Fuel-proof Megane

Lotus has done it with its Exige 265E, Saab has done it with its 9-3 and 9-5, and now Renault is after a slice of the green cake with a Megane that runs on bio-ethanol.

The Megane E85 uses the 1.6-litre 16V 105 engine modified to accept bio-eth, which means that the fuel tank, injection system and combustion chambers have all been upgraded to cope. 

The tech comes from the company's experience in Brazil, where Renault has been selling bioethanol Clios and Meganes since 2004.

The Megane is part of Renault's eCO2 project - the company's 'commitment to producing environmentally friendly vehicles over an entire life-cycle'.

The idea is to create cars that are kind to the environment and save you money at the same time, saving baby seals from sunstroke and allowing you to buy more alcopops all in one go. 

All very well, but with only 14 filling stations around the UK selling bio-ethanol, being quite so conscious might prove to be a bit harder than Renault is making out, although thankfully, when the first E85 cars appear in 2007, you can also run them on regular petrol. Phew.