Fiat's green credentials have been given a further boost
following the award of an international accolade for environmental
best practice.
The honour goes to eco: Drive, Fiat's innovative fuel-saving
initiative, which was named among the special 'Green Champion'
winners at the 2009 International Green Apple Awards, presented by
Michael Cooke, chief executive, Chartered Institute of
Environmental Health, and film actress Alexandra Bastedo at the
House of Commons in London on 17th November 2009.
Of the many awards presented yesterday, the 'Green Champion' honour
given to Fiat was a special acknowledgment reserved by the Green
Organisation, a group dedicated to recognising, rewarding and
promoting environmental best practice around the world, only for
'the highest achievement'.
The award was collected by Luis Cilimingras, responsible for the
eco: Drive project, Fiat Group Automobiles, who travelled to London
from Italy for the prize-giving ceremony. He was accompanied by
Brane Bosancic, product manager, Fiat Group Automobiles UK.
"I am very happy to accept this award on behalf of Fiat," says Luis
Cilimingras. "eco: Drive has won many honours since its launch a
year ago but, until now, they were mostly for innovation or
marketing. The Green Apple accolade is much more fulfilling, since
it gives recognition of the work we have done for the
environment."
Launched by Fiat at the 2008 Paris Motor Show, eco: Drive is a
free-of-charge tool that helps drivers understand the impact of
their driving style on fuel consumption and CO2 emissions.
Using a USB stick plugged into the car's dashboard, eco: Drive
records detailed information about the vehicle and how it is
driven, which can be uploaded on to a computer. It then gives an
analysis of the driver’s performance, along with suggestions on how
to improve efficiency further by reappraising driving methods.