Llanelli - 24 April, 2008
1. Various of sports car on road
2. SOUNDBITE: (English) Tim Bishop, Connaught Motors, Engineering Director
"We're riding in the very first prototype car, so it's a bit noisy and harsh, but this is a supercharged car, which is pretty fast and manages to do about 22 miles to the gallon, and 170 miles per hour, and seat four people."
3. Various of sports car on road
4. Mid of Geoff Matthews getting into sports car
5. Various of Matthews inside car
6. SOUNDBITE: (English) Geoff Matthews, Connaught Motors, operations director
"Behind me is the Connaught motor car, which is not yet available to the public, but is rather unique, in that it has a hybrid assist system, which is bolted to the front of a unique V10 engine. In fact the whole car is new from the ground up."
7. Close of petrol cap
8. Close of V10 badge
9. SOUNDBITE: (English) Geoff Matthews, Connaught Motors, operations director
"So, you should be able to save, shall we say 15 to 25 per cent fuel and an exact equivalent reduction in CO2 emissions."
10. Zoom into car interior
11. SOUNDBITE: (English) Geoff Matthews, Connaught Motors, operations director
"The car gave birth to the only retrofit hybrid system technology currently available in the world today. So it's a version of this system, and it's fitted to a Transit van."
12. Wide of white Ford Transit van, with Tony Martindale walking towards front of van
13. Mid of Martindale opening front of van
14. Various close of hybrid engine
15. SOUNDBITE: (English) Tony Martindale, Connaught Motors, Chief Operations Director
"The unique thing about the technology we've employed is, as you're aware it was developed on the Connaught Type D, which is a petrol installation. And it's 100 per cent retrofit, so the hybrid system that we employ in the vehicle is less than 50 kilograms, it get bolted to an existing van, so straight off the line, so if you drive a fleet of Transits, we can install in less than a day for you."
16. Various close of hybrid retrofit engine
17. Wide of van
18. Close Transit badge
19. Mid of hybrid logo
20. Close of hybrid logo
London - 30 April, 2008
21. Set up of Dan Strong at desk
22. SOUNDBITE: (English) Dan Strong, Auto Express, motoring editor
"Retrofitting hybrids is a really interesting idea and beneficial on a number of levels. First of all, it allows the technology to be fitted to a wider group of vehicles, than those I mentioned before. Secondly it allows the technology to be developed independent of the car. Developing cars is a very expensive experience for any manufacturer. So to be able to just focus on the hybrid unit, the power train effectively, could offer efficiencies and costs savings."
23. Mid of Strong at desk
25. SOUNDBITE: (English) Dan Strong, Auto Express, motoring editor
"Hybrid cars have been under development for some time now. One company that has had particular success is Toyota. Toyota built the Prius, and under the Lexus badge they also build cars like the LS600H and the GS450H. All three of these cars have had commercial success. They've also proved to be reliable and really have dealt consumers the kind of savings they were hoping to make. Particularly here in central London, where we have the congestion charge, from which hybrids are currently exempt."
26. Various of cars and buses on road
27. Wide of exterior of Toyota car dealership
28. Various of hybrid cars
29. Various of Toyota Prius
30. Close of hybrid badge
31. Close pan of front of car
32. Various close of engine
LEAD IN:
A small Welsh car maker has developed an innovative hybrid engine that may help in reducing harmful carbon emissions.
Initially made for a high performance car, the retrofit hybrid engine can now be fitted to commercial vehicles.
The makers claim the new engine can reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 15 to 25 per cent.
As big car manufacturers try to woo potential customers with 'greener' cars, one small company has come up with its own way to reduce carbon emissions.
Based in an unassuming Welsh industrial estate, the Connaught Motor Company has developed a new kind of hybrid engine.
Traditionally the company has been known for its high-end, high-performance vehicles.
Its heyday was in 1955, when one of the company's cars won the Sicilian Grand Prix.
However, production stopped in the following decades.
Then in 2002 the company was relaunched by a small team of passionate car lovers.
Since then a series of new prototype vehicles have been developed.
Tim Bishop, the engineering director, says the first prototype is a supercharged vehicle, capable of reaching speeds of 170 miles per hour (273 kilometres per hour).
From this first prototype, they begun developing a hybrid version.
The result was the Connaught Type D, this sporty number comes equipped with a hybrid assist unit, bolted to a V10 engine.
The company claims that the Type D V10 sports coupe will deliver a 30 percent reduction in CO2 emissions compared to vehicles in its class, with a hybrid engine capable of taking to the car from 0-60 miles per hour in 6.2 seconds to a top speed of 150mph (241 kilometres per hour).
Priced between 45,000 UK pounds (US$88,800) to 80,000 UK pounds (US$160,000) depending on specifications.
Connaught is pitching the car between a Jaguar and the Aston Martin.
For now the Type D is unavailable to the public, but production should start in 2008.
Matthews says the hybrid engine can reduce total fuel consumption by around 15 to 25 per cent.
This unique hybrid engine has spawned a new line of business for Connaught.
Matthews says development of the sports car led to the first retro-fitted hybrid engine available for commercial vehicles.
Connaught Engineering Ltd has invested12 million pounds (US$24 million) to commission a factory to produce a CO2 emissions-cutting engine component that can be retro-fitted to commercial vans.
The retro-fitted engines can be attached to an ordinary Ford Transit van.
Standing by one of the vans equipped with the retro-fit engine is Tony Martindale, the Chief Operations Director.
He says they can install the lightweight engines to vans in less than a day.
Each retro-fit engine weighs less than 50 kilograms.
The company won a 3.4 million pound (US$6.7 million) grant from the Welsh assembly.
Tesco PLC, Britain's largest grocer, is one of several companies currently testing Connaught's hybrid retro-fit system using the technology on its fleet of home delivery vans.
If successful, Connaught expects orders of around 4,000 units a year.
Dan Strong, motoring editor of Auto Express, says retro-fitting engines is very cost effective, because there is no need to develop new vehicles.
In addition, it means the engines can be fitted to a wider group of vehicles, according to Strong.
Nonetheless, there are a number of car manufacturers that have launched their own hybrid cars.
Strong says Toyota has had some success with its Prius model.
He adds consumers are looking for vehicles which can save them money, especially in central London where hybrid cars are exempt from the congestion charge.
Once a car crosses the congestion charge zone between 7am and 6pm on a weekday, the cost to the private driver is eight pounds (US$15.8) a day.
Car makers are developing new models of 'eco cars', aimed at meeting new targets set by the European Union.
Those targets mean automobile manufacturers will have to cut car emissions by 2012 or face big fines.
The proposal will force automakers to reduce average carbon dioxide emissions from new cars sold in the EU from around 160 grams per kilometre to 130 grams starting in 2012.
