The Royal Automobile Club has launched the Brighton to London Future Car Challenge (BLFCC), a new motoring contest for Electric, Hybrid and Low-Emission Internal Combustion Engine passenger cars to use the lowest energy on a 60 mile route from Madeira Drive, Brighton to Pall Mall & Regent Street, London. The BLFCC will be held on Saturday 6 November, the day before the Club’s world famous London to Brighton Veteran Car Run (LBVCR).

Mr Henry Lawson, a direct relative of Mr Harry Lawson - the founding member of the event related 1896 Emancipation Run, is today active in promoting low-carbon transport. The entrants are all eager to demonstrate their pioneering vehicles in the inaugural running of the new annual motoring event for alternative-energy passenger cars, light commercial vehicles and motorcycles on Saturday 6 November 2010. As well as these participants, the all-new BLFCC has already secured Goodyear and The RAC Foundation as the first companies to become sponsor partners to the event.

The BLFCC will feature the latest Electric, Hybrid and low-emission Internal Combustion Engine vehicles, with an optional challenge to use the least energy, within a given time, on the 60 mile route from Brighton to London. The Royal Automobile Club has now opened up the event to include categories for Light Commercial Vehicles (up to 3.5 tonne) and Motorcycles as well as Passenger Cars.

'To receive such entries and interest within a couple of months of the launch of the Brighton to London Future Car Challenge is extremely encouraging and clearly demonstrates the desire of the motor manufacturers to showcase to the new technologies they are developing,' said Ben Cussons, Chairman of The Royal Automobile Club Motoring Committee.

'114 years ago the Emancipation Run was held to demonstrate the then new technology of the motor car and we still celebrate this today in the form of the London to Brighton Veteran Car Run. The Brighton to London Future Car Challenge is the 21st Century equivalent, where the Club is providing a platform for the public to see the potential of new-energy vehicles that will become a feature of our everyday lives in the not so distant future.' Mr Cussons continued: 'We cannot run events such as the BLFCC without the support of sponsors and I’m pleased to welcome leading industry names – Goodyear and The RAC Foundation – who are the first to confirm their support for the event.  I’m confident that this new event will become a feature of the motoring calendar here in the UK in much the same way the London to Brighton Veteran Car Run has.'

With the event entry closing date not until the 30 September, seven specific vehicles so far are confirmed as entering in detail; a 2011 Indica Vista from Tata Motors, a 2010 Tesla Roadster Sport from Tesla Motors, a 2009 Toyota Prius from Transport for London, a 2006 Toyota Prius from Mr Henry Lawson, a 2009 Gordon Murray Design T.25, a Delta E-4 Coupe from Delta Motorsport and a 2010 Mitsubishi IMiEV from the Energy Savings Trust.

Specific model details of the entries from Ford, Mercedes Benz, SMART and Vauxhall are expected very soon. The Indica Vista is an electric car with a 50kW (26.5kW/h) motor.  It is a four-seat hatchback prototype. Tesla has entered a 2010 production model Roadster Sport - The only all-electric sports car for sale, this two-seater convertible is powered by a 375-volt alternating-current induction air-cooled electric motor with variable frequency drive. The Toyota Prius are five-seat five-door hatch hybrid models.

Following the traditional route of the world famous London to Brighton Veteran Car Run (LBVCR), but in reverse, the highlight of the new event will be finishing in Regent Street early Saturday afternoon. The finish will take place in front of around 250,000 Christmas shoppers, joining the traditional LBVCR International Concours display when London’s most famous street will be closed to regular traffic for the occasion. The BLFCC is not a race, but a challenge to demonstrate overall new-energy performance with the participating vehicles being judged on their minimum energy impact during the run.

The BLFCC is open to road-legal; concept, development, pre-production and production vehicles that feature and promote new/alternative energy. Further details and Entry information can be found at www.futurecarchallenge.com