Vauxhall Motors launch Science Weekend
at The Kings Cross Filling Station
Creative science collective super/collider are teaming up with Vauxhall
Motors to launch the ‘Vauxhall Ampera x Super/Collider Science Weekend’
(16th – 19th August 2012). The four-day science-fest is part of the
‘Vauxhall Ampera Season’, a series of challenging, informative and
entertaining events at the newly unveiled King’s Cross Filling Station
(KXFS), a previously disused filling Station.
Naturally, as the Ampera can run in purely electric mode for up to 50
miles, the use of this once active filling station - in partnership with the
Office of Change – serves only to further highlight the Ampera’s lack of
familiarity with the common petrol pump.
To open the season, super/collider have curated a weekend of science and
learning events. The weekend kicks off with a pioneering installation by
Patrick Stevenson-Keating called ‘Future Station.’ This work will display
alternative fuel types, questioning what may happen when the oil runs
dry, and showcase the future of filling stations by proposing a futuristic
new aesthetic for the fuel pump, and how it might be powering the electric
car of the future.
Supporting the installation centrepiece, the Science Weekend will also
feature talks, socials and live demonstrations featuring the latest gadgets
and scientific developments in an exciting post-petroleum future. These
will include hydrogen fuel cell racing, a personal rapid transport pod
demo and nightly laser fusion light shows. Moreover, the event will also
explore innovative ideas in other areas of science and technology, through
thought provoking installations, expert talks and live interactive events.
These will tackle subjects such as energy, mobility and urban ecology, with
events ranging from catalytic clothing to solar powered cities.
In other words, everyone from science fanatics to those just curious about
‘brainy stuff’ can look forward to a jam-packed weekend of discovery.
Date: 16th – 19th August 2012
Address: The King's Cross Filling Station, Goods Way, N1C 4UR
Price: Free
Age restrictions: None
Refreshments: HomeSlice Pizza and bar
- ENDS –
For more information on the Science Weekend and a full programme of
events including times please visit The Kings Cross Filling Station site,
www.kxfs.co.uk
For more information on the Vauxhall Ampera Season, please contact:
Wendy Towler,
Vauxhall Consumer PR Manager,
+44 (0) 1582 426603
wendy.towler@vauxhall.co.uk
Rebecca Beaumont
Vauxhall Consumer PR Assistant
+44 (0) 1582 427108
rebecca.beaumont@vauxhall.co.uk
Notes to Editors:
VAUXHALL MOTORS
Vauxhall Motors has been manufacturing motor vehicles in the UK continuously
since 1903. Vauxhall’s range spans all mainstream sectors of the vehicle market
with best-selling model names such as Corsa, Astra, Meriva, Zafira and Insignia
regularly in the top ten of the sales charts. Vauxhall is also the largest
manufacturer of commercial vehicles in the UK and its parent company General
Motors’ 4th largest global market.
The company employs c5000 people in the UK and exports three quarters of its
production. It is headquartered in Luton, Bedfordshire where it also manufactures
the Vivaro light commercial vehicle. A second plant at Ellesmere Port in Cheshire
produces the Astra.
VAUXHALL AMPERA
The Ampera is the first electric vehicle that can go anywhere anytime. A 16 kWh
lithium ion battery powers the 111kW/150PS electric motor. Depending on the
style of driving and road conditions, a distance of between 25 and 50 miles can
be covered in battery-operated mode, completely free of tailpipe emissions. The
Ampera is always driven electrically and when the battery has reached its
minimum state of charge, the range extender automatically turns on and powers a
generator to feed the electric drive unit extending the Ampera’s total driving range
to 360 miles. A full charge for Ampera’s battery can be achieved in less than six
hours via a domestic 240v electricity socket at an average cost of around £1,
depending on tariff.
Vauxhall is on the road to a sustainable future and with more than one billion
pounds
investment
in
alternative
propulsion
it
continues
to
develop
its
conventional propulsion systems with the ecoFLEX range. For more information
please visit www.vauxhall-ampera.com.
KING’S CROSS FILLING STATION
The King’s Cross Filling Station is part of the 67-acre King’s Cross development
which is delivering new homes, offices, shops and public spaces.
A 200m long x
4m high transparent and curvaceous fibreglass enclosure sets the KXFS apart from
the busy road along York Way, where sweeping curved walls create a sequence of
spaces leading to the canal-side.
The structure for the enclosure is constructed
from scaffolding and fibreglass cladding modules that can be recycled at the end
of the project.
OFFICE OF CHANGE
Pablo Flack founded his consultancy Office of Change in 2011, which grew out of
his work on special projects with Bistrotheque, which he co-founded with David
Waddington in 2004.
Starting with the phenomenally successful Reindeer in
2006, he has worked with the Royal Academy of Arts, Patrón and Westfield, the
latter of these with Carmody Groarke. Two of his projects, Studio East and FLASH,
have won Yellow Pencils at the D&AD Awards.