TORONTO, July 15, 2019 /CNW/ - The 8th annual Automobile Journalists Association of Canada (AJAC) EcoRun continued its impressive record of fuel consumption results after heading west to Alberta for the first time.
The province of Alberta was not just a new backdrop for the fuel-efficient driving run, but the setting to face many new challenges, mainly infrastructure, range and various opinions on alternative powertrains. The EcoRun attempted to rival the advancements in the auto industry by setting up a drive route throughout Alberta that stretched to 877 km, besting last year's 570-km total in New Brunswick. The two-day drive route stopped in Edmonton, Red Deer, Drumheller, Longview, Canmore, Banff and Calgary.
It all began in Edmonton, where 19 AJAC journalists from across Canada gathered at the Louis McKinney Riverfront Park for the opening ceremonies. The Honorable Amarjeet Sohi, Minister of Natural Resources, Mayor of Edmonton Don Iveson, and Dean Wilcox, Vice President, Edmonton Refinery at Suncor shared their thoughts on the event and their own initiatives before waving the green flag to send AJAC journalists off on their two-day EcoRun journey. In total, 20 eco-friendly vehicles that vary in size and engine were fuel-efficiently driven to a total of 0.89 L/100 km better than the official Natural Resources Canada (NRCan) combined fuel consumption rating. Furthermore, the average for all vehicles involved dipped below the 5.0 L/100 km mark for the first time with a mark of 4.7.
"The goal was to be lower than 5.0L/100 km and that was clearly accomplished," said David Miller, EcoRun chairman. "The advancements in all powertrains including the internal combustion engines are a testament to all the auto manufacturers involved with this event. Back in 2015, we were happy to produce an average of 6.52 L/100 km, and from these EcoRun results, we now know that consumers can reduce their own carbon footprint significantly."
The 2019 EcoRun vehicle breakdown included five pure battery-electric vehicles, three plug-in hybrids, five conventional hybrids, five highly-efficient gasoline options, a diesel truck, and one that runs on hydrogen fuel cells. The lowest fuel consumption belonged to the Kia Niro EV at 1.7 Le/100 km, while the largest disparity from NRCan numbers was found in the Chevrolet Colorado Diesel at 3.3 L/100 km, followed by the Mazda3 GS AWD at 2.8.
"Gasoline and diesel are the most widely used transportation fuels in Canada today, largely because they're readily available, competitively priced and efficient, and our members are committed to continuous improvements so that today's transportation fuels are cleaner tomorrow," explains Peter Boag, President and CEO, Canadian Fuels Association. "This is why, as the association representing refining in Canada, Canadian Fuels is proud to have been an EcoRun sponsor for the fourth consecutive year and to have the honour of presenting the coveted green jersey to the most fuel-efficient driver."
After we were all officially sworn in via the long-standing White Hat Ceremony unique to Calgary on Calgary Stampede grounds, the Green Jersey was awarded to Quebec-native Michel Crepault representing L'Annuel de l'automobile. Rob Hoffman of Canadian Fuels was on-hand to present the jersey to Crepault, who won it on his second EcoRun attempt.
The 877-km drive chose some strategic stops for its existing charging infrastructure or its scenery, history and activities. For those latter stops, the infrastructure for pure electrics and plug-in hybrids was covered by charging stations sent from EcoRun partner FLO. All of the 20 vehicle results can be found on the EcoRun website: www.ajac.ca/ecorun-results-2019.asp
The 2019 AJAC EcoRun is supported by its main partners: Natural Resources Canada (NRCan), Canadian Fuels Association, Michelin North America (Canada) Inc., FLO, Petro-Canada, and ATCO.
EcoRun PRESS ROOM
A section on the AJAC EcoRun webpage has been set-up where you may obtain photos, fuel consumption summaries and video. Please see heading MEDIA at: www.ajac.ca/eco-run
About the Automobile Journalists Association of Canada (AJAC)
The Automobile Journalists Association of Canada (AJAC) is an association of professional journalists, writers, photographers, and corporate members whose focus is the automobile and the Canadian automotive industry. Collectively, our primary objectives are to promote, encourage, support, and facilitate professionalism in Canadian automotive journalism and to ensure factual and ethical reporting about the automobile and automotive issues to Canadian consumers. This is achieved through the work of our members and AJAC's annual vehicle testing and evaluation events, the Canadian Car of the Year and Utility Vehicle of the Year Awards (CCOTY and CUVOTY), Innovation Awards, and EcoRun.
The Automobile Journalists Association of Canada (AJAC) is an association of professional journalists, writers, photographers, and corporate members whose focus is the automobile and the Canadian automotive industry. Collectively, our primary objectives are to promote, encourage, support, and facilitate professionalism in Canadian automotive journalism and to ensure factual and ethical reporting about the automobile and automotive issues to Canadian consumers. This is achieved through the work of our members and AJAC's annual vehicle testing and evaluation events, the Canadian Car of the Year Awards (CCOTY), Canadian Green Car of the Year Awards, Innovation Awards, and EcoRun.
SOURCE Automobile Journalists Association of Canada
regarding the EcoRun program, please contact David Miller, 416-471-7467 ([email protected]) or Cindy Hawryluk 905-978-7239 ([email protected]).
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