It won’t be coming anywhere near Britain, but Nissan has just unveiled the seventh-generation version of the Patrol. The simple 4×4 workhorse we knew and loved has become a high-tech luxury wagon – but behind the 22” alloys and eyeball-searing red leather interior it’s still an off-roader at heart.
Creel Maritime, which specialises in developing solutions for sustainable transport, has introduced ForestBiodrive
– a project designed to demonstrate the potential of methanol-powered vehicles. As part of this, the company has been testing a Land Rover Defender 90 Tdi converted to run on methanol – something which it says demonstrates the technology’s viability for use on a larger scale.
The vehicle, which is undergoing rigorous testing in the forests of northern Scotland, promises a number of benefits.
As well as producing much lower levels of CO2 and particulates compared to diesel, methanol delivers performance that is comparable if not actually superior. Creel Maritime points out that this gives it the potential to be used in the marine, forestry, heavy plant and haulage sectors. In addition, methanol can be produced from recycled waste and forestry by-products, making it especially attractive as an automotive or industrial fuel in areas where local manufacture is possible.
Read the full Article in the December issue of Overlander 4×4 –
