FORTY electric cars are to be tested on the streets of Scotland's largest city as part of the world's biggest trial of environmentally-friendly vehicles.
The specially-designed electric cars will be seen on the roads of Glasgow by the end of the year.
Glasgow firm Allied Vehicles, leading the project, has already converted the Peugeot Expert Teepee into an electric car, and is now working to transf
orm the Peugeot Partner saloon so that it can also run off a battery.
Drivers will then be chosen by Glasgow City Council to test 40 of the electric cars for 12 months, so that data can then be analysed by Strathclyde University. It is hoped the trial, announced yesterday, which is mirrored by similar electric-car schemes in eight other locations across the UK, will help pave the way for mass take up of environmentally-friendly vehicles in the future.
The cars will be recharged from a home power supply, or 40 specially designed plug-in points to be installed across Glasgow.
The Glasgow project has received a £1.8 million share of £25m government funding.
Other trials will take place in London, the West Midlands, the north-east of England and Oxford, using cars including BMWs, Jaguars, Land Rovers and Mercedes Benz.
Allied managing director Paul Nelson said the decision to award the Glasgow project funding would make the city "a leading player for the quest for green transport".
And he told The Scotsman he thought the electric cars would be popular.
"You very quickly get used to driving an electric vehicle but the first thing you notice is its silence," he said. "The second is the lack of vibration. The third is the feeling of total superiority over everyone else on the road who is belching out .
"I've been a petrolhead for 20 odd years and I really love driving them because it really does make you feel awfully smug."
The cars can cover about 100 miles before they need to be recharged, meaning they are not suitable for long journeys. Instead, they are designed for trips around town.
A GPS system will record the number and length of journeys, the date, time and energy use of each trip, and the time and length of charging.
It is envisaged the information gained from the project will be used by vehicle and battery manufacturers to develop low carbon vehicles for the mass market.
ScottishPower will also be able to use the information to find out what charging infrastructure would be needed in Glasgow to support greater uptake of electric vehicles.
The Glasgow project was one of the winners of an 'ultra low carbon vehicle demonstrator' competition held by The Technology Strategy Board (TSB) – a government body that promotes business innovation in technology.
Across the trial programme, about 340 vehicles will be tested over the next 18 months across the UK, making it the largest project of its kind.
Councillor Philip Braat, Glasgow City Council's deputy executive member for business and the economy, said he hoped the project would help make Glasgow "Scotland's greenest" city, and "one of the most sustainable cities in Europe".
UK Science Minister Lord Drayson said the announcement signalled the government's intention to reduce dependence on petrol and diesel engines.
He added: "Low carbon doesn't mean low performance. Modern electric cars offer power and bucket-loads of torque."
Transport Secretary Andrew Adonis said: "Our aim is for ultra-low carbon vehicles to be an everyday feature of life on Britain's roads in less than five years."
Iain Gray, chief executive of the Technology Strategy Board, said the journey towards low carbon transport would not be easy, but he added that the demonstrator programme was a "major step in the right direction".
He added: "With over 340 cars being trialled in several regions across the UK, and with the involvement of large and small manufacturers, local authorities and infrastructure companies, it is the biggest project of its kind to date.
Paul Whittlemore, head of communications at TSB, said
it would be a "long journey" to make electric cars the norm. He said: "This is just a step. It's an important step but it's just a step on the journey. The point of this is to show they are a practical reality."
WWF Scotland director Dr Richard Dixon said: "To tackle climate change we need to reduce unnecessary car journeys and find ways to make those remaining journeys pollution-free. A big switch to electric vehicles is going to be an essential part of de-carbonising road transport if we are to tackle climate change."
AA president Edmund King said: "Today's announcement is a great leap forward on the road to a lower-carbon future. The ultra low carbon vehicle demonstrator programme has the potential to spark a transport revolution."
Big and brash – but green
PEUGEOT eEXPERT TEEPEETOP SPEED: 70 mph
CHARGE TIME: 7 hours
DISTANCE BEFORE BATTERY RUNS OUT: 100 miles
ENVIRONMENTAL CREDENTIALS: zero emissions of CO2 or any other noxious substances.
DESCRIPTION: A people-carrier designed for large families. Carries eight adults. Has bucket-loads of space inside, and large windows to let in light. The battery is hidden away under the vehicle and the charge point is under the bonnet. A handful of demonstrator vehicles have already been created.
The hero with zero
PEUGEOT ePARTNERTOP SPEED: 70mph
CHARGE TIME: 5 to 6 hours
DISTANCE BEFORE BATTERY RUNS OUT:100 miles
ENVIRONMENTAL CREDENTIALS: Zero emissions of CO2 or other noxious substances
DESCRIPTION: The ePartner has not yet been built, but demonstration models will be created by the end of 2009. The Partner is a spacious, chunky family car, with a van-like appearance and a large boot. There is a van version of the vehicle, which may also be converted in the future.
