On the fourth Saturday of October a large exhibition of vehicles that operate on electricity or other green fuels or are otherwise environmentally friendly attracted hundreds of interested people to the central square of Vilnius, including advisor Madis Tilga from the Nordic Council of Ministers' Office in Estonia.|
Estonian accomplishments were represented by ZEV Motors OÜ with a small Smiley and an old, once-popular Pobeda. The latter notably stirred the emotions of elderly people who even took the trouble to look under the car to check if there is a muffler or not. Children were also involved in the electricity theme: they could play with superfast radio-controlled electric mini-cars. A host of new thoughts and ideas was created in Vilnius. One that received much attention is that investing in an electric car is still a matter of conscience because due to the current price level electric vehicles do not have considerable savings potential. In Estonia the situation is somewhat better as the price of electricity is relatively low when compared, for example, to the Nordic countries. Also, the problem of poor infrastructure was considered, which, according to some, is over-exaggerated because the number of cars and the state of infrastructure is interrelated: there is no need for infrastructure for a thousand cars that simply do not exist. Everything seen and heard in Vilnius deepened the desire to organise such an event in Estonia. The enthusiasm of Tallinn city officials who visited the exhibition gives hope that at the beginning of next summer a similar event will take place in the capital of Estonia. The Nordic Council of Ministers' Office in Estonia wants to make a contribution to the development of environmentally and human-friendly transport. The international interactive art and climate event "CO2 Green Drive" is a Danish initiative developed in 2008 by the Danish artist Jacob Fuglsang Mikkelsen and the Danish Cultural Institute. |
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Green vehicles conquered Vilnius
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Organisers of the event, primarily the Nordic Council of Ministers' Office in Lithuania and their numerous partners, brought a colourful selection of two and four-wheeled eco-vehicles to the nation that had recently lost a nuclear power plant. Visitors could examine and test exhibited items and ask for advice. Then, vehicles equipped with GPS formed the chemical symbol for carbon monoxide - representing the battle against climate change - on the web-map of Vilnius. The day culminated with a merciless drag race between fossil fuel and electric cars. The Mitsubishi EVO and Subaru Impreza with very dynamic internal combustion engines took turns competing in the first category. TESLA was chosen to ensure the triumph of electric cars. Its acceleration, 0-100 km/h in 3.5 seconds, left traditional cars far behind. |