It’s only a year until the start of the London 2012 Olympics, and as you’d imagine, transport arrangements for spectators, athletes and organisers are already well underway.
And at the same time as Tube and bus bosses are busy finalising details of how to get people to and from the Games, LOCOG, the London Organising Committee of the Olympic Games, has just taken delivery of its first dedicated games vehicle.
BMW bicycles for the Olympics
And, in fitting with the sustainability targets of the games, it’s a bicycle. It’s the first vehicle to arrive of the entire Olympics fleet, which is all being provided by BMW.
And while the German firm might be more associated with gas-guzzling sports cars, it’s using the event to showcase its more energy efficient models.
New energy efficient vehicles and the ‘Pedelec’
So, along with the BMW bicycles, there’ll be a whole raft of electric cars, energy efficient petrol vehicles plus the unveiling of a brand new electrically assisted bicycle, dubbed the ‘Pedelec’.
The Pedelec will not be the only BMW debutant at London 2012, with BMW Hybrid cars making their first appearance on British roads during the event as well.
Eco cars, bikes and motorcycles
David Stubbs, Head of Sustainability for LOCOG, said: “Everybody will be travelling to the Games by foot, bicycle or public transport where ever possible, and the LOCOG team will be no exception to this.”
“It is rather fitting therefore that the first vehicle we accept for the 2012 fleet is a bike. However, cars and motorcycles remain a vital part of the transport arrangements to ensure the smooth running and full operational support of the Games.”
Helping meet the Olympic CO2 targets
Global Sales and Marketing Director for BMW Group, Ian Robertson, explained further: “The majority of the fleet will be made up of highly efficient diesel-powered cars, featuring the company’s award-winning and industry-leading EfficientDynamics technologies. This has allowed us to meet LOCOG’s extremely challenging target of 120g/km of CO2, as an average across the fleet.”
“We will supply almost 4,000 vehicles, in addition to the 400 bicycles, from diesels to electric cars, hybrids to motorcycles, as well as innovative new products like the Pedelec.”
BMW was chosen by London 2012 because of its ability to meet the strict emissions targets set by the games. The vehicle manufacturer has been ranked industry leader in the Dow Jones Sustainability Indexes for the last six years.
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