Arrival of well-developed EVs in UK 'began this year'

Date: 4/7/2011

For UK consumers, the past 12 months marks the first year during which they have been able to invest in electric vehicles (EVs) that are well-engineered and developed, according to one sector commentator.

Lem Bingley, author of the Greenmotor.co.uk blog, says that as a result it is difficult to accurately measure how popular this type of car is.

He notes that before the arrival of the Nissan LEAF and the Mitsubishi i-MiEV, the EVs that proved a favourite among customers were quadricycles or conversions, which were only available in low volumes.

Mr Bingley adds that one high-profile example was the transformation of a petrol Citroen C1 by the Electric Car Corporation.

However, at the time there "wasn't really a very good reason to buy [the electric version] over the petrol one," he claims.

The government believes the future will herald an EV "revolution" and as a result it has unveiled its strategy for a recharging infrastructure that will logistically support the ownership of such cars.

Posted by Nick Anderson