POLLUTION FREE CITY CAR SYSTEM

The Peoples Car of the Future

In the REALITY PARTY agenda we suggested that the party would work on a ‘peoples’ car, a small cheap to buy and run vehicle that was essentially environmental while remaining practical.

I have great pleasure in announcing that an established, very experienced and highly qualified designer has provided me with designs for a car that cover all the criteria above while remaining attractive and desirable.

Graham Pepall, A top British designer has kindly suggested I put his designs on my website as a practical example of what the Reality Party would push for in a national investment scheme in an aim to clean up inner city congestion and pollution.

Current government investment is in outdated larger vehicles such as Land Rover which does nothing for the environment and caters solely for a minority of the electorate and is just a desperate bid to keep the company afloat rather than providing a vision of the future.

“CitiBug” Transport System

By Graham Pepall

A New Green Approach to Inner City Traffic Congestion

The “CitiBug” is an electrically powered vehicle that has an innovative design feature in that the body and wheelbase of the car can be extended by a third, powered by the engine when more space is required, however for inner city, light use and parking it can be easily shortened.

The “CitiBug” current design dimensions are:

Width: 1530mm. Height: 1640mm.

Length: 2320mm. (short wheelbase mode)

Length: 2880mm. (Extended wheelbase mode)

Note 1, The bug is 180mm shorter than the Mercedes Smart car

Note 2, Usable interior space in length is 1600mm, plus an extra 560mm when extended.

Performance and operating characteristics:

Approximate weight: 1000kg

Approximate maximum daily range: 200 miles, however for out of town private vehicles, the “CitiBug” could have its own fuel cell which would enable the car to charge itself.

Actual driving time per day: Approx 4 hours

Operating speed range: Top speed 50/60 mph

The “CitiBug” will have an above average 0 to 60 performance for a small car, however the higher the average speed the lower the range

Fuel Cell Technology

The “CitiBug” would use fuel cell technology, a proven system, which would charge the batteries, however battery and electric technology is rapidly changing, so if a better system came up it could easily be incorporated.

The “CitiBug” concept was first conceived by Graham Pepall in 2000, as a practical versatile vehicle which could be run as a public resource fleet by local government, ideally to be used in a designated traffic and pollution free zone such as or in inner cities.

The “CitiBug” would obviously be just as attractive to private buyers, and if the government backed a scheme for a pollution free car it could easily become the peoples car while helping the environment enormously.

To this end I would suggest some variations in becoming a disabled vehicle catering for varying types of disability as they have in Russia, in Russia's peoples car the Oka, which provides very inexpensive disable vehicles.

Seating and Vehicle Options.

In short wheelbase mode the “CityBug” provides a two seater option, In long wheelbase mode the “CitiBug” provides four seats.

The extension is achieved by a simple sliding chassis design powered by the engine.

“CityBugs” could be converted for civic duties, such as cleaning, postal, policing, delivery etc. and can be used at night because of their silent operation without disturbance to anyone.

The “CitiBug” system.

The vehicle would lend itself as a fleet vehicle owned by a local government, a private company or very acceptably a combination of both. A vehicle could be hired out from a designated area, one of many placed around and on the perimeter of the city (or pollution free zone).

This could provide in the future a sort of park and drive system, but allowing the user to drive his own rented vehicle wherever he wanted to go within the inner city.

The collection/park and drive points would also provide a cafe/restaurant/service station, and if required a recharging station where a complete recharge of the cars batteries could be carried out in 30 minutes. The “CitiBug” if privately owned can be recharged from an ordinary 3 pin plug at home or garage.

Private cars and “CityBugs” could also use this recharging station in the same way.

The “CityBugs” could also be parked in a vertical stacking system, which would also save space and allow them to be recharged at the same time.

The vehicles would be parked in short wheelbase mode, two vehicles to a conventional space.

This would be an extention of the successful bicycle system carried out in Dutch towns in the inner cities.

Proven Technology

The technology is proven and commercially available, for example the first commercial fuel cell electricity generator in Britain was installed in 2001, (by climate change agency, headed by Allen Jones, for Woking Council and has operated so successfully that at least two other councils are installing them and probably more will follow shortly, the “CityBug” scheme is merely an extension of that.

Graham's recommended supplier for the parking stacking system is Wohr Gmbh who have a long history of manufacture for this type of product, so he seems to have the whole system worked out and ready to put into production.

Political Will

If the political will was there these systems could be available now at low cost development and installation, and offer the possibility of free city and town travelling costs, pollution free and noiseless giving the opportunity to introduce greener and calmer centres to our inner cities, quite apart from reducing traffic congestion and reducing the number of injuries and death caused by traffic pollution.

This is the kind of project that a truly humanitarian forward looking party like the Reality Party, would develop for Britain's towns and inner cities, and should export to other countries, helping to rebuild the UK's balance of payments and rebuild our shamefully neglected, manufacturing reputation and economy.

Graham's instinct and preference is to try to keep things as simple as possible in order to reduce complications.

The concept for the build of the vehicle is not conventional - the separate sliding chassis is of aluminium extrusions, and the upper frame to mount the body panels on is of aluminium hydroformed sections - the body panels themselves are self coloured injection plastics (no painting needed) fastened to the frame and tough enough to take substantial bumps and impacts without serious problems (and easily replaced.)

This structure needs low investment and is flexible regarding volumes and build process.

Boris Johnson, Mayor of London has promised to set up 25,000 charging points for electric vehicles in London by 2015 ( at a cost of £60m.) in order to reduce emissions and is wanting 100,000 electric cars being used in London by 2012 so it does look as though that the electric car has some good backing and it would great to see a British car having a major involvement rather than foreign competition taking over yet again.

To give you a brief insight into Graham Pepall and his designs, I have included some other designs by Graham below

Enjoy at your leisure and then click on Graham Pepall's book or click on the REALITY PARTY to see the parties aims and agenda.

For more information on Graham Pepall you may like to click on the books section, where there is information on G E Pepall's book called 

"It's About You"   ISBN 978-1-8479950-0-1

The book has an extensive section which gives an account of the designers life based mainly around his work, detailing the many countries visited, and companies worked for including BMC, British Leyland, Triumph Motors, DeLorien, Volvo, Saab, Mazda (MX5) etc. (and working for the innovative Chief Engineer of Triumph, Harry Webster, studying under styling genius Giovanni Micholotti in Turin, plus working next to Alex Issigonis, brilliant designer of the original Mini.)

The book also describes projects, with proffesional methods such as automotive clay models, prototypes, show cars etc. including many anecdotes along the way.

More Info on the BOOK

Please click Contents Page above for full list of subjects covered

 The Spiritual - Dowsing, Meditation, Mediums, Cults, Chakras etc.

The Environmental - Climate change, 2012, Pole Shift, Resources etc.

The Conspiracy - UFO's, Aliens, Drugs, Vaccines, Illuminate, Information, 9/11, DNA, Politics & Religion etc.

I would welcome and appreciate contact from like minded individuals
so please email me, Mark Turner, on the following:
markturner246@btinternet.com