What's the news?
Well, it's a little tricky to know how to cover this one. It's a sensitive subject, after all, when it comes to talking about the last, slowest car journey you'll ever take. Does one approach the subject with the quiet dignity appropriate to dealing with loss and grief? Or do we just start making coffin puns?
Well, either way, for those of us who wish to be as environmentally sensitive in the afterlife as we were in life, there's now the option of a hybrid hearse. Byrne Coach Builders of Dundalk have created this, the Deacon V Hybrid, and it's based on the new Mondeo Hybrid, which has not long since gone on sale.
Paul O'Sullivan, Director of Sales for Ford Ireland, said: "The new Mondeo HEV is the ideal vehicle to serve as a hearse, with the sleek looks of the latest version of the much-loved Mondeo, it is an attractive vehicle and with its dual electric and petrol engine, it can be depended upon to provide a quiet and smooth ride in the sensitive context of a funeral."
Peadar Byrne, MD of Byrne Coach Builders, said: "We are delighted to offer the Deacon V Hybrid hearse to the funeral directors of Ireland. It really helps to bring the traditional funeral hearse into the 21st century as electric and hybrid vehicles become more and more popular. The hybrid engine is ideally suited for use as a funeral vehicle as it is always quiet and efficient."
The Deacon hearse uses the same Atkinson-cycle 187hp 2.0-litre four-cylinder petrol engine, with assistance from a 1.4kWh lithium-ion battery, and it gets a claimed 4.2 litres per 100km, or 67.2mpg. Quite what it will manage with the extra weight of the hearse bodywork and never going fast enough to warm up the engine properly remains to be seen, but Peader Byrne reckons it's the right car for the job: "The Deacon V Hybrid is a great new option for the undertakers of Ireland. More and more people are looking for vehicles that have less of an impact on the environment and for the last journey of a loved one, isn't it great to be able to now offer a vehicle like the Deacon V Hybrid" he said.
Well, creating Ireland's first hybrid hearse has certainly been quite the... undertaking. (Sorry. Not sorry.)