Going green in Rio for Challenge Bibendum

First held in 1998, in Clermont-Ferrand, Michelin's hometown in France, the Challenge Bibendum rally has grown into the largest and most important global event focusing on the development and implementation of sustainable transport, in all its many forms.

The forum acts as a clearing house for ideas, with debates, round table discussions, symposia and competitions, both on- and off-road, to test the mettle of alternative vehicles and their makers from all over the world.

This year's event, postponed from 2009 due to global economic conditions, marked the first time the rally had been stagedon South American soil, and Brazil's pioneering approach to alternative fuels made it an obvious choice. President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva himself addressed the crowd at the opening ceremony, deliveringa textbook example of Latin American oratory — a speech full of sound and fury, and delivered at such a rate that the simultaneous translators sometimes found themselves struggling to keep up.

However, much of what made it through the headphones was fascinating, and illustrated the gulf in political thinking between the North and South.

Speaking of the problem of an old, inefficient and polluting fleet of cars throughout the nation, he said the problem was "not persuading people to get rid of their old cars, because nobody would want to buy them and, besides, we'd still be left with a fleet of old, polluting cars. No, the solution is to help people buy new ones." And so that's exactly what the government did by introducing low interest finance, long repayment periods and deferred payment plans. A profound shift occurred and, today, almost 100 per cent of the new cars produced in Brazil are Flex-Fuel, capable of running on some form of alternative fuel — ethanol, biodiesel, even LPG in Rio itself.

"We were so successful with cars that we decided to do the same with tractors, and with trucks, and with buses," he went on. "Today, the world looks to Brazil for leadership in truly sustainable transport."

This, then, is the backdrop for the Challenge Bibendum. The streets of Rio are populated with a very different car-scape than you'll see in the Middle East. Most are small, four-door versions of the compacts found in European cities. Fiats, VWs (including a curious and quite attractive thing called a Gol, which sits somewhere between Golf and Polo), small Opels (or are they Chevrolets, or Daewoos?), a smattering of Kias, Hyundais and Hondas. On these streets, an Accord is a large executive saloon. You see small 4x4s occasionally, but nothing bigger than a Range Rover Sport. And virtually no sportscars at all, certainly not in the parts of the city we visited.

Rally Central was the massive Riocentro complex, a vast concrete and steel exhibition centre outside the city, dating from the Seventies and host to the UN Earth Summit in 1992. A big advantage is the nearby Autodromo, where a numberof the participating vehicles were being tested and driven. This was where the on-road events started and finished, and where the various exhibitions, debates and conferences were held. It was also host to perhaps the most exciting experience, billed in the programme as "a chance to experience the latest innovations, drive a prototype, try out alternatives."

Most of the exhibiting manufacturers and a number of university research teams had brought along their vehicles, to be driven and enjoyed by us journos — and interested engineers from rival manufacturers.

Certainly, the range on offer was intriguing. Audi had brought alonga number of cars for the event, includingan ultra-lightweight A5, very much a working prototype, looking at the implications of putting it into production. Also, the jaw-dropping e-tron, which is simply gorgeous in the metal, beautifully detailed and exquisitely finished.

But this was very much a ‘hands-off' exhibit — only the Audi-shirted handlers were allowed to open the doors, only the Audi driver was allowed behind the wheel (apart from President Luiz for a photo-op), and the only rides on offer were quick spins around the car park. Pity, because in so many ways the e-tron was one of the most exciting cars on display, offeringreal-world performance and range and a degree of style that wouldn't be out of place parked up with the exotica in frontof any of our most glamorous five-stars.

So, sadly, no — I can't tell you what it's like to drive. Only that it is virtually silent and apparently quick. It's very hard to tell how fast you're accelerating when you can't hear an engine, and our Audi driver was obviously favouring his batteries in order to keep the car on display, rather than in the container-sized charging booth that was parked in a dark corner of the garage. Wonder if you get one of those when you buy an e-tron?

Other notable concepts were Citroën's Hypnos — a "fusion of style, performanceand technology". They too were very striking in the metal, the dark metallic grey paint finish looking like satin-finished stainless steel. It has the kind of road presence you'd expect from a Dan Dare movie, and should whoosh past witha sort of high-tech turbine whistle rather than the clattery diesel soundtrack that wouldn't be out of place coming from a decade-old London taxi.

Joining the Hypnos was Peugeot's funky and cute little BB1, actually a rather intriguing exercise in taking the maximum advantage of current battery and motive technology. It really was tardis-like, seeming much larger inside than its Smart-size exterior dimensions would suggest. But the packaging was very clever, using novel technologies such as Michelin'sown innovative in-wheel drive and suspension module.

Inside, the seating was unusual too, resembling nothing so much as a pair of two-seater scooters side by side in a golf buggy. A traditional car it is not. Even the steering is a pair of handlebars, such as you would find in a tuk-tuk, though the controls and display are rather more high-tech.

Fiat was present in a big way, witha number of interesting cars on display, including the funky FCC II concept,a fuel-cell Panda, a couple of dual-fuel Puntos and an all-electric Paleo estate. Unfortunately, the ‘Bugster' concept looked wonderful in the promotional video, buta lot more forlorn and lonely parked inthe depths of the garage. Sure, the styling was very futuristic, the technology very green (bodywork made from recycled palm fibres) and the wheels very white. It just didn't do anything. Happily, the others did.

The fuel-cell Panda was another ‘look, don't touch' car which we weren't allowed to drive, which was a shame because this is one of the technologies most likely to become a production and commercial reality, certainly for city markets, in the fairly near future. The dual-fuel Puntos were available to drive, which was great, and I can report that they go around the car park exactly as you would expect a Punto to go. Full marks there, and when we have a nationwide Ethanol distribution system here, they'll make a lot of sense.

And, lastly, the all-electric Paleo. This would cost slightly more than double the current petrol version, so I was delighted to get behind the wheel. And almost as quickly, wished I hadn't. Maybe the poor thing had had a long day — the charge meter on the dash said the battery held 75 per cent of its full charge — but a golf cart felt faster. Press the "loud" pedal, and it started to creep forward. Floor it, and it kept on creeping. Slow down, and a series of jerks like a bad auto 'box downshifting tells you that the energy recovery system has engaged. You don't need to brake. And the steering! Don't know if it was meant to feel that way (though I doubt it), but you could turn it to any angle, let go, and it would stay there. Felt like a large overtight friction damper was resisting your every instruction. Horrid.

There were loads of other cars there, mostly small, electric and slow, though the guy drifting a freshly charged electric Smart around the show ring certainly caught a lot of attention. Outside, it was the buses and trucks that made the most sense, with a lot of very clever clean-burn diesels on display. I was impressed by the level of thinking and engineering that went into making them every bit as useful in the real world as their current smelly counterparts. Such clean, mass transport options are clearly an important part of any sensible future city's transport infrastructure.

There was undoubtedly a huge amount of effort, research, technology, innovation and investment on display at Challenge Bibendum, all focused on the future of sustainable transport. But as we drove back past toxic rivers and overcrowded slums clinging to the mountainside, I couldn't help but wonder if there were more immediate concerns to address.

100

Percentage (well, almost) of cars produced in Brazil today which run on alternative fuels