Last Saturday saw the inaugural Discover Luxembourg by Electric Vehicle event take place in perfect weather conditions; the event was organised by G-Media with the sterling support of Renault Luxembourg who provided the fleet of vehicles, La Bâloise who provided the insurance, and Total Luxembourg who provided the picnic lunch.
This proof-of-concept event started with a breakfast laid on by Renault at their main showroom in Gasperich and after each team was individually briefed on their cars’ characteristics by Renault’s very attentive Fabrice, and some short presentations led by Renault Luxembourg Director General M. Frédéric Maillard, it was time to get going and really get to know the cars which were all-electric models: the Renault Zoe, the Renault Fluence and the Renault Kangoo (both 2- and 5-seaters).
The route included visits to Total Gasperich, which already has an electric vehicle charging point, Steinfort Adventure, the lake at Centre Roudemer in Steinfort, the Roman baths at Mamer and a “semaphore challenge” at the lakes at Kockelscheuer for a total distance (depending on how well the teams followed the route directions!) of between 63 and 94 kilometres.
The objective of the day was relaxed fun, but with a competitive edge provided in the form of a quiz based on observations or activities at each of the stations, and the “Energy Saving Challenge”, in which each team tried to consume the least amount of electrical energy as possible in their vehicles, with every km of power saved translating into an extra point for the team, and also an additional donation to the chosen charity The Schengen Peace Foundation (at the time in the middle of their 8th annual World Peace Forum, elsewhere in Luxembourg) from G-Media and Renault Luxembourg. Between the teams this raised the creditable total of €390 for the charity.
The teams (from previous Discover Luxembourg (by foot) competitors, Chronicle.lu readers and AMCHAM members) ranged from those who took it very seriously, like the “Golden Girls” who even begrudged opening the car windows or operating the radio for fear of consuming a few extra watts of electricity, to “Let’s Disco”, a team of four young German women who took the quiz seriously enough to post the highest team score, but, by exploring the outer limits of their car’s performance threshold, and by driving 50% further than the wining team, managed a NEGATIVE saving of electricity, the announcement of which they cheered loudly!
On their return to Renault Gasperich, the teams also had the opportunity to do a short test drive of the Renault Twizy electric city car. This proved to be really fun end to the afternoon as drivers and passengers alike got to grips with the completely different driving and seating style of what is, effectively, a two seater quad bike with a roof.
The highest points scorers on the day, saving a very impressive 38km of electricity over a distance of 69 km, were Futurama; however, from their reactions afterwards, every single team that took part seemed to have thoroughly enjoyed the event, and for that it can be considered that they were all winners!
Additionally, the organisers should be delighted that the concept was so well and truly proven, which bodes well indeed for the full-on 2015 event.
Photos (top): the winning team, Futurama; (below, L-R): John Chalmers; Frédéric Maillard, Renault; Geoff Thompson
