UK government unveils $40.7 mn EV trial (Funding, R&D)

The UK government has officially kicked off a major £25 million trial of electric and low-carbon vehicles by sending 340 cars to eight different cities in an initiative that will assess the viability of emerging electric car technologies. The scheme, administered by the Technology Strategy Board, will provide a range of PHEVs, EVs, and fuel-cell vehicles (FCVs) to participants in the trial over the next six to 18 months, along with the infrastructure to recharge them. The trial will include electric versions of the BMW Mini Cooper, Ford Focus and Smart Car, as well as a new Peugeot EV, a modified Toyota Prius PHEV, and an electric sports cars from a consortium of three independents.

The largest trial will send 100 Smart EVs to drivers in the West Midlands and London, while 40 Mini Cooper EVs will land in Oxford and the South East. Peugeot is supplying 40 eExpert Teepee electric cars to Glasgow, and Ford is sending 15 Focus EVs to Hillingdon, a London borough. The TSB plans to launch a much larger initiative with 8,000 EVs within three to four years.

(Source: Business Green, June 23, 2009). Contact: Technology Strategy Board, www.innovateuk.org; Kristen Kinley, Sustainability Communications, Ford, (313) 337-2786, kkinley@ford.com, www.ford.com; Daimler, www.daimler.com; Peugeot Citroen, +33 (0) 15 304-3480, www.psa-peugeot-citroen.com/en/; BMW, www.bmw.com.