperial College London have been appointed as the Official FCC Technical Team, and the college is a formal event partner. The team will be available to assist with technical matters during the period up to the event and will be in attendance during the event to officially measure each vehicle's energy consumed.

The above FCC Technical Team will be guided by the FCC Technical Panel. Members of the panel are from senior roles within the industry and also form the FCC Judging Panel:

-	Mr Ben Cussons (Chairman) – The Royal Automobile Club Motoring Committee
-	Dr Ricardo Martinez-Botas – Imperial College London
-	Dr David Bizley – RAC Motoring Services
-	Mr John Wood – Institution of Mechanical Engineers
-	Mr Steve Cropley – Autocar
-	Mr Jon Hilton – Flybrid Systems
-	Mr Mike Skinner – GEMS

AWARDS – ROYAL AUTOMOBILE CLUB TROPHIES

Each vehicle completing the Challenge within the given time will receive a Royal Automobile Club Finishers Award and Certificate.

In addition, Royal Automobile Club trophy awards will be presented to the winner of each of the following 15 categories:


1.	Most Energy Efficient Small Car
2.	Most Energy Efficient Regular Car
3.	Most Energy Efficient Large Car
4.	Most Energy Efficient Luxury Car
5.	Most Energy Efficient Sports Car
6.	Most Energy Efficient Multi-Purpose Car
7.	Most Energy Efficient Light Commercial Vehicle
8.	Best Overall Electric Vehicle (EV)
9.	Best Overall Extended-Range Vehicle (E-REV)
10.	Best Overall Hybrid Vehicle (HV, HEV, PHEV)
11.	Best Overall Hydrogen Vehicle (HFEV)
12.	Best Overall Internal Combustion Engine Vehicle (ICE)
The following award will be judged by spectators during the display in Regent Street:
13.	The Public Choice
In addition to the above, the FCC Technical Panel/Judges will conclude on the following overall winners:
14.	Best Overall Private Entry
15.	Best Overall Entry – RAC Future Car Challenge 2011 Winner
(Most Energy Efficient = least energy/cost consumed during the Challenge)

Winning vehicles will be identified during the display in Regent Street.
All awards will be presented at the formal FCC Awards Dinner on the Saturday evening at The Royal Automobile Club in Pall Mall London.