Thousands Attend EcoVelocity Show at ExCel
EcoVelocity hasn’t been going for very long. In fact, the show only opened its doors last year. That didn’t stop it from attracting seven times more visitors this year, though, proving that the market for green, energy-efficient cars is very much in full blossom across the UK.
Let’s recap. EcoVelocity is a green motor show that exhibits the very best of new eco car technology. Despite its infancy, only the biggest names have exhibited, including Chevrolet, Citroen, Peugeot, Nissan, Honda, Mia, Vauxhall and more. It’s a chance for the world's biggest brands to show the public how hard they’re working to reduce vehicle emissions on their new cars for sale, and present the solutions they feel will contribute to a cleaner, more economic way of driving.
Green Figures
Organisers Media 10 have just finished totting up the figures from the latest show, which took place between 5-13 May 2012 at ExCel London. Over the nine days, 57,909 visitors attended EcoVelocity, with manufacturers inundated with requests for test drives and information about their latest green technology. Visitors had the chance to test vehicles on EcoVelocity’s 3.5 Mile Road Course; a public road that gives people first-hand experience of what these eco cars are like to drive.
What’s most impressive is that EcoVelocity is only in its second year, but has already gone a long way to imbuing itself into the consciousness of an eco-hungry motoring public. A key factor was the organisers pairing up with the team behind Grand Designs Live – this year, both shows complemented each other perfectly, running alongside each other at ExCel and attracting eco awareness on an unprecedented scale. This year’s show was sponsored by EDF Energy, which also provided recharging solutions for people with electric cars.
“We won't have a society if we destroy the environment." - Margaret Mead
Says Giles Brown, MD of EcoVelocity: “We are delighted to report that running the shows side by side has really worked well, with both events benefitting from new audience visitors. The shows are complementary and provide useful information to consumers looking for a more sustainable lifestyle. Not only did we witness a growing level of interest from EcoVelocity-specific visitors, but also found that visitors to Grand Designs were keen to discover more about low carbon vehicles and how they could fit into their wider eco-living aspirations."
“EcoVelocity this year proved that there is now real interest in electric vehicles and an understanding by the general public that our driving habits need to change. We were amazed at the level of knowledge and understanding of EVs exhibited by the show goers, very different from last year," adds Paul Evans of Venture Automotive Ltd.
The bigwigs were also suitably impressed. Paul Ormond, General Manager of Corporate Affairs at Honda UK said, "Stronger in attendance and more quality leads was the bottom line for EcoVelocity 2012. Linking the show to Grand Designs also created access to a largely unknown audience we may never have seen - an added bonus."
Going Green in 2013
EcoVelocity is just one of a number of fantastic new car shows that has appeared in the United Kingdom over the past few years, and it’s already proving to be one of the most popular. We wish the organisers luck for next year’s exhibit, which will likely show off better eco technology and lower new car prices than ever before.
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