As world leaders, dignitaries and policymakers head to the UN Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen this week, some of them will find themselves ferried to the proceedings in a Volvo station wagon.
Along with BMW, Honda and Daimler, Volvo is one of four automotive sponsors of the conference. As such they're providing 60 diesel and E85 S80 sedans and V70 wagons for use by heads of state and "other prominent visitors." Also traveling beneath solar-powered streetlamps are BMWs, Benz buses and hydrogen Hondas -- not to mention a brand-new Chinese electric car.
According to the Danish Ministry of Foreign Affairs, EU regulators have given Chinese carmaker BYD permission to use their F3 hybrid and E6 sedan to shuttle conferencegoers to and from their hotels. That means dignitaries will get the chance to test the E6's purported 186 mile range and 15 minute rapid charge time.
In addition to the newcomer from the East, some usual suspects will be on the streets of Copenhagen during the conference. BMW said they're bringing their Mini E electric car, while Mercedes is providing what we imagine is the VIP transport -- with a fleet of S400 hybrids and BlueTec diesels -- and a few fuel-cell vehicles to boot. A third of Volvo's cars will be low-emissions DRIVe diesel models, while the others are powered by E85. Since E85 is not normally available in Denmark, Volvo says a special supply has been created just for the conference.
Curiously absent from the lineup is the venerable Toyota Prius. According to official Copenhagen blogger Maria Sauer-Johansen, visitors like President Obama need to be worried about security and "it simply isn't safe enough to drive him around in a car like the Toyota Prius – although it's a great hybrid car."
While we'd love to see attendees riding bikes and taking public transportation, it's always good for automakers to get the chance to show off their latest wares. We imagine the photo-ops that come out of this week will be well worth the cost of sponsorship for the participating marques.
Photo: Flickr/Australian Science Media Centre
See Also:
- Mini E Field Test Highlights Roadblocks Facing Electric Cars
- Americans Don't Get No Super-Clean Volvo Diesel
- You'll Need The Gas Savings With Mercedes' $100K Hybrid
