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28th August 2006

Oaktec and EEMS were represented at the first UK hybrid vehicle convention at the Prodrive test facility in Warwickshire, when the newly developed Honda Insight Hybrid Rally car was demonstrated to delegates from industry, motorsport and government.

The event was attended by several hundred delegates, many of whom queued for a demonstration on the Prodrive test track in what is believed to be the first ultra low emission rally car in Europe. Amongst the high profile figures who drove the car was FIA technical consultant Peter Wright, who later referred to it in his keynote speech on the future use of energy regeneration systems in F1 racing.

The Insight, which is a class A winner in the Formula 1000 rally championship, competes with all its low emissions systems intact and aims to gain competitive advantage by means of optimising the hybrid's energy regeneration systems, and improving the overall efficiency of the vehicle. It is hoped that further performance can be gained, in terms of speed and low emissions, through exploiting the characteristics of E85 bio-ethanol which is now part of an ongoing development program for the car.

At the Prodrive event, Dr Steve Bunkhall from EEMS introduced the team to Steve Carter from Warwick University's International Automotive Research Centre. IARC has done previous hybrid research work using a Honda Insight as a model and has now formed an agreement to team up with Oaktec on a joint development programme focusing on developing the hybrid system for motorsport application, and optimising the performance of the E85 bio ethanol fuel blend.

Paul Andrews, driver of the Oaktec Honda Insight hybrid rally car, was delighted: "The link with IARC and Warwick University is a fantastic opportunity for us. The fact that they have already established a library of data on the Insight and have a detailed understanding of its systems and strategies gives us a significant head start, and a platform from which we can gain immediate benefits.

"We are now in a position where we can run a joint development program to explore the extreme limits of the car's performance envelope, and look at ways of tailoring the hybrid technologies for a motorsport application without compromising the car's inherent environmental credentials. It opens opportunities for us to develop a practical working model which pushes the boundaries of these new technologies, and then proves their worth the heat of competition. We are very optimistic about the long term potential of this joint project!"

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