London Eye completes capsule upgrade programme
08 May 2012
The EDF Energy London Eye last night completed its £12.5 million capsule upgrade programme and the South Bank saw the return of the 32nd and final 10 tonne capsule. Collectively, the capsules have now travelled 11,217 miles (18,848.64 km) travelling by river and road to a workshop in Worcester.
Each of the capsules, carefully removed one at a time, were taken to Tilbury Docks in Essex where they were loaded onto trucks before being accompanied by an escort to their make-over destination.
The completion of the activity was scheduled to coincide with the start of summer 2012 when London, and its most popular attractions, is set to see a surge in visitor numbers. The purpose of the programme was to further enhance the customer experience, improve environmental credentials and 'future proof' this iconic London landmark.
As a direct result of the project, the EDF Energy London Eye’s energy consumption has been cut by 30%, against its target of 20%. Another of the capsule upgrade programme’s key goals was to reduce the London Eye’s carbon footprint.
This has been achieved with a 33% reduction in CO2 emissions, which was also partly reached due to moving to a lower carbon supply. In addition, refrigerant gasses have been significantly reduced (by 128 kilograms per capsule) by using free-cooling to cool and de-humidify the capsule; this means that the air-flow systems on the London Eye are more environmentally friendly as well as providing a more pleasant environment for guests.
During the three year programme, approximately 110 designers, engineers, technicians and testers have worked extensively to complete the upgrade in time. A total of 640 hours, or the length of it time it would take to complete 320 rotations on the London Eye, have been spent by the various team members in the capsules.
Further to this, each of the upgraded capsules were installed with state of the art Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 devices at the beginning of this year, enhancing the guests experience by providing information about the landmarks that can be seen from the world’s tallest cantilevered observation wheel.
The Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 provides a more interactive way to take in the capital’s best sights. Features include key information on landmarks that can be seen from the London Eye as well as a 3D view of each sight, further bringing it to life. Additionally, innovative 360 degree non-stop-24-hour filming has granted the EDF Energy London Eye and its guests the first ever multi-dimensional views of the spectacular sights of the capital.